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 components provide essential command, control, and data links for subsea Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). Following multi-year market research and testing, the government determined that BPI is the only source capable of manufacturing a fiber optic cable that maintains necessary signal integrity under extreme subsea pressure.

This requirement falls under NAICS 335921 for Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing and PSC 5995 for Cable, Cord, and Wire Assemblies: Communication Equipment. The action, identified by solicitation number N66001-26-P-6080, was formalized through a Justification and Approval (J&A) published on April 1, 2026. This notice serves informational purposes regarding the rationale for the sole-source award.

Stephen O'Neill is the point of contact for this award, which is documented by a single PDF attachment posted at the time of publication. Although the agency is listed as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in metadata, the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific is identified as the purchasing entity within the narrative description. No specific place of performance or response deadline is provided for this completed procurement action.