C14 JA _FAR16__AFN Crawl_(Signed)_Redacted.pdf

AFN Crawl

CUI

Page 1 of 6 Pages Controlled By: DMA Controlled By: Mission Support CUI Category: Procure Distribution/Dissemination Control: FEDCON

Template updated April 2023

JUSTIFICATION FOR EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 16.5 Justification and Approval (J&A), Supporting Procurements under FAR 16.505(a)(4) (Brand Name)

Purchase Request Number:

Contract Number: TBD Task/Delivery Order Number: N/A Procurement Title: AFN Crawl Estimated Value:

Statutory and Regulatory Authority: 10 U.S.C. 3406(c)(5) and FAR 16.505(a)(4)

Justification Number:

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Contracting Officer, hereby approve this brand-name justification for the proposed contractual action pursuant to the authority of FAR 16.505(a)(4) as the particular brand-name, product, or feature s requirements; and market res similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot s needs.

1. REQUIRING ACTIVITY AND CONTRACTING ACTIVITY:

Requesting Agency:

Defense Media Activity / Mission Support 6700 Taylor Avenue Fort Meade, MD 20755

Contracting Activity:

Defense Media Activity 6700 Taylor Avenue Ft Meade, MD 20755

2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S): The requirement is to procure a crawl capability for the TV automation system and .

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4. SUPPORTING RATIONALE FOR BRAND-NAME JUSTIFICATION:

DMA has standardized on the ENCO Clipfire platform after an extensive testing period with a previous purchase. This will allow operations and maintenance personnel to easily operate and maintain the platform throughout the enterprise. A different platform will increase the learning curve and decrease the ability to provide timely command information. As well as decrease the ability of maintenance personnel to perform timely repairs which will in turn increase downtime.

The ability to do a crawl over 8 channels simultaneously, as well as the ability to insert

This is due to the updates in the T.V. automation system, which updated AFN Decoders and HD signal which did not allow the current emergency crawl equipment to function properly.

A new upgrade to the emergency notification and weather information system is needed to provide time-critical weather and safety information to 55,000 DoD military and civilians.

department performed testing on different platforms from other manufacturers and while they worked or could be made to work with some reengineering by the manufacturer.

department previously tested the solution offered by , their TV product which was geared more towards the hospitality industry and would need more engineering by the manufacturer to make it as effective as we would need.

department also tested the solution offered by , their mini product. It was effective at the crawl, but not for a bug and it only worked for one channel. was willing to engineer the solution for DMA, but it was not cost effective. Also, DMA would need 8 of them and an interface to configure each of them at once rather than one at a time.

DMA also had demonstrations performed by and they performed admirably. The pricing for this solution though was significantly more than the Enco.

None of the above solutions performed as simply and effectively as the Enco Clipfire.

The Enco Clipfire works straight out of the box.

5. COST/PRICE FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION:

The government will make a final determination of fair and reasonable price based on with the independent government cost estimate.

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6. MARKET RESEARCH:

DMA conducted market research for this crawl technology over the last few years as witnessed with the various testing. demonstrations and evaluations noted previously and further below in this document. We have tested extensively over the last year with an ENCO Clipfire system in that we procured, and it is performing very well.

We have identified several vendors able to sell this equipment. No single NASA SEWP or GSA catalog has all the equipment required for this procurement action.

Open Market can fulfill this procurement with at least three businesses able to meet the requirement. DMA has limited funds and with operations personnel transitioning in and out, the ability to standardize on a single platform is what is needed to maintain the mission.

Based on current market research, dated Feb-March 2023, it has been determined that only the ENCO Clipfire provided by Enco can fully meet This requirement is for proprietary products and product support and no competitor functional replacement products exist in the market at this time to meet the Government's need. The Government will continue to conduct market research to determine if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future competitive actions, i.e., there are similar products and/or product support in the marketplace that provides the same functionality, the original equipment manufacturer releases ownership rights of the product, or it is economically feasible to procure a new system.

7. ANY OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS:

None.

8. ACTIONS THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO OVERCOME BARRIERS THAT LED TO

THE UTILIZATION OF A BRAND-NAME PRODUCT: (FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(7)

a. Lifecycle of the current architecture.

department continues to keep an eye on the broadcast industry for solutions at any given moment focusing on the mission. As the industry changes and how we are able to communicate to our audience, so must we. We anticipate this system to be in place for at least 5 years. We continue to evaluate technology at trade shows, trade magazines and vendor contacts.

b. Actions to remove barriers.

DMA continues to transform its delivery methods and as such the need for this type of solution to be on the ground locally may go away.

c. DMA has purchased this last in FY 2022 under contract utilizing salient characteristics. After procurement and testing for over a year, it is a fully

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established system that DMA is moving forward to standardize on for the ease of operation and maintenance.

TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the J&A, are accurate and complete, to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: Signature

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Project Engineer DATE:

PHONE:

REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the J&A, are accurate and complete, to the best of my knowledge and belief.

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Telecommunications Specialist DATE:

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete, to the best of my knowledge and belief.

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Contracting Officer DATE:

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ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS JUSTIFICATION ARE TO BE REFERRED TO