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

This is a Justification and Approval (J&A) document for a non-competitive federal contract acquisition. The Department of the Air Force, through Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), and the Simulators Division, is pursuing a sole-source acquisition under 10 USC 3204(a)(1) authority for the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Air Commando Training Support (ACTS) program. The estimated contract cost exceeds $100 million, and this is a new J&A document supporting a seven-year performance period with one base year and six option years. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/WNS, with the purchase request number FA8621-25-R-8007.

The acquisition seeks continued sustainment, modernization, and support for 98 government-owned C-130J training devices across five Mission Design Series (MDS) variants located at ten Continental United States locations. Services include contractor logistics support, training system support center operations, cybersecurity support, program management, engineering support, configuration management, device software and hardware engineering, quality assurance, and cost-reimbursable travel. Modernization efforts encompass system upgrades, modifications, change management, and obsolescence support. The government determined that Lockheed Martin (LM) is the only responsible source capable of meeting requirements due to its exclusive ownership of proprietary C-130J technical data, software, and aerodynamic flight performance data necessary to maintain training device fidelity. The J&A details extensive market research conducted via two Requests for Information posted to SAM.gov in March and April 2025, which yielded eight respondents; all competitors declined to participate, citing inability to access critical data rights that LM controls. The government will employ firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract types, with a Notice of Proposed Contract Action (NOCA) to be posted in accordance with FAR 5.201.