20200520_SWFO GS C2 JOFOC CD-492_Redacted.pdf

CONTINUATION OF FORM CD-492

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (JOFOC)

Space Weather Follow-On Ground Segment Command and Control Element Contract

Identification Number:

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity (FAR 6.303-2(b)(1)).

This justification for other than full and open competition is issued by the Department of Commerce (DoC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), Satellite and Information Acquisition Division (SIAD) located at 1325 East West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD and by the agency’s requiring program office NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Projects, Planning and Analysis (OPPA), Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) Ground Segment (GS).

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved (FAR 6.303-2(b)(2)).

The Government intends to award a new contract to –

L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris) 407 N. John Rodes Blvd.

Melbourne, FL 32934 / USA

A cost plus fixed fee contract is contemplated for award; the requisition number for the acquisition is .

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value) (FAR 6.303-2(b)(3)).

The requirement is to develop, deploy, and provide operations support for the SWFO GS’ Command and Control (C2) element of the SWFO-L1 observatory to be inserted at the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L1) as an extension of NOAA’s existing Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite - R Series (GOES-R) Core Ground System (CGS), using the GOES-R CGS architecture, and integrating with the GOES-R CGS. The total estimated cost for this acquisition is for a five-year period of performance (i.e. FY2021 through FY2026).

4. An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition (FAR 6.303-2(b)(4)).

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C. 3304 (a)(1) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1 entitled, “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.”

5. A statement demonstrating that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited (FAR 6.303-2(b)(5)).

L3Harris is uniquely qualified to develop the SWFO GS C2 element as the systems integrator for the GOES-R CGS. L3Harris, in this role, supports the GOES-R CGS through its coordination of separate/disparate work threads, defect tracking, and common configurations. L3Harris also supports the GOES-U platform’s development and launch-related activities, the current GOES-R CGS technology refresh, and integration of new work packages, such as will be required to implement the SWFO Program’s mission capability. The Government intends to develop and deploy the SWFO GS C2 element as an extension of the current GOES-R CGS, rather than develop and deploy another unique, separate (i.e. “stovepipe”) ground system. The SWFO and GOES-R Programs are developing the command and control, monitoring, and data interfaces supporting two Government-furnished Compact Coronagraphs (CCOR) – one to be placed on the GOES- R Program’s GOES-U platform, the other placed on the SWFO Program’s L1 observatory, as part of their enterprise coordination efforts. The command, monitoring systems, and system interfaces of the CCOR instrumentation must be integrated into the GOES-R CGS, as a part of the GOES-U spacecraft’s mission, as well as into the SWFO GS as part of its SWFO-L1 mission. L3Harris, as the GOES-R CGS systems integrator, is able to concurrently support the development, maintenance, and use of the same highly specialized system(s) required for both the SWFO and GOES-R Programs. If a separate systems integrator were brought in to modify the GOES-R CGS to enable this coordinated effort there would be a loss of efficiencies made possible by maintaining only one system integrator (e.g., L3Harris). It is not practical for multiple vendors to work on the same highly specialized system at the same time. The work practices of a new/different systems integrator will invariably differ from L3Harris’s practices and procedures currently in place. Accommodating the challenge of systems-to-systems integration with diverse practices and systems integrators will require development of new systems integration practices to prevent potential resource conflicts.

It is also noted that both the GOES-U platform and the SWFO-L1 observatory are scheduled for launch in 2024. If a separate systems integrator is used for the SWFO Program than that of the GOES-R Program, the development of new integration processes, on top of established contractor processes, represents a substantial schedule risk and duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. This will lead to a substantial increase in the risk of missing the SWFO-L1’s anticipated 2024 launch date. This is an inflexible schedule constraint of the SWFO Program because the platform must be on-orbit by 2025 as a contributed co-manifest rideshare on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) upcoming Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission which (i.e. also launching in 2024). Missing this launch date would result in unacceptable program delays and loss of the SWFO Program’s coronal mass ejection (CME) imagery capabilities, as there is not another ride-share opportunity anticipated within the four year time-frame authorized for the SWFO Program.

The risk of not being able to immediately fund the duplicative costs is unacceptable because it may result in severely impactful programmatic delays. Given the risk to schedule and cost inefficiencies inherent in choosing another vendor as systems integrator to develop the SWFO GS’ C2 element, there is only one practical, potential source for implementation of the element while also satisfying the NESDIS requirement to move toward an enterprise solution to reduce future development and operations costs, and that is L3Harris.

6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by subpart 5.2, and if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies (FAR 6.303-2(b)(6)).

The Government reviewed lists of strategically sourced contract vehicles from the following sources – existing NOAA Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) and Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) for IT Products (to include NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP), General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule IT 70, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center’s (NITAAC), Chief Information Officer- Commodities and Solutions (CIO-CS) contracts). The Government also researched the following federal databases – the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Dynamic Small Business Search; beta.SAM.gov (to include looking up industry entity representations and certifications); and NOAA’s Small Business Database. The Government also reviewed previous purchases of similar/identical acquisitions (e.g., NOAA/NASA’s GOES-R CGS and JPSS acquisitions) and in doing so engaged with and discussed the SWFO GS’ C2 element acquisition with knowledgeable individuals both in industry and in government (to include NOAA’s Small Business Specialist). Finally, the Government issued Requests for Information (RFI) via the Government’s Point of Entry (GPE) – i.e.

the FedBizOpps site/database (now found at beta.SAM.gov) – as well as issued an RFI amongst NASA’s Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition III (RAPID III) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract holders to ensure as many potential sources from industry as practicable were engaged and queried to inform its market research.

The required notice of intent for a sole source award was publicized on www.betaSam.gov on May 12, 2020, as required by FAR 5.203(a). The Government does not anticipate a change in acquisition strategy based on respondents to the NOI, nor does it anticipate hearing from any vendors from whom it has not already heard, given how many times the Government has already engaged with industry (e.g., via the several RFIs posted).

7. Determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable (FAR 6.303-2(b)(7)).

The Contracting Officer will ensure the cost of any contract issued to support the SWFO Program’s mission are evaluated and negotiated in accordance with FAR 15.4 to obtain fair and reasonable pricing for the Government. Prior to award of the proposed contract, cost information will be obtained from the contractor and a cost analysis will be performed and documented to sufficiently determine that the cost to the Government of the proposed