A15_Justification Approval for OTFOC 6.103_BCB360_FINAL_Redacted.pdf

J&A (Part 6) Control No. 26-6-1

Procurement Sensitive - See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

For Official Use Only

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

UNDER FAR PART 6 AS AUTHORIZED BY 41 U.S.C. § 3304

Pursuant to the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA), as implemented by FAR Subpart 6.1, this

Justification and Approval (J&A) support the use of the statutory authority to limit competition under FAR

6.103. This J&A is based on the facts and rationale contained herein, as required by FAR 6.104-1. In accordance with FAR 6.104-1(a), each J&A shall, at a minimum, include the following information:

1. Identification of the Agency, Contracting Activity, and Specific Identification of the Document.

(a) Agency: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

(b) Contracting Activity: Office of Acquisition (FA)

(c) Requiring Activity: Aviation Division (OA)

(d) Document Identification: J&A for Other Than Full and Open Competition

2. Nature and Description of the Action Being Approved: This action is seeking a J&A to procure a new award for the purchase one (1) new Textron Beechcraft B360CER aircraft.

(a) Contractor Name: Textron Aviation

(b) Estimated Amount:

(c) Recurring Requirement: Yes No

(d) Estimated Delivery Date: 09/30/2030

(e) Description: FAA certified Textron Beechcraft King Air 360CER-67A aircraft.

3. Description of Supplies or Services: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a requirement for the purchase of one (1) new Beechcraft King Air 360CER-67A/B300CER twin turbo-prop aircraft. This aircraft will be utilized and operated by the DEA as a multi-role operational aircraft.

4. Identification of Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition:

FAR 6.103-1, Only One Responsible Source authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1)

FAR 6.103-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(2)

FAR 6.103-3, Industrial Mobilization authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(3)

FAR 6.103-4, International Agreement authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(4)

FAR 6.103-5, Authorized or Required by Statute authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(5)

FAR 6.103-6, National Security authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(6)

FAR 6.103-7, Public Interest authorized by 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(7).

5. A Demonstration that the Proposed Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or the Nature of the

Acquisition Requires using the Authority Cited:

Textron Aviation Inc. is the original and exclusive manufacturer of the King Air model B300 (marketed as the model 360) aircraft.

Additionally, Textron Aviation is the holder of all licenses, copyrights, patents, intellectual property rights, and the Type Certificate Data Sheet of the King Air model B300 aircraft. New King Air model B300 aircraft are only offered by way of factory-direct sales with Textron Aviation.

The DEA’s Aviation Division (OA) established critical mission requirements for the acquisition of new aircraft based on flight operations, maintenance and support management to define the mission requirements for the aircraft needed. The following are the minimum requirements to meet DEA’s needs:

• minimum seating capacity of two (2) crew members and eight (8) passengers to meet personnel transport mission requirements;

• cargo door opening of at least 50 x 50 inches and 350 cubic feet;

• pressurized cabin to accommodate bulk cargo transport mission requirements;

• interior baggage/storage space of no less than 50 cubic feet;

• weight capacity of no less than 500 lbs. for flight crew and mission essential personnel baggage and equipment.

This specific aircraft will allow the DEA to continue mission-critical flight capabilities that include conditions of high ambient temperature and humidity resulting in high density altitudes. It is essential that the aircraft have a high temperature/high altitude and long endurance performance capability. The aircraft must be twin-engine turbine powered; thereby giving a greater margin of safety while performing extended overwater flights. The above specifications are mission-critical due to extended over-water operational flights, extradition flights, and heavy-load cargo transportation flights. No other similar aircraft on the market meets these critical performance requirements. Without these specifications, any other aircraft type or frame other than the Beechcraft King Air B300 series could lead to degraded mission capabilities.

Furthermore, DEA's current fleet of aircraft are made up of 96.4 percent of Textron products, including 51

Cessna, 10 Beechcraft and 20 Bell aircraft. Introducing a new airframe to DEA’s Aviation fleet would negatively impact all aspects of operational readiness and result in increased incidental costs to the

Government beyond the purchase of the airframe. First, use of a different airframe would increase operational downtime due to new training and rating requirements for both DEA pilots and maintenance staff. Currently, pilot cadre operates in a highly streamlined operational environment and use of a consistent aircraft manufacturer allows for effective transitioning between all DEA Textron models, as many models share common avionics and type ratings, reducing pilot training time and overall management costs. Additional airframes would require the introduction of new training requirements and type ratings ultimately increasing cost and delaying the operational deployment of the new aircraft. Second, continuing operation of Textron

Aviation product allows for conformity within the existing Textron Aviation maintenance networks, parts programs, and pilot training platforms without introducing unfamiliar manufacturer systems. Finally, DEA has invested more than $20 million in spare parts, engines and components which support Textron platforms, therefore reducing long term lifecycle costs and ensuring continued operational capabilities. DEA’s significant investment associated with its Aviation operations and capabilities means that transitioning even one plane from current Textron products and aircraft would result in increased costs, increased operational downtime due to new training and rating requirements for DEA pilots and maintenance challenges. The significant risks associated with the adaptation of new airframes supports DEA’s determination that it is in the best interest of the Government to acquire the Beechcraft B360CER-67A aircraft.

a. Name and address of the proposed contractor(s). Textron Aviation Inc., One Cessna Boulevard, Wichita, Kansas 67215 USA, UEI: LH8RF2CKLWK5, NAICS: 336411/Large.

b. Nature of the acquisition and proposed unique qualifications of the contractor(s). Noted above.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Ensure that Offers are Solicited from as Many Potential Sources as

Possible, Including Whether a Notice was or will be Publicized as Required by Part 5 and, if not, Which

Exception under Part 5 Applies:

A Source Sought Notice 15DDHQ26N00000016 was posted on SAM.gov on 04/10/2026 to identify potential sources. The notice closed on 05/07/2026. Following receipt of seven (7) responses from interested vendors, it was confirmed that only Textron Aviation can provide a new King Air 360CER (B300CER) aircraft.

A Notice of Intent to Sole Source will be posted to SAM.gov pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation

(FAR) part 5.1.

7. Contracting Officer’s Determination that the that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be

Fair and Reasonable:

Considering this is a non-competitive contract action, the Contracting Officer, at a minimum, will utilize the following techniques to determine the vendor’s proposed price is fair and reasonable: (a) Comparison of proposed price with price’s paid for the same or similar items by the Government; and (b) Comparison of the proposed price with the Government’s Independent Cost Estimate (IGCE).

8. Market Research Conducted (See Part 10) and the Results or a Statement of the Reason Market

Research was not Conducted: See section 6 above.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting Using Other than Full and Open Competition. No vendors outside of

Textron Aviation were determined capable of providing either an aircraft fully compatible with DEA’s existing pilot ratings and training platforms and maintenance programs or a new Beechcraft B360CER aircraft.

10. A Listing of Sources, if any, that Expressed an Interest in the Acquisition in Writing.

BR Consulting LL, Jadaya LLC, Jones Aviation Group, MAG Aerospace, Starlight LLC, Textron Aviation, and Vertical Acquisition Group.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to

Competition Before any Subsequent Acquisition for the Supplies or Services Required. There have been numerous attempts to foster competition for this requirement. OA has an extensive history with this aircraft and has performed years of market research and has determined that the Textron/Beechcraft King Air

360CER (B300CER) is the only aircraft that meets the mission/operational needs underlying the current requirement. OA will continue to monitor the global aviation industry and attend expositions and conferences where aircraft manufactures display new aircraft developments to identify other aircraft that will meet the operational requirements of DEA Aviation.

Proc

12. Technical / Requiring Office’s Certification: I certify that the technical data and operational requirements supporting this justification are complete, accurate, and reflect the minimum needs of the

Government.

Date

13. Contracting Officer’s Certification that the Justification is Accurate and Complete to the Best of the

Contracting Officer's Knowledge and Belief. I certify that the information contained in this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date

14. Approvals: The required levels of approval of this Justification depend on the estimated total value of the procurement. Approval must be obtained for that level and each previous level.

Bureau Competition Advocate (for actions greater than $900,000 up to $20 million)

Bureau Procurement Chief (for actions over $900,000)