Notice of Justification for Sole Source Award to Burnham Polymeric Inc. for ROV Fiber Optic Tethers

The Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific issued a sole-source award to Burnham Polymeric Inc. (BPI) for the procurement of custom-wound Fiber Optic Cable (FOC) packs. These packs are utilized to provide essential command, control, and data links for subsea Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). This procurement follows extensive multi-year market research and testing which determined that BPI is the only source capable of manufacturing fiber optic cables that maintain signal integrity under extreme subsea pressure, meeting the government’s specific technical and performance requirements.

The contract is identified by solicitation number N66001-26-P-6080 and was published on April 1, 2026. This action is classified under NAICS 335921 for Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing and PSC 5995 for Cable, Cord, and Wire Assemblies: Communication Equipment. The notice serves informational purposes in accordance with FAR 6.301, providing the Justification and Approval (J&A) for the award.

Administrative oversight for this requirement is managed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration with Stephen O'Neill serving as the primary point of contact. The solicitation includes one attachment in PDF format detailing the justification. As of the publication date, the notice documents the finalized rationale for the sole-source selection rather than a request for competitive proposals.