A02. Justification and Approval for Other than Competition_redacted.pdf

Control No: JA-20-09-00214

Contractor: Voss Scientific

Program: JPC-6, DE

Version – September 2018 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JUSTIFICATION REVIEW DOCUMENT

FAR SUBPART 13.5 SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL

ITEMS – SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

Program/Equipment: Voss Scientific Directed Energy Consultation Services

Authority: Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented by FAR Subpart 13.5.

Amount: $ 418,072.00

Prepared by: Jessica Chandler DSN: 410-436-4356 Biologist Email: Jessica.k.chandler.civ@mail.mil

Contracting Officer: Erin Maddox DSN: 410-417-0028 Contracting Officer Email: erin.j.maddox.civ@mail.mil

Technical: Jessica Chandler DSN: 410-436-4356

Requirements: Jessica Chandler DSN: 410-436-4356

Reviews: I have reviewed this justification and find it adequate to support sole source

Program Manager:

Typed Name: Jennifer Devorak

DSN: 410-436-5110

Signature:

mailto:Jessica.k.chandler.civ@mail.mil mailto:erin.j.maddox.civ@mail.mil

FAR Subpart 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items – Sole

Source Justification and Approval

1. Contracting Activity: The Contracting Activity responsible for this action is the U.S.

Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA).

2. Description of Action: The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) Medical Toxicology Research Division requests a firm-fixed-price services contract with Voss Scientific. The Government projects award for November 2020 and FY20 Research Development Test & Evaluation, Army funds will be used.

3. Description of Services: USAMRICD is collaborating with the US Army Research Lab (ARL) to characterize pulsed high-powered microwave (HPM). An OSD (Office of the Secretary of Defense) chartered working group was established to combat HPM-induced injuries and prioritized the assessment of that mechanism. The work proposed herein supports that OSD objective with funding programmed by OSD-CAPE (Cost Assessment Program Evaluation) (FY20-22) for ARL and USAMRICD to conduct a pulsed-HPM threat characterization.

USAMRICD and ARL has many subject matter experts (SMEs) in the fields of brain injury. However, the SMEs experience is limited to research regarding chemical warfare and blast injuries, not including injury from HPM sources. In order to foster a successful program and to educate the USAMRICD and ARL SMEs on the mechanism and use of pulsed HPM, USAMRICD requires the consultant services of an SME with specific and extensive experience, as well as a secret security clearance and a facility secret clearance, in pulsed HPM and dosimetry.

The USAMRICD Medical Toxicology Research Division has a requirement for the following items:

Provide SME and consult on the Directed Energy (DE) program, methods development, experimental design, safety, research execution, and evaluation of findings for the base year and each option year

Provide research activity support services to include technical consultation on the physics of RF/MW energy delivery, containment, and dosimetry

Support the USAMRICD Medical Toxicology Research Division within the DE program to include DE source engineering, RF/MW dosimetry validation and verification, and theoretical consultation on DE-test subject coupling mechanisms.

Approved travel to USAMRICD in Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD up to 3 trips for 2 days per trip, up to 2 travelers per trip.

Travel Purpose From/To Estimated Number of

Occurrences per 12 Months

Number of

Travelers

USAMRICD Site Visit

Est. Nov 2020, Dec, 2020, Jan 2021

Contractor's Location to

USAMRICD, APG, MD

3 trips

2 days/trip

The estimated period of performance and total price is:

Base Period: 01Feb21 to 31Jan22 Value: $56,024.00 Option Period 1: 01Feb22 to 31Jan23 Value: $181,024.00 Option Period 2: 01Feb23 to 31Jan24 Value: $181,024.00

Total: $418,072.00

4. Authority Cited: Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, 41 U.S.C. 1901 (or 41 U.S.C. 1903 for Special Emergency Procurement) as implemented by FAR Subpart 13.5:

Unusual and compelling urgency

Exclusive licensing agreements

Industrial mobilization X Other: FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

Voss Scientific is active in all aspects of directed energy development and testing, including source development, simulations, diagnostic development, and laboratory/field test support. The company develops fully integrated, automated, and diagnostic and control systems that include tightly coupled hardware and software, and full characterization of all system components.

Voss Scientific, founded in 1988, is uniquely qualified to provide USAMRICD consultation on RF/MW radiation and dosimetry. Their technical staff has extensive experience in RF/MW engineering and more specifically the generation of ultrawideband (UWB) and narrowband RF/MW energy and its measurement. Such experience is needed to appropriately monitor, diagnose, provide recommendation and consultation, and educate USAMRICD and ARL personnel.

Voss Scientific’s developed and refined a data acquisition software, DAAAC (Data Acquisition, Archival, Analysis, and Control). Originally developed specifically for narrowband and ultrawideband data acquisition for Air Force high power microwave programs beginning in 1989, DAAAC software is the only commercial application available that supports high value single shot and repetitive single shot measurements, with automated analysis of both narrowband and wideband RF data. Customers include DoE national laboratories, DoD facilities, and numerous government contractors. Since 1991, DAAAC has been used at Los Alamos National Laboratory to acquire over 1,000 channels of digitizer data from DARHT (Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility), the primary US facility for validating the sustainability of the US nuclear weapon arsenal. Creation of this type of software would not have been possible without Voss Scientific’s extensive knowledge and experience in the RF/MW research field. This software is currently under contract with USAMRICD for deployment in October 2020, contract# W81XWH-20-P-0099.

Voss Scientific is currently under contract with the Navy to develop and deliver ADAM, an Autonomous Damage Assessment Module, which will be a self-contained, battery powered diagnostic system for use in a directed energy battlefield scenario. Additionally, Voss Scientific produced and delivered a similar battery powered HPM diagnostic system, PEM-SVA (Portable Electromagnetic System Verification Apparatus). PEVA- SVA was delivered to the Air Force in Fall 2019 and successfully met all system specifications in Winter 2019 field tests.

Voss Scientific’s personnel are highly qualified to provide consultant services due to many years of experience in conducting these types of tests and developing the sources used in their execution. Voss Scientific scientists have accurately characterized virtually all types of HPM systems ranging from narrowband microwave sources to fast rise time, high repetition rate UWB sources. Testing has been conducted on a broad range of assets including commercial and military, foreign and domestic electronic systems and in very early work, biological subjects.

Voss Scientific led the source and RF dosimetry portion of the biological testing with live animal subjects at Kirtland AFB (Air Force Base), carried out under sponsorship of Brooks AFB School of Aerospace Medicine, including the first test on live mammals using single-shot narrowband HPM RF in 1987-88. Voss Scientific has been a key developer of both UWB and narrowband HPM devices since 1982, in support of programs at Air Force (AFRL at Kirtland AFB, NM), Navy (China Lake, CA), and industry.

Voss Scientific scientists hold 6 patents in electromagnetic (EM) sensors and HPM sources, high power antennas, and related technologies.

Voss Scientific employs individuals with active security clearances.

Voss Scientific was awarded contract# W81XWH-20-P-0099 for $324,850.00 on 12 June 2020 for the dosimetry rig that will be used during experimentation on the DE project.

Voss Scientific is the only vendor with intimate knowledge of USAMRICD’s dosimetry setup that will be using for experiments. No other vendor would possess this knowledge.

Additionally, Voss Scientific has been a major contributor to the research and development of HPM sources, antennas, diagnostic devices, susceptibility effects testing, and electromagnetic hardening for over 20 years. Voss Scientific also has been a key developer of narrowband and ultrawideband high-power microwave (HPM) sources and technologies. These unique and specific contributions are exactly what USAMRICD is looking for in an SME for RF/MW source development and dosimetry consultation services.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: The Contracting Office shall publish the notices required by FAR 5.201. A Request for Information was posted on beta.sam.gov with no responses received. There was no attempt to obtain other competition. Only Voss Scientific possesses the knowledge base in the subject field to provide this consultant service.

Program: JPC-6, DE

Version – September 2018 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Medical Toxicology Research Division at USAMRICD and the Contracting Agency will continue to monitor the market place for Contractors with the necessary knowledge base to provide the unique service for future requirements.

8. Market Research: Market research was conducted through World Wide Web (WWW), contacting other labs, consulting vendors, and meetings. No other company is available to meet our research specifications. The market research supports a sole-source acquisition for fulfilling the Governments need. Voss Scientific (cage: 0F949). A Request for Information (RFI) was posted on beta.sam on 25 September 2020 through 10 October 2020. No responses were received from industry.

9. Interested Sources: A Notice of Intent to Sole Source this requirement was posted on the Beta.SAM website on 25 November 2020 that provided interested concerns the opportunity to identify their capability in writing by 10 December 2020. No responses were received in response to the Notice of Intent justifying that Voss Scientific is the only company who can provide the consultant services on the radiofrequency/microwave (RF/MW) source development and dosimetry.

10. Other Facts: Thorough Market Research was conducted to include a review of USAMRAA’s contracting writing system, Procurement Desktop-Defense (PD2), the USAMRAA Paperless Acquisition System (UPAS), and the Virtual Contracting Enterprise Contract File (VCE-PCF). The search identified no previous Purchase Orders or Contracts issued for the required consultant services.

a. Procurement History:

(1) Contract numbers and dates of the last several contracts for these same requirements. Voss Scientific was awarded contract W81XWH-20-P-0099 in June 2020, as the vendor to create the dosimetry rig that will be used in the research at USAMRICD under the complement funded project.

(2) The competitive status of these actions. Not Applicable.

(3) Authority previously cited if less than full and open competition was used. Not Applicable.

11. Technical Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Jessica Chandler Date: 25 January 2021 Title: Biologist Signature:

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Jessica Chandler Date: 25 January 2021 Title: Biologist Signature:

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost or price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable.

This determination will be made using the following: ☒ cost analysis ☐ price analysis

☐ should cost ☒ IGCE ☐ audit: ☐ other

As a part of this basis, certified cost or pricing data:

☐ will be required.

☒ will not be required and the following exception applies (FAR 15.403):

☐ Prices that will be agreed upon are based on adequate price competition.

☐ Prices that will be agreed upon are based on prices set by law or regulation.

☒ A commercial item is being acquired.

☐ A waiver has been granted by the head of the contracting activity (HCA) in accordance with DFARS PGI 215.403-1.

☐ The contract action is a modification to a contract or subcontract for commercial item(s).

☐ The estimated cost of the contract action is less than the threshold for certified cost or pricing data.

Typed Name: Erin Maddox Date: 25 January 2021 Title: Contracting Officer Signature:

14. Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Erin Maddox Date: 25 January 2021 Title: Contracting Officer Signature: