AWA_JA For Fregata Systems Inc _Final_Redacted_for posting_HR001121C0019.pdf

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR

OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SUBJECT: Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition for the Follow-On Contract with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures (AWA) Experimentation program.

PART 1- JUSTIFICATION

1. Agency and Contracting Activity Identification: This justification and approval for other than full and open competition is executed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contracts Management Office (CMO), on behalf of DARPA’s Adaptive Capabilities Office (ACO). The resulting action, once approved hereby, will be contracted through DARPA

CMO.

2. Description of Action: DARPA proposes to enter into a sole-source, Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) follow-on contract with Fregata Systems, LLC of St. Louis, MO for the continued provision of highly specialized services in support of the Adaptive Warfighting Architectures (AWA) Experimentation program. The proposed sole-source project is a forty-one (41) month follow-on to the Lucid, Phase 1 activities performed by Fregata Systems, LLC under DARPA Contract No.

HR0011-20-C-0048, which was competitively awarded under Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) No. HR001119S0032.

3. Description of Supplies or Services: As a performer on DARPA’s Lucid Program, Fregata Systems, LLC developed the architect hardware, software, communications, tasking solutions, feedback requirements and the analytic approach for the classified cloud computing architecture.

The Fregata Systems, LLC Lucid research project is a foundational effort to collapse the Find- Fix-Track-Target-Engage-Assess (F2T2EA), now referred to as AWA, kill-chain timelines. In addition, Fregata Systems LLC developed an accreditation package for the government to begin the accreditation process to meet the complex multi-level security requirements for the Common Data Layer (CDL) environments. Fregata Systems, LLC also developed and deployed the underlying software source code from which the AWA program will implement its Joint All- Domain Command and Control (JADC2) requirements solution. These requirements developed under HR0011-20-C-0048 directly contributed to the design and overall technical approach for the next phases of the AWA Experimentation effort.

During the follow-on AWA project, Fregata Systems, LLC will continue to build on their Phase 1 research results which is critical to meeting DARPA’s joint experimentation goals and objectives. Specifically, during the follow-on effort Fregata Systems, LLC will develop and deliver an AWA experimentation system and the CDL, and integrate it with the Joint All- Domain Warfare Software (JAWS) suite (See DARPA BAA HR001120S0022). The AWA

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

SUBJECT: Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition for the follow-on contract with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures Experimentation program.

Program’s CDL will enable legacy specialized applications and a new breed of thin client and micro-services to access the data structure for particular use cases. The CDL is hardware agnostic, but will be optimized for classified distributed tactical edge (edge node) operations in support of thin client user applications that access the CDL via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The AWA-based system will deliver a hardware and software framework solution with core services for the ingestion, processing, fusion, and dissemination of data required for joint all-domain battlespace awareness to enable increasing targeting efficiency. The AWA system will use the same accredited cloud development process as other programs Fregata Systems, LLC has contributed to, but with modifications required to meet the goals and objectives of the AWA Experimentation program. Specifically, the supplies and services required to meet the Agency's needs are:

Task 1: System Architecture, Design, Installation and Support – Develop and integrate a Common Data Layer (CDL) to enable development, integration, test, and experimentation of Adaptive Warfighting Architectures (AWA) in accordance with program’s Experimentation Master Plan.

Task 2: Enable Activity-Based Intelligence – Development, integration, test, and experimentation of the automated data analytic services to enable the development and extraction of activity-based intelligence required for Advanced Warfighting Architectures.

Task 3: Support Continuous Integration – Provide support for continuous integration of required capabilities to rapidly prototype and assess Advanced Warfighting Architectures in accordance with the AWA Integrated Strategy for Experimentation.

Task 4: Support Experimentation and Analysis – Support the execution, assessment, and reporting for selected experimentation events and milestones in accordance with AWA program Experimentation Master Plan. Participate in small-scale demonstrations of new functionality and larger scale demonstrations involving Department of Defense and military service representatives.

Optional Task 5: Program Management and Reporting – deliver quarterly status reports that detail the technical and programmatic accomplishments of the previous quarter, as well as the plans for upcoming quarter.

Task 6: Support Meetings and Travel Requirements – Accomplish travel tasks with written coordination and approval from the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

4. Statutory Authority Cited: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. § 2304(c)(l), “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements,” as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.302-1.

5. Unique Qualification and Use of the Statutory Authority Cited: Fregata Systems, LLC is in a unique position to conduct and successfully complete the follow-on effort of the AWA with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures Experimentation program.

Experimentation Program which requires continued provision of highly specialized services defined under a previous Phase 1 contract that was competitively awarded to Fregata Systems, LLC.

Fregata Systems, LLC is uniquely qualified to conduct/complete the AWA Experimentation program research project due to their expertise in pioneering complex data environment design across all security levels. Their experience delivering multi-security level cloud-based computing environments, data fusion and communication link architecture technology provides a unique capability to meet AWA goals and objectives that no other organization is able to accomplish.

Ultimately, Fregata Systems, LLC possesses and will be able to leverage unique knowledge, capabilities and expertise, and proprietary intellectual property/data required to carry out this follow-on research effort. This effort will realize drastic cost and schedule reductions made possible using Fregata Systems, LLC cloud-based CDL environment to establish a new paradigm in cloud computing design and deployment, as well as allow for a successful transition of the technology that the AWA effort develops during the period of performance.

Award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost in the estimated amount of over $4 million per year to the Government not expected to be recovered through competition.

Further, it would take approximately nine (9) months to compete and award a contract and another twelve (12) months for the new performer to develop a technology capability that Fregata Systems, LLC has already developed. Award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the DARPA JAWS program’s requirements.

6. Efforts Made to Ensure Offers are Solicited From as Many Potential Sources as Practicable:

As is required by the FAR Parts 5 and 6, a notification of the Government’s intent to award a sole source contract for the AWA Experimentation program effort was posted on beta.SAM.Gov on July 28, 2020, at 11:00 am Eastern (Special Notice DARPA-SN-20-59). The sole source notification expired on August 12, 2020 at 11:59 PM Eastern. No responses, written or verbal, were received in response to this notice.

Additionally, it is noted that DARPA ACO maintains an open office-wide BAA (HR001120S0043) that is open to all proposers, which solicits research ideas in several technical areas. These technical areas include, Sensing and tracking, Advanced Battle Management, and Complex all-domain Experimentation, which covers the work to be carried out under the AWA Experimentation Program. In all cases, DARPA reviews and evaluates compliant proposals submitted to the office-wide BAA in accordance with the evaluation criteria outlined therein, which offers the Government alternative and complementary approaches.

In light of the above, the acquisition approach discussed herein remains the only reasonable approach for DARPA to accomplish its continued AWA Experimentation program research goals, to include transition of the resulting technology.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost: Fregata Systems, LLC submitted a fully qualified cost proposal for the subject AWA Experimentation Program three Phase effort as a deliverable under their Phase 1 effort carried out under HR0011-20-C-0048. In accordance with with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures Experimentation program.

FAR/DFARS Part 15, the Contracting Officer will utilize the appropriate proposal analysis techniques (e.g., cost realism and reasonableness assessments) to ensure that the final agreed-to price is fair and reasonable. Upon conclusion of negotiations, Fregata Systems, LLC will be required to submit a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data. As indicated previously, the Fregata Systems, LLC AWA three Phase contract will be negotiated by the DARPA CMO.

8. Market Survey Conducted and Results or a Statement of Reasons Why Market Research was Not Conducted: DARPA has conducted market research through various market research techniques in accordance with FAR 10.002. Specifically, DARPA has maintained awareness of the state of technologies available from other sources within the relevant technology communities and through routine technical discussions on new concepts that are being presented through the open ACO office-wide BAA. DARPA is in constant contact with knowledgeable individuals in Government and industry regarding market capabilities to meet DARPA’s requirements. The DARPA Program Manager and ACO Office Director have an in-depth understanding of the related AWA (or similar) technologies currently available, the capabilities of the contractor/scientific community, and of related/competing technologies currently available.

In accordance with FAR 5.201, a notice of the Government’s intent to award a sole-source contract for the follow-on AWA Experimentation program effort was posted on beta.SAM.Gov.

DARPA received no response to the notice. See paragraph 6 above.

Based on the market research, DARPA determined that Fregata Systems, LLC is the only known contractor with the requisite highly specialized expertise that can meet DARPA’s requirements for the AWA three Phase follow-on effort.

9. Other Factors Supporting Use of Other Than Full and Open Competition: The proposed effort is a one-time procurement to allow successful transition of the Fregata Systems, LLC AWA classified cloud computing environment technology. DARPA does not, at this point in time, anticipate additional AWA technology development beyond the DARPA JAWS program prior to program transition.

10. Sources Who Expressed a Written Interest in the Acquisition: None – see paragraph 6 above.

11. Actions to Remove or Overcome Barriers to Competition: This procurement satisfies the Government requirement for the AWA three-phase effort and will complete the AWA Experimentation program. Currently, there are no known plans for DARPA to conduct further research and development work for the AWA Experimentation program beyond the AWA three Phases.

12. Delivery requirements: The period of performance for the AWA Experimental effort is 41 months in duration, as stipulated below. Deliverables per phase are as follows:

Phase 2/Base (14 Months) o Systems requirement and design document with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures Experimentation program.

o Software Block Upgrades 1, 2, 3, and 4 o Phase 2 Program Execution Plan o Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR) o Excursion 21.03 and 21.09 After Action Reports (AAR) o Experiment 2020 AAR o Integration Exercise Results of Battlespace Management Command and Control

(BMC2) software o Quarterly technical and financial reports o Phase 2 final Report

Phase 3/ Option 1 (12 months) o Software Block Upgrade 5 o Phase 3 Program Execution Plans 1, 2, and 3 o Technology Readiness Assessment support and documentation o Excursion 22.03 and 22.09 AARs o Experiment 2021 AAR o Integration Exercise Results of BMC2 software, exercises 4, 5, 6, and 7 o Quarterly technical and financial reports o Phase 3 final report

Phase 4/ Option 2 (15 months) o Excursion 23.03 and 23.09AARs o Experiment 2022 AAR o Integration Exercise Results of BMC2 software, exercises 8, 9, 10, and 11 o Northern Edge AAR Quarterly technical and financial reports o Final report and systems documentation

13. Anticipated Contract Type: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)

14. Anticipated Contract Dollar Amount: $15,210,838.62 (over 41 months)

PART 2– CERTIFICATIONS

TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that this request for Justification and Approval of Other than Full and Open Competition is made in good faith, that the supporting data and information are accurate and

Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4

FY20 FY21 FY22

Labor 5,729,637.11$ 4,577,573.35$ 4,416,646.00$

ODC 371,470.00$ -$ -$

Travel 26,753.36$ 57,137.80$ 31,621.00$ Sub-Totals 6,127,860.47$ 4,634,711.15$ 4,448,267.00$

Grand Total 15,210,838.62$ with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures Experimentation program.

complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and that I would not be making this request if it were feasible to fully compete this requirement. I further certify that this request is not the result of lack of advance planning or a desire to expend funds while those funds are still available.

Signed: ____

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION

I certify that I, or the cognizant Procuring Contracting Officer, will make a determination of fair and reasonable price using appropriate price/cost analysis techniques in accordance with FAR

15.404 “Proposal Analysis.” Additionally, I certify that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signed: _

PART 3 – LEGAL REVIEW

I have reviewed this justification, and it is legally sufficient.

Signed: _______________ with Fregata Systems, LLC Adaptive Warfighting Architectures Experimentation program.

PART 4 - APPROVAL

Approved in accordance with FAR 6.304

Signed: