Brand Name Justification.pdf

Section A: General Contract Information

Section B: Description of the Supplies/Services Required

Section C: Justification for Soliciting from a Single Source or Brand Name

Section D: Efforts to Obtain Competition

Security Marking (select from the drop-down list)

Single Source Justification (Simplified Acquisition)

Is this a Bridge Action as defined in the AF Bridge Action Reduction Plan? Yes No

Contracting Activity: 10th Contracting Squadron /

Project/Program Name: USAFA Fire Station Alerting System

Purchase Request / Local ID Number: TBD

Estimated Contract Cost (including Options): $

This requirement is for a new Fire Station Alerting System, a foundational component of the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) Fire Department's mission to protect over 8,000 personnel, 4,000 cadets, and critical infrastructure. The system serves as the primary means of dispatching first responders for all life-safety and emergency incidents on the installation. The selection of this system is dictated by a mandatory technical requirement. Emergency dispatch data from the El Paso County Regional Communications Center is transmitted exclusively through a proprietary gateway-the Westnet Alerting Platform (FiAP) - before reaching USAFA.

Because this FiAP gateway is the sole interface for processing alerts, any new fire station equipment must be natively compatible with it and the only approved system by El Paso County Regional Communications Center that meets this essential compatibility requirement is the Westnet First-In Fire Station Alerting System. This acquisition is for the procurement and installation of this brand-name system to ensure the USAFA Fire Department can receive and respond to emergency alerts from the regional dispatch center.

This acquisition is required to mitigate a documented cardiovascular health hazard for U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) firefighters caused by the current "all-call" alarm system. The solution is strictly dictated by the regional 911 infrastructure, as all emergency dispatch signals for USAFA are processed exclusively through a mandatory, proprietary gateway: the Westnet Alerting Platform (FiAP). Because this FiAP gateway is the sole data interface, any new station equipment must be natively compatible with it to function. Market research confirms the only system that meets this critical technical requirement is the Westnet First-In Fire Station Alerting System, as well as the only approved system by El Paso County Regional Communications Center for protecting base personnel and eliminating significant health and operational risks for first responders.

Comprehensive market research was conducted to determine if any other source could meet the government's requirement. The research conclusively found that no other vendor can provide a compatible solution. El Paso County Regional Communications Center confirmed that the only approved system for them is the Westnet First-In Fire Station Alerting System.

Sources Sought Synopsis: A Request for Information (RFI) was posted on SAM.gov (Feb. 4-24, 2026). Four vendors responded, three confirmed they could not provide the Westnet First-In Fire system. The fourth vendor, initially confirmed it could provide the system, but subsequent investigation revealed it had been acquired by and was no longer an independent entity.

Industry and Technical Authority Engagement: The El Paso-Teller County 911 Authority, the external technical authority governing the dispatch network, provided a definitive written ruling that only the Westnet system is approved.

Review of Government Sources: Searches on GSA Advantage! and the AbilityOne catalog yielded no capable sources. These unambiguous results from multiple research methods confirm that only the Westnet brand-name system, provided by Westnet, Inc., can fulfill this mission-essential requirement.