Attachment 2 - Brand Name Justification_Kris Allen_FA440727Q8000.pdf

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION

DETERMINATION & FINDINGS

Authority to Solicit from a Single Source (at or below the SAT)

1. Agency and Contracting Activity: Spirit of the Season - Guest Artist

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action: $42,000

Kris Allen - Guest Artist for the 2026 Spirit of the Season Performances by the Band of Mid-America

3. Citation to the Appropriate Regulation:

(Contracting Officer Instruction: Select the applicable authority for this acquisition)

RFO 8.401 and GSAR 538.7104-3(a) (FSS Orders): The circumstances of the acquisition deem only one source reasonably capable of providing the products, services, or solutions.

RFO 11.204(a)(2)(ii) (Brand Name): The particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government's requirements, and market research indicates other companies' similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet the agency's needs or cannot be modified to meet the agency's minimum needs,.

RFO 12.102(a) (Commercial Products and Services): Only one source is available,.

RFO 13.101(b) (Noncommercial Products and Services): Only one source is reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name, or industrial mobilization),.

4. Findings:

The United States Air Force (USAF) Band of Mid-America (BoMA) is a musical organization whose mission is to inspire immediate and long-lasting morale and esprit de corps for Scott Air Force Base, IL and the United States of America. To support this effort, the Band of Mid-America reaches over 70 million listeners via live and televised events each year. Under the direction of the Commander, Air Force Bands actively design a wide variety of musical events to bridge language and cultural differences to engage, inform, entertain, and inspire audiences. Bands perform the right music for the right event and utilize performing styles and techniques to establish a sense of commonality and community with targeted audiences.

The Band of Mid-America requires a high-profile, widely recognized guest vocalist to provide vocal and speaking services for the USAF Band of Mid-America's “Spirit of the Season” rehearsal and performances. Period of Performance will include rehearsals and live performances 02-09 December 2026 in St. Louis, MO, Columbia, MO, and Kansas City, MO as well as video and audio recordings that will be utilized on social media and for broadcast in part or whole, and on television stations and media outlets.

Due to the high visibility of the event and the global reach of the broadcast and digital platforms, the USAF Band of Mid-America requires the services of Kris Allen. This artist meets all the salient characteristic requirements of the caliber of musician required to meet the aim of the "Spirit of the Season" mission objectives. These salient characteristics are:

1. National Exposure and Name Recognition. Vocalist must have been designated as a finalist, or to have made it to the finals (final 10-13 contestants) or final round of a nationally televised performance competition such as “America’s Got Talent,” “The Voice”, “Nashville Star” or “American Idol.” Due to the high visibility of the event and the global reach of these broadcast platforms, a vocalist who has earned the designation as finalist will have the demonstrated accomplishment to attract broad interest in the Air and Space Force across a recruitable demographic by leveraging worldwide commercial success and name recognition.

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION

2. Patriotic Image. Must have performed the National Anthem at major sporting events such as The National Football League’s Super Bowl or Major League Baseball’s World Series to bolster the patriotic nature of the performance. Performance at these broadcast events will instill an association with the United States or the military which will fuel to messaging capabilities and authenticity with the audience.

3. Music Industry Leader. Vocalist must have reached the top 20 on the American Billboard Hot 100, the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs. An artist with demonstrated accomplishment will attract broad interest in the Air and Space Force across a recruitable demographic by leveraging music industry success and name recognition.

4. Technical Capability. Vocalist must sing fluidly in the concert pitch range of C#3 to A#4. Vocal range must be verifiable by providing internet hyperlinks to recorded performances that display the required vocal range.

5. Christmas Album. Vocalist must have a minimum of one previously recorded Christmas Album and will allow the Band of Mid-America to create arrangements of any of the songs from the album to be performed by the productions ensembles to accompany the vocalist as part of the performance.

6. Media Reach. Must have at least 360,000 monthly listeners on the Spotify music platform. Must have at least 50,000 subscribers on their official YouTube channel. Must have at least 68,000 followers on Instagram. Media Reach must be verifiable by providing screenshots that display the required listener, subscriber, and follower numbers. Vocalist will use their social media platform to impart a positive military image of the Department of War and the Band of Mid-America.

Kris Allen possesses a highly specialized and distinct brand as a nationally recognized recording artist and winner of American Idol Season 8. This level of celebrity cannot be replicated by generic musical performers. His established brand acts as an immediate force multiplier for public engagement, drawing diverse audiences that typically do not attend traditional military band performances.

In December 2023, the US Air Force Band of the West successfully contracted Kris Allen for a similar mission-support requirement. That contract demonstrated highly successful metrics, including a substantial spike in social media engagement, widened audience demographics, and heightened local community goodwill.

Acquiring Kris Allen's services for the Band of Mid-America allows the Air Force to directly build upon and compound the brand equity, audience goodwill, and social media momentum generated during his previous Band of the West contract. Rather than starting a new marketing and outreach campaign from baseline levels with an unproven artist, this acquisition leverages Kris Allen's existing familiarity with Air Force Public Affairs protocols, resulting in immediate operational efficiency and a significantly higher probability of strategic communication success.

5. Determination: Based on the findings above, the proposed sole source or brand name action is justified under the applicable regulation.

6. Signatory Authority: (Contracting Officer Instruction: In accordance with DAF Approval Authorities Matrix PM 26-C-11 Matrix Item 51 for RFO 13.101(b) actions and GSAR 538.7104-3(a) for FSS orders, the Contracting Officer is the approval authority for these determinations).

Tonya Ozee, MSgt, USAF Contracting Officer

Oct 23, 2026 https://usaf.dps.mil/sites/AFCC/KnowledgeCenter/templates_admin/aqc-front.jpg https://usaf.dps.mil/sites/AFCC/KnowledgeCenter/templates_admin/aqc-back.jpg

DETERMINATION & FINDINGS

Authority to Solicit from a Single Source (at or below the SAT)

3. Citation to the Appropriate Regulation:

(Contracting Officer Instruction: Select the applicable authority for this acquisition) 2024.07.10.1.

4. Findings:

5. Determination: Based on the findings above, the proposed sole source or brand name action is justified under the applicable regulation.

6. Signatory Authority: (Contracting Officer Instruction: In accordance with DAF Approval Authorities Matrix PM 26-C-11 Matrix Item 51 for RFO 13.101(b) actions and GSAR 538.7104-3(a) for FSS orders, the Contracting Officer is the approval authority for these determinations).