26-D-0053_JA_Redacted.pdf

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

PROGRAM MANAGER MOTOR TRANSPORT

PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER

LAND SYSTEMS MARINE CORPS

2200 LESTER STREET

QUANTICO VA 22134-6050

IN REPLY REFER TO:

DISTRIBUTION: DoW COMMUNITY ONLY

CT PEO LS

J&A Number: 25405

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL (J&A)

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity

Marine Corps Systems Command (M67854) Program Executive Officer Land Systems Program Manager Motor Transport 2200 Lester Street Quantico, VA 22134-6050

2. Description of the Action Being Approved

This Justification and Approval (J&A) authorizes and approves, on a noncompetitive basis, award of a sole source contract to Polaris Government and Defense (G&D) for the procurement of up to 580 Ultra-Light Tactical Vehicles (ULTVs)comprised of ULTV Logistics (ULTV-L) and ULTV High Power (ULTV-HP) variants.

3. Description of Supplies/Services

This J&A is to procure up to 580 ULTVs, spare repair parts, tool kits, and field service representative support to meet Force Design 2030 priority integration and fielding of systems in accordance with fielding schedules of III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), II MEF, supporting establishments, and integrated programs.

The Program Manager Motor Transport (PM MT) has a requirement to provide the operational forces with ULTV-L and ULTV-HP variants capable of internal transport on MV-22 tilt rotor and CH-53 rotary wing aircraft for employment during littoral operations.

The ULTV improves operational capabilities for both infantry logistics, long-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, as well as other designated missions in support of distributed heliborne operations. The primary role of the ULTV is as a logistics vehicle to transport ammunition and other break bulk cargo and execute casualty evacuation missions.

Estimated Dollar Value

The Independent Government Cost Estimate for the procurement is $98M.

The funding table below shows the funding profile in millions of dollars by FY and appropriation type.

Funding by FY and Appropriation ($M) FY25 FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 Total

PMC $12.04 $5.32 $21.13 $21.45 $10.91 $70.85

RDTE $0.04 $0.23 $0.24 $0.24 $0.25 $1.00

*Total $12.08 $5.55 $21.37 $21.69 $11.16 $71.85

*Due to budget cuts during Program Objective Memorandum FY26 (POM-26), PM MT submitted a POM-27 decision package to provide funding for ULTV procurement to reach full operational capability (FOC). Other Program Management Offices (PMOs) requiring the ULTV as their prime mover have also submitted POM decision packages to ensure procurement of the ULTV supports reaching their FOC.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. Section 3204(a)(1), “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.”

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii)(A) and(B)and FAR 6.302-1(A)(2)(iii)(B), award to a source other than Polaris G&D would result in unacceptable delays and significant duplication of costs in fulfilling the agency’s requirements for highly specialized equipment and services in support of the ULTV program.

The ULTV was previously procured through a competitively awarded General Services Administration (GSA) contract 47QFSA20D0005 which will expire in 2027. The contract ceiling will be increased by $20M in 2025, and a follow-on contract is not planned to be awarded. The remaining ceiling is insufficient to cover PM MT’s required procurements and does not include the ULTV-HP variant. Polaris G&D is the sole designer, developer, and manufacturer of the ULTV-HP variant and the only source with the requisite knowledge, experience, and technical expertise to manufacture the ULTV-L and ULTV-HP within the required scheduled delivery parameters.

To meet fielding objectives, PM MT requires a production capacity of thirty vehicles per month upon contract award.

Based on recent market research, only Polaris G&D can immediately meet this requirement without causing a minimum twelve-month in delay in production. In addition, several critical Force Design Marine Corps systems dependent upon integration onto the ULTV platform, such as the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System and the Common Aviation Command and Control System, would be subjected to unacceptable delays in providing these critical capabilities to deployed Marines.

Polaris G&D is also the only vendor with a current MV-22 internally transportable certification for both the ULTV-L and ULTV-HP. This is a unique Marine Corps requirement for the ULTV. Air certification of a like vehicle would take a new vendor a minimum of twelve months to achieve.

The procurement of ULTVs from a new source would require duplication of ULTV-HP variant research and development efforts recently completed, some of which was government-funded. In addition, associated operations and maintenance manuals, a weapon’s mount engineering change proposal and recently conducted studies for vehicle service life and corrosion assessments have been conducted on the currently fielded ULTV. Transitioning to another ultra-light tactical vehicle at this stage of the program would require significant redesign, integration, and testing of the ULTV-HP variant. In addition, the currently approved gun mount would have to undergo review, testing, and approval by the U.S Navy Weapons Systems Explosive Safety Review Board prior to use with a different base vehicle, adding additional expense and schedule delays. The duplicative development cost of transitioning to a different base vehicle as a replacement to the currently fielded ULTV is estimated at $25M over a two-year period.

Based on the current ULTV production schedule, high-power development and testing, and MV-22 certification, it would take another contractor a minimum of two years to meet the contract requirements and require additional research and development funding. Moreover, additional delay and costs would be incurred to train personnel to maintain four (two ULTV-L and two ULTV-HP variants) ultra-light vehicle platforms as well as to provision parts and maintain a supply system for the four variants. Introducing additional ultra-light vehicle variants would cause unacceptable and costly schedule delays and negatively impact United States Marine Corps manpower and infrastructure. This would jeopardize both the current ULTV fielding schedule and the critical Force

Design systems that rely on the ULTV as a prime mover. Given the recently completed market research, the substantial duplication of costs would not be recovered through any type of competition for this procurement.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable

A sources sought notice, M67854-24-I-0128, was issued on 15 July 2024 to assess industry’s capability to manufacture and provide ULTVs, as well as associated special tooling, training, operations/maintenance manuals, and field service representative capability. Ten responses were received by 13 September 2024, one of which was from Polaris G&D. Of the request for information (RFI) responses, three vendors were deemed minimally viable to meet all Marine Corps requirements.

Of these three, Polaris G&D was deemed to be the most viable vendor to meet all performance and production requirements in the RFI. The other two vendors were assessed to require 18-24 months to establish high-power variant development, MV-22 internally transportable certification, and production capacity.

Based on the assessment of the responses received, the Government determined Polaris G&D to be the only identified source able to fulfill the requirement for the procurement of the ULTV-L and ULTV-HP, as well as associated special tooling, training, and field service representatives for fielding to the integrating programs.

In accordance with FAR 5.201, a notice of the proposed contract action will be made through SAM.gov prior to solicitation.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost to the Government of the supplies/services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, PM MT has no current plan to compete future contracts for the types of supplies/services covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, PM MT will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

If the Marine Corps decides to increase the acquisition objective of the ULTVs beyond the initial 580 vehicles, PM MT will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible. Any future actions will be reviewed by PM MT to offer competition to the greatest extent possible.

CERTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION:

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance which are included in this Justification and its supporting acquisition planning documents, except as noted herein are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

REQUIREMENTS COGNIZANCE:

JENNIFER A. MOORE Phone 703-398-9657 Date

PM MT, PEO LS

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW:

I have determined this Justification is legally sufficient.

Lisa L. Baker Phone 703-432-3925 Date Counsel, Marine Corps Systems Command

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION:

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

KELVY P. DONOVAN Phone 703-432-3276 Date Contracting Officer

PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICER:

STEPHEN J. BOWDREN Phone 703-432-4960 Date Program Executive Officer Land Systems Marine Corps

COMPETITION ADVOCATE CONCURRENCE:

CONSTANCE D. EALEY Phone 703-432-3919 Date Director, Contracts Marine Corps Systems Command

MARINE CORPS SYSTEMS COMMAND APPROVAL:

BRIGADIER GENERAL TAMARA L. CAMPBELL Phone 703-432-1800 Date Commander Marine Corps Systems Command