2.05 JA Scientific Radar LAP3000....._Redacted.pdf

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Scintec LAP3000 RadarWindProfiler & RASS
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N0024426P0095
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This is a Justification and Approval (J&A) document for using other than full and open competition for a federal contract action.

The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center San Diego is procuring a Scintec LAP3000 Radar Wind Profiler and Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) as a brand-name commercial supply for the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Fort Ord. The system is manufactured by Scintec Corporation, located in Boulder, Colorado. This turnkey acquisition includes all system hardware and components, shipping and freight, professional on-site installation and integration services, system testing and commissioning, and comprehensive operator training. The contract will be awarded as a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) agreement with an estimated value between $900,000 and $20 million, funded with FY26 Operations & Maintenance (O&M) funding. Although restricted to the Scintec brand, competition will be achieved by soliciting quotes exclusively among Scintec's authorized dealers through a competitive brand-name combined synopsis/solicitation on SAM.gov under FAR Part 12.

The justification establishes that the Scintec LAP3000 is the only equipment meeting NPS's specific technical requirements due to its proprietary phased-array antenna, unique frequency specifications for Monterey Coastal Region coverage, native integration with NPS's existing data pipelines and software, and seamless RASS integration for simultaneous virtual temperature profiling. The existing system has reached end-of-service life with unacceptable data gaps. Market research included posting a Sources Sought/Request for Information on SAM, GSA, and NASA SEWP from April 17, 2026, to May 4, 2026, which yielded no alternative technology statements but identified two vendors capable of providing the Scintec product. Technical review by NPS Meteorology Department experts confirmed that alternative manufacturers (Radiometrics and Sumitomo) cannot meet the requirement without substantial, cost-prohibitive modifications. The Contracting Officer will determine fair and reasonable pricing through market competition among Scintec authorized dealers, comparison to independent government estimates, or other reasonable basis per FAR RFO 12.204(a).

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J&A Number 26-230-0001

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as Procurement Contracting Officer, hereby approve use of the other than Full and Open competition for the proposed contractual action pursuant to the authority of § 41 U.S.C. 1901 and FAR 6.103.

1. Identification of the Agency and the Contracting Activity:

Contracting Activity Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) San Diego (FLCSD) 3985 Cummings Road San Diego, CA 92136-4200

Requiring Activity Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) 1 University Circle Monterey, CA 93943

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Approved:

This requirement is for a brand-name commercial supply consisting of the Scintec LAP3000 Radar Wind Profiler and Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) for the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The system is manufactured by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Scintec Corporation, located at 1730 38th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80301.

The Scintec LAP3000 Radar Wind Profiler and RASS are critical to supporting NPS's atmospheric research, operational meteorology studies, and educational missions. This system currently provides advanced remote sensing capabilities for measuring atmospheric wind profiles and virtual temperature data, enabling high-quality research, data collection, and instructional activities in support of Department of War and academic objectives. Additionally, the Radar Wind Profiler will be used by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Fort Ord to support environmental efforts cleanup and respond to burn operations by providing real-time measurements of boundary layer depth, wind speed, wind direction, effective smoke dispersion, along with its data being used for compliance with environmental and public safety requirements.

This turnkey acquisition includes all required system hardware and components, shipping and freight, professional on-site installation and integration services, system testing and commissioning, and comprehensive operator training. The acquisition will ensure seamless deployment, full operational capability upon delivery, and continued support of NPS's ongoing atmospheric science research and educational programs.

Scintec LAP3000 Radar Wind Profiler and RASS are direct replacement for the current equipment installed at NPS Meteorology Department (MR) Marine Atmospheric Measurements Laboratory (MAML). MAML has experienced performance issues and system malfunctions resulting in gaps in data availability due to the degradation of aging hardware that has reached the end of its operational service life. The Scintec LAP3000 is an atmospheric profiling system consisting of a Radar Wind Profiler (RWP) for measuring 3D wind vectors, along with Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) to provide high-accuracy vertical temperature profiles. Together, they provide continuous real-time data on the atmospheric boundary layer, crucial for aviation safety, defense operations, and meteorological research. NPS Meteorology Department (MR) MAML uses the existing Radar Wind Profiler to collect real time weather observations in the Monterey Coastal Region to support student coursework and graduate thesis research, with high-resolution wind and thermodynamic profiling being used for analyzing meteorological processes within the marine boundary layer and the region�s complex coastal terrain.

The Government contemplates awarding a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract for Scintec brand name. Although the requirement is restricted to the Scintec brand, competition will be achieved by soliciting quotes exclusively among Scintec�s authorized dealers. The total estimated value of this contract action is , which represents a turn-key solution inclusive of the equipment, freight shipping, professional installation, and operator training.

Accordingly, Scintec is the only manufacturer capable of fulfilling the Government's requirement due to substantial duplication approximating of which the Government is not expected to be recovered through competition.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Potential Sources as Practicable:

Efforts were made to obtain as many offers as practical, which began with a review of the agency�s requirement because the requirement statement included several aspects that limited competition. After review, MAML were unable to restate or remove the existing minimal technical requirements in a way that meets the mission objectives.

The Technical POCs at Naval Postgraduate School, who have extensive historical expertise in this area of Atmospheric Measurements technology and familiarity with market capabilities within the Atmospheric Measurements industry, reviewed other technologies and Radar Wind Profilers including those made by Radiometrics and Sumitomo and determined that the Scintec LAP3000 is a specialized item with proprietary rights that make the supplies and software available from only one source. Currently, no other provider meets all of the necessary areas for the requirement. Lack of experience with these technologies and current capabilities prevent vendors from being able to readily provide a compatible system that needs only minor modifications. Further, all additional platforms were found to require significant alterations to meet the requirement for supporting NPS�s ground-based radar wind profiler.

7. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results:

Market research was conducted in accordance with FAR 10.002 Procedures and included a review of historical acquisition, commerciality determination, information gathering on current market capability and vendor products, extent of resellers, efforts to maximize offers, and category management solution review. Market Research indicates the requirement is a commercial supply available on the open market in accordance with (IAW) FAR 2.101 Definitions for �Commercial Product.� The legacy system is a Radian LAP-3000 and system was procured over 30 years ago as a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract. Scintec subsequently acquired Radian radar wind profiler in 2012, which continues to produce this product line.

Current acquisition cycle efforts to gather information on current market capabilities and products began with Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Meteorology Department (MR) MAML reviewing current market products with the team concluding none of the existing scientific atmospheric wind measurements resources currently meet all the requirement needs. Effort to locate additional sources beyond the government�s current knowledge included the posting of a Sources Sought / Request for Information (RFI) on the Government Point of Entry (GPE) System for Award Management (SAM), General Service Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solutions Enterprise-Wide Procurement (NASA SEWP) between April 17, 2026 with a closing date of May 4, 2026, in order to gain additional insight on current industry capabilities. The results of the multiple inquiries for Request for Information (RFI) at SAM, GSA, and NASA SEWP received no alternative capability statements regarding alternative products during the 14-day posting period. As a result of the sources sought, the government was unable to identify any offerors that currently possess similar technologies that would only require minor modifications to meet the requirements. Consequentially, these results confirmed that while other meteorological equipment manufacturers exist, only the Scintec LAP3000 meets the specific technical specifications, proprietary software compatibility, and frequency requirements outlined in the Statement of Requirements (SOR). While no alternative manufacturers were identified, the market research successfully demonstrated that competition exists at the distribution level. Two (2) vendors responded to the RFI by providing Scintec LAP3000 products and were determined to be technically capable. Further discussions with the manufacturer Scintec confirmed multiple vendors are able to sell their products. As a result of sufficient competition, the Government will issue a competitive brand-name combined synopsis/solicitation on SAM.gov in accordance with FAR Part 12.

8. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost:

The Contracting Officer will determine that pricing is fair and reasonable prior to making contract award per FAR RFO 12.204(a):

Market Competition in response to competitive quotations or offers.

Comparison to the independent government estimates Any other reasonable basis.

9. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition:

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, the Requiring Activity maintains no plans at this time to compete this contract for the types of supplies covered by this document. As technology evolves, other companies may become available for future acquisitions. If a potential source emerges, the requiring activity will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

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