2700002_Justification_Redacted.pdf

Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other Than Full and Open Competition

August 2023 Page 1 of 7

Was a J&A approved for the preceding acquisition where that acquisition required a J&A? Yes No

! ! Attach the preceding J&A in the staff package for this J&A. The preceding J&A will be used as a reference document.

Is this a new or amended J&A Document? New Amended ( Prior to Award Only! )

Is this a Bridge Action as defined at DAFFARS 5302.101? Yes No

Dollar Value of this Acquisition: < $750K > $750K and < $15M > $15M and < $100M > $100M

Contracting Activity: AFSC/PZABB

Purchase Request (if available) / Local ID Number: FD2060-27-00002

Program / Project (and PE, if applicable): ALR-56C/M Depot Support

Program Type (PEO, Enterprise, of Operational): Enterprise

Authority:

6.302-1 – 10 USC 3204(a)(1), Only One Responsible Source - No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements Estimated Contract Cost (including options): $ J&A Type: Class Individual

COORDINATION ( DAFFARS 5306.304(a))

Date

12 Mar 2025

Project Lead / Program Mgr / Requiring Activity Calvin Harley

408 SCMS/GULB DSN 472-4672

Signature

Date

05 May 2025

Contracting Officer Michael Wensjoe

PZABB DSN 497-4784

Signature

Date

11 Jul 2025

Local Legal Reviewer Vaneem A. Joseph

78 ABW/JA, 478-468-0012

Signature

APPROVAL ( DAFFARS 5306.304(a))

Date

03 Sep 2025

Competition Advocate Nicole R Furlough

AFSC/PZC-R, 478-222-1088

Signature

HARLEY.CALVIN.A.JR.10

59697729

Digitally signed by

HARLEY.CALVIN.A.JR.1059697729

Date: 2025.03.12 07:29:48 -04'00'

WENSJOE.MICHAEL.FR

ANCOIS.1364803598

WENSJOE.MICHAEL.FRANCOIS.136

4803598

2025.05.05 09:51:29 -04'00'

JOSEPH.VANEEM.ALAN.

1557930163

Digitally signed by

JOSEPH.VANEEM.ALAN.1557930163

Date: 2025.07.11 09:09:42 -04'00'

FURLOUGH.NICOLE.R.1

183766518

Digitally signed by

FURLOUGH.NICOLE.R.1183766518

Date: 2025.09.03 12:35:58 -04'00'

August 2023 Page 2 of 7

I. Agency and Contracting Activity.

This Justification and Approval (J&A) is to request authority for Other Than Full and Open Competition (OTF&OC) supporting requirements generated for the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC), 638 Supply Chain Management Group (SCMG), and the 408 Supply Chain Management Squadron (SCMS) / GULB.

The contracting activity for this requirement is AFSC/PZABB.

II. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

Due to the circumstances described herein, the requiring activity requests authority to acquire engineering services listed in this J&A using Other Than Full and Open Competition as prescribed by FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This action will result in the award of a follow-on definitive “C” contract which will be a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract with a basic one year plus four (4) one-year options. The Period of Performance will be 28 Sep 2026 through 27 Sep 2031, if all options are exercised.

The sole source requirement will be obtained from the following source:

BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, INC.

DBA: BAE Systems (BAE) 100 Campus Rd Totowa, NJ 07512-1213 CAGE Code: 81413 Large Business

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs.

This requirement is to acquire engineering services to investigate and resolve Deficiency Reports (DR) for the ALR‐56C and ALR-56M systems, hereinafter referred to as 'ALR-56C/M'. This effort will resolve software and hardware issues experienced by both the Depot and Intermediate maintenance levels in support and maintenance of the ALR‐56C/M. The ALR‐-56C is the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) system on the F‐15 and the ALR-56M is the RWR on the F-16 and C-130 aircraft. For these aircraft, hardware has been upgraded extensively to extend their usable life spans. However, the time duration for the ALR-56C/M sustainment requirement is limited due to the ALR-56C being replaced on F-15E/EX aircraft that is currently underway.

The requirements for engineering services are as follows:

- Investigate and correct ALR‐56C/M TPS software anomalies

- Investigate and correct ALR‐56C/M hardware anomalies

- Investigate and correct test verticality anomalies between maintenance levels

- Conduct configuration/version management of software

- TO change management (as required)

This effort will minimize depot tester downtime and identify opportunities for significant improvement to the Unit Under Test (UUT) test strategies and methodologies. This effort will resolve AN/ALR-56C/M DRs, target hardware/Test Program Sets (TPS) anomalies, and test verticality issues by providing a system expert onsite with reach back capability to the contractor's design/support facility. The engineering services provided by the contractor shall be primarily accomplished at Robins AFB. Some work may be accomplished at the contractor location (Totowa, NJ) on an as-required basis.

August 2023 Page 3 of 7

The overall program acquisition strategy supports the J&A conclusion through expression of a sole source effort with the vendor having complete ownership of the technical data package (TDP) with no other options to outsource.

The services in this acquisition will provide analysis, problem investigation, problem resolution, and testing concerning the testing strategies and methods on the AN/ALR-56C/M depot test stations. This acquisition is follow-on to contract FA8522-21-C-0005 with BAE. The current contract was awarded with performance to begin on 28 Sep 2021 and expire 27 Sep 2026. This action will result in the award of a five-year contract with BAE.

Basic $ Option 1 $ Option 2 $ Option 3 $ Option 4 $

TOTAL $

- The anticipated type of appropriation that will be used to fund this effort is the Consolidated Sustainment Activity Group (CSAG) 97X4930. The period of performance of the contract will be September 2026 to September 2031, if all options are exercised. There will be no IP development or rights procured under this Contract.

The nominal Contract Line-Item Numbers (CLINs) are as follows:

CLIN DESCRIPTION COST TYPE

CLIN X001-CLIN X002 Engineering Services FFP CLIN X003-CLIN X004 Travel Cost Reimbursable No-Fee CLIN X005-CLIN X010 Data NSP

IV. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited above.

The agency's minimum needs can only be satisfied by the unique services available from BAE as demonstrated in the following paragraphs.

The ALR-56C/M RWR systems are highly specialized, necessitating a level of expertise that includes direct reach-back capability to BAE Systems, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). This requirement stems from the Government's limited internal expertise on these systems. Any schedule delays would severely impact the sustainment of the ALR-56C/M RWR systems and are deemed unacceptable.

The ALR-56C, the RWR system utilized on the F-15, was initially developed in the 1980s. The ALR-56M, designed for the F-16 and C-130 platforms, followed in the early 1990s. Both systems have undergone continuous modernization through circuit card redesigns to address parts obsolescence and the integration of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) for enhanced capability. Each upgrade has incorporated new or revised TPS. BAE Systems' unique expertise has been instrumental in resolving past challenges and implementing improvements, resulting in increased workforce efficiency.

August 2023 Page 4 of 7

This follow-on effort necessitates BAE Systems' continued support in addressing target hardware DRs, resolving hardware/TPS anomalies, and ensuring test verticality. The increasing age of these systems has led to a rise in DRs, negatively impacting the supply chain by requiring the removal of repairable assets for investigation. This acquisition is therefore essential to ensure the uninterrupted sustainment of this highly specialized system.

This acquisition is follow-on to contract FA8522-21-C-0002, awarded sole source to BAE 28 Sep 2021 and expiring 27 Sep 2026.

The 408 SCMS has determined that awarding this effort to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Government's requirements.

The time and expense required to qualify a new vendor capable of providing the necessary level of support for this effort are prohibitive and not in the Government's best interest. The 408th SCMS Engineering team estimates that qualifying a new vendor for the ALR-56C workload alone would require a three-member engineering team, a projected timeframe of 17 years, and an estimated cost of $10 million. This extensive investment is necessary to acquire the expertise and system knowledge required to support the ALR-56C's 100 TPS and eight LRUs.

Further amplifying the cost and time implications, qualifying an unproven source for the ALR-56M workload is estimated at $2.8 million. This process would necessitate a three-member engineering team and an estimated five years to attain the required expertise and system experience to support the ALR-56M's 28 TPS and nine LRUs.

These estimates assume the utilization of a three-member engineering team. While a larger team could potentially reduce the lead time, it would likely result in significantly higher costs for the Government.

The complexity of these systems is clearly illustrated by the Government's previous attempt to establish organic repair capabilities for the ALR-56C Power Supply. In 2018, the Government's TPS development team estimated a two-year development timeframe and a cost of $2.7 million to create the TPS for this single subcomponent, which is housed within the ALR-56C's LRU-2.

While the Government possesses Source Control Drawings, these technical documents do not provide sufficient detail to understand the complex interactions between components within the LRUs or the integration of the ALR-56C/M with other onboard systems. The Government currently lacks the comprehensive system expertise and knowledge to sustain the ALR-56C/M to the required level. Based on previous experiences with TPS development for the ALQ-161 and ALQ-172, it is estimated that the Government would require approximately 10 years to organically develop the necessary level of expertise to manage this workload effectively.

BAE Systems possesses a readily available workforce with the qualifications and experience to immediately undertake the required workload. As the OEM for these systems, BAE Systems possesses inherent system knowledge gained through their exclusive role in design and production. Furthermore, BAE Systems' extensive history of supporting the Government on numerous modifications and upgrades to the ALR-56C/M has allowed their expertise to evolve alongside the systems themselves.

August 2023 Page 5 of 7

The Government has determined that any interruption in service would lead to unacceptable delays, severely impacting mission capability and potentially causing serious harm. Failure to repair these assets would result in increased Mission Impaired Capability Awaiting Parts (MICAPs) and surge requirements, leading to aircraft groundings due to a lack of available, functioning systems. This, in turn, increases the risk of mission failure. Furthermore, in critical operational scenarios, the absence of these systems could contribute to the loss of life.

There are no viable commercial alternatives for this specialized service. The agency's minimum requirements can only be met by the unique capabilities offered by BAE Systems. This exclusivity stems from the constantly evolving nature of the hardware, which undergoes continuous redesign to combat obsolescence. These numerous potential hardware version combinations make it infeasible for another vendor to develop the necessary expertise through reverse engineering. Furthermore, BAE Systems possesses proprietary knowledge and experience directly related to these evolving systems, making them uniquely qualified to provide the required support.

Accordingly, BAE is the only vendor capable of providing the requirements described in Section III above without the United States Air Force (USAF) experiencing substantial duplication of cost that is not expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Government's requirements.

V. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as 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.

A Sources Sought (SS)/Request for Information (RFI) synopsis was posted to SAM.gov on January 17, 2025, with a response date of February 1, 2025, under solicitation number FA8522_25_RFI_0027. The SS/ RFI requested responses from interested vendors that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet qualification requirements for this effort. The OEM was the only vendor that responded to the SS/RFI:

Contractor BAE Systems (BAE) (CAGE: 81413)

The incumbent, BAE Systems, was determined to be the only capable vendor.

The requirement will be synopsized in SAM.gov in accordance with FAR 5.201. It is anticipated that sources having an interest in subcontracting may be identified through synopsis. Any source who responds to the Government as a result of this synopsis will be identified to the prime contractor as a potential subcontracting possibility.

VI. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The overall cost of this acquisition will be fair and reasonable to the Government. In accordance with FAR 15.403-4, the contractor will be required to provide certified cost or pricing data to be used to support the Government's evaluation. The proposed skill mix of labor, labor hours, types and quantities of material, other direct costs, and direct/indirect rates will be negotiated by the Government based on recommendations from the Defense Contract Management Agency and expert technical personnel supporting the program. The contract price will be negotiated in accordance with the procedures in FAR Part 15 ensuring the ultimate cost to the Government is fair and reasonable.

August 2023 Page 6 of 7

VII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Market research was conducted November 2024 through February 2025 in accordance with FAR Part

10.001 and 10.002. The Market Research Report was completed on 7 March 2025. The market research techniques used are as follows:

As described in Section V above, an SS/RFI was posted to SAM.gov advising industry of the pending acquisition and soliciting inquiries from interested vendors. The SS/RFI was posted on January 17, 2025, under solicitation number FA8522_25_RFI_0027. One interested vendor (BAE) responded to the SS/RFI.

The vendor was evaluated for their capability and determined to be capable based on their expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet qualification requirements for this effort.

Queries were conducted within Government databases and various internet searches (GSA Advantage, SAM.gov, and Google) were performed using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541330 and the keyword "ALR-56." These efforts identified BAE Systems as the sole vendor possessing the necessary capabilities.

A Small Business Administration (SBA) Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) query was conducted NAICS code 541330 and the keyword "ALR-56" to identify potential small business vendors. However, the query did not yield any potential vendors.

The ALR-56C/M does not fit the definition of a commercial item as defined in FAR Part 2.101. This item is defined as military unique and is not customarily used by the general public or by non-Governmental entities. The ALR-56C/M is only used by Governmental entities. Commercial business practices do not apply to this work effort. IEEE and ISO professional organizations represent the electronics market sector to advance standardization, manufacture, and repair of quality products.

The market research concluded BAE is the only company capable of fulfilling the Government's requirement.

VIII. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

None.

IX. List of any sources that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

See Section V above.

X. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required.

The Air Force has started replacing ALR-56C on F-15Es beginning in 2024. Additionally, current proposals provided by Air Combat Command stated the retirement of F-15C/Ds aircraft started in the mid-2020s and are being replaced with the F-15EX. The ALR-56M is scheduled to be retired in the mid-2030's and replaced with a new RWR. Therefore, inadequate lifecycle remains on the ALR-56M to

August 2023 Page 7 of 7 justify investment in competition.

As articulated in the preceding J&A, no additional actions to address barriers to competition are currently planned due to the limited remaining lifespan of this system.

XI. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

XII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my (our) signature(s) above, I (we) certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my (our) responsibility, is both accurate and complete.