ASN Justification Approval - Enterprise Systems Security - Redacted.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVSUP FLEET LOGISTICS CENTER NORFOLK

1968 GILBERT STREET SUITE 600

NORFOLK VA 23511-3392

IN REPLY REFER TO

J&A Number: 26-017

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Identification of Agency and Contracting Activity.

The requiring activity is the United States Naval Observatory (hereinafter, “USNO”), located in

Washington. DC; the contracting activity is NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk, Contracting Dept., Norfolk, Fleet Directorate.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

This is a sole source action to be awarded as a new contract to JFL Consulting, LLC (hereinafter, “JFL”), a small business firm. This procurement action is a new requirement to support the provisions to deliver an unclassified and classified system in accordance with the approved critical design, and provide and execute security plans for the system and associated applications.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

This is a requirement to obtain the infrastructure and services required to build and sustain security services that ensure the integrity and availability of Precise Time Astrometry (PTA) Enterprise systems.

In addition to the hardware and software required for the security infrastructure, the services requested herein will require timing transport engineers, observatory control engineers, cyber security operators, and project specialist experts to provide technical support, cyber monitoring, and operations and maintenance support for PTA dissemination systems.

The services shall consist of implementing, operating and maintaining PTA transport systems security capable of meeting the agency’s requirements, collect, develop, and analyze transport and, Supervisory

Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) data for cyber security and readiness with hardware meeting the requirements. Developing and maintaining cyber security monitoring infrastructure in order to perform cyber screening, incident detection and response, and risk assessments.

The Contractor shall provide infrastructure and manpower for support in the disciplines of transport engineering, cyber security, cyber engineering, SCADA management, instrumentation engineering, and computer sciences. Work shall be in accordance with tasks such as the following as ordered on individual task orders for specified PTA research, engineering or operations and maintenance projects.

Estimated Dollar Value

The anticipated contract will include five year ordering period for supplies, and five year ordering period with a six-month option period pursuant to FAR 52.217-8 for the incidental services. The estimate value is detailed below:

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

Hardware

Unit/Unclassified

Transport

Unit/Classified

Transport

Total Price

Cybersecurity

Infrastructure System

(CIS)-A

5 year Ordering

Period

5 year Ordering

Period

Infrastructure System

(CIS)-B

5 year Ordering

Period

Infrastructure System

(CIS)-C

5 year Ordering

Period

NEC Cybersecurity Field

Deployable System

(CFDS)-A

5 year Ordering

Period

(CFDS)-B

5 year Ordering

Period

(CFDS)-C

5 year Ordering

Period

Multi-Classification-

Domain-Infrastructure

System-20-12-A

5 year Ordering

Period

Multi-Classification-

Domain-Infrastructure

System-20-12-B

5 year Ordering

Period

Time Dissemination

Premise Edge Transport

5 year Ordering

Period

Firewall Outer

5 year Ordering

Period

Management Switch and

Core Distribution

5 year Ordering

Period

Switches

5 year Ordering

Period

Time Dissemination Out of Band System

5 year Ordering

Period

Firewall Inner

5 year Ordering

Period

Aggregator

5 year Ordering

Period

Supply Total

Period Dates Estimated Value

Ordering Period 01 August 2026 – 31 July 2031

Service Total

Period Dates Estimated Value

52.217-8 (Supply) 01 August 2031 – 28 February 2032

52.217-8 (Service) 01 August 2031 – 28 February 2032

Total

The total estimated value for this requirement including supplies and services is.

Task orders (TO) under the prospective Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract will be funded utilizing appropriations FY26 Navy Operations & Management (O&MN) with possible Other

Procurement, Navy (OPN) appropriations of the fiscal year in which each TO is issued.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), the supplies or services needed by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, as implemented by FAR 6.302-1.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

USNO, under DoDI 4650.06 and CJCSI 6130.01H the authoritative source for Precise Time and Time

Interval (hereinafter, “PTTI”), Celestial Reference Frame (hereinafter, “CRF”) and Earth Orientation

Parameters (hereinafter, “EOPs”) for the DoD and other Government agencies, and the nation. USNO timing, CRF, and EO data products are critical to GPS-based Position, Time and Navigation

(hereinafter, “PNT”) and most communications systems utilized by DoD, other Government agencies, and the nation.

USNO uses IP and RF transport for PTTI dissemination. USNO time and time dissemination capabilities must maintain 99.999% availability and provide nanosecond accuracy. USNO timing data products are critical and will result in significant loss if these requirements are not met.

The USNO timing system is government owned, built, and maintained. The USNO timing system is unique. The technology and interfaces are extremely complex. The complexity of the system coupled with its no-fail mission necessitates core competencies in the system itself to develop and engineer timing transport capable of supporting PTTI dissemination.

The requirement is to obtain the infrastructure and services required to build and sustain security services that ensure the integrity and availability of PTA Enterprise systems that disseminate PTTI data products to mission critical customers supported by this requirement. JFL’s highly specialized experience, capability and products/systems offer the USNO the highest probability of mission success in meeting this highly technical and complex requirement in a timely manner. Any loss of capability in disseminating PTTI data products is unacceptable and would cause grave and irreparable harm to the

Government.

JFL has interfaced with the USNO timing system multiple times over 15 years. In so doing, JFL developed an in-depth understanding of the time system idiosyncrasies, as well as expertise in the availability and accuracy engineering requirements for USNO’s timing system instrumentation and applications.

JFL is the manufacture of proprietary kits that are uniquely configured to adhere with the approved transport design. JFL possesses a unique ability given their previous experience and design ownership to maintain, repair, replace and upgrade the hardware as necessary. The design of the infrastructure was reviewed by USNO and external senior government experts as an ideal solution to address risks, availability concerns, and ensure the integrity of USNO data products and services. Only JFL kits can guarantee that no interruptions in mission critical operations at USNO will occur as all modifications in hardware or software are fully vetted and approved before deployment. Additionally, JFL is the sole proprietary manufacturers of the kits and their labor force are uniquely train to maintain, upgrade and repair the hardware.

JFL has demonstrated core competency in the USNO timing system. This coupled with the capability of the JFL’s Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) hardened monitoring system make them uniquely qualified to develop and maintain security services meeting USNO’s stringent PTA availability requirements, while also protecting the interfacing of USNO timing systems.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable, including a

Description of Market Research, if applicable, and a List of Interested Sources, if any.

A Sources Sought notice (SSN) was posted to SAM on 07 August 2025 with response date of 28 August

2025 with an inactive date 12 September 2025. The SSN requested interested vendors provide capability statements, the vendors’ capacity to perform the type of work, required security clearance, describe past performance efforts with similar scope to the proposed requirement, and documentation of technical expertise in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that the company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition, as specified in the draft

Statement of Work. The table below summarizes the assessment of the seven (7) response received to the SSN:

Vendor

Business Size

Overall Assessment Results/Recommendation

Overall: HIGH potential for successful performance:

• Indicated extensive prior knowledge of USNO’s networks from earlier assessments dating back to 2008.

• Capabilities statement shows both ability to design and build timing dissemination systems with requirements specific to USNO.

JFL Consulting, LLC

SB 8(a)

• Expertise in microsecond-level computing stability with low-latency designated for timing systems.

• Possesses in-depth knowledge of RMF as required in the

SOW

• Current personnel have proper clearances with past experiences that align with the requirements of this procurement.

• The vendor has over 15 years of experience with various system modeling, which could apply to the Government’s current requirements.

• Possesses specific security/hardware kits previously utilized in the DoD, which apply to this requirement.

• Possesses the required Top Secret/SCI Facility Clearance.

• Past performance demonstrates the expertise to deliver the required transport system(s) in the PWS.

• Based on this assessment, the vendor is well positioned to provide the required services and supplies.

SB, 8(a)

Overall: LOW potential for successful performance

• Proposal indicates company has experience in all elements of PWS, but past performance does not align with assertion

• Technical assertions are unsubstantiated

• Some of the services delivered in past performance align with requirements from PWS. Especially cyber operations, risk management framework, and IT operations and maintenance

• No experience with data transfer of science specific applications and network availability.

• No discussion of security/hardware kits

• Possesses the required Facility Clearance Top Secret/SCI

Facility Clearance

• Based on this assessment, the vendor is not positioned to provide the required supplies and services.

8(a)

• Experience with Tier 1-3 IP transport systems administration, risk management framework, and operations and maintenance support

• Experience with ML/AI

• No discussion of security/hardware kits

• Past performance demonstrates some expertise to deliver a transport system

• Possesses the required Facility Clearance Top Secret/SCI

Facility Clearance

• No experience with data transfer of science specific applications and network availability

SB

• Focuses primarily on enterprise security system support services

• Possesses the required Facility Clearance Top Secret/SCI

Facility Clearance

• Provides cyber security and IAT level certification support

• No discussion of security/hardware kits

• No experience with data transfer of science specific applications and network availability

SB, 8(a)

• Experience with various data infrastructure services

• Possesses the required Facility Clearance Top Secret/SCI

Facility Clearance

• Provides cyber security and IAT level certification support

• Reported Network availability not sufficient for contract

• No experience with data transfer of science specific applications

• No discussion of security/hardware kits

SB, VOSB

• Experience with administrative, software and maintenance support

• Provides cyber security and compliance support

• No indication of Facility Clearance levels

• No experience with data transfer of science specific applications

• No past performance demonstrating similar work which is required

• No discussion of security/hardware kits provide required supplies and services.

SB, EDWOSB

• Does not supply information on meeting the requirement

• No indication of Facility Clearance levels

• No experience with data transfer of science specific applications

• No past performance demonstrating similar work which is required

• No discussion of security/hardware kits provide required supplies and services.

As detailed above, JFL was the only source found to be capable of providing the specific range of supplies and services required by the USNO. JFL is the sole proprietary manufacturers of the kits and their labor force are uniquely trained to maintain, upgrade and repair the hardware. There are no authorized resellers of the security/hardware kits.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost. The Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated price to the Government of the supplies/services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, Fleet Logistic Center Norfolk (FLCN) has no plans at this time to compete future contacts for the types of supplies/services covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, FLCN will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

In accordance with PGI 206.302-1(d), a SSN was posted to the Government-wide Point of Entry (GPE) on 07 August 2025. See paragraph 6 for details regarding SSN.

To date, no other sources expressed an interest in the requirement.

9. Contracting Point of Contact

The point of contact at Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Norfolk, Fleet Directorate is Gilbert Dobison, Code 220.1, at (757) 443-1732 or by e-mail at gilbert.k.dobison.civ@us.navy.mil .

mailto:gilbert.k.dobison.civ@us.navy.mil

J&A Number: 26-017

CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance which are included in this Justification and its supporting acquisition planning documents, except as noted herein, are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Technical Cognizance:

Signature Name (Printed) Phone No. Date

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW

I have determined this Justification is legally sufficient.

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. To the extent that the Justification value is >$250K and <$900K, the Contracting Officer’s signature below also represents approval of the Justification.

CONTRACTING ACTIVITY COMPETITION ADVOCATE REVIEW

To the extent that the Justification value is >$900K and <$100M, the Competition Advocate’s signature below also represents approval of the Justification.