USAFA Coverglass Interconnected Cells (CICs)

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely to determine potential sources for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. This RFI should not be construed as a commitment by the Government for any purpose other than to gain the information requested for market research. The Government is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals.

Respondees are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any potential future RFQ. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Contract Opportunities website (sam.gov). It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) requires a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for the course of 5 years to acquire space-rated coverglass-interconnected-cells (CICs). The Space Systems Research Center (SSRC) developed a qualified solar array build process for use in the FalconSAT program. Qualification and flight solar arrays were built for use on the FalconSAT-Xtra spacecraft. More space-rated CICs are required to build flight arrays for future spacecraft.

The cells need to be compatible with existing tooling within the SSRC. Salient characteristics: Individual CICs must have the same form factor (size and shape) as those used on the FalconSAT-X flight model (Spectrolab XTJ Prime CIC, P/N 047852-401). We can accept components from other vendors provided they match the size and match or exceed efficiency specifications detailed below.

26.62 cm^2 surface area with cropped corner 5 mil coverglass >= 30.7% efficiency QTY = 1500 CICs If your product can meet the requirements, please provide literature or product information to support and your delivery timeframe. In addition, please include your SAM unique number and business size to the POCs below.