Xenon Gas Purchase

Background
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is issuing this Request for Quotation (RFQ) for the procurement of high-purity Xenon gas. The goal of this contract is to acquire approximately 5,000 liters of Xenon gas for use in electric propulsion testing at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The agency's mission includes advancing human exploration and scientific discovery, and this procurement supports their ongoing research efforts.

Work Details
NASA requires the vendor to provide approximately 5,000 liters of high-purity Xenon gas with a purity greater than or equal to 99.999%. The specifications include:
- Each cylinder must be equipped with a rare gas valve or a bellows-sealed valve to prevent stem leakage.
- The external connection must be a CGA 580 valve fitting.
- Each cylinder should be labeled with its tare weight and must have a minimum of one year remaining on its DOT certification.
- A Certificate of Analysis is required for each cylinder, which must include:
- Quantity of xenon in liters at standard temperature and pressure,
- Actual measured impurity values for that cylinder,
- Measurement uncertainty for each impurity.

Table 1: Maximum Allowable Impurities
- Oxygen (O2): ≤ 0.1 ppm
- Water (H2O): ≤ 0.1 ppm
- Carbon Monoxide (CO): ≤ 0.5 ppm
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2): ≤ 0.5 ppm
- Carbon Tetrafluoride (CF4): ≤ 0.1 ppm
- Total hydrocarbons (THC): ≤ 0.1 ppm
- Nitrogen (N2): ≤ 1.0 ppm
- Hydrogen (H2): ≤ 2.0 ppm
- Krypton (Kr): ≤ 5.0 ppm
- Argon (Ar): ≤ 1.0 ppm
- Total Impurities: ≤ 10.4 ppm (balance xenon).

Period of Performance
The geographic location(s) the product will be delivered to or performed at.

Place of Performance
The delivery location for the Xenon gas will be NASA facilities at Stennis Space Center, MS.

Bidder Requirements
Bidders must provide sufficient technical documentation demonstrating compliance with all stated requirements, including manufacturer literature and specifications.

Incumbent Analysis (see Incumbents section for more detail)
This RFQ for high-purity xenon gas for electric propulsion testing at a NASA facility appears to have a confirmed incumbent based on prior NASA awards for the same commodity and end use. Electronic Fluorocarbons (80NSSC23PC328, $79,065; 08/30/23–09/16/23) and Unique Technology Systems (80NSSC25PA373, $42,200; 12/31/24–01/10/25) previously purchased xenon gas specifically for electric propulsion testing, which aligns closely with the current requirement for approximately 5,000 liters of ≥99.999% xenon with cylinder valve and certification/documentation requirements.