J A6.302-1a_REDACTED.pdf

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

I. CONTRACTING ACTIVITY:

The contracting organization that is responsible for the proposed contract action is the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Directorate of Contracting, Specialized Contracting Office (PKT), 5 South Wolfe Avenue, Edwards AFB, CA 93524-1185. The contracting officer for this acquisition is Capt Joel Lozano. This is a Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition. The Purchase Request (PR) Numbers for this acquisition are F1SBAA1133B001 and F1SBAA1174B002.

II. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING PROCESSED:

The proposed contract action will result in the award of contract FA9300-11-M-5017, purchasing four insulated composite rocket motor cases essential to extend services for an additional three months to place the period of performance on a calendar year basis. The contract is a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contract to provide four (4) insulated composite rocket motor cases for the Falcon Launch project at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO. The proposed source is:

ATK Launch Systems Inc.

9160 N Hwy 83 Brigham City, UT 84302-0707

III. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE

AGENCY’S NEEDS:

a. The requirement is to provide four (4) insulated composite rocket motor cases to the USAFA to continue the Falcon Launch project. A detailed description follows. The case is 73.9” long, 6.728” diameter, a dome to end length of 65.40”, the forward boss opening is 1.562”, and the case inner diameter is 6.276”. The primary materials required are: carbon fiber continuous filament prepreg, Epoxy resin, Thermal insulation consisting of silica filled EPDM and Kevlar Filled EPDM. The skirt is composed of composite layers of carbon filament, biased cloth, and unidirectional cloth. The case is composed of layers of carbon fiber prepreg in hoop winds, carbon fiber prepreg in helical winds, biased carbon cloth and unidirectional Cloth. The internal insulation has a nominal thickness along the length.

b. The USAFA Falcon Launch project is an extra activity that USAFA students can participate in that supports the design and flight of a sounding rocket. This project continues to educate and inform USAFA students in rocket propulsion, in a learn-by-doing approach.

c. This is a non-commercial supply.

d. Specifically: The USAFA class is designed around this particular rocket motor case design. insulated composite rocket motor cases have been historically provided to the USAFA for this purpose. Those cases have then been filled, static test fired and integrated into a sounding rocket design. Since the case design does not change from year to year, an effort was made to reduce cost by fabricating a special purpose mandrel for winding these cases.

This also provides for more consistent insulation thickness and overall compaction of the fiber wound composite. The request is for 2 rocket motors to be wound and delivered on 28 February 2012 and an additional 2 wound and delivered on 28 February 2013 with the same level of quality as previous cases to ensure consistency of research data accumulated during and after the launch.

e. The total estimated value of the contract is $208,449.00. The estimate is based on quote for four (4) insulated composite rocket motor cases provided by ATK Launch Systems, Inc. dated 30 June 2011.

IV. STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (1), “…are available from only one responsible source or only from a limited number of responsible sources and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the agency” as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(B) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

V. DEMONSTRATION THAT THE CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS

OR NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES THE USE OF THE AUTHORITY

CITED ABOVE (APPLICABILITY OF AUTHORITY):

a. The USAFA class is designed around this particular rocket motor case design.

insulated composite rocket motor cases have been historically provided to the USAFA. Those cases have then been filled, static test fired and integrated into a sounding rocket design. Therefore, this acquisition is needed to continue the USAFA Falcon Launch project in a timely and consistent manner. This sole source contract will end after the delivery of the second set of insulated composite rocket motor cases have been delivered on 28 Feb 2013.

b. ATK Launch Systems Inc. is the only provider of these proprietary insulated composite rocket motor cases required. Since the case design does not change from year to year an effort was made to reduce cost by fabricating a special purpose mandrel for winding these cases. This also provided for more consistent insulation thickness and overall compaction of the fiber wound composite. The request is for the rocket motors to be wound and delivered under the timelines that ATK has quoted and at

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

the quality level previously demonstrated. The pre-existing mandrels at ATK are purpose built for winding this case design with a minimum of set up and manufacturing cost.

c. AFRL believes that award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Air Force’s requirements. The impact of not having the insulated composite rocket motor cases would result in the failure of the class to continue as programmed by Air Force Academy Instructors, providing a substandard training experience for new cadets and losing valuable hands on experience. It is estimated a minimum of two years would be required before a new contractor could provide acceptable version of the insulated composite rocket motor cases. The USAFA curriculum and research requirements for sounding rocket design, test protocol evaluation and systems training are quite stringent. The USAFA conducts a single class each year.

If a new vendor were to be found for the motor cases, it would take a minimum of at least a two year design and build and test trial effort to qualify a new test article that has the same performance parameters. This delay would result in a significant loss of instructional capability to Academy cadets and a break in curriculum that may result in an incomplete syllabus for that time frame for up to 200 students

d. Accordingly, ATK Launch Systems Inc. is the only firm capable of providing the supplies described in Section III above without the U.S. Air Force experiencing unacceptable delays in fulfilling its requirements.

VI. DESCRIPTION OF EFFORTS MADE TO ENSURE THAT OFFERS ARE

SOLICITED FROM AS MANY POTENTIAL SOURCES AS DEEMED PRACTICABLE:

A Notice of Contract Action (NOCA) sole source synopsis for the requirement will be posted on FEDBIZOPPS publicizing the Government’s intent to award a contract using other than full and open competition. Any response received will be assessed to see if another source is capable of satisfying the Government’s requirement.

VII. DETERMINATION BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE

ANTICIPATED COST TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE:

The Contracting Officer will ensure that the anticipated prices are determined fair and reasonable by utilizing: price/cost analysis, historical pricing information for same or similar supplies, and DCAA audit support if required. The program manager will provide a technical evaluation analyzing the proposed information.

VIII. DESCRIPTION OF THE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED AND THE

RESULTS, OR A STATEMENT OF THE REASONS MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT

CONDUCTED:

A continuous survey of the market is conducted by AFRL through conferences, open sources publications, and peer to peer discussions within the Department of Defense. As described in Section VI above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, was conducted. A synopsis of the proposed acquisition advising industry of the pending acquisition and

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

allowing inquiries from interested parties will be posted. No alternate sources have been identified to date.

IX. ANY OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND

OPEN COMPETITION:

None.

X. LIST OF SOURCES, IF ANY, THAT EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE

ACQUISITION:

None.

XI. STATEMENT OF THE ACTIONS, IF ANY, THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO

REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS TO COMPETITION BEFORE MAKING

SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITIONS FOR THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED:

The Program Office will continue to monitor the industry through trade journals, technical symposia, and contacts with industry representatives to evaluate changing contractor capabilities and new offerings to determine if they have the capabilities to meet Government requirements. Future requirements will be synopsized as applicable and market surveys will be conducted as practical to determine feasibility of competition.

XII. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S CERTIFICATION

The contracting officer’s signature on the Coordination and Approval Document evidences that he/she has determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief.

XIII. TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS PERSONNEL’S CERTIFICATION

As evidenced by her signature on the Coordination and Approval Document, the technical and/or requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is his/her responsibility, is both accurate and complete.