1.5.1 Sole_Source_Determination_Not_Exceeding_SAT_Redacted.pdf

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Sole Source Determination

For Actions Not Exceeding the SAT

March 2026

Date: _09/01/2026_____ PR Number: ___20160316__________

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity:

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition’s Aviation, Maritime, Border Technologies Contracting Division

2. Nature and/or description of the item/service being procured and anticipated cost:

CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is requesting 1,063 PACE NG Earbuds to outfit Air Interdiction Agents (AIA) and Aviation Enforcement Agents (AEA) with proven equipment to communicate with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control (ATC) in airspace in the U.S. as well as providing increased clarity of communication for crew and tactical ground teams during Law Enforcement operations.

The anticipated cost is .

3. Authority to award a sole source order:1

_________ RFO Subpart 8.4/GSAR 538.7104-3(a) ____X_____ RFO 12.102(a) _________ RFO 13.101(b)

_________ RFO 16.507-6

4. Sole Source Determination Rationale:

For RFO Subpart 8.4, Part 12 and Part 13 procurements, check one of the following:

_________ Only one source reasonably available.

_________ Urgent and compelling circumstances exist.

_________ Exclusive licensing agreement exists.

____X_____ Item peculiar to one manufacturer. If this requirement applies to a portion of the procurement, please identify that portion.

_________ Industrial Mobilization _________ Other. Explain:

1 In this document, citations to RFO Parts 8, 12, 13, and 16 are citations specifically to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Class Deviation 25-20 for FAR Part 8, FAR Class Deviation 25-21 R1 for FAR Part 12, FAR Class Deviation 26-01 R1 for FAR Part 13, and FAR Class Deviation 26-04 R1 for FAR Part 16, which were issued as part of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), which was implemented in response to Executive Order 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, signed April 15, 2025.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Sole Source Determination

For Actions Not Exceeding the SAT

March 2026

Explanation of the rationale cited:

AMO recently purchased 1,063 new Rotary Wing Advanced Technical Helmet (RATH) flight helmets. The objective of this requirement is to purchase 1,063 earbuds to outfit new and existing AIAs and AEAs. These earbuds will be placed inside the ear canal during flight operations in conjunction with the RATH Headset to provide clarity in communications and increase hearing protection in high noise environments experienced by Helicopter air crews. The earbuds that AMO requires must have a specific connection to them to work with the RATH headset.

AMO provided three different earbuds to the field for testing; original with foam, PACE regular with foam, and PACE NG with silicone. Crews all preferred the PACE NG with silicone tips as they fit inside the headset the best. Most importantly, the PACE NG earbuds are the correct size to work with the new RATH flight helmets.

AMO is planning to issue one set of PACE NG Earbuds with each RATH helmet and headset issued to aircrew personnel.

5. The anticipated price will be determined fair and reasonable based on one or more of the price analysis techniques described below.

_________ Market Research.

X Comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases.

_____X____ Current price List.

_________ Comparison with similar items in a related industry.

_________ Comparison to IGCE.

_________ Contracting Officer’s personal knowledge.

____X_____ Other. Explain:

This is a brand name acquisition.

The Contracting Officer will request a current price list from the manufacturer, as well as historical pricing.