B1 - Safran SS JA Follow-On Fully Executed.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION

21983 BUNDY ROAD BLDG 441

PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND 20670-1127

J&A Number: 24-0057

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity.

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Patuxent River, MD.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

This Justification and Approval (J&A) is for a follow-on, sole source, Indefinite Delivery

Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the supply of airborne instrumentation Modular Data

Recorder (MDR) system hardware and associated repair services with Safran Data Systems

(SDS), formerly known as Zodiac Data Systems (ZDS). The hardware and associated repair services will allow for continued support to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)

Special Flight Test Instrumentation Pool (SFTIP) under the Prototyping, Instrumentation, &

Experimentation (PIE) department.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

SDS is the sole manufacturer and seller of Safran/Zodiac airborne instrumentation MDR hardware that is currently in use by the NAVAIR SFTIP. The SFTIP maintains an inventory of over $100 million in flight test instrumentation equipment and currently has over $15 million in

Safran/ZDS hardware that consists of solid-state recorders, recorder modules, cameras, connector kits, power supplies, etc. These modular devices and components come together to form completed airborne instrumentation MDR systems for use on F/A-18, V-22, F-35, C-130, Triton, and Fire Scout aircraft, and various helicopter platforms for the Navy. The resulting

IDIQ contract will contain over 310 SDS parts that can be found on the company's commercial price list and have an anticipated five (5) year ordering period anticipated from 01 September

2024 to 31 August 2029.

Estimated Dollar Value

FY24-29 Total

APN $1M

RDT&E $37M

FMS $2M

Total $40M

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

10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(l), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

A multitude of Navy aircraft programs have instrumentation systems that utilize SDS MDR units. These recorder system’s design is proprietary to SDS. Specific areas that make SDS

MDRs highly specialized include: size, weight, physical interface compatibility, software and programming compatibility, unique data bandwidth requirements, and ability to adapt to different size requirements. Since SDS's products have gone through the significant environmental testing required for each program, as well as flight readiness reviews prior to installation, utilizing any other vendor's recorders would require the Navy to duplicate these efforts with regard to aircraft data system modifications in building, installing, testing, and qualifying a completely new data recording system. The required recorders have to be identical in form and fit, so they are compatible with recorders that are currently deployed. The existing proprietary technical data and specifications for the items developed by SDS include a design that is a complex collection of data recorder system and subsystem components. Components of existing SDS systems must be completely compatible in order to work as part of an integrated instrumentation system. Many of the items to be procured will be direct replacements for existing hardware in use. While other manufacturers make aircraft instrumentation recorders that are similar in function, the equipment is neither electrically or mechanically compatible with the existing SDS hardware in use; and therefore, will not work as part of the developed integrated system.

As a result, changing to a different vendor would result in a substantial duplication of costs to integrate, test, and certify a new recorder to systems of the aircraft. First, changing to another contractor’s MDR system would require the replacement of $15 million in existing SDS hardware due to incompatibility issues that would arise with another MDR product. In addition, the Government would incur as much as $250K per aircraft to certify a new recorder unit based on the required environmental testing and flight readiness reviews described above.

In addition, changing to another instrumentation vendor would pose unacceptable schedule risks to current and future flight test programs. At the Test and Evaluation (T&E) phase of development, schedules are critical to ensure programs are able to meet major milestones. For each program utilizing MDR instrumentation hardware under the current contract, a one-month delay in schedule due to certification testing and flight reviews of new MDR instrumentation, could cause up to $1 million per month in increased costs to staff the entire Integrated Test

Team (ITT).

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offeror’s as Practicable.

NAVAIR's PIE department maintains in-depth knowledge of flight recorder technology developments and the flight recorder industrial base. This includes insight into technologies that individual companies are focused on and their technical and production capabilities. PIE representatives maintain this knowledge through routine review of industry journals, attendance at industry symposiums and conferences, and periodic visits to industry facilities for briefings on companies' Internal Research and Development (IRD) efforts. Market research by PIE has shown no available alternate sources and this has resulted in the determination that due to the proprietary nature of the SDS MDR, procurement of these data systems from any other source is not feasible.

Additionally, a sources sought was issued in Sam.Gov on 03 November 2023, and an intent to sole source synopsis was posted on 14 December 2023. Only one response from SDS was received to both postings.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost 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.

The Aircraft Instrumentation Division continues to perform market surveys of Data

Acquisition System & Recording system vendors. The market surveys are completed by attending the annual International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) Test

Instrumentation Workshop (TIW) and International Telemetry Conference (ITC). While at these events, multiple vendors are onsite to support trade study discussions.

The previously approved J&A for this requirement referenced the Navy's participation in the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program (CTEIP) to develop networked enhanced telemetry instrumentation, otherwise known as the iNET (integrated Network

Enhanced Telemetry) program. The J&A stated that if the iNET program proceeded with standards development and multiple vendors choose to offer instrumentation components that were iNET compliant, then it would have been possible to integrate a vehicle instrumentation recording system using another vendor's components that can communicate at the logical layer of the Open Systems model. Full iNET implementation was scheduled for 2023. However, the CTEIP program was cancelled by the CTEIP director, so the PIE department was not able to fully achieve the goals that were stated in the previously approved J&A that could have led to a competitive follow-on procurement. Currently, the Range Commanders Council (RCC) standards developed during the iNET effort are being utilized as a guideline when making procurement decisions based on current and/or future compliance. This could potentially provide multi-vendor opportunities for future PIE requirements. However, at this time, vendors are at different levels of maturity related to compliance with RCC standards. As a result, each PIE requirement must be considered individually based on program requirements and standards compliance to determine if competitive opportunities exist. Based on market research, a competitive opportunity does not exist for this requirement.

As this is a follow-on requirement for supplies and services previously awarded on a non-competitive basis, in accordance with DFARS PGI 206.304(a)(S-70)(i), the prior J&A was provided to the approval authority for review. Approval of this J&A signifies the approval authority has made the determination required by DFARS PGI 206.304(a)(S-70)(ii).

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.

BRUCE JOHNSON Phone No.

Chief Engineer, Aircraft Instrumentation Division

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW

I have determined this Justification is legally sufficient.

GIERHART.MORGAN.ELIZAB

ETH.1488147435

Digitally signed by

GIERHART.MORGAN.ELIZABETH.1488147435

Date: 2024.03.26 08:25:10 -04'00'

(240) 526-8039

MORGAN GIERHART Phone No.

Attorney Advisor

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

TOMECHKO.JOHN.R.1229003

Digitally signed by

TOMECHKO.JOHN.R.1229003409

Date: 2024.03.26 07:49:33 -04'00'

(410) 610-2262

JOHN TOMECHKO Phone No.

Procuring Contracting Officer

APPROVAL

Upon the basis of the above justification, I hereby approve the solicitation of the proposed procurement described herein using other than full and open competition, pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), as only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

LINDA MOBLEY

Director, Procurement Group

Naval Air System Command

JOHNSON.BRUCE.ERIC.11942 Digitally signed by

80560

JOHNSON.BRUCE.ERIC.1194280560

Date: 2024.03.25 14:13:26 -04'00' (301) 342-3816