Eustis JA 2021_12_Redacted11January2021_Redacted.pdf

Control No: Eustis-2021-12 Contractor: Valiant Global Defense Services, Inc

Program: ARCIC BLCSE Support

Version – September 2018 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

FAR Part 16 Exception to Fair Opportunity Justification Under Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Contracts

For Actions Exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT)

1. Contracting Activity: U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) - Fort Eustis, 705 Washington Avenue, Fort Eustis, Virginia 23604

2. Description of Action: The Futures and Concepts Center (FCC) requests a firm-fixed price (FFP) task order with Valiant Global Defense Services, Inc. (Valiant), located at 3940 Ruffin Road, Suite C, San Diego, CA 92123 for a period of six (6) months and six (6) one-month options in order to maintain continuity of services. This bridge will cover the period between the end of the current services task order (W911S0-15-D- 0002, W911S0-19-F-0058) and beginning of a new Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) planned for award in June 2021.

The Government projects award for fiscal year 2021 using Operations and Maintenance funds. The current MATOC expired on 18 June 2020. No new orders could be placed after this date and all existing order delivery cannot exceed 18 December 2020. There are no options to exercise or additional extensions available.

Therefore, to avoid unacceptable delays in service until the new MATOC is competitively awarded, a bridge task order is required. The General Services Administration (GSA) One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) Pool 1 Unrestricted will be used. An acquisition plan is not required because this procurement does not meet the threshold at Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 207.103(d)(i)(B).

3. Description of Services: The purpose of this effort is to obtain the necessary technical support services for the maintenance, development, enhancement, integration, and use of Battle Laboratory Collaborative Simulation Environment (BLCSE) in support of distributed experiments/events conducted by the U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Center (FCC) in support of Army Futures Command-directed concept and capabilities development efforts. The Army Experimentation Resourcing Board (AERB) provides the Experimentation Community of Practice annual experimentation guidance including learning demands as well as venues and lead responsibility recommendations for distributed experiments. The Experimentation Directorate, FCC G-3/5/7, is responsible for the following: establishing, integrating and conducting configuration control of all models and simulations used in the distributed experiments to ensure the models and simulations comply with BLCSE technical standards; determining, developing and distributing terrain database sets required for all simulations; determining, developing and distributing authoritative system performance data sets for weapons, munitions, and sensors used by all simulations;

developing, coordinating and integrating simulation development, data production, terrain production, and testing schedules, manage development and reduce schedule risk for the simulation infrastructure and environment; coordinating, integrating and conducting configuration management of the various data sets, including simulation scenario files required for models and simulations; establishing and maintaining a program of configuration control and configuration management of simulations, models, datasets and supporting software tools and enablers required to execute the simulation infrastructure and environment; providing simulation integration management and engineering services and the simulation federation controller for execution of the simulation infrastructure. The specific tasks included in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) comprise Technical Aspects of the BLCSE Federation; Distributed Experimentation & Simulation; Technical Operations; Federation Tools; U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Battle Lab and U.S. Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) Elements; and Training and Certification.

Period of Performance:

Base Period: 19 Dec 20 to 18 Jun 21 Value:$1,428,987.36 Option Period 1: 19 Jun 21 to 18 Jul 21 Value: $238,164.56 Option Period 2: 19 Jul 21 to 18 Aug 21 Value: $238,164.56 Option Period 3: 19 Aug 21 to 18 Sep 21 Value: $238,164.56 Option Period 4: 19 Sep 21 to 18 Oct 21 Value: $238,164.56 Option Period 5: 19 Oct 21 to 18 Nov 21 Value: $238,164.56 Option Period 6: 19 Nov 21 to 18 Dec 21 Value: $238,164.56

Total Value: $2,857,974.72

4. Authority Cited: This action is authorized under provisions of 10 U.S.C.

2304c(b)(1) as implemented by FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(A) – The agency need for supplies or services is so urgent that providing a fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays.

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

a. The BLCSE’s mission of serving as the FCC lead and cross domain coordinator for the experimentation modeling and simulation (M&S), leading and managing the use and development of the FCC wide distributed M&S asset BLCSE environment, and providing staff management of the M&S is critical to the accomplishment of Army modernization. The BLCSE utilizes the services of Valiant to ensure successful delivery of the BLCSE’s mission. Valiant is currently satisfying the Army’s requirement for the complex services listed in paragraph 3 above. Valiant is the only responsible contractor that can satisfy the Army’s requirement during this interim period. Valiant provides the Army with the complex technical understanding of the FCC BLCSE environment. As the incumbent, Valiant was awarded the current task order competing with all other IDIQ MATOC holder using fair opportunity procedures. Valiant was awarded the current task order because of its unique and highly specialist services required by the BLCSE. The BLCSE mission is highly leveraged with contractor support. BLCSE non-military workforce consists of 22 personnel of which 18 are contractor personnel. Because BLCSE relies so heavily on Valiant support and because Valiant is the only source available to fulfill this urgent need without undue delay, the exception to fair opportunity under 10 U.S.C. 2304c(b)(1) applies. The following paragraphs elaborate on the needs of the BLCSE, urgency of the bridge task order award, and why Valiant is the only contractor capable of immediately providing these services during the interim period.

1) The new IDIQ MATOC (ref. Solicitation W911S0-19-R-0002) is not yet awarded due to delays caused by the changing and evolving mission of the FCC as well as changes in their internal personnel assigned to the re-compete of this requirement.

2) The planning for the new MATOC has been ongoing for at least two (2) years. A procurement of this magnitude would take approximately two (2) years to complete under normal circumstances. During the last two (2) years, the procurement was encumbered due the mandated transition of Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) to FCC that created turbulence in the timely development of the requirement.

The transition resulted in organizational changes in the Army Futures Command and personnel moves that contributed to delays as the new organization shifted personnel to new positions. The personnel new to the requirement process required time to become familiar with the requirement. Mandatory telework in 2020 also hampered progress of the MATOC award to a minor degree. The impact is that the new MATOC award will not be in place before the current task orders expire creating a lapse in critical services required by the agency.

3) There is insufficient time and resources available to award this bridge task order on a competitive basis without further delaying award of the follow-on contract.

4) Until it is awarded, these vital services must continue without delay or lapse in service. The bridge requirement is necessary to facilitate the competitive award of the new MATOC anticipated for fiscal year 2021.

5) The skill sets required to support the BLCSE effort are complex in nature and deemed hard to fill. Because Valiant currently employs these individuals and, as the incumbent, is familiar with the requirements, Valiant can continue performance under a new task order without a lapse in service or a phase-in period. It is the requiring activity’s determination that a break in service would introduce unacceptable risk to mission accomplishment and would jeopardize the development of all Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leader development, Personnel, and Facilities (DOTLMPF) recommendations presented to FCC, AFC, and Army Leadership. Valiant is performing the services under the current task order; thus, it is able to provide expert and uninterrupted support without extensive training and preserves the integrity and required skills to continue the advancement of the FCC’s mission. Attempting to award a competitive bridge task order for this short amount of time increases the risk that, even using fair opportunity procedures, interested contractors would be few.

6) This extension provides the best method to procure these services in a timely manner, without a break in service, at a price that is fair and reasonable. The skill sets required to support the BLCSE effort are complex in nature and deemed hard to fill.

Valiant possesses these individuals and can continue performance under a new task order without a phase-in period. The use of fair opportunity will create unacceptable delays and cause disruption to the services being performed to support the BLCSE mission.

7) The required performance delivery schedule ensures the bridge requirement is only as long as necessary in order to award the new MATOC. The base period of performance is 19 December 2020 through 18 June 2021. Additionally, there are six (6) one-month options in the event the competitive MATOCs are not awarded as projected.

8) The previous task order was competed among all three (3) IDIQ MATOC holders. Valiant provided a proposal that satisfied the Government’s requirements and placed the least risk on the Government. Its technical approach, key personnel, integrated management and execution of the mission can be applied to this bridge task order to seamlessly and urgently provide this knowledge and expertise during the bridge support.

9) The BLCSE’s workload requirements are subject to fluctuation. Thus, the contractor must be able to immediately manage these conditions and ensure that requirements can be supported without delay since providing a transition period will not be possible due to the current task order expiring on 18 December 2020. There are no other Government agencies buying these same services.

b. Alternatives

1) Forgo Services: Forgoing services is not a viable alternative. This would result in significant disruption of BLCSE’s critical mission support services to Army Experimentation, Concept and Capabilities development activities, and at its extreme, result in FCC mission failure.

2) Use of Government Resources. Currently there are no available Government personnel (military or civilian) on-hand able to assume this work with the experience required to execute the tasks in the mission-oriented tasks contained throughout the PWS should there be a lapse in service. The organization does not have the capability to in-source personnel to meet mission requirements without a break in operational support. The Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) provides personnel with the required skills to conduct oversight and management of the contract effort, but these personnel do not possess the requisite skill sets to execute the tasks outlined in the

PWS.

3) Re-competing a bridge contract effort. Conducting a limited competition would be costly and create operational risk if the task order was awarded to another company, other than Valiant. A vendor other than the incumbent would have to learn how the FCC conducts business while simultaneously conducting the technical support services for the maintenance, development, enhancement, and integration. Competing the bridge task order and transitioning to a new contractor under that compressed timeline creates significant operational risk and increases the possibility that BLCSE will experience disruptions in the performance of these essential knowledge management functions, mission command decision-making functions, and oversight functions vital to its mission execution. Even if it were possible to compete the bridge task order, doing so would result in the award of an order with such an abbreviated performance period that the likelihood of receiving proposals is low because of the time necessary to compete the order (two months) and then phase-in a new contractor (two months).

c. Verified Minimum and Need. A critical need exists to continue the complex BLCSE services beyond 18 December 2020. The bridge task order is requested in order to provide continuity of services throughout the integration and execution of the System-of-Systems Enhanced Small Unit (SESU) Simulation Experiment (SIMEX). This extension will provide the needed time in order to award a contract that is fair and reasonable and provides adequate fair opportunity. This bridge task order provides the needed time to procure the required services in a timely manner, with no break in service, at a price that is fair and reasonable, as determined at the time of award. The bridge task order will continue to meet BLCSE mission requirements and mitigate the risk of disruption of operational support. The current services will continue until 18 December 2020. The six-month base and the six (6) one-month options provide sufficient time until the new MATOC is awarded.

d. Considerations for using one source. Time available versus time required, phase-in/ phase-out time, and the complexity of the requirement were considered in the decision to solicit only to one source. The time available to procure new services is not adequate to obtain both required FCC approvals, Government Procurement approvals, and solicit and award a new contract. Additionally, competing the extension and transitioning to a new contractor under that compressed timeline will create significant operational risk and enhances the possibility that the Government will experience disruptions in the performance of essential knowledge management functions mission command decision-making functions and the ability to perform oversight functions vital to mission execution.

e. Interim Contract Cost. This is an interim task order with the incumbent, Valiant. It would be neither cost effective nor realistic to expect another contractor to perform during the brief interim period. A new contractor will experience manning problems including recruitment and associated relocation fees; continuity of service, variety and complexity of requirements; and preparation of management plans.

f. Interim Contract Requirement. This is an interim task order required until award of a follow-on service contract. The anticipated award of the follow-on contract is June 2021. Currently, there is no protest associated with this interim task order request.

g. Impact. If there is a break in the services provided by Valiant, continuance of mission essential work will be placed in jeopardy and the risk of mission failure would be severe. BLCSE relies on Valiant to perform the mission critical tasks in the PWS to meets its mission needs. A suspension of services places the Government at risk as BLSCE will not be able to sufficiently fulfill its commitment to the Army required by their mission. A lapse in service in order to accommodate providing a fair opportunity would severely impede, if not halt, the ability of FCC and BLCSE to meet their objectives and accomplish their mission.

6. Actions to Increase Competition: In order to increase competition in the future, a new Multiple Award Task Order contract will be awarded in calendar year 2021 which will provide fair opportunity among those contractors selected for the services. As the FCC is evolving, there may be changes to the way the services are provided as some of the tasks may be supported with a different task order due to changes in the way the services are currently provided today. MICC-Fort Eustis plans to issue a new competed task order following the award of the MATOC. No previous justifications exist for requirements performed under the current task order.

7. Market Research: Market research was conducted for this new task order in September 2020. Market research techniques included using the same NAICS code (541690), reviewing the procurement history, reviewing mandatory and preferred sources, and searching www.sam.gov and small business databases. Additionally, the market research for the MATOC re-compete included issuing a sources sought on 18 May 2018 and conducting an Industry Day on 7 May 2019. Eleven companies responded to the sources sought. One large business and one small business were deemed either fully or moderately capable of performing all tasks. The other nine vendors were not fully capable in all performance areas required to include capability development support, experimentation and evaluation support, synergy support, and information technology & information management support. The Industry Day resulted in significantly high participation. Both large and small businesses expressed interest in the procurement. The Industry Day determined the market has not changed since a Sources Sought was posted in 2018 and small businesses expressed interest in only performing a few of the task areas or seeking a teaming arrangement as a subcontractor. Small businesses do not have the capability to meet the specific and complex needs of the FCC, such as synergy support and experimentation and evaluation, to meet FCC’s mission and provide the required flexibility. While research shows the availability of multiple contractors who are capable of performing these services, this does not take into account the specialized nature of BLCSE services.

In July 2020, approval was received from OASIS to use the GSA OASIS Unrestricted Pool 1 contract to provide a seamless continuation of services to the FCC BLCSE until the new MATOC IDIQ contract (ref. Solicitation W911S0-19-R-0002) is awarded.

8. Other Facts:

Procurement History: The current firm-fixed-price task order, W911S0-15-D-0002 – W911S019F0058, was awarded using fair opportunity procedures of FAR 16.505(b) within the FCC MATOC to Valiant on 7 December 2018 in the amount of

$5,241,397.17, for a base year plus one option year. On 2 November 2020, the period of performance end date was modified from 1 December 2020 to 18 December 2020.The previous requirement, W911S0-15-D-0001 – 0004, was also a firm-fixed-price task order and was awarded following fair opportunity under the FCC MATOC to Booze Allen Hamilton on 10 July 2015 for a base year, two option years, and one six

(6) month extension.