Special NoticePosted Aug 20, 2026·Responses due Aug 25, 2026

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE: USAFA Supercontinuum Laser Source

Air Force and Space Force · DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE

Stage
Early notice (sources sought, presolicitation or special notice)
NAICS
334516
Value
Not stated
Solicitation
FA700026SLS2
Set-aside
None stated
PSC
6650
Place
USAF Academy, CO, USA
Contact
Nathalieb Zepeda (Nathalieb.Zepeda@us.af.mil)
CSV Email

Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.

Where this opportunity stands

Every notice posted under solicitation FA700026SLS2 in this department, oldest first.

Early notice
  • Aug 19, 2026
    Special Notice
    Open
  • Aug 20, 2026 · this notice
    Special Notice
Solicitation
None posted
Award
Not yet. Typical award: Oct 14, 2026 to Feb 14, 2027, middle of the range Nov 25, 2026.
Measured from 253 past early notices at Dept of the Air Force that later posted an award (middle half of cases, counted from Aug 19, 2026).

Next steps for this stage

Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.

  • Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
  • Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
  • Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.

What the notice says

Notice ID: FA700026SLS2 NAICS: 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing PSC: 6650 - Optical Instruments, Test Equipment, Components and Accessories THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE This notice of intent is published in accordance with the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Subpart 5.2. This requirement is being conducted in accordance with the procedures in RFO FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services. The 10th Contracting Squadron, United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado, intends to award a sole-source, firm-fixed-price pu… (show all)

rchase order to Optowares Inc., a small business, for the purchase and delivery of two (2) Supercontinuum Laser Sources. The identified sole source is: Optowares Inc. 15 Presidential Way Woburn, Massachusetts 01801-1040, United States CAGE Code: 7JE02 UEI: L8NSHTM6E7U3 The following outlines the unique technical capabilities that exclusively qualify this vendor to provide the required supercontinuum laser systems: Sustained High-Power Output: The system must maintain a continuous, total average coherent optical output power of at least 30 W per system across the entire operating spectrum to overcome atmospheric attenuation during stand-off remote sensing and diagnostics at range. Ultra-Broad Spectral Range: The equipment must deliver a single, coherent, software-defined output spanning the broad spectral band of (400-2400" nm" ) simultaneously. This spectral bandwidth is critical to allow multi-wavelength spectroscopy and trace chemical speciation. Stable Megahertz Repetition Rate: The laser must operate with a highly stable, fixed, or selectable repetition rate of (?1" MHz" ) (specifically supporting a standard factory-aligned operating window of exactly (4" MHz" ) / (4000" kHz" )) to match the modulation frequency required for phase-sensitive phenomenology detection. Integrated Protection & Control: The system must feature integrated output optical isolation to shield the delicate internal seed laser from back-reflections during stand-off targets, alongside a standard USB computer control interface The Contracting Officer has determined that the circumstances of this contract action deem Optowares Inc. as the only known responsible source capable of satisfying the agency�s commercial requirement. Instructions to Interested Parties This notice of intent is NOT a request for competitive proposals or quotations. A solicitation document will not be issued. However, any company that believes it can meet the unique salient characteristics may submit a capability statement for consideration via email before the deadline to the point of contact below. Required Information: Capability statements must include the company name, address, point of contact, UEI number, and technical data or specifications clearly demonstrating the ability to meet ALL the following salient characteristics: Quantity: Two (2) separate, standalone supercontinuum laser systems. Total Average Output Power: (?30" W" ) per system (standard commercial high-power platform). Wavelength Spectral Range: (400-2400" nm" ) (agile wavelength modulation band). Average Spectral Power Density: (>15" mW/nm" ) across the specified spectral range. Repetition Rate: (?1" MHz" ) (must support a highly stable operating window between (1" MHz" ) and (4" MHz" ), or (4000" kHz" ) equivalent). Average Power Stability (Std. Dev.): (<0.5%" RMS" ) over continuous operation. Safety & Optical Protection: Integrated Output Isolation to protect the source fiber from back-reflections. System Integration: Standard Computer Control Interface (USB / software-defined control). Delivery: FOB Destination shipping and handling included to the USAF Academy, CO 80840. Deadline for Responses: Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 5:00 PM (MDT) Point of Contact: Nathalieb Zepeda, Nathalieb.Zepeda@us.af.mil Any responses received after the deadline will be late and not considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Who won similar work

40 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Match: Same agency (Air Force and Space Force), same NAICS 334516.

WinnerAwardsValueLast
BRUKER AXS LLC · $BRKR2$588KJul 28, 2026
ARHAB LLC2$412KMay 14, 2025
MALVERN PANALYTICAL INC2$73KSep 2, 2026
VERMONT PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGIES CORP1$5.2MSep 29, 2026
HAMAR LASER INSTRUMENTS, INC.1$2.6MAug 25, 2025
JS WILLEY LLC1$2.5MAug 31, 2026
ECTRON CORP1$1.4MSep 4, 2026
WILLRICH PRECISION INSTRUMENT COMPANY1$1.0MSep 16, 2026
ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS CORPORATION1$950KJul 22, 2025
IDSC HOLDINGS LLC1$926KJun 26, 2026

Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in.

Latest awards

Competitive landscape

For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.

  • 0 of these past winners lobbied Air Force, Dept of since 2024 (0 filings)
  • 0 of their lobbyists list a past Air Force, Dept of job
  • No corporate PAC money from them to the overseeing committees since 2024
  • 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
See who and the source records with Pro

Policy around it

Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.

  • 0 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
  • 32 rules from the department in the last 12 months
  • 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
See who and the source records with Pro

Market

For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards.

  • 1 of the past winners are listed companies
  • 0 insider buys and 0 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
See who and the source records with Pro

Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.

Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.