4. Redacted Multispectral Camera-Brandname justification.pdf

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE

18 Jun 2019 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 2 of 4

I. Contracting Activity.

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Installation Contracting Division Base Support Contracting Office (PZIBB) 1940 Allbrook Dr., Bldg. 1, Rm 109 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433

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

This effort will result in the award of a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract for the Air Force Institute of Technology to purchase multi-spectral cameras for student research.

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

Under the contemplated FFP contract, a distributor of Telops, Inc brand name cameras will provide:

AFIT's Department of Engineering Physics requires a high-speed, multi-spectral, thermal imaging system that operates in the medium-wavelength infrared (MWIR) band (1.5 - 5.5 microns) and long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) band (7.5 -

11.5 microns). It must be capable of data collections in 8 spectral bands at rates up to 40,000 Hz.

Total Estimated Cost:

Funding Appropriation: United States Working Capitol Funds (4930) will be used to fund this requirement.

Delivery: 120 days after award.

IV. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

41 USC 1901, as implemented by FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii), as required by FAR 13.501(a)(1)(i).

V. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above (applicability of authority).

AFIT currently possesses a Telops Long Wave Hyper-spectral Camera and two camera's similar to what is being purchased with this request. The new multi-spectral camera will complement all of the instruments by providing faster data acquisition with reduced data volume. It will be advantageous to acquire the new camera from Telops to provide common maintenance and user operation environments between the systems. Also, it will ensure the data is uniform and provide students conformity in their research. This will maximize the systems students can learn in their limited time in the program.

Due to the proprietary constraints, compatibility requirements, and overall necessity to maintain continuity throughout the data collection process of the research, it is in the Government's best interest to acquire products from a distributor providing Teleops Inc. brand name products. This would ensure no additional costs were incurred due to compatibility issues or redundancy in research due to inaccurate or incompatible data.

Accordingly, Telops is the only manufacturer capable of providing the supples described in section III without experiencing compatibility or conformity in data issues that could lead to additional costs.

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

Authorized distributors of the Telops Inc cameras were identified through market research. While this is a brand name justification request, there will be competition amongst authorized distributors of Telops, Inc. products.

Source Sought Synopsis (SSS): FA8601-21-T-0030 Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) Multi-spectral Imager, Sources Sought, was posted on BetaSAM.GOV on November 05, 2020. The Sources Sought contained a detailed description of the requirement in the attached Statement of Work(SOW). The purpose of the Sources Sought was to identify potential sources that could provide the multi-spectral cameras needed for AFIT to conduct it's

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

18 Jun 2019 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 3 of 4 research. Two companies, other than Telops, Inc., expressed interest in providing the cameras, but did not have specifications to submit as neither company had a commercially available product that they could provide. Both companies stated they have the ability to develop a camera to meet the needs of AFIT. Each company would also have to develop software to operate the cameras and would have to guarantee the software to be compatible with the current software and camera system. This would take considerable amount of time than purchasing cameras that would already seamlessly integrate into the existing system. Also, having two different systems would create a larger learning curve for students who have limited time in the program and create data the is not uniform. This would cause difficulties in their studies and issues with their research projects.

An internet search was conducted to identify other manufacturers that could provide the supplies listed in Section III but none were found. This is not a single source acquisition. A small business set aside will not be considered since a Brand Name Justification will be in effect.

Other Actions: A thorough search was performed on SBA and GOOGLE to identify vendors. Multiple results showed there were at least three (3) commercial entities that offered Telops products on the open market place for sale. The three vendors are: the manufacturer Teleops Inc. , Infrared Imaging, LLC, and High Speed Imaging, Inc.. A quick search for prior contracts showed that this type of equipment has been purchased before by Various DOD Agencies and

NASA .

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

In accordance with (IAW) FAR 13.106-3(a)(2)(ii), the Contracting Officer determined the anticipated price will be fair and reasonable based on a comparison of proposed prices to historical prices paid for the same or similar items. Data provided by the contractor will be analyzed IAW FAR 13.106-3(a)(2)(ii) to ensure the offer is the best value for the Government.

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

Market Research was conducted to ensure there were not other systems that could fit the requirement. While other companies had cameras with similar capabilities; there would be no guarantee the cameras would be compatible Telops cameras already in use. Also, the data gathered from cameras other than Telops would not conform to the current data collected from the current Telops system used.

FAR 8.002 requires that agencies satisfy requirements for supplies through mandatory Government sources, including Federal Prison Industries (FPI), AbilityOne, and the General Services Administration (GSA). A review of FPI and AbilityOne using the search terms "Multi spectral Camera" revealed there were no relevant products that could meet the requirement and could not be procured through those channels. FPI returned no results. Ability One returned zero

(0) results. GSA Advantage's most relevant items did not meet the requirements or needs of the customer.

A thorough search was performed on GOOGLE and SBA to identify vendors. Multiple results showed there were at least three (3) commercial entities that offered products on the open market place for sale. A quick search for prior contracts showed that this type/like of equipment has been purchased before by Various DOD Agencies and

NASA .

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

NONE

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

No other manufacturer in accordance with the necessary requirements can fulfill this acquisition.

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

18 Jun 2019 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 4 of 4

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

This is a procurement action of a unique state-of-the-art scientific instrument with an expected service life of > 10 years. When/if AFIT seeks to replace/upgrade this capability, it will again survey the market for potential manufactures & sources. To overcome or remove the barrier the entire spectral-camera system would have to be replaced and data re-accomplished. This course of action would be extremely costly and not in the best interest of the Government.

XII. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I have determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief (FAR 6.303-2(b)(12)).

XIII. 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 (FAR 6.303-2(c)).