DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

ENERGY AEROSPACE

1525 Wurtsmith Street Building 5730

JBSA Lackland, Texas 78236

Justification for Other than Full & Open Competition

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity (FAR 6.104-1(a)(1)):

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy, a component of the DLA, is the contracting activity for Aerospace products and services on behalf of the Department of War (DOW). This

Justification and Approval (J&A) authorizes the use of Other than Full and Open Competition to purchase a 12-month subscription to the ATOM software platform from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with an estimated value of $103,000. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. §

3204(a)(1), the required services are available from only one responsible source—GasWorld

Intelligence, the developer of the ATOM platform. The Agency requires specialized, real-time bulk pricing data and supply-chain risk metrics for industrial gases to perform mandatory price analyses on Aerospace contracts, monitor industrial gas plant outages, and proactively mitigate supply chain disruptions for critical defense programs. Traditional energy pricing platforms monitor bulk hydrocarbons and petroleum fuels but do not track the industrial gas market, making ATOM the only database that covers the specific commodities required by the Agency.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved (FAR 6.104-1(a)(2)):

The action being approved is the award of a contract for a 12-month subscription to the ATOM software platform. This subscription is essential for monitoring product performance, identifying emerging trends, and generating the operational insights required for planning, coordination, and continuity of Agency operations. This capability ensures DLA Energy remains aligned with market research standards and supports mission‑critical procurement decisions.

3. Description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s need (including estimated value) (FAR 6.104-1(a)(3)):

Subscription to GasWorld Intelligence’s ATOM provides DLA Energy with comprehensive insight into products only used by DLA Energy Aerospace customers by consolidating product data and supporting operational decision‑making across the Agency. The platform enables DLA

Energy to validate and analyze Aerospace product‑related information used in conjunction with

DLA Energy’s Direct Delivery and Bulk Petroleum programs to ensure technically acceptable products for DLA Energy customers.

The platform’s analytics capabilities allow DLA Energy to monitor commercial product availability and pricing fluctuations in the market, assess industrial gas market and supply-chain trends, and evaluate operational risks that may impact DLA Energy procurement planning and contract administration. These tools support forecasting efforts by providing historical and real‑time data on product behavior, supply conditions, and operational impacts on a global scale across DLA Energy Aerospace’s cryogenic liquid, high-pressure gaseous, and specialized bulk container product lines. The subscription also provides customizable dashboards and data‑export features that allow DLA Energy to tailor analyses for specific Aerospace procurement actions, customer requirements, and operational planning needs.

In addition, the service supports DLA Energy’s enterprise data standards by ensuring consistent visibility into product behavior and market conditions. The subscription includes platform customizations to convert and display baseline pricing models into U.S. Gallons to align with

DLA Energy procurement standards. While other pricing models focus on gaseous transport modes, ATOM’s platform pricing includes indicative liquid bulk cryogenic pricing slated for release in Q1 2027.

Compared to other platforms such as which do not track or publish liquid bulk pricing. The estimated dollar value for the yearly subscription is $103,000 and includes 18 licenses that permit DLA Energy contracting officers, contract specialists, and technical quality managers to access real-time price indexes, generate market intelligence reports, and export pricing data for formal price analyses.

4. Identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition

(FAR 6.104-1(a)(4)):

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is FAR 6.103-1, under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(1), which states “The head of an agency may use procedures other than competitive procedures only when the property or services needed by the agency are available from only one responsible source or only from a limited number of responsible sources and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the agency.”

5. Demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited (FAR 6.104-1(a)(5)):

GasWorld Intelligence and its ATOM software platform is the only responsible source capable of providing liquid bulk indexes. ATOM is a private, vendor‑controlled system built on exclusive industrial gas market intelligence that is not available through any other commercial provider, government system, or open‑source platform. The contractor maintains sole ownership of the underlying data, analytical models, forecasting tools, and market‑specific methodologies that form the core of the platform’s value. No other source has the means to replicate, distribute, or reproduce this vital information.

DLA Energy’s mission requires creditable, real‑time visibility into the industrial gas markets to support procurement planning, operational oversight, and continuity of Agency operations.

Competitor databases track crude oil, refined petroleum, and natural gas commodities, but completely lack coverage of industrial gases and liquid bulk cryogenics. No other responsible source can meet DLA Energy’s requirement for specialized industrial gas market intelligence. ATOM is the only platform that consolidates global industrial gas supply, demand, pricing, performance data, system conversions into U.S.

Gallons, and upcoming proprietary liquid bulk cryogenic benchmarks projected for Q1 2027 at the level of detail and localized market accuracy required for DLA Energy’s continued market research standards. Alternative tools lack the depth, accuracy, and sector‑specific intelligence needed to support DLA Aerospace Energy mission‑critical decisions. Substituting with another platform would result in incomplete or unreliable data, specifically leaving DLA Energy without any commercial pricing benchmarks for specialty aerospace gases and cryogenic liquids, impacting DLA Energy’s ability accurately and effectively identify emerging trends, assess operational risks, and ensure product availability for warfighter and customer support missions.

GasWorld Intelligence also provides direct access to subject‑matter experts who interpret complex market shifts and operational impacts—expertise that is uniquely tied to the proprietary data they produce. This expert support is integral to DLA Energy’s ability to validate product behavior, anticipate supply disruptions, and coordinate procurement actions across multiple regions and product lines.

6. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as possible, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by part 5 and, if not, which exception under part 5 applies (FAR 6.104-1(a)(6)):

On June 29, 2026, DLA Energy-FEM posted a Notice of Intent to Sole Source on SAM.gov in accordance with the publicizing requirements of FAR 5.101(a), satisfying the 15-day pre-solicitation timing required by Table 5-2. The notice closed on July 13, 2026. The Notice of

Intent provided industry and interested vendors with the opportunity to identify alternative sources. However, no alternative sources or capability statements were submitted by industry or vendors by the closing date or at all. As a result, no additional responsible sources were identified, and GasWorld Intelligence remains the only responsible source capable of meeting

DLA Energy’s requirements.

7. Determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable (FAR 6.104-1(a)(7)):

The anticipated cost of $103,000 for a 12‑month subscription (consisting of 18 licenses) was evaluated and the Contracting Officer determined the price to be fair and reasonable. While no identical commercial databases exist that track this specific industrial gas market, the

Contracting Officer established price reasonableness under FAR 15.404-1(b)(6) by comparing this procurement to a similar commodity intelligence platform. Market research confirmed that enterprise market intelligence platforms of this type are typically sold on a quote-only basis with no publicly published catalog or GSA schedule pricing.

Although platform for bulk petroleum, oil, and hydrocarbon markets, it completely lacks coverage of the specialized industrial gas, hydrogen, and liquid bulk cryogenic markets required by DLA Energy Aerospace.

. This reflects ATOM's narrower, highly specialized market focus, and represents an extremely advantageous pricing structure for the Government.

Based on this market comparison of similar specialized bulk energy and petroleum market intelligence databases under FAR 15.404-1(b)(6), the Contracting Officer determined the proposed price of $103,000 to be fair and reasonable.

8. Description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted (FAR 6.104-1(a)(8)):

Market research was conducted in accordance with FAR Part 10 between May 2026 and June

2026. Agency personnel reviewed commercial vendor catalogs and queried federal procurement databases. While provided general commodity and energy intelligence, none possess or distribute the global industrial gas datasets, modeling algorithms, or direct subject matter expert access to liquid bulk cryogenic benchmarks inherent to GasWorld Intelligence's ATOM software platform. The results of the public Notice of Intent posted to SAM.gov confirmed that no other viable sources exist in the marketplace.

9. Any other facts supporting using other than full and open competition (FAR

6.104-1(a)(9)):

(i) When 6.103-1 is cited for follow-on acquisitions as described in 6.103-1(c)(2), an estimate of the cost to the Government that would be duplicated and how the estimate was derived:

Not Applicable.

(ii) When 6.103-2 is cited, data, estimated cost, or other rationale as to whether and how much the Government would be harmed:

Not Applicable.

10. Listing of the sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition

(FAR 6.104-1(a)(10)):

A Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted to SAM.gov on June 29, 2026, and closed on July

13, 2026. No responses were received and no other sources have written to express interest.

11. Actions that may be taken to remove or overcome barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services are required (FAR 6.104-1(a)(11)):

Due to the proprietary ownership of the unique underlying data and analytical models proposed by GasWorld Intelligence, competition was limited for the current period. DLA Energy will continue its market surveillance, monitor emerging commercial analytics tools, and review