Request for Proposal for OAP Optics for the ESC Instruments

The University of Arizona seeks a qualified vendor to design, fabricate, coat, test, and deliver custom off‑axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors for the Exoplanet Characterization (ESC) coronagraph instrument. The work comprises precision grinding, polishing, vacuum‑compatible reflective coating, and full documentation for 30 individual mirrors (two complete flight sets of 15 mirrors each) plus certificates, testing reports, and secure packaging for FOB Tucson delivery within a 6‑9‑month lead‑time after order receipt. The solicitation emphasizes stringent optical surface‑error (≤ 2‑5 nm RMS depending on mirror), surface‑roughness (< 0.4‑1.0 nm RMS), conic‑constant tolerance (±0.1 %), and coating durability (≥ 3 years) under space‑environment conditions. Evaluation will be weighted heavily toward technical approach (45 %) and vendor qualifications (23 %), with price comprising 22 % of the score. • Quantity: 30 custom OAP mirrors (15 mm‑diameter, 25.4 mm ±0.1 mm) with spare units. • Technical specs: precise radius‑of‑curvature tolerance (±0.1 %), surface‑error ≤ 5 nm RMS, coating AOI 15°‑30°, waveband 400‑750 nm. • Deliverables: finished optics, metrology & testing reports, coating data, certificates of conformity, and protective transport packaging. • Timeline: proposal window July 15 – July 31 2026; award anticipated July 31 2026; contract start August 28 2026; performance period 2 years with up‑to‑three one‑year extensions.