FBO-LSJ_(L-Band_Bridge)(Redacted)_Redacted.pdf

Limited-Sources Justification (LSJ)

LSJ-19-011

L-Band (Bridge)

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of Section 201 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C.501) Multiple Award Schedule Program FAR

8.401 and is justified by the following facts and rationale required under FAR 8.405- 6( a)(l )(i)(A) as follows:

(1) Agency and Contracting Activity

The Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast Guard (USCG), Command, Control, Communication, Computers, and Infmmation Technology Service Center (C4ITSC), Telecommunication and Information Systems Command (TISCOM), Contracting and Procurement Division (CPD).

(2) Nature and/or description of the action being approved

The USCG intends to award a sole source, firm fixed-price contract to the current incumbent, Inmarsat Government (Inmarsat), for L-Band (Advanced Services Airtime: Fleet Broadband, Swift Broadband, Broadband Global Access Network) Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) on the basis of an urgent and compelling need. Award will be issued against Inmarsat's General Services Administration (GSA) Contract #GS-35F-0016X. The competitive follow on is being developed by the Department of Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and it is anticipated that the contract will be awarded by the end of calendar year 2019.

The USCG requires continued operations and no downtime ofL-Band services during the follow on competitive process to include a reasonable amount of time to allow for transition to the successful awardee if needed. Currently, Inmarsat is the only contractor that can provide the required airtime services to ensure the unintenupted operation of USCG' s critical and sensitive L-Band airtime, bandwidth, and support services. These critical and sensitive services, support Large and Small Cutlers to include the WMSL, W AGB, WHEC, WMEC, and WLB assets, fixed wing aviation assets, and portable SIPRNET kits. The period of perfo1mance will be August 24, 2019 thru April 30, 2020.

(3) Description of Supplies/Services

The USCG requires continued, uninterrupted services with zero downtime or transition for the use ofL-Band COMSATCOM These services will allow USCG assets to connect to the enterprise data network (CGONE). This connection enables priority operational communications, including SIPR Chat, Common Operating Picture, Record Message Traffic, Intelligence, Weather, Key Management, various administrative data and mission-specific traffic ( e.g. CENTRIX).

Page 1 of5

L-Band (Bridge)

The USCG will purchase pre-paid Shared Corporate Allowance Plans (SCAPs) for L-Band COMSATCOM services (as detailed in the Required CLINs table below) and share it amongst USCG mobile users within the satellite coverage region. The required procurement of services will provide continuity of service and prevent any lapse in connectivity through DISA's anticipated award by the end of calendar year 2019.

The USCG will also include the option to purchase additional SCAPs for L-Band COMSATCOM services (as detailed in the Optional CLINs table below) to provide continuity of service during a transition to the successful awardee of the competitive DISA contract. This transition period is anticipated to be approximately 120 days. Further, the Fleet Broadband SCAP listed as an option includes quantities that can be exercised prior to the DISA award should they be needed to prevent a lapse in service. The quantities identified in both tables below are based upon historical usage rates but may fluctuate based upon operational needs.

Period of Performance: From August 24, 2019 thru April 30, 2020

Total Estimated Value: $4,640,103.36

( 4) Identification of the justification and the rationale

This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule Program in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(a)(l)(i)(A), An urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays.

The USCG requires unintenupted and continued service in order to keep deployed large and

Page 2 ofS small cutters connected to the Coast Guard's UN CLASS data network for operational tasking, command and control, intelligence and other data that enable fulfilling assigned missions. A break in L-band COMSATCOM service would negatively impact USCG's ability to effectively cany out Homeland Security and Joint Chiefs of Staff directives, including joint service operations presently being conducted in direct support of Depaiiment of Defense missions, intelligence gathering, counter narcotics, alien-migrant interdiction, and enforcement of National Security objectives throughout the maritime domain. Any downtime or interruption in L-band COMSATCOM service would sever the secondaiy communications link between deployed assets and their respective Operational Commanders. This would include disruption oftime sensitive intelligence dissemination, operational tasking, and situational awareness.

A break in service would result in costly and time-consuming alterations to the USCG' s shipboard network configuration, and would create service intenuptions that would significantly impair.mission performance. If the USCG did transition to a new contractor, the service provider would be required to receive those signals at the Coast Guard's MPLS router locations specifically, and utilize the existing USCG-owned nytwork backhaul in order to conduct a "seamless" zero downtime service transition. However, any alteration to the cmTent network configuration would require a separate Authority to Operate (ATO) to be granted in order to tie the COMSATCOM data into CGOne. Thus, the ATO process would require Infmmation Assurance and Cybersecurity tests for network vulnerabilities, which would preclude a transitioning new service provider from conducting the required zero downtime service before the expiration of service under the current contract. The transition process can take, on average, up to 120 calendar days.

Award to any new vendor would significantly increase the program's risk, increase govemment oversight, increase costs, incur the loss of productive underway time, and drastically diminish operational control and sensor capability of mobile assets. A vendor, other than the incumbent, would be required to spend considerable time with the USCG' s engineering entity and conduct site visits to numerous Coast Guard assets and Points of Presence to understand how the COMSATCOM systems integrate with the CGONE network, and how these systems interact with the differing cutter and network infrastructures. A new integrator, and TISCOM staff, would expend a significant amount of time, money, and resources to understand the systems' interoperability to complete this tasking.

Further, a new vendor would be required to have familiarity with USCG L-Band systems and have COMSATCOM SCAPs to minimize the risk of adverse impact to the reliability of the connectivity to CGONE. Any delays experienced in cutting over from the incumbent to a new vendor would require Cutters to use a different backup service, which is not an infrastructure that is available to all the assets. All assets would be required to rely solely upon their primary Ku Band connectivity with no redundancy if there were a lapse in L-Band services. Many of these assets regularly operate outside of the Ku-Band footprint and rely heavily upon L-Band connectivity. These assets would lose all connectivity capability as well as all productivity and sensor packages associated with CGONE; thus prohibiting operations.

A sole source contract to the incumbent is required as Inmarsat is uniquely qualified to provide the necessai·y expertise and infrastructure in order to provide continued and uninte1Tupted services for the timeframe between the cmTently expired contract and the follow-on competitive

Page 3 of5 contract award. Inmarsat provides a Network Operations Security Center (NOSC) that provides 24x7x365 monitoring of USCG asset networks and teleport operations to ensure COMSATCOM service meets availability and performance requirements. NOSC personnel also provide technical support to shipboard technicians and USCG TISCOM. Inmarsat is the only contractor positioned to provide continued operations of these critical and urgent services with zero transition or downtime. Awarding a sole source contract to the incumbent, Inmarsat, will prevent detrimental impact to USCG mission execution and provide sufficient time for DISA to competitively solicit and award the competitive contract and while providing sufficient time to successfully transition services.

Presently, the USCG is working with DISA to competitively award a five year, follow on contract for L-Band services and support. The process has been delayed as the USCG lost almost two-months of productivity due to the 2019 partial government shutdown, which furloughed USCG personnel working this requirements package as well as the time upon return to catch up and determine the way forward, which pushed the schedule out resulting in an anticipated award date to FY20. The Government requires the continued, uninterrupted support ofL-Band services and there would be unacceptable delays if the USCG would have to compete the services for this short timeframe, while the follow on procurement process is being conducted.

(5) Determination by the ordering activity Contracting Officer that the anticipated order represents the best value consistent with 8.404( d).

The Contracting Officer determined that the anticipated price(s) for the support services will be fair and reasonable based on Inmarsat' s proposed prices submitted in accordance with their established GSA Contract, GS-35F-0016X; GSA has already negotiated fair and reasonable pricing. The Contracting Officer will also perform a price analysis to determine that the price at time of award is fair and reasonable.

(6) A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Market research was not conducted for this requirement due to the urgent nature and need for continued and uninterrupted service. However, market research for the follow on has been conducted and it has been determined that the follow on will be competed.

(7) Any other facts supporting the justification.

There are no additional facts supporting this justification.

(8) A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that preclude the agency from meeting the requirements of 8.405-1 and 8.405-2 before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

The Coast Guard is leveraging DISA to contract for their L-Band COMSATCOM requirements.

DoD components are required to pass all of their COMSATCOM requirements through DISA per DoD and DISA guidance. Although not a DoD component, as another branch of the U.S.

military, Coast Guard leadership made the decision to pass Coast Guard COMSATCOM

Page 4 of5 requirements through DISA as well. DISA will compete and award the Coast Guard's follow-on contract. The anticipated timeframe for award is by the end of calendar year 2019.

(9) Contracting Officer's Certification

In accordance with FAR 8.405-6( c )(2)(ix), I certify that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

(10) Requirements Personnel Certification.

I certify that this requirement meets the Government's minimum need and that the supporting data, which forms a basis for the justification, is accurate and complete.

(11) Legal Review and Concurrence:

I have reviewed this justification and deem it legally sufficient.

APPROVAL:

Page 5 ofS