17Q0270_Sole_source_FINAL_Redacted.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

<$150,000

1. Contracting Activity.

a. Requiring Activity:

b. Contracting Activity: AFRL/RIKO, 26 Electronic Pkwy, Rome NY 13441

c. Purchase Request #:

2. Nature and/or Description of Action.

a. Description of Requirement: AFRL/RIGC requires two (2) AlazarStream 2000 high speed disk storage systems with waveform digitizers and required subcomponents. This product supports the DARPA RADARNET program. The RADARNET program is researching ways to exploit a distributed radar network to improve performance. The estimated cost of this acquisition is

b. Sole source company:

Alazar Technologies Inc.

6600 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 310 Pointe-Claire, QC Canada, H9R 4S2

(514) 426-4899

3. Description of Supplies or Service.

This action is a new firm fixed price contract to acquire two (2) AlazarStream 2000 high speed disk storage systems with waveform digitizers and the required subcomponents. The following items comprise this requirement:

Item # Product Number Product Description Quantity

1 ATS-STR-2000

AlazarStream 2000

• 24 SAS disk drives in RAID5 configuration

• capable of 2000 MB/s data recording speed

• total capacity of 48 Terabytes per unit

• 2 free 8x PCIe slots

• Fully integrated system containing CPU, data acquisition and disk storage

• Compatible with GPS timing modules.

*fully interoperable with Alazar PCI Express waveform digitizer boards

2 ATS9373-001

ATS9373-A3 Digitizer

• 4 GS/s 12 bit waveform digitizer

• 6.8 GB/s throughput across x8 PCIe Gen3

• 2 channel operation at 2 GS/s

• 4096 point On-FPGA FFT Engine

• PCI Express bus

• Half-Length PCIe Gen3 x8 Card

• FPGA based FFT processing

• 8 GB of on-board Dual-Port Memory

• Fixed +/- 400 mV Input Range

3 ATS-SDK

Software Development Kit

• contains headers and example programs for C/C++, C#, MATLAB, LabVIEW and Python

• Works under Windows and Linux

• Supports 32 bit and 64 bit OS

• Interfaces cleanly with GPU

4 SysIntTest System Integration and Testing 2

4. Statutory Authority.

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 USC 2304(c)(1) Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency requirement.

5. Justification or Authority for Action.

Alazar Technologies, Inc. is the only source that manufactures the AlazarStream 2000 high speed disk storage systems with PCI Express waveform digitizers. These exact Alazar systems are currently being used in AFRL/RI receiver systems during important customer data collections. AFRL/RI is fabricating two more receivers and need these exact products to ensure continuity and compatibility among all the AFRL/RI receiver systems.

The architecture of Alazar’s PCI Express waveform digitizers has been designed for data streaming applications. Unlike other digitizers on the market, there is no requirement for data acquisition to be stopped before the acquired data can be transferred to computer memory. The digitizer features dual-port memory buffer: ADC data is written into one port while the bus reads this data out of another port.

The Alazar digitizer is an 8-lane PCI Express Gen 3 (PCIe x8), single or dual-channel, high speed, 12 bit, 4 GS/s or 2GS/s waveform digitizer card capable of acquiring data into its on-board 8GB memory or streaming acquired data to PC memory at rates up to 6.8 GB/s. Users can capture data from one trigger or a burst of triggers. Users can also stream very large datasets continuously to PC memory or hard disk. The dual-channel mode guarantees the two channels are simultaneous, as the two ADCs use a common clock. The on-board memory will be used as a very deep FIFO to temporarily store acquired ADC data before transferring it to motherboard memory.

Furthermore, AFRL has already invested in two of these exact same systems is fabricating two more receivers and need these exact products to ensure continuity and compatibility for experimentation. Use of another sources products would cause AFRL to experience a duplication of costs not expected to be recovered through competition.

6. Efforts Made to Ensure Offers are Solicited from as many Sources as Practicable:

A Notice of Contract Action (NOCA) was synopsized as a Pre-solicitation Notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.FBO.gov) between 08 May 2017 and 24 May 2017.

One response to the NOCA was received, however the vendor was unable to fulfill the complete requirement.

submitted technical data for the dual controller storage system. The technical data was evaluated by the end-user and it was determined that while the had similar features of the AlazarStream 2000, there was a large risk of incompatibility with Alazar’s PCI Express waveform digitizer boards which are essential to achieving the required data streaming performance. As was only able to partially fulfill the requirement, their product was determined to be technically unacceptable to meeting the Government’s need for a fully integrated and interoperable high speed storage system.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable:

The Contracting Officer determines that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(b)(2)(vii) Other than certified cost or pricing data and FAR 13.106-3(a)(2)(ii) Comparison of proposed price with prices found fair and reasonable on previous purchases of the same or similar items in the same industry`

8. Market Research/Other facts:

None

9. Any other facts supporting Other than Full and Open Competition:

None

10. List of Sources that have Expressed in Writing an Interest in the Procurement:

Alazar Technologies Inc.

11. Statement of Actions to Remove/Overcome Barriers to Competition:

AFRL/RIGC will continue to research the performance and capabilities of similar products towards future requirements. Any company that offers a product which meets the required specifications and performance characteristics will be considered for procurement.

12. Contracting Officer’s Certification:

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

13. Technical / Requirements Personnel Certification:

As evidenced by the signature below, the technical and/or requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is their responsibility, is both accurate and complete.

PROGRAM MANAGER

APPROVED / DISAPPROVED

CONTRACTING OFFICER

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION