RAMS_extension_LSJ_Post-Award_Notice_Redacted_Sanitized_for_FBO.pdf

LIMITED SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

I. CONTRACTING ACTIVITY

Contracting Activity: SMC/ADK Kirtland Air Force Base NM 87117

Task Order Number: FA8818-15-F-0027

Contractor: Aero Thermo Technology, Inc.

620 Discovery Dr. NW Suite #100 Huntsville, AL 35806

Contracting Officer: Edgar A Alonso-Bernal / DSN: 263 7664, COM: (505) 853 7664

II. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED

This action is to modify an existing firm fixed price (FFP) bridge task order under the U.S.

General Services Administration (GSA) contract GS23F0333K to obtain acquisition management support services for the Space and Missile Systems Center Experimental Launch and Test Division (SMC/LEX) until the competitive follow-on effort is awarded. The current task order FA8818-15-F-0027 expires 30 Jun 2016. The bridge would need to extend services until 31 December 2016, with options to extend the task order in the event the follow-on effort experiences delays.

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

AGENCY’S NEEDS

SMC/LEX has the responsibility for development, launch, and operation of small operational and experimental payloads. These activities are executed through the Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) and include the development of all early acquisition strategy documents, Request for Proposals and Technical Requirements Documents (TRDs) for both orbital and suborbital missions, launch services mission assurance and aging surveillance for the Excess Ballistic Missile Motors. The task order objective is to provide acquisition support, acquisition planning/execution, and the Programming, Planning, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) Process.

These services are provided in support of mission activities for DoD and other Government customers by analyzing the requirements of each customer funded RSLP orbital launch mission or suborbital target mission and integrating those requirements for Government review and approval. RSLP provides cost effective launch services to DoD and other Federal agencies and provide these services through the reuse of decommissioned Minuteman and Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) rocket motors.

SMC/LEX's requirements changed in regards to their support contracts, now combining efforts such as RAMS, under one follow-on effort. This follow-on contract is anticipated to be awarded in December 2016 which is beyond the current RAMS bridge contract. The original bridge contract was awarded with a period of performance of 13 August 2015 to 31 December 2015 with three, one month options. All three options were exercised and the last option was extended for an additional three months, extending the period of performance to 30 June 2016. Therefore, a new bridge extension is necessary to avoid a break in service until the follow-on effort is awarded.

In order to bridge the gap from the end of the current bridge effort to the award of the competitive follow-on contract; a six month bridge extension with four, one month options must be established to ensure that SMC/LEX requirements do not experience unacceptable delays.

The current contractor (Aero Thermo Technology, Inc.) possesses the knowledge, security-cleared personnel, and expertise necessary to support the mission at this point in time. Award to another contractor without a pre-planned transition would result in an unacceptable delay in services before a new contractor would be able to perform the acquisition support service for

SMC/LEX.

The impact of not extending this sole source effort for acquisition management support would be a gap in critical service of at least six months, from 1 July 2016 to 31 December 2016. This gap in service would leave LEX without critical acquisition management support.

The total firm fixed price (FFP) estimate for a six-month basic task order is $978,000. The total estimated price for each one-month option is $155,000. The total estimated travel and ODCs on the task order is $102,000. This effort will utilize 3023 (procurement) funds. The period of performance for the base year of the bridge task order will be 1 July 2016 -31 December 2016.

The proposed four one-month options would extend the contract period of performance through 30 April 2017.

IV. IDENTIFICATION OF THE AUTHORIZATION/RATIONALE FOR LIMITING

SOURCES

FAR 8.405-6 requires an ordering activity to justify its actions when restricting consideration of schedule contractors to fewer than three as required by FAR 8.405-1 or 8.405-2. The specific circumstance that justifies restriction for this acquisition is FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(A), an urgent and compelling need exists. Following the procedures required to compete and transition would result in unacceptable delays.

a. This is a support services contract and the highly specialized services provided by Aero Thermo Technology, Inc. for acquisition management support would be delayed during the gap in service which will cause significant risk to the missions they support. Examples of support functions that would be impacted are as follows:

1. Analyze Mission Requirements - analyze the requirements of each customer funded RSLP orbital launch mission or MDA funded suborbital target mission and integrate those requirements into draft versions of Mission Requirements Documents (MRD)/Technical Requirements Document (TRD), for Government review and approval.

2. Support Program Management Reviews - prepare for, actively participate in, and advise the RSLP Missions Manager and SDL leadership during monthly Program Management Reviews (PMRs) for assigned programs. The contractor shall record the results of their activities.

3. Support Launch Mission Design Reviews - prepare for, actively participate in, and advise the RSLP Program Manager and SDL leadership on semi-annual Mission Design Reviews and meetings for each assigned program. The contractor shall record the results of their activities.

4. Provide Customer Mission Planning Support - provide planning and mission requirements generation support for each assigned customer funded sounding rocket, orbital and suborbital launch mission, including experiment and payload requirements integration, resource management, and PPBES management functions. The contractor shall record the results of their activities.

5. Launch Mission Coordination - coordinate activities among Space and Research and

Development (R&D) Launch Missions. The contractor shall record the results of their activities.

b. Current missions that will be directly affected by a break in acquisition management support services:

1. Pathfinder (Minuteman): July 2016

2. Data for Boosters RFP Release: October 2016

3. STP-2 Launch: March 2017

4. Jannus PTV - 5 Launch: May 2017

5. ATB ILC: December 2019

6. Daily PEM Support

c. Performance under the existing task order is planned to transition to the METIS contract upon award. Award of METIS was originally anticipated in December 2015; however, due to unforeseen delays in the METIS Source Selection the anticipated award date has now been revised to December 2016. This task order extension will operate as a stop-gap measure until the METIS contract is awarded.

1. Executing an expedited/streamlined competition to bridge the gap between the expiration of the existing task order and the award of METIS using the ordering procedures in FAR

8.405 was contemplated. However, it was determined it would take about 5 months to complete and would result in a break in service. This extension provides Aero Thermo Technology, Inc. support to SMC/LEX until the METIS OASIS/STS-2 Task Order is awarded.

2. The break in service would result in loss of available personnel and expertise that would be detrimental to the projects they currently support, leading to consequences such as schedule slips and potential technical shortfalls. The bridge would prevent this gap in service and prevent RSLP from incurring the associated costs. The personnel and equipment are also already in place which eliminates the risk of phase in, necessitating an unfamiliar service provider before a proper transition is planned and ready to be executed to ensure streamlined, continuous service for the RSLP missions. It is therefore logical to allocate the proposed follow-on bridge effort to the current contractor.

3. Preventing a break in service would allow continuity of the existing acquisition management support efforts and is essential to the stability of ongoing launch operations.

Any interruption of services obtained under the current task order will introduce an unacceptable degree of cost, schedule, and performance risk to SMC/LEX in terms of potential delay in acquisition management support and the delivery of vital technical data. Acquisition management support is a critical component to every launch, but is unavailable to SMC/LEX except through the services rendered under contract. Absent such support, performance risk increases, schedule risk goes up when the potential for launch delays increases; and as a result, there are costly launch slips that on average cost approx. $1M per month.

d. This sole source task order will enable the Government to maintain the current level of expertise in acquisitions management without jeopardizing the missions. A solicitation for the follow-on task order source selection is currently underway and will foster competition for support services to SMC/LEX; however, the time it will take to perform all of the necessary tasks leading to a contract award will not be accomplished in time to cover the six month gap in service. Accordingly, Aero Thermo Technology, INC is the only firm capable of providing the supplies and services described in Section III above most economically and efficiently until award of the follow-on effort is completed.

V. DETERMINATION BY THE ORDERING ACTIVITY CONTRACTING OFFICER

THAT THE ORDER REPRESENTS THE BEST VALUE CONSISTENT WITH

FAR 8.404(d)

In accordance with FAR 8.404(d), while the GSA Contracting Officer has determined the labor rates to be fair and reasonable, the Procuring Contracting Officer will use the proposal analysis techniques at FAR 15.404-1 in making a fair and reasonable determination of the proposed price.

Further discounts will be pursued in accordance with FAR 8.405-4. Additionally, there is no indication that the labor market for the labor categories and rates utilized will change significantly from the time of the recent task order award which was competitively bid and received discounted rates. Therefore, it is anticipated that the Government will receive fair and reasonable prices for the new task order.

VI. DESCRIPTION OF THE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED AMONG

SCHEDULE HOLDERS AND THE RESULTS OR A STATEMENT OF THE

REASON MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT CONDUCTED

Market research for the follow-on effort, STS-2, consisted of researching DoD and non-DoD contract vehicles providing similar technical services, reviewing the ability of small business to fulfill STS-2 requirements, and surveying customers on the current STS contract vehicle. This market research indicates that there are offerors under STS-2 that can complete the work associated with the bridge contract, but none who could do so more economically or efficiently than the incumbent during the bridge period.

VII. OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE JUSTIFICATION

None.

VIII. ACTIONS AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY

BARRIERS THAT LED TO THE RESTRICTED CONSIDERATION BEFORE

ANY SUBSEQUESNT ACQUISITION FOR THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

The Government is in the process of drafting a solicitation for the follow-on task order source selection under the new STS-2 contract vehicle. This task order competition is projected for award in December 2016.

IX. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S CERTIFICATION

The Contracting Officer’s signature on the Coordination and Approval Document is evidence that he has determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of his knowledge and belief.

X. TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS PERSONNEL’S CERTIFICATION

As evidenced by the Program Manager’s signature on the Coordination and Approval Document, the technical and requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is their responsibility, is both accurate and complete.

XI. FOR JUSTIFICATIONS UNDER FAR 8.405-6(a)(1), A WRITTEN

DETERMINATION BY THE APPROVING OFFICIAL IDENTIFYING THE

CIRCUMSTANCE THAT APPLIES

This limited sources justification document serves as the written determination documenting the circumstances that apply under FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(A).