Brand Name Justification Memo_Redacted.pdf

CUI//SP-PROCURE//FED ONLY

1. REQUISITION AND ACTION OVERVIEW

a. Contracting Activity:

b. Requiring Activity:

c. Purchase Request / Requisition Number:

d. Estimated Dollar Value:

e. Contract Vehicle / Type:

f. NAICS Code:

g. Product Service Code (PSC):

h. Proposed Brand Name /

Contractor:

922nd CBn MICC Fort Campbell

Open Market Commercial Purchase Order / Firm-Fixed-Price

(FFP)

541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical

Services (Size Standard: $19.5M)

6515 — MEDICAL AND SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS, EQUIPMENT,

AND SUPPLIES

S2 Cognition, Inc. (104 Continental Place, Suite 110, Brentwood, TN 37027) and authorized distributors

2. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES / SERVICES REQUIRED

The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) requires the renewal and licensing of the S2 Cognition Military

Evaluation System to administer Cognitive Performance Assessments (CPAs) to Special Forces operators.

The system measures critical cognitive brain processes involved in a Soldier’s ability to make rapid, split-second decisions under extreme stress and high-tempo operational environments.

The requirement includes:

• Unlimited S2 Evaluations annually within 5SFG(A) administered by trained/certified personnel.

• S2 Evaluation Software License, maintenance, updates, and secure database storage.

• S2 Testing Equipment Hardware Package (including 6 Xbox Series S consoles/controllers, 6 stereo headsets, 6 24-inch S2-compatible monitors, webcams, power strips, USB-C extensions, and peripherals).

• Consultation services for score interpretation relative to Special Operations roles within 5 business days of assessment.

• Mandatory testing of 13 specific cognitive areas: perception speed, search efficiency, tracking capacity, trajectory estimation, rhythm control, timing control, visual learning, instinctive learning, decision complexity, distraction control, impulse control, stopping control, and improvisation, with millisecond precision and context-free test-retest reliability.

3. AUTHORITY CITED

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) / RFO FAR 12.102(a) — Soliciting from a single source for acquisitions not exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), specifically restricting competition to a Brand Name item under FAR 11.105 and FAR 5.102(a)(6).

4. RATIONALE FOR BRAND NAME RESTRICTION / ONLY ONE SOURCE REASONABLY

AVAILABLE

The S2 Cognition evaluation platform possesses unique, proprietary, and time-sensitive operational capabilities essential to the mission of 5SFG(A). The system has already been fully integrated, validated, and actively fielded within Special Forces operational units.

During market research, alternative cognitive assessment solutions were formally evaluated by the

Requiring Activity. The technical and operational evaluation concluded that alternative systems fail to satisfy the Government’s urgent operational needs.

Key mission-critical rationale includes:

a. Immediate Deployment & Operational Readiness: Special Forces personnel are currently deployed in active theater. S2 Cognition provides an immediate operational capability without the unacceptable 2-year delay (1 year for software/system development and 1 year for database baseline build) associated with alternative solutions.

b. Longitudinal Historical Baseline: S2 Cognition maintains an established, validated database of historical Special Operations cognitive benchmarks. Establishing a new database from scratch would jeopardize the validity of immediate combat readiness evaluations.

c. Unique Technical Characteristics: S2 Cognition provides millisecond-precision cognitive measurement across the required 13 specific cognitive domains using validated, unbiased assessment protocols tailored specifically to SOF operator roles.

5. MARKET RESEARCH AND RESELLER EVALUATION

Market research was conducted by the 5SFG(A) Human Performance & Wellness (HPW) Coordinator.

The research verified that while S2 Cognition, Inc. is the sole original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and developer of the proprietary software and database, the system and licensing can be procured either directly from S2 Cognition, Inc. or through commercial resellers/distributors.

Quotes obtained during market research for 1 unit/license package:

Because multiple vendors/distributors can quote on the brand name S2 Cognition testing system, the

Brand Name specification allows for competitive quotes among authorized dealers on SAM.gov under

Small Business set-aside procedures.

6. PRICE REASONABLENESS DETERMINATION

The Contracting Officer will determine price reasonableness prior to award by comparing quotes against the historical purchase orders

, and published vendor pricing.

7. PUBLICIZING AND SYNOPSIS (SAM.GOV)

In accordance with FAR 5.102(a)(6) and FAR 13.106-1(b), because this brand name justification exceeds

$25,000.00, this Documented Decision Memorandum / Brand Name Justification will be posted on

SAM.gov along with the solicitation (RFQ).

8. TECHNICAL AND REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which forms the basis for this justification, is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

9. CONTRACTING OFFICER DETERMINATION / APPROVAL

I hereby determine that the circumstances of this contract action deem S2 Cognition brand name items to be the only brand capable of satisfying the Government’s requirements within the required operational timeframe.

Hollingsworth, Timothy R.

SFC, USA

Contracting Officer