Control Number: MICC-2026-47

Director, FDO-Eustis:

Assistant Director, Small Business Program:

FAR Part 6 Justification and Approval for Other than Full and Open Competition

1. Requiring Activity: U.S. Army Combined Arms Command (CAC), Mission Command Training Program (MCTP), Fort Leavenworth, KS.

2. Contracting Activity: U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC)-Fort Leavenworth, 731 McClellan Avenue, Bldg. 48, Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027

3. Description of Action: Request approval of a modification to extend the period of performance of Contract No. W911S0-18-C-0004 with Serco Inc., 12930 Worldgate Dr.

STE 600, Herndon, VA 20170-6011 which supports MCTP. This modification will extend the performance period for one 3-month base period, and one 2-month option period (15 April 2026 to 14 September 2026) at an estimated value of $42.5 million(M). The type of funds to be used are fiscal year (FY)26 Operations and Maintenance, Army (OMA) funds. This extension ensures the continuation of essential exercise planning and support services while the Government Accountability Office (GAO) protest, challenging the award of the follow-on MCTP contract, is adjudicated.

4. Description of Supplies/Services: Fort Leavenworth is the U.S. Army’s Center for Excellence in combined arms education, doctrine, and leadership development. The MCTP supports the collective training of U.S. Army units as directed by the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) and scheduled by U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command in accordance with the U.S. Army Sustainable Readiness Model in order to train leaders and provide commanders the opportunity to train on mission command in Unified Land Operations. The MCTP performs this mission by conducting four basic types of exercises: Warfighter Exercises; U.S. Army Service Component/Joint and Combined Staff Training Exercises; Mission Readiness Exercises; and Contingency Operations.

On average, the MCTP conducts 73 exercises annually in support of brigades and other units up to and including U.S. Army Service Component Commands. Each exercise requires approximately 10 weeks of planning and support over a period of nine to twelve months; at any one time, the MCTP is developing between five and seven exercises.

The contractor must provide non-personal technical services to support the mission requirements of the MCTP. The contractor must provide a staff with the qualifications necessary to operate computer-based simulations and models, and automated tools used for the collection and analysis of information used by MCTP. These include the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC) systems, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Information Systems (C4I), Warfighters Simulation (WARSIM), legacy simulation federation models such as After Action Review System (AARS), and Joint Training Information Management System (JTIMS).

The MCTP designs and executes multi-echelon, multi-tiered War Fighter Exercises (WFXs) that provide expeditionary-focused, realistic demanding training, and leader development opportunities, in decisive action scenarios, to commanders and their staff on the unit’s approved training objectives. The WFX program is the CSA’s exercise program and a culminating training event within the Sustainable Readiness Model process for units designated as a Contingency Expeditionary Force or Regionally Aligned Force. The MCTP, when directed, supports U.S. Army Service Component Commands (ASCCs), field armies, corps, or divisions designated as an Army Force command as part of an ASCC or geographic combatant command exercise. MCTP, when directed, supports U.S. Army units identified as a Deployment Expeditionary Force culminating training event as part of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff UNIFIED ENDEAVOR-series exercise program. MCTP, when directed, provides staff assistance to U.S. Army units allocated in support of contingency operations.

As an area of emphasis, the contractor staff must create, update and sustain a training program on these simulations and systems, while at the same time transitioning to any follow-on generation of simulations used by MCTP. These potential systems include, but are not limited to, future JLCCTC (Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability) versions IAW the testing and fielding timelines established for those simulations. The contractor shall instruct U.S. government personnel in the operation of these systems. The contractor shall instruct foreign nationals on these systems only if the MCTP Foreign Disclosure Officer (FDO), has given clearance in writing to do so.

The contractor shall act as opposing force (OPFOR) during simulated exercises by providing a competitive, free-thinking OPFOR knowledgeable in the application of current hybrid threat enemy doctrine during simulated exercises.

The contractor shall support MCTP’s full training schedule as directed by the Chief of Staff of the Army. This support includes ASCC/JCST exercises, exercise planning cycles, Stability Operations training and the ability to adapt to changing exercise schedules and scenarios.

The contractor shall design and execute Corps/Division/Brigade exercises that incorporate Unified Land Operations, realistic, stressful training, and leader development opportunities to Army commanders and their staffs. The contractor shall provide support to Army corps and division headquarters as an ARFOR, CFLCC or ASCC, and provide staff assistance for contingency operations of U.S. Army units. ‘Staff assistance’ includes but is not limited to providing input to the unit on processes and procedures which will improve the effectiveness of the unit. MCTP will continue to participate in the development and fielding of exercise data collection tools that integrate with emerging Army digitization efforts. The contractor shall be involved in the development and integration of these emerging training technologies. The contractor shall adapt changes to exercises based on future U.S. Army doctrinal evolutions and CSA initiatives.

The contractor shall provide technical support for hardware, and perform software maintenance for the software models, used by MCTP. The contractor may be required to purchase hardware to support emergency software maintenance and testing. The Government will provide all necessary facilities on Fort Leavenworth to include a Program Management Office. The contractor shall support exercises and activities on a 24-hour per day basis. The contractor shall ship Government owned equipment and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) to remote training sites, install equipment, and assist in the set up and the performance of the exercise, which runs 24 hours a day for approximately five to twelve days. After the exercise, the contractor shall uninstall and ship all equipment in accordance with Government direction. The contractor shall operate existing simulation systems and test new releases of simulation software and recommend product improvements to the COR/MCTP CIO and develop interim rules and work-arounds for identified issues that could impact training.

The MCTP consists of a headquarters and seven Observer, Coach, Trainer (OC/T) Operations Groups (OPS GRPs) and an exercise design and support OPS GRP. The organization consists of military, Department of the Army (DA) Civilians (including Highly Qualified Expert Senior Mentors), and contractors supporting the design and execution of exercises. The MCTP's military OC/Ts are qualified officers and non-commissioned officers who have successfully completed OC/T training and certification within the standards established by the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command (T2COM).

Base Period: 15 APR 2026 - 14 JUL 2026 Value: $30,306,486.79 Option Period: 15 JUL 2026 - 14SEP 2026 Value: $12,189,337.40

Total: $42,495,824.19

5. Authority Cited: 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(2), as implemented by FAR 6.103-2 (DFARS CD 2026-O0017) — Unusual and compelling urgency.

6. Reason for Authority Cited: As described at FAR 6.103-2, when the agency’s need for the supplies or services is of such an unusual and compelling urgency that the Government would be seriously injured, financially or otherwise, unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals.

a. Background: The Army has an unusual and compelling urgency to continue acquiring these services without delay. On 25 February 2026, the Army awarded the follow-on MCTP contract (Contract No. W91QF4-26-C-A001) to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. The awarded contract contains a 90-day phase-in period which would have occurred between 04 March 2026 and 02 June 2026. However, following debriefings, the unsuccessful offeror, Serco, Inc., who is also the incumbent, filed a protest (B- 424352) with GAO on 23 March 2026. In accordance with the Competition in Contracting Act’s automatic statutory stay found in 31 U.S.C. 3553(d), the Army issued a stop-work order on the newly awarded contract on 24 March 2026. Full performance of the incumbent contract currently ends on 14 April 2026. This five-month extension allows for the 100-day GAO decision timeline (starting 24 March 2026), and approximately 74 days for the procuring contracting officer to react to the decision, and decisive action environment at worldwide locations for Brigades, Divisions, Corps, ASCCs, Joint Force Land Component Commands, and Joint Task Forces in order to create training experiences that enables the Army’s senior commanders to develop current, relevant, campaign.

2) Use of Government In-House and Expertise. Currently there are no available Government personnel able to supplement this work with the experience required to execute the mission-oriented tasks contained throughout the Performance Work Statement. Further, the magnitude of staffing requirement for some of the exercises is larger than any current MCTP staffing levels and would result in mission failure.

c. Impact if this justification is not approved. If this request is not approved the MCTP will be unable to provide / conduct this Department of Army directed training which could have an adverse impact on the supported unit’s readiness. The services procured by the MCTP requirement are tied to mission accomplishment and cannot cease without major change to the Army’s mission of combined arms training.

7. Efforts to Obtain Competition: In accordance with FAR 5.101(b)(2) (DFARS CD 2026-O0003), this action will not be synopsized.

a. Effective competition: Competition for this extension is not practicable given the complexity and integrated nature of the ongoing and upcoming exercises and the size of the contractor staff required to support those events.

b. Subcontracting competition: The subcontracting plan for the current contract was approved on 19 August 2020. The subcontract management has been monitored via eSRS on a bi-annual report basis. The incumbent is aware of the challenges that drive the availability of subcontracting opportunities on a requirement with significant personnel fluctuations based on the exercise schedule. The contracting officer and incumbent have coordinated with the local small business professional on continuing to improve the subcontracting opportunities on this requirement. The contactor shall submit a revised subcontracting plan that includes the $42M increase in work as a result of the modification. The revised subcontracting plan shall be reviewed by the KO, SBP, and SBA PCR. The revised subcontracting plan shall be made a part of the modified contract.

8. Actions to Increase Competition: Due to reasons indicated above in paragraph 6, Serco Inc. is the only firm that can realistically perform the interim support services. The extension provides the only viable, lowest risk alternative to MCTP’s mission accomplishment in the most effective and efficient manner while the Army defends the GAO protest. Competition was successfully achieved for the contract award now being protested.

Approval

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the procurement of Mission Command Training Program (MCTP) Support Services on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the authority of Title 10 United States Code section 3204(a)(2), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.103-2 (DFARS CD 2026-O0017), “Unusual and compelling urgency”. The estimated value of this extension is $42.5M for a period of performance from 15 April 2026 through 14 September 2026.

The approval is subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services or property herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

SCOTT D. KUKES

Alternate Advocate for Competition U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Ft. Sam Houston, TX