SAIC_Justification.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

VOLPE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CENTER (VOLPE CENTER)

NEXTGEN PROGRAM OFFICE - RVT-7A

JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

PART I - TECHNICAL SUPPORTING DATA

Recommend that negotiations be conducted with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) on a non-competitive basis for a directed task order award under the multiple award Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Traffic Management Infrastructure Systems (TMIS) master contract in an amount estimated to be $21 million over 18 months. The purpose of this task order is to obtain from SAIC continued technical, management, and analysis support to the Volpe Center in the definition, evaluation, management, and development of aviation systems that are part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Next Generation air traffic control system (NextGen) program.

The supporting data for this recommendation are as follows:

A. Description of Supplies/Services

The FAA Program Management Office (PMO)/Air Traffic Systems (ATS) Directorate is responsible for developing new surveillance and automation tools that are part of the basis for NextGen. The Directorate oversees these systems from their inception in identifying requirements to design and development through deployment and sustainment.

The Volpe Center has supported the FAA PMO and its predecessor organizations in these activities for over 40 years. The Volpe Center’s proven approach uses a combination of Federal staff and contractor employees to meet the broad/changing range and quantity of skills, experience, and expertise needed for such support. Utilizing contractor support, the Volpe Center can quickly respond to new requirements by drawing from an established “pool” of accessible professional resources. These resources represent a critical component of the Volpe Center’s overall technical resources.

SAIC is one of five prime contractors currently providing technical, management, and analysis support services to the Volpe Center under the Volpe Center’s Traffic Management Infrastructure Systems (TMIS) program. SAIC is providing support under Task Order T2006 in the definition, evaluation, management, and development of FAA Air Traffic Operations (ATO) systems. SAIC is providing support in the following nine task areas:

• Program Management,

• Strategic Planning,

• Financial Management,

• Risk Management,

• Standards and Rulemaking,

• Systems Engineering,

• Safety and Hazard Assessment,

• Operations Support, and

• Field Engineering and System Implementation.

SAIC’s work in these task areas has supported the Volpe Center in our work with 11 ATO offices/programs: Airport Surface Detection System-Model X (ASDE-X), Surveillance Broadcast Services (SBS), Airport Surveillance Radar-9 (ASR-9), Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC), Flight Data Input/output (FDIO), Integrated Display System Replacement (IDSR), Precision Runway Monitor (PRM-R), Runway Status Lights (RWSL), Terminal Automation Modernization Replacement (TAMR), Terminal Flight Data Management (TFDM), and Universal Access Transceiver (UAT).

The specific areas being supported by SAIC are delineated in Table 1.

Table 1 - SAIC Support under T2006 by Skill Areas and Program Offices

This SAIC support is similar to the ongoing support to other FAA ATO Program Offices. Each of the FAA ATO Program Office goals and objectives are aligned with the goals of NextGen.

B. Background

On December 8, 2011, contracts were awarded to six prime contractors following a competition under solicitation DTRT57-11-R-20009 for TMIS. These are multiple-award task order-type contracts, and have a combined total value of $450 million. SAIC was one of the six companies awarded a prime contract. On December 22, 2011, the Volpe Center issued a Task Order Request for Proposal (TORFP) to all six TMIS contractors. The TORFP included work to support the FAA PMO/ATS Directorate, and it required the submission of Technical Proposals and Cost Proposals. The Volpe Center received proposals from five of the TMIS contractors, including

SAIC.

Task order award criteria included the technical acceptability of task staffing and past performance as well as a determination of cost reasonableness. All of the proposals received were rated acceptable or higher. On February 14, 2012, the Volpe Center awarded five task orders (with a combined value Not-to-Exceed $150 million for all five task orders), including Task Order DTRTV-T2006 awarded to SAIC. The period of performance was 5 years through December 7, 2016.

Subsequently, work requirements from the FAA within the scope of the TORFP increased from $30 million to $55 million per year, largely as a result of major NextGen program elements transitioning from the planning stage to the development or deployment stages. Given the fixed total value of the task orders, this increase in work requirements decreased the anticipated period of performance from December 2016 to December 2014.

The NextGen program is a national priority, transitioning the U.S. air traffic control infrastructure from one based on voice communications and ground-based radars and navigation aids to one based on digital air-ground communications and satellite-based surveillance and navigation. Moreover, NextGen is a collaborative effort involving several Government organizations (the FAA, the Volpe Center, and the Department of Defense), aircraft manufacturers, airlines, airport authorities, avionics manufacturers, and pilot and controller unions. Several NextGen programs are currently being deployed while others are working toward key milestone dates. If there is a break in the continuity of the Volpe Center’s support to the FAA NextGen program, critical goals and milestones for NextGen program elements will be placed in jeopardy. A break in continuity will result in unfulfilled commitments to stakeholders and cause deficiencies that would be identified from oversight organizations such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

C. Circumstances Requiring the Exception to Fair Opportunity; FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(A):

The task order must be issued on a sole source basis because the FAA’s need for the supplies or services is so urgent that providing a fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays, cost increases, and loss of NextGen program momentum.

a) As shown in Table 1, SAIC has developed and demonstrated the technical knowledge and experience required for performing the tasks outlined in Part A, Description of Supplies/Services. Through this knowledge/expertise, SAIC has achieved a technical level of competence that is recognized and supported by program stakeholders cited in Section B.

b) The current monthly expenditure rate for the support work that SAIC is performing is $1 million per month. Transitioning to an acceptable level (i.e., full capability) of performance with a new contractor to reach the level of competency of SAIC is estimated to take 1 year. This estimate is based on the opinion of the long-term technical expert overseeing the TMIS contract who is familiar with the work and the nuances of the work.

Additionally, the Government would expend funds for training a new contractor as well as experience lower productivity during such training (estimated cost is $6 million, one half of 1 year of funding). Under fair opportunity, the work would be delayed by the requirements to:

• Develop and approve a Technical Evaluation Plan;

• Develop and approve technical evaluation criteria;

• Staff and manage the evaluation of up to five cost and technical proposals;

• Pursue clarifications of up to five cost and technical proposals;

• Possibly engage in negotiations with up to five TMIS contractors;

• Evaluate transition plans; and

• Implement the transition plan to mitigate cost and schedule impacts.

c) At the $1M per month rate and with the expenditure rates of the other four TMIS contractors that received an award under the TORFP, the ceiling of multi-award task orders will be exhausted by December 2014. The Volpe Center plans to compete a requirement that encompasses the work being accomplished by SAIC on the current T2006 task order. Due to the unanticipated accelerated work requirements from the FAA, the current task order will reach its capacity well before the original estimated December 2016 task order period of performance and before the new contract can be awarded. There is insufficient time to pursue a competitive follow-on task order that would afford a fair opportunity to the other TMIS contractors performing under the task orders resulting from the TORFP. Historically and at the present time with the task orders that the Volpe Center is currently pursuing through fair opportunity, it takes approximately 6-9 months (and sometimes longer) to provide a fair opportunity to multiple contractors. A break in support would result in unacceptable delays (for reasons specified below) to Congressionally mandated programs that support the development and implementation of NextGen.

d) As a result of the delay caused by a change in contractors, the NextGen program would experience lower productivity, less technical competence in the work, and less support to the stakeholder community due to the lower level of competence. This, in turn, will delay airlines and their passengers from receiving the incremental safety and efficiency benefits of NextGen. Specific NextGen program elements where SAIC’s role is critical for user acceptance include ASDE-X, ASSC, and RWSL. In each area, SAIC has unique, recognized expertise.

e) For the programs that SAIC is supporting, milestones such as Initial Operating Capability (IOC), Investment Analysis Readiness Decision (IRD), Final Investment Decision (FID), and Operational Readiness Decision (ORD) will be delayed. Examples of impacts to the program are as follows:

• SAIC provides the tools and resources necessary to test the ASSC system. SAIC owns and operates three avionics-equipped vans that have been used throughout the ASDE-X deployment and will continue to be used at future ASSC sites.

SAIC also maintains the test software suite used to analyze ASSC output data to ensure requirements are met. The vans and software are currently being used at the key site and will be an integral part of Production Site Acceptance Testing at future ASSC sites.

• SAIC created and maintains the Stand Alone Display Processor (SADP) training platform for ASSC. This software allows controllers to interact with a functional ASSC display that is hosted on a laptop for portability. All future ASSC sites will require training utilizing the SADP prior to the Initial Operating Capability milestone.

• SAIC’s Subject Matter Experts are critical to guiding the Safety Risk Management (SRM) process. A safety decision by the SRM Panel is necessary prior to declaration of Initial Operating Capability at the key site.

• Having been with ASSC since concept definition, SAIC’s engineers provide irreplaceable expertise in the evaluation of vendor-supplied Contract Data Requirements Lists and oversight of the In-Service Review checklist. Without this expertise, the overall program waterfall schedule would be impacted.

f) Because the NextGen initiative comprises multiple programs that are interdependent upon one another, a delay in any deliverables for the programs that SAIC is supporting, such as ASSC and RWSL, will delay other programs (see Table 1). These two automation programs are currently being deployed under FAA contracts; any delay in that support schedule will increase program cost to the Government and require continued use of less capable systems that do not have the safety capabilities of ASSC and RWSL.

g) Two of the key aspects of NextGen are to increase air traffic safety in the air and on the ground and to increase the capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS). With the number of airplanes in the NAS expected to increase dramatically over the next several years, delays in NextGen program will place the air traveling public at an increased safety risk.

D. Statement of Action to Overcome Exception to Fair Opportunity

The Volpe Center is preparing a Full and Open competitive solicitation to continue the work that SAIC and the other four TMIS contractors are currently performing as well as other related work.

The Volpe Center is submitting this justification for a directed task order to SAIC to maintain continuity of support as the Volpe Center pursues a competitive solicitation to support the continuing and future work requirements.

E. Technical Office Certification

The requirement set forth is initiated to satisfy a recognized Government need. As applicable, the plans, drawings, specifications, and statement of work are limited to state the minimum needs of the Government. I certify that the above information, which serves as the basis for the justification for other than full and open competition, is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Original Signed by Redacted Date Technical Initiator

Original Signed By Redacted Date Director, Center for Air Traffic Systems Operations

PART II – CONTRACTS SUPPORTING DATA

A. Description of the Procurement Action –

This non-competitive procurement action will result in an award of a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Task Order for the nine tasks performed by SAIC for the FAA as delineated in Table I in Part IA of this justification under Task Order DTRTV-T2006. The period of performance is 18 months from date of award.

B. Authority –

Circumstances Requiring the Exception to the Fair Opportunity Process; Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.505(b)(2)(i)(A) - The order must be issued on a sole-source basis because the agency need for supplies or services is so urgent that providing a fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays.

C. Efforts to Obtain Competition –

All TMIS multiple awardees will receive notification of the Volpe Center’s intention to issue a directed task order award on a non-competitive basis. Any statement of capability or expressions of interest received from any of the multiple awardees in response to this notification will be referred for technical review.

D. Fair and Reasonable Cost –

The signature of the Contracting Officer provided below represents a determination that the anticipated amount to be paid for this task order will be fair and reasonable. The contractor will be required to submit detailed cost and pricing information with its proposal. The Contracting Officer will conduct cost and price analysis on this information either to confirm the fairness and reasonableness of the amount proposed or to establish the Government’s objective position for purposes of entering into negotiations with the contractor to obtain agreement on a fair and reasonable amount for the resulting task order. This process will be documented in the task order file.

SIGNATURES FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL

REVIEWED FOR LEGAL SUFFICIENCY

Original Signed by

Office of Legal Services, RVA-40

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION:

I certify that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and that the anticipated estimated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

Original Signed By

Contracting Officer, RVP-31

CONCURRED:

Original Signed by Redacted Date Chief of the Contracting Office, RVP-30

Original Signed by Redacted Date Deputy Associate Administrator for Operations, RVP-1

APPROVED:

I determine that circumstances requiring an exception to the fair opportunity process; specifically, FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(A), applies to the order.

Original Signed by Redacted Date Associate Administrator for Administration Office of Research and Technology