99 CONS MUSTANGS JA_Redacted.pdf

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

SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE

April 2021 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 2 of 5

I. Agency and Contracting Activity.

The Department of the Air Force, 99th Contracting Squadron Specialized Flight (99 CONS/PKC), Nellis Air Force Base, NV, is responsible for this Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition.

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

The proposed action will result in a new firm-fixed price (FFP), indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) commercial contract. The proposed source is Nomad Global Communication Solutions.

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs (including the estimated value).

Under the contemplated contract, NOMAD will provide commercial supplies and services in sustainment of the Multi Utilization Secure and Tactical Ground Support System (MUSTANGS), specifically designed for flight test users.

The 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron (59 TES) at Nellis AFB, NV is responsible for the management of A-10, F-15C/E, F-16, F-22, F-35, HH-60, HC-130J, and Guardian Angel weapon system testing including force development evaluations, tactics development and evaluations, and software evaluations. The unit directs operational test planning and execution, as well as data gathering, analyzing, and reporting for the above systems operated by the combat air forces in order to improve current and future Air Force capabilities.

The MUSTANGS ground support equipment will support the unique mission preparation of multiple platform test activities.

The MUSTANGS ground support equipment provides preflight check out of various systems under test, including Radio Frequency (RF), receive telemetry tracking & data validation, post flight pilot video debrief via Rapid Analysis Processing Independent Data System (RAPIDS), and instrumentation & recording systems used for airborne test data acquisition. The MUSTANGS ground support equipment will allow for rapid data ingest on the flightline, making the data available for the pilot's video debrief within 10 minutes, at the speed of relevance. The procurement is for modified commercial ground support equipment, commercial telemetry systems for nine (9) aircraft platforms, and integration.

The following is a summary for estimated costs for performance period of FY 21 - FY 23:

YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 TOTAL

AIR FORCE

Actual items ordered will be determined by the detailed ground support system design for each project. Estimates were also based upon current projects' requirements plus estimated requirements. The Flight Test Data Center estimates, that over the course of three years, ground support equipment projects will be expected to be acquired 7 times, for a total of A Direct Site MIPR, with other procurement (3080) funding for the 59 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) will be utilized for the contemplated acquisition.

Approximately hours per year for engineering services at the labor rate of per hour, per year, totaling over three years, will be acquired for enhancements/upgrades, repair services and field services, and technical support. MUSTANGS equipment is primarily located at Nellis AFB. Engineering services may be required at other DoD CONUS agencies. With that said, the estimated total for supplies and services is

NOTE: The labor rate used in the aforementioned model is calculated by escalating the FY21 engineering labor rate, , by over three years, which generates a mean of /labor hour.

These units are modular, configurable and are integrated to form unique MUSTANGS implementations that will meet specific projects' requirements. The period of performance of this effort will be from 30 Sep 2021 through 29 Sep 2024.

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

10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, and required by FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii), for DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard, services may be deemed to be available only from the original source in the case of follow-on contracts for the

April 2021 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 3 of 5 continued provision of highly specialized services when it is likely that award to any other source would result in--

(A) Substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition, or

(B) Unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements. (See 10 U.S.C. 2304(d)(1)(B))

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

IAW FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii), this contract will ensure timely implementation of highly specialized equipment, hardware, and software for the Multi Utilization Secure and Tactical Ground Support System (MUSTANGS) ground support equipment. This commercial procurement is part of the overall Crowd-Sourced Flight Data program. For the MUSTANGS ground support equipment portion of the Crowd-Sourced Flight Data program, the Government's basic requirements can only be met by the highly specialized supplies and services available from Nomad. Nomad has been identified as the only capable source of performing. To have another contractor perform this critical piece of the overall program would add an unacceptable level of risk to the program since all the components must be integrated with the augmented Multiple Layers of Security (MLS) element of the system and configuration to support multiple different aircraft platforms. Nomad is the only contractor capable of the required level of highly specialized cooling, security, software, and component integration and configuration.

Market research in FY19 resulted in a sole source IDIQ to Nomad (FA486119DA004). This requirement is a natural follow-on contract to that effort, for the continued production of this specialized equipment.

Nomad has recently produced and is in production of telemetry systems that satisfy both the highly specialized technical specifications and all of the complex security requirements. The ability to satisfy the security requirements for the system is the most critical element to the success of this procurement because the MUSTANGS ground support equipment and its systems will have to be certified, after delivery, to process Top Secret Special Access Program (TSSAP) data. To qualify for TSSAP certification, a vendor must have the highly-specialized knowledge and expertise to follow and meet a litany of multi-functional design and development oversight details required by DoD regulations and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center's Technical Specifications for Construction and Management of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities. For these reasons, the MUSTANGS ground support equipment is highly specialized.

Additionally, the Air Force would incur substantial duplication of costs and these costs would not be recovered through competition if not allowed use of the authority cited above. The FBI first advanced the idea of this mobile system and invested and 1.5 years into the development of the modified ground support equipment with Nomad. In previous market research completed over the past 5 years, 59 TES found other commercial companies that can modify Ford F-Series chassis, but none that could do this with the proper high-level security clearances and integrate all the necessary hardware and software into the ground support equipment end item. Thus, just to develop a new piece of ground support equipment would costs a minimum of and take 1.5 years. Those costs and time do not include learning how to integrate the telemetry systems for multiple aircraft platforms and being able to meet all of the complex security requirements. Currently, only Nomad has the existing expertise to successfully complete the systems integration into the MLS security environment. That development time and cost also do not include the efficiencies that Nomad has built into its commercial enterprise over the last several years, which has driven the ground support equipment cost down to .

Previous ground support equipment items were acquired using a competitive acquisition strategy and resulted in a substandard equipment that could not perform up to specifications. The 59 TES spent approximately 2 years acquiring a previous piece of ground support equipment and the necessary parts required to finally bring the equipment up to a usable and secure condition. In addition to the two years, 1,073 man-hours were invested into market research, procurement, and modifications to the equipment at Nellis AFB. The total costs, which are in addition to acquiring the base piece of equipment and TM Van container, were for the man-hours and for the components installed.

Likewise, there would be unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Air Force's requirements. The Crowd-Sourced Flight Data Program would essentially be placed on hold for 1.5 years while this ground support equipment was re-developed. As a result, the Air Force's ability to accomplish real-time test and evaluation analysis at the speed of relevance for multiple aircraft platforms would be late to need.

Through continuous market research completed over the past ten years, it was proven that the security requirements are the most difficult to meet and also drive the most cost growth and schedule delays. Nomad has demonstrated their ability to

April 2021 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 4 of 5 navigate and satisfy all these requirements as they apply to this effort. Based on Nomad's past performance (demonstrating their ability to successfully satisfy these security requirements while with meeting schedule) along with Nomad being the only company replying to the Sources Sought notice, there is no other potential competitor able to comply with all requirements within the required schedule, budget, and PWS.

VI. 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.

99 CONS posted a Sources Sought notice on FedBizOps (1 Jul 21) and a separate posting on GSA with a draft Statement of Work (SOW). Nomad Global Communication Solutions was the only company that responded to both postings.

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

Nomad Global Communication Solutions' pricing will be evaluated by the Contracting Officer. The anticipated costs will be determined fair and reasonable at the delivery order level, based on comparison with open market prices for same or similar items, historical pricing, and information other than cost and pricing data. The 59 TES will provide a technical evaluation analyzing the proposed pricing information. Price fair and reasonable will be determined IAW FAR 15.404-1(b).

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

Every year, 59 TES attends trade shows, either in person or virtually, to engage with industry about their capabilities and to see if there may be possible future vendors capable of satisfying this need. Through this method, the 59 TES identified and worked with AFTC/PZIEB at Edwards AFB (FA930218P5117) that awarded a contract for a similar requirement of building a fully, functional mobile facility that houses several different systems that work together on a chassis. Edwards AFB conducted competitions for its procurement effort and ended up selecting Nomad. The organization provided 59 TES with details into the six different companies that responded to their RFQs. Within the past year, 59 TES investigated four of them through on-line research and ended up with low confidence in their abilities to produce a system that met the security requirements as needed by the 59 TES. The other two companies, 59 TES became more intimately familiar through existing telemetry systems used by them and their partner organization. 59 TES' first-hand experience with these two companies also produced low confidence in their abilities to meet their security and technical requirements for the ground support equipment. Also, the Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate awarded (W911W614C0034 DO 0002) for a Mobile Avionics Telemetry System with similar requirements for . The army awarded (W9127811C0006) for Emergency Command & Control Vehicles for , but did not include the EMI shielding.

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

The FBI first developed the idea of this mobile system and invested into the development of the modified equipment with Nomad. Since its development, the current estimated price to purchase this piece of ground support equipment has decreased to around $850K. In previous market research, 59 TES found other commercial companies that can modify Ford F-Series chassis, but none that could do so with the proper high-level security clearances and integrate all the necessary hardware and software into the ground support equipment.

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

No additional sources, other than NOMAD.

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.

In the future, when 59 TES needs to acquire similar requirements, 99 CONS and 59 TES will conduct market research to determine if there are other businesses that can meet the specialized nature of this requirement. They will also re-evaluate previous vendors that were deemed unacceptable by other organizations to see if they have since acquired the technical

April 2021 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 5 of 5 capability and security requirements to provide the ground support equipment. The 59 TES will also attend trade shows, on a yearly basis, to engage with industry about their capabilities and to see if there may be possible future vendors capable of satisfying this need.

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.

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.