Attachment 1 - Draft Justification and Approval_Redacted.pdf

V3.0_JANUARY2020

PID #: N66604-23-RFPREQ-NPT-60-0001

P.R. Number: 1301050670

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

UNDER FAR 13.5, SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR

CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS

JUSTIFICATION

1. Contracting Activity

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport (NUWCDIVNPT) Contracts Department, Code 02, Newport, RI.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved

Request approval to solicit and award a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) purchase order for the purchase of Computer Nodes and Power Distribution Units with brand name Intel Xeon Central Processing Units (CPU) and Nvidia Graphic Cards (no substitutions) to support the NUWCDIVNPT Mission Engineering and Analysis Department’s, Code 60, objective to establish a Submarine Security Technology Lab (SSTL) Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) Naval Engagement Compute Cluster.

3. Description of Supplies/Services

Estimated Dollar Value Notes

CIP Estimated Cost based on Market Research vendor quotation Total

NUWCDIVNPT Code 60 conducts mission performance assessments for major Navy acquisition programs such as COLUMBIA SSBN, VIRGINIA SSN, Littoral Combat Ship and Future Surface Combatant. In support of this mission, Code 60 has a requirement for the following items, the minimum requirements of which have been provided by Code 60 and posted with the Combined Synopsis Solicitation:

Item Description Qty Compute Node

Hardware 12

Data Farm Compute Node Hardware 2

Power Distribution Unit 1

Metered Power Distribution Unit 4

Extended Power Distribution Unit 1

The components listed above will be combined to create a stand-alone SSTL GPU/CPU compute cluster. Code 60 will utilize the compute cluster to run SIM II/ Digital Weapon Assessment Framework (DWAF) naval engagement modeling, Advanced Technology High Fidelity Engagement Architecture (ATHENA) naval engagement modeling, Submarine System Effectiveness and Assessment (SUBSEA) acoustic modeling and acoustic modeling for VIRGINIA platforms, as well as conduct assessments and operational tests.

The brand name components required of the compute cluster is the use of Intel Xeon CPUs and Nvidia graphics cards within the Compute Node Hardware and the Data Farm Compute Node Hardware being acquired. It is estimated that the total value of this contract will be based on a vendor quote provided during market research. Brand Name Intel Xeon CPUs are required in order to maintain consistency of results and Navy accreditation and Brand name Nvidia graphics cards are required due to their sole compatibility with code specific system calls and hardware-in-the-loop systems.

Required delivery is 1 September 2023, or sooner.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open

Competition

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented in FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii).

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

As noted above, the components being procured will be combined to create a compute cluster for the sole purpose of running SIM II/DWAF naval engagement modeling, ATHENA naval engagement modeling, SUBSEA acoustic modeling and acoustic modeling for VIRGINIA platforms. SIM II is the core modeling and simulation (M&S) tool developed and used by Code 60 for end-to-end engagement analysis and DWAF is a weapons and environmental simulation developed by Code 85 to provide software emulations of the hardware-in-the-loop systems. The SIM II software and M&S assessment results are intrinsically connected to the operating system, compilers and processing hardware that make up this unique compute cluster.

Failure to use Intel Xeon CPUs and Nvidia graphic cards will jeopardize Navy accreditation of the combined SIM II/DWAF simulation and the Navy’s test and evaluation schedule for major acquisition programs. SIM II is the only end-to-end engagement simulation the Navy has to conduct this institutionally mandated work. In order to support major Navy acquisition programs, the SIM II software requires accreditation from Navy program offices and test agencies.

In turn, this accreditation requires extensive verification and validation (V&V) of the SIM II software, which requires detailed scrutiny and comparisons to at-sea data and prior M&S assessments.

The most recent accreditation occurred in 2018 in support of the COLUMBIA-Class Operational Test B1. SIM II/DWAF is currently undergoing updates in order to obtain accreditation in support of VIRGINIA-Class Block V operational test and COLUMBIA-Class Operational Test B3.

This accreditation process is contingent on the ability of SIM II/DWAF to accurately reproduce test results. The only way to ensure accurate test results is to purchase the exact processors and operating system that the previous V&V tests were conducted with. Procuring components of another manufacturer would require extensive re-testing and re-accreditation, which could cost upwards of $375,000.00 and delay both the VIRGINIA and COLUMBIA test and evaluation programs by more than a year; a delay the programs cannot withstand. As such, the SSTL GPU Naval Engagement Compute Cluster requires Intel Xeon CPUs to maintain the necessary Navy accreditation requirements for the SIM II naval engagement simulation software and meet Navy test and evaluation deadlines.

Furthermore, the DWAF environmental model software was specifically written in the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) language. CUDA is a parallel computing and programming model that was developed by Nvidia for computing on its own GPUs. The DWAF model was written in CUDA so that it could take advantage of these extremely fast GPUs, which can provide a 50X performance increase over a CPU. At the time DWAF was written, CUDA was the only available option. Using a different GPU would require the DWAF model to be rewritten and tested, which would be cost prohibitive and cause unacceptable scheduling delays to the Columbia Operational Test Program.

The excessive duplicative costs and unacceptable schedule delays that would be incurred for the re-testing and re-accreditation discussed above would not be offset by potential savings from full and open competition. As such, it is in the best interest of the Government to solicit for the above components on a Brand Name basis.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many

Offerors as Practicable

The proposed contract action is being synopsized and solicited on NASA SEWP. The combined synopsis and solicitation states the intention of NUWCDIVNPT to award a delivery order on a brand name basis, in accordance with the minimum specifications and states that all interested sources will have the opportunity to submit quotes for consideration by the Government. If a responsible source submits a quote for consideration by the Government through the date of delivery order award positing that other than the Brand Name items discussed above are able to meet the Government’s needs, it will be brought to the attention of the J&A approval authority.

Market Research was conducted through various methods including the historical research of past purchases, NASA SEWP Market Research Tool, internet searches and vendor quotes. Several small businesses who can fulfill the Government’s requirement were identified through market research. As such, this requirement is being solicited on a 100% small business set-aside basis.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Costs

In Accordance With FAR 6.303-2(b)(7), the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government for the supplies covered by this Justification and Approval will be fair and reasonable. Based on the number of potential offerors identified via market research, it is anticipated that prices will be determined fair and reasonable based on adequate price competition in accordance with FAR 13.106-3(a)(1). Should adequate price competition not be available, the Government will use other price analysis techniques in accordance with FAR 13.106-3.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition

The Navy’s accreditation requirements for the SIM II naval engagement simulation software are not expected to change, and therefore NUWCDIVNPT Code 60 anticipates the continued use of Intel Processors and Nvidia graphics cards for the M&S Compute Cluster. As a result, NUWCDIVNPT has no plans at this time for full and open competition on future requirements for the items covered by this document.

NUWCDIVNPT technical personnel will continue to examine the marketplace and explore viable alternatives if they become available in the future.