Brand Name JA 26-Q-CN19 CN CTF MA_Redacted.pdf

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

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I. Contracting Activity.

HQ ACC AMIC/PKD

300 Exploration Way

Hampton, VA 23666

Contracting Officer: Mr. Chase Gordon, ACC AMIC/PKDC

II.Nature and/or description of the action being processed.

The Department of War (DoW) is the lead agency for detection and monitoring of the aerial and maritime transit of illicit drugs into the United States, and provides support to law enforcement agencies' activities to counter drug trafficking, other forms of transnational organized crime, and terrorism. DoW support helps disrupt and degrade drug trafficking and other illicit threat networks to a level that allows law enforcement agencies, local and regional security forces, or other elements of national power to manage the threat. Under 10 U.S.C. §284, the Secretary of War may provide support for the counterdrug activities or activities to counter transnational organized crime of any other department or agency of the Federal Government or of any State, local, tribal, or foreign law enforcement agency for any of the purposes set forth in 10 U.S.C. §284. Specifically, 10 U.S.C. §284(b)(9) provides authority for DoW to provide intelligence analysis services to U.S. law enforcement agencies.

The Counternarcotics (CN) analytic community funded by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Counternarcotics and Stabilization Policy (DASW CNSP) is comprised of intelligence and counter threat finance (CTF) analysts from U.S.

Central Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command, U.S.

Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Joint Task-Force North, Joint Interagency Task Force South, Joint Interagency Task Force West, the Narcotics and Transnational Crime Support Center, and CN funded organizations within Defense Intelligence Enterprise (further referred to as the CN/CTF Community). The CN/CTF Community provides tailored analysis (e.g., financial, communications, and network analysis) to law enforcement and interagency partners conducting complex, multi-national, multi-faceted operations and investigations to counter transnational crime with a narcotics trafficking or terrorism nexus. A foundational requirement of the CN/CTF Community is the ability to access relevant publicly available information (PAI) while safeguarding analytic personnel and DoW networks from adversary observation, identification, collection and exploitation. This is accomplished through use of a managed attribution (MA) solution.

The CN/CTF Community requires a sophisticated capability to exploit PAI to support law enforcement and other interagency partners pursuant to the authority set forth at 10 U.S.C. §284(b)(9). To ensure that the CN/CTF Community can meet its mission to securely conduct PAI research, analysts need to be able to access various web sites, blogs, social media platforms, across the open internet as-well-as on the Dark Web while protecting DoW systems from the risk of adversarial detection and infection from a malicious code. To ensure the integrity of PAI research missions, the Government requires a MA solution capable of masking a user's identity and geographic location. Finding a browsing solution that provides both MA and Secure Remote web browsing is a requirement to successfully support law enforcement mission partners achieve an end state (arrests, seizures, sanctions, etc) that meet national security objectives.

To better support CN/CTF analysts conducting PAI research in support of a law enforcement judicial or regulatory action end state, the CN/CTF Community requires a cloud-based, rapidly scalable virtual browser that also supports MA collection through the use of global egress points and customizable user agent strings for the purpose of obfuscation.

The solution should also have robust collection capabilities built within the framework of a cloud-based web browser, including the ability to directly control user access and permissions as well as the ability to encrypt and audit user logs.

The CN/CTF Community is seeking to award a follow-on contract for the acquisition of a MA solution that will be used for the collection and processing of PAI. The intent is to award a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract for a one-year Base Year and one (1) one-year Option Periods, with a Period of Performance (PoP) from 04 March 2026 to 03 March 2028. This requirement will be solicited as full and open via a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation issued on SAM.Gov utilizing FAR Subpart 12.201-1 procedures.

The current MA Solution requirement is being executed using an order against their Intelligence Community (IC)-Wide Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) HHM402-20-G-0002; Delivery Order FA4890-25-F-0036. The order consisted of one (1) year

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

July 2025 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 3 of 8July 2025 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 3 of 8 subscription and was awarded on 4 March 2025; total contract value of $343,077.00. The awardee was Authentic8, Inc.-- a small business. This Ordering Period of this BOA was from 23 March 2020 to 22 March 2025.

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs.

The required solution needs to obfuscate the user's true name, organizational affiliation, and provide a virtual environment for users to conduct their research enabling their browsing activity to be separated and confined away from their local machine; helping the user to blend in with normal web traffic to hide the intent of their research. This vastly reduces the potential for malware or viruses to be introduced to the CN/CTF Community's Network. By obfuscating true name and affiliation with the United States Government (USG), users are able to avoid tipping off potential adversaries to mission objectives and research interests which protects the Government Network as well as the user's personal information. How the Internet perceives activities coming through the network is critical to analyst missions, and staying ahead of countermeasures and any adversaries tracking the platform is vital to the analyst trade craft.

These unique needs involve monitoring and maintaining the network for IP address reputation and attribution.

The intent of this justification is to authorize the purchase of the Authentic8 Silo for Research (SfR) MA solution on a brand-name basis. This MA solution will enable the CN/CTF community access to the broad application of PAI to enable intelligence research, operational research, all source intelligence fusion, automation of PAI analytics, and the utilization of feature-rich applications that enable an unprecedented level of operational force collaboration.

SfR Toolbox is the MA tool utilized by the CN/CTF Community. The below Authentic8 part numbers are required for the continuation of meeting agency needs. The estimated total contract value is $1,696,052.92. The following information details the description and quantity to be purchased. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) 3400 funds will be used to fund this Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract.

Under this requirement, the Government will require the four part numbers that make up the Authentic8 SfR MA solution, as well as premium support, and optional part numbers that may be considered depending on increased mission requirements and availability of funding.

Item Qty Estimated Unit Price Estimated Extended Price

Tier 1 CONUS Single Tenant Egress Point 1 (Part No.: A8-006-EGR-T1-ST-CONUS)

Tier 1 OCONUS Single Tenant Egress Point 3 (Part No.: A8-006-EGR-T1-ST OCONUS)

Tier 2 OCONUS Single Tenant Egress Point 1 (Part No.: A8-006-T2-ST-OCONUS)

Silo for Research Toolbox 200 (Part No.: A8-001-TB)

Toolbox Premium Support 200 (Part No.: A8-001-TB-PS)

Optional Requirements

Silo for Research Toolbox 50 (Part No.: A8-001-TB) Toolbox Premium Support 50 (Part No.: A8-001-TB-PS) Toolbox DW 25 (Part No.: A8-001-TBDW) Toolbox DW Premium Support 25 (Part No.: A8-001-TBDW-PS) Tier 1 CONUS Single Tenant Egress Point 1

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

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(Part No.: A8-006-EGR-T1-ST-CONUS) Tier 2 OCONUS Single Tenant Egress Point 2 (Part No.: A8-006-EGR-T2-ST-OCONUS) Tier 3 Specialty OCONUS Single Tenant Egress Point 2 (Part No.: A8-006-EGR-T3-ST-OCONUS) Silo Transcription and Translation 1 (Part No.: A8-001-STT)

Total Estimated Cost for Base Period (04 Mar 26 - 03 Mar 27)

Total Estimated Cost for Option Year 1 (04 Mar 27 - 03 Mar 28)

Total Estimated Contract Value

IV. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

41 USC 1901 IAW FAR 12.102(b) Table 12-1.

V. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above (applicability of authority).

This justification authorizes the brand-name purchase of Authentic8, Inc. part numbers that constitute the Silo for Routers (SfR) Managed Attribution (MA) solution. The unique qualifications of the contractor and the specific nature of the requirement necessitate this action, as Authentic8 is the only provider of an MA Browser that can meet the critical capabilities and ensure the continuity of operations the Government requires.

The CN/CTF Community requires a specialized software solution that isolates high-risk web browsing to prevent network infection while providing enhanced security and user accountability. Authentic8's Silo Toolbox is uniquely capable of meeting these needs by offloading all browser functions to a secure, remote cloud environment and streaming a visual representation to the user. This architecture provides 100% network isolation from malicious code, a capability not offered by any other solution.

The Government's requirements, which only the Authentic8 solution fully satisfies, include:

A cloud-based, rapidly scalable virtual browser that provides obfuscation through the use of worldwide foreign egress points and customizable user agent strings.

Direct enterprise control over all browser functions, including file uploads/downloads, cut/paste restrictions, CAC authentication for DoW users, and citation capabilities that support ICS-206 formatting.

Complete and auditable logs of all user activity. Crucially, these logs can be encrypted with a government-held private key, restricting access to authorized personnel, and integrated with other security systems like SIEMs via API.

Market research has consistently confirmed that no other solution meets all of the government's mandatory requirements. Alternative NIPR-based MA solutions are inadequate for the following reasons. Alternative products are designed for smaller, localized user bases (less than 100 users) and cannot scale to the enterprise level required by the CN/CTF community. These products are often included as part of a larger, more expensive suite of tools, forcing the purchase of additional, unnecessary licenses. No identified alternative provides the complete web code and network isolation that is central to the Authentic8 solution's security model.

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The determination that Authentic8 is the sole provider capable of meeting this requirement is well-documented through a consistent procurement history. The Authentic8 solution is the established standard for OSINT collection across 11 different agencies within the CN/CTF community. This widespread adoption underscores its unique ability to operate across diverse network environments and meet the collective needs of the Intelligence Community.

Migrating from the Authentic8 solution would introduce unacceptable costs, delays, and operational risks:

• Custom applications and process flows developed for the Defense Enterprise architecture would require significant funding to replicate on a new platform.

• All personnel would need to be retrained. Pilot testing of alternative solutions has shown them to be less intuitive and more difficult to use, resulting in lower levels of effectiveness.

• New access control processes and security accreditations would be required for 11 different agency systems, adding significant time, cost, and complexity. Currently, Authentic8's SfR solution is the only MA software approved for use for the entire CN/CTF community based on a review of the DISA Supported Products List and Authority to Operate (ATO) Letters provided by the various agencies outlined in Section I.

• Without an enterprise-wide solution, users would likely resort to less secure, non-enterprise alternatives like traditional web browsers, increasing the risk of foreign adversary detection and tracking.

Implementing a parallel or replacement solution would disrupt mission operations across the Intelligence Community and incur significant, though difficult to quantify, hardware and software engineering costs. Therefore, continuing with the Authentic8 SfR MA solution is the only viable path to fulfill the CN/CTF community's critical mission requirements without interruption.

VI. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable.

The Government issued a Request for Information on 18 December 2024 via SAM.GOV. Based on the responses and review of the responses and capabilities, none were identified that could fill the Government requirement.

Authentic8's Silo Toolbox is also the only solution that meets the CN/CTF Community's current requirement while ensuring that the award does not result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government which can not be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Government's requirement.

The Authentic8 SfR solution is the only solution that can fulfill this requirement for the CN/CTF Community. After determining that the previous BOA was no longer an option to award this requirement, to conduct further market research and identify as many potential sources/offerors as practicable, the Government issued two additional RFIs from 09 May 2025 to 23 May 2025, one to all GSA 2GIT BPA contract holders and one to all GSA MAS 511210 contract holders. The Government did not receive any capable responses to its RFI issued to GSA 2GIT vendors. The Government did receive one capable response to its RFI issued under MAS 511210. Four LLC, a Large Business, asserted they are capable of fulfilling the requirement in the Open Market or utilizing their NASA SEWP or ITES-SW2 contracts. As stated above, Authentic8 confirmed that Four LLC is their authorized distributor/reseller. During its market research, the Government also spoke with Authentic8, the Small Business manufacturer of the required solution, who asserted they are capable of fulfilling the requirement in the Open Market.

As Four LLC is a Large Business and Authentic8 is a Small Business, there is not a reasonable expectation that at least two or more responsible small business vendors, competing independently, will be able to submit a priced offer in response to a solicitation for this requirement. As both vendors have asserted they are capable of fulfilling the requirement in the Open Market, this requirement will be solicited as full and open under NAICS Code 513210 via a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation issued on SAM.Gov in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.204.

VII. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The Government intends to award a contract to a vendor who has the capability to provide the brand-name Authentic8 part numbers that make up the Authentic8 SfR solution. Based on market research and IAW FAR Subpart 12.202(b), this requirement will be solicited as full and open under NAICS Code 513210 via a Combined Synopsis/ Solicitation issued on SAM.Gov. The Government will rely on adequate competition to establish price fair and reasonableness IAW FAR 12.204(a). The Government will use the techniques described in FAR 12.204(a) to establish price fair and reasonableness.

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VIII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Market Research was conducted from December 2024 to February 2025. The Government posted a sources sought via SAM.Gov. The resulting submissions were reviewed by the Requirement Owner and key stakeholders. The review conducted a detailed capability assessment, reviewing the submissions from all 32 respondents. This consisted of reviewing capability document(s) from 14 small and 18 large businesses. The companies assessed were:

1 Accenture Federal Services 2 Authentic8 3 Babel Street 4 Blue Obsidian Solutions Inc 5 CDW Government LLC 6 Conceal, Inc 7 Cyber Intell Solution LLC 8 Dark Wolf Solutions, LLC 9 ECS Federal, LLC 10 Everfox LLC 11 Fognigma 12 Grey Market Labs, PBC 13 Intelligent Waves 14 Island Technology, Inc 15 Kasm Technologies, Inc 16 MAXISIQ, Inc 17 Nightwing Technologies, LLC 18 Ntrepid, LLC 19 Ops Tech Alliance, LLC 20 Palo Alto Networks Public Sector, LLC 21 Parson Government Services, Inc.

22 Patriot Allied Solutions LLC 23 RedLattice Incorporated 24 Ridgeline International, LLC 25 SIXGEN, Inc.

26 Synergy ECP, LLC 27 Tadaweb Technologies USA, Inc 28 ThunderCat 29 TrED 30 TRSS Thomson Reuters Special Services, LLC 31 Zetier, Inc.

32. Four LLC

Authentic8, Inc Silo Research Tool was found to be the only solution that can meet all salient characteristics outlined in Section V. Additionally, SfR is currently the only solution authorized to operate on the various U.S. Government Networks outlined in Section I. A loss of the Silo will cause Publicly Available Information Program mission failure for all agencies that make up the CN/CTF community. While other research tools could gain authorization for use on the Government's Network, this would require each tool to be vetted to ensure all security protocols are met and requires extensive time (several months to two years) for acceptance testing and certifications. Additionally, the current commercially available research and exploitation tools are significantly more expensive than, and not as advanced as, the Silo Toolbox.

Silo is currently deployed across the Department of War and in over 100 federal agencies. After extensive market research of solutions offering similar technologies, Silo is the only solution fully compliant with DoW initiatives, meets the President's Cloud Smart Computing Strategy, and has the ability to scale as required to meet the Government's requirements. Authentic8, Inc.'s solution would allow the Government to maintain its capability to encrypt the audit logs preventing even the vendor from seeing the activity of analysts. This is very important to the USG to protect our sources. Based on the review, the team concluded that Authentic8, Inc. remains the only source capable of fulfilling the

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

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IX. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

Should potential adversaries learn of the U.S. Government research interests, they may block or remove sources and content, begin proliferating false information in areas they know the USG is looking, or begin targeting the unit or individual conducting the research. As the USG focuses on near peer adversaries, the requirement to protect the USAF and USAF interests dramatically increases. If this requirement to procure the Authentic8 SfR MA solution is not fulfilled, there will be a critical risk to the various command's/agency's networks and any future mission requirements.

Additionally, using an alternative solution would drive additional costs and provide decreased effectiveness because:

1. Custom apps and process flows have already been developed for Silo Toolbox and would delay the operations and incur additional cost to the transition.

2. Migrating from Silo Toolbox would require time and effort to create new accounts further impacting the organization's productivity. In addition, a new vendor would require retraining of more than 150 personnel within the CN/CTF Community located at the Commands and DoW Intelligence Community elements. 5-10 hours of training is estimated (avg. 7.5 hours) per analyst (CIV/MIL/CTR) at an average cost of $65 per hour would increase the cost by $73,125.

3. Current profiles created under the current vendor would need to be re-created with a new software solution, which could impact the end user's ability to execute the mission. Anticipated time to re-create the profiles would be 10 hours per analyst at an average cost of $65 per analyst increasing the overall cost an additional $97,500.

4. Operations Security would be reduced since the users have been known to use less secure, non-enterprise alternatives like traditional web browsers instead of leveraging other anonymous browser solutions which are less user friendly.

5. The time and effort to create private egress nodes would cause significant delays in work performance to include potential work stoppage if analysts do not have those egress nodes available immediately.

6. A new vendor would require new access control processes and security accreditations would have to be implemented, adding time, cost, and complexity to the secure browsing program. The mission impact to the government would be the loss of critical mission capability to access Internet sites that support national security objectives regarding sensitive law enforcement operations.

7. A new vendor could result in incurring costs for hardware and software engineering support that could be significant, albeit a difficult amount to determine precisely, as it would vary significantly based on the time of implementing and approval of a new Authority to Operate (ATO) and similar security architecture.

8. Operations Security would be reduced since the users have been known to use less secure, non-enterprise alternatives like traditional web browsers instead of leveraging other anonymous browser solutions which are less user friendly.

X. List of any sources that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

The Government reviewed two vendor RFI responses, one Small Business and one Large Business, that are detailed in the Streamlined Market Research and Acquisition Approach report saved in the contract file. Both vendors asserted they are capable of fulfilling the Government's requirement in the Open Market. Therefore, the Government intends to solicit this requirement via a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation issued on SAM.Gov.

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XI. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required.

Currently, only the Authentic8 SfR MA solution meets CN/CTF's requirement for a MA solution. The Government will continue to monitor the market and review IC research regarding MA capabilities. If at any time in the future, a different "brand" of MA solution meets the Government's requirements as a larger user based customer, then they will be considered. Switching to a MA solution that is geared towards a smaller user-based customer is not in the best interest of the Government at this time.

Efforts are being made to solicit from as many sources as practicable by issuing a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for this requirement on SAM.Gov. If at any time in the future, additional vendors are capable of providing the Authentic8 SfR MA solution, they will be considered in future market research and solicitations.

XII. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I have determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

XIII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my (our) signature(s) above, I (we) certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my (our) responsibility, is both accurate and complete.