E21 - Redacted Sole Source Justification.pdf

MEMORANDUM

Subj: SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION MEMORANDUM FOR MK18 SOF-P UUV

ENGINEERING AND TEST SUPPORT

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Sole Source Justification.”

This is a sole source justification. Contracting activity is NSWC-PCD, Code 024, 110 Vernon Ave., Panama City, FL, 32407.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

This action will award a firm fixed price contract to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for the services specified in Paragraph 3 of this document.

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

The Contractor shall provide engineering and technical services for the engineering development, maintenance, and testing of SOF-P Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) for the MK18 program. Support includes:

Design, development, and delivery of SOF-P upgrades to firmware and/or software, and associated documentation.

Provision of simulator software to match the SOF-P configuration for Government-provided Hydroid REMUS simulator systems.

Integration and testing support for software and firmware.

Continuous engineering and technical support, with a dedicated primary technical point of contact.

Local at-sea testing support (ship charters) and travel to Government facilities, specifically including three (3) trips to Panama City, FL, and three (3) trips to San Diego, CA.

Project management and monthly status reviews.

This acquisition will be conducted using simplified acquisition procedures. The Government's minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel. This memo does not authorize acquisition for other requirements.

4. Identification of the justification rationale and, if applicable, this acquisition is conducted under the authority of FAR 12.102(a), Restricting Competition for Commercial Acquisitions Below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. The determination has been made that only one source is reasonably available to meet the Government's minimum needs.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) has a requirement to maintain, upgrade, and test SOF-P UUVs under the MK18 program. The Oceanographic Systems Laboratory (OSL) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has been a leading developer of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) in the United States. OSL/WHOI originally developed the REMUS vehicles, ranging from the 100-meter, 600-meter, 2500-meter and 6000-meter designs. Each of these variants is used extensively by the US Navy and other organizations to accomplish sea floor search, environmental data collection, and mine countermeasure efforts.

NSWC PCD requires specific SOF-P upgrades to firmware and software, as well as matched simulator software for Hydroid REMUS simulator systems. As WHOI is the original developer of the REMUS architecture and maintains the rights to develop WHOI/OSL modifications, they have proprietary knowledge of the software, firmware, and inner workings of the system. As such, only WHOI is capable of developing the necessary SOF-P configuration upgrades, ensuring software versioning and configuration management, and resolving operational software deficiencies without risking system compatibility. The government does not expect significant savings through competition, and it is more advantageous to the Government to award on a sole source basis to WHOI for the support efforts listed in Paragraph 3 of this document.

5. A determination by the ordering activity contracting officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 12.102(a).

The Contracting Officer has determined that the order represents the best value and results in the lowest overall cost alternative (considering price, special features, administrative costs, etc.) meeting the Government’s needs.

6. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

For the reasons specified in paragraph 4 above, WHOI is the only source that can meet the Government’s needs. This requirement will be synopsized in the government point of entry sam.gov because it is estimated greater than $25,000.00.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

None.

8. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

As stated in paragraph 4 above, WHOI is the only source that can meet this requirement.