SSJ__Redacted.pdf

FORMAT

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

For purchases made under FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures (Under $250,000)

Name and Location of the organization making the purchase:

Office of Acquisition and Grants Management Federal Highway Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

Describe supplies and/or services being procured:

Services include:

Expertise associated with developed test procedures, measuring compliance with, ensuring interoperability among, and providing certification for Long-Term Evolution Vehicle-to- Everything (LTE-V2X) products and services based on highly-tailored test procedures developed by the V2X transportation industry.

Development and refinement of existing test procedures to help evolve them based on recent US DOT test data, demonstrations, analysis, and results; and identification of where additional test procedures are needed, including analysis of whether existing test procedures fully address the radio layer testing that the industry requires in order to provide assurance of safe and effective performance of the LTE-V2X devices before making investment decisions. As part of the certification program, testing should evaluate the device’s ability to transmit and receive messages, maintain connectivity, and adhere to security protocols.

Access to the specialized test equipment, systems, and tools to perform joint interoperability testing to be able to identify and document gaps or problems to be able to evolve both the device maturity as well as IEEE and SAE standards.

Access for State and local LTE-V2X deployer partners to learn and understand the value of device testing while attending the Contractor’s Plugfests and seeing testing and demonstrations.

Name and Contact Information of Required Source:

OmniAir Consortium 201 N. Union Street Suite 110 Alexandria, VA 22314

(571) 489-4499 info@omniair.org

Point of Contact:

Rationale supporting the sole source acquisition (Authority under FAR 13.106-1(b))

“(b) Soliciting from a single source:

(1) For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency*, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name or industrial mobilization). “

Every technology eco-system—in particular, those with life-saving technologies—have accredited industry certification programs. The programs put devices through testing (known as Plugfests) in association with rigorous technology laboratory testing to assure regulators and users that the devices are safe and effective for use. Labs use specialized equipment based on the Consortium test procedures that ensure that the tested technologies meet the appropriate thresholds for safety and effectiveness.

In the early 2000s, the transportation industry partnered with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to explore a new form of crash avoidance and safety related technologies using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. In 2014, the U.S. DOT launched an initiative to bring experts and laboratories together to develop the first set of test procedures and bring industry together to form an accredited consortium for certifying V2X devices. Industry launched the OmniAir Consortium’s V2X certification program in 2018.

There is only one V2X certification program in the United States. Many labs participate in the testing for V2X devices, but none of them hold the accreditation associated with providing the certification needed by the industry. With regard to establishing test procedures, OmniAir relies upon industry volunteer expertise to develop test procedures—volunteers are brought together into working groups associated with radio testing, application testing, and interoperability testing, among other procedures. In this respect, OmniAir facilitates the gathering of industry representatives to identify and address needs through test procedures.

The certified devices are granted the OmniAir Certification mark, indicating their compliance with the consortium’s requirements (test specifications). Certification is a critical step to being able to receive and install the IEEE 1609.2 security credentials that are a key part of V2X interoperability when put into use and operations in a transportation environment.

Since 2018, OmniAir Consortium Certification has provided assurance to stakeholders, including automakers, transportation agencies, and technology providers, that certified devices will connect and operate within the larger ecosystem of connected vehicles and intelligent transportation systems. It promotes conformance, interoperability and security, enabling the deployment of advanced transportation technologies and accelerating the adoption of autonomous vehicles with connectivity.

Notably, OmniAir was also the industry’s first certification body for V2X technologies in the world. Since OmniAir launched its program, Europe, Korea, and Taiwan have requested guidance from OmniAir to both provide services within these countries as well as to consider how to set up their own testing and certification services. To date, there are some new labs and services arising in other countries, but OmniAir is the only accredited certification body in the U.S.

Because OmniAir “owns” the test procedures that lead to accreditation, the only source for access to these test procedures to identify and assess gaps, evolve the test procedures to be