Mitre_SSJA_Redacted.pdf

V220T.07 08/15

Procurement Request (PR) No. V3451020

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

VOLPE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CENTER (VOLPE CENTER)

AIRCRAFT WAKES AND WEATHER DIVISION, V-345

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

PART I - TECHNICAL SUPPORTING DATA

Recommend that negotiations be conducted with MITRE Corporation (MITRE) on a noncompetitive basis for award of an electrical engineering services contract to develop a Global Positioning System

(GPS) receiver test procedure and conduct GPS receiver testing to measure the interference tolerance of

GPS receivers that may be susceptible to signals adjacent to GPS signals. The period of performance will be approximately six (6) months. The Independent Government Estimate is

A. Description of Supplies/Services:

The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), seeks to develop a Global

Positioning Systems (GPS) receiver test procedure and conduct GPS receiver testing to measure the interference tolerance of GPS receivers. The tolerance will be determined by using out-of-band emissions

(OOBE), Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular, and Continuous Waveform (CW) frequency interferences.

The goal is to bound interference tolerance by one or more masks, for GPS receiver categories, to define allowable adjacent band (to GPS signals) power limit criteria. The contractor shall consider LTE and CW signals as the most critical adjacent band interference.

The GPS receiver test procedure will be used to outline the procedures, methodologies, interference sources, testing schedule, and RF environment, as well as, other critical items related to the effective testing of GPS receivers. The test procedure, which is more detailed than a test plan will be the basis on how to measure where GPS receivers are susceptible to frequencies adjacent to GPS signals. The procedure developed will then be used to perform GPS receiver testing which is also under this contract.

B. Market Research:

The Volpe Center’s Aircraft Wakes and Weather Division has hosted four GPS Adjacent Band

Compatibility workshops which were open to the general public and advertised through Federal Register

Notices (FRNs):

Workshop I: September 18, 2014 , Volpe Center, Cambridge, MA

Workshop II: December 4, 2014, Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA

Workshop III: March 12, 2015, Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA

Workshop IV: October 2, 2015, RTCA, Washington, DC

These workshops were intended to provide an open and transparent forum of the work that the Volpe

Center is conducting on behalf of the DOT. In addition to obtaining feedback of that process, the Volpe

Center looked for understanding of the capabilities and expertise in the areas of GPS receiver and interference testing.

Subsequent to the workshops, project staff met with a variety of organizations and companies to better understand their capabilities and conduct market research. Listed below are the companies/organizations, date of interaction, and strengths and limitations:

a for-profit organization, has access to engineers who have an understanding of the fundamentals of GPS receivers and spectrum interference issues.

Exelis has not been involved with previous GPS Adjacent Band Compatibility efforts

(TWG) and does not understand the issue related to those previous efforts. They do not have relevant experience with the RFI sources identified above and therefore are not capable of meeting the basic needs of this requirement.

have been involved with previous GPS

Adjacent Band Compatibility efforts. Therefore they have an understanding of the issues related to previous efforts and have highly skilled engineers who understand GPS receiver architecture and interference sources. However they have no relevant experience with cellular LTE RFI sources. As a result, incapable of meeting the Government’s needs.

Market research using the Small Business Administration’s (SBA), “Small Market Database” returned no search results of companies who meet the Governments requirements. The following keywords were searched 1) “GPS Testing”, 2) “Test Plans”, and 3) “GPS Receiver Testing”.

The outcome of additional market research conducted through web searches and discussions with industry experts did not yield a suitable alternative resource to meet the Government’s need to develop a GPS receiver test procedure and measure where GPS receivers are susceptible to loss to received GPS signals.

One example of a company found through a web search . They are a manufacturer of GPS receiver test equipment and do not meet the Government requirements listed in Part A, specifically “v” and “vi”. Another company found during a websearch was who again do not meet the Government requirements listed in Part A, specifically “v” and “vi”.

Therefore, as a result of these workshops and additional market research conducted, to date, there are no other companies or organizations that meet all of the Government’s needsset forth in this PR except MITRE.

C. Background:

In January 2012, the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee

(EXCOM) co-chairs (Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Deputy Secretary of Defense) signed a letter to the

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The letter proposed developing new GPS spectrum radio frequency interference (RFI) criteria to inform future proposals for non-space, commercial uses in the bands adjacent to the GPS signals. Adherence to these criteria would ensure that any such future proposals could be implemented without compromising existing and evolving uses of space-based PNT services vital to economic, public safety, scientific and national security needs.

The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) approach to accomplish this task is to develop GPS adjacent-band transmitter power limit criteria. These criteria could then be used to define new adjacent-band applications that would be compatible with GPS and could form the basis for GPS spectrum interference criteria. The FAA and OST-

R developed a GPS Adjacent Band Compatibility Assessment Plan1 to provide the framework for definition of the processes and assumptions that will form the basis for development of the GPS adjacent-band compatibility criteria for GPS civil applications.

To determine the adjacent band criteria, there exist two Government needs:

1. Provide a GPS/GNSS receiver test procedure that incorporates frequency interference from LTE cellular, CW, and OOBE interference sources.

2. Measure where GPS receivers are susceptible to loss to received GPS/GNSS signals (tolerance mask).

Measured masks should include interference from LTE cellular, CW, and OOBE interference sources

After the Government requirements are compiled, the results will be used by the Government, in conjunction with propagation modeling and simulation, to determine the transmitter power limits (criteria) which cause harmful interference to GPS receivers. These criteria, in the form of a report, then can be used by regulatory agencies, such as

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), to determine if future proposals will cause harmful interference.

D. Circumstances Requiring the Use of Other Than Full and Open (F&O) Competition.

1. Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency

Requirements -

MITRE Corporation is the only source found capable of satisfying the Government’s requirement to develop a

GPS/GNSS receiver test procedure and measure the susceptibility of GPS receivers to signal loss.

In order to meet the Government’s needs the contractor must meet the following requirements: (i) expertise in

GPS interference issues, (ii) expertise in cellular LTE technologies, (iii) laboratory facilities for GPS receiver testing, (iv) laboratory facilities for LTE signal generation and network simulators, (v) experience of having conducted Adjacent Band Compatibility analysis between civil GPS receiver and LTE Networks, and (vi) independent from the commercial GPS and cellular industries.

MITRE has deep knowledge related to Position Navigation and Timing (PNT) systems and technologies, for which

GPS receiver spectrum interference has been and continues to be an issue. MITRE is recognized in the aviation community as having expertise in GPS and navigation technologies. Recently, under Volpe Center contract no.

DTRT5715P80054 , MITRE developed a GPS Adjacent Band receiver test plan. The test plan outlines the initial requirements that will be used to create the test procedure and indicates how GPS receivers will be tested. Also, MITRE recently has been involved with a similar GPS Adjacent Band Compatibility effort related to certified GPS avionics. The focus of that effort is to determine compatibility criteria for wireless broadband communication handsets together with generic broadband base stations based on aviation GPS receivers (1575.42 ± 10 MHz) which conform to current FAA standards. Over the past year and a half, MITRE has been working to provide key analysis methodologies, aviation GPS receiver characteristics, Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) propagation path models, certain basic source emission parameters and interaction scenarios. This work unequivocally demonstrates their unique capabilities and specialized experience as it relates directly to the work required in this solicitation.

1 DOT GPS ADJACENT-BAND COMPATIBILITY ASSESSMENT PLAN, August 23, 2012.

In the last few years, MITRE was heavily involved in the LightSquared Technical Working Group (TWG) and led smaller breakout groups which were formed to address interference to GPS from a proposed commercial, terrestrial communications system operating on frequencies adjacent to the primary GPS band. As a result, the GPS community opposed such uses. This lead to the formation of the TWG for the assessment of such interference.

An additional area of required expertise is MITRE’s knowledge of LTE signals and communication systems.

MITRE has been involved with the development of LTE systems used for communication to support the

Department of Defense (DoD). They have an advanced knowledge of the LTE standard air interface protocol, channel structure, and physical layers for downlink and uplink transport channel processing. They have been involved with power management schemes which can be used as a basis for frequency interference from an LTE handset.

In addition to the expert personnel, MITRE has a state-of-the-art laboratory containing GPS simulators, anechoic chambers, interference sources (e.g., CW and LTE), LTE networks simulators and a variety of GPS receivers and antennas. This laboratory is unmatched in that it brings together both the GPS receiver testing capability as well as an LTE radio frequency interference source to be integrated in one analysis.

As a not-for-profit Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), MITRE does not accept contracts from commercial entities, and is therefore indepentdent from the commercial GPS and cellular industries.

This is essential for the Volpe Center’s requirement as the contractor shall develop Government-approved criteria for commercial entities and seek to utilize frequency bands adjacent to the GPS band. The criteria developed as a result of the Government’s needs must be accepted and adhered to by both the GPS receiver and user community as well as the cellular industry. Therefore, utilizing a testing contractor that is perceived to be closely tied to either the

GPS or cellular communities could compromise the acceptability and credibility of the final work product — criteria which recommend limitations on emission in the frequency bands adjacent to the GPS band. Therefore, based on

MITRE’s FFRDC status and lack of contracts with industry, MITRE will be an un-biased and independent testing contractor.

No other FFRDC or source independent from industry has been identified that can meet the Government’s requirements.

E. Steps to Foster Competition (or Consideration)

The Volpe Center shall continue to host additional workshops. The next workshop is planned for Late 2015 or

Early 2016. The Volpe Center will continue to perform market research to identify new organizations/companies that have the necessary experience and capabilities to meet the Government’s requirements.

F. 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__________ _1/15/2016_____

Date

Technical Initiator

Concurred By:

___Original Signed by__________ 1/15/2016__

Chief, Air Navigation & Surveillance

PART II – CONTRACTS SUPPORTING DATA

A. Description of the Procurement Action – This procurement action will result in a new firm fixed price contract. Award will be made under FAR Subpart 6.3.

B. Authority – 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1), as implemented by FAR Subpart 6.302-1, Only One Responsible

Source and No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

C. Efforts to Obtain Competition - This proposed contract action was synopsized through the

Government wide point of entry (FedBizOpps) as required by FAR Subpart 5.2. Any capability statements received from potential sources in response to this synopsis will receive appropriate technical review/consideration. As mentioned in Part 1, Section E above, the Volpe Center will continue to host additional workshops and conduct market research to identify new organizations/companies that may have the necessary experience and capabilities to perform similar work.

D. Fair and Reasonable Cost – The signature of the Contracting Officer (CO) provided below represents a determination that the price to the Government for this requirement will be fair and reasonable prior to any award. The contractor will be required to provide a proposal for the requirement. The CO will conduct the necessary cost and/or price analysis to either confirm the reasonableness of the amount proposed or to establish the Government’s objective for purposes of entering into negotiations with the contractor. Due to the estimated value for this action, certified cost or pricing data is not required, however, as deemed necessary by the Govenrment, information other than cost or pricing data in accordance with FAR Subpart

15.403-3 will be used to determine fair and reasonable pricing.

E. REVIEWED FOR LEGAL SUFFICIENCY:

____Original Signed by_________ _1/15/2016____

Office of Legal Services

F. CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION:

I certify that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

____Original signed by_______ __1/15/2016__

Contracting Officer