Attachment F - MACRO Bridge Justification for Exception to Fair Opportunity Final Proposed Redactions(Final)_Redacted.pdf

This is a Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity under Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contracts for a sole-source bridge Task Order (TO).

GSA Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) is issuing a sole-source bridge TO to Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) under the ASTRO Multiple Award (MA) IDIQ Development/Systems Integration Pool contract to support the Mission Awareness Capabilities Ramp-up and Optimization (MACRO) bridge requirements for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The bridge TO will provide comprehensive system engineering services including Program Management, Analytical and Execution Planning (AEP) Services, Engineering, Development, Integration, and Sustainment (EDIS) Services, Test and Evaluation (T&E) Services, and Training Support. The primary place of performance is Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with additional locations throughout the Continental United States and Outside Continental United States (OCONUS). The planned period of performance is a 6-month base period with one 6-month option. Services are structured around five task areas: Program Management Support, Analytical and Execution Planning Services, EDIS Services, Assessment/Experimentation/Demonstration (AED) Services, and Training Support.

The sole-source justification is based on FAR 16.507-6(b)(1) due to urgent mission-critical needs that make competitive fair opportunity procedures impracticable. The current MACRO TO, held by ARA and expiring March 29, 2026, must continue operations to prevent service gaps while the competitive follow-on Integrated, Next-Generation, Versatile, Intelligence, Capabilities, Technologies, and Applications (INVICTA) TO is developed and awarded in January 2027. ARA has demonstrated its ability to fulfill DoD and HQDA requirements successfully. The government anticipates transitioning to a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) contract type from the current Cost-Plus-Award-Fee structure, which will reduce contractor risk and fees while generating cost savings by utilizing the ASTRO IDIQ vehicle, which does not include a Contract Access Fee. The anticipated cost is determined to be fair and reasonable based on historical cost data, Forward Pricing Rate Agreements, and cost realism analysis.