FY 27-29 IBAS ES Justification and Approval Redacted Cover Page_Redacted.pdf

This is a Justification Review Document for other than full and open competition approval for an engineering services contract supporting the Improved Bradley Acquisition Subsystem (IBAS).

The Tactical Aviation & Ground Munitions (TAGM) Project Office at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama seeks approval for a sole-source follow-on contract award to DRS Network & Imaging Systems, LLC (CAGE: 32865) for continuous, specialized engineering and logistics services to ensure mission readiness and operational availability of the IBAS system for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle fleet. The requirement is valued at $70.9 million and structured with a 12-month base period (FY27, October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027), a 12-month option year (FY28), a 6-month option period (FY29), and an additional 6-month extension under FAR 52.217-8 clause, projecting award by September 2026. The contract will employ Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee and Firm-Fixed-Price line items for services, with cost-reimbursement for materials, direct costs, and travel. Funding sources include Procurement, Army (MIPA); Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E); Defense Working Capital Funds (DWCF); Operation and Maintenance (OMA); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) appropriations.

DRS Network & Imaging Systems, LLC is identified as the sole source capable of performing the work because it exclusively owns the complete IBAS Technical Data Package (TDP), including proprietary schematics, source code, diagnostic software, and specialized depot-level test equipment. The government determined that no effective competition exists due to DRS's exclusive intellectual property rights; reverse-engineering efforts would be cost-prohibitive and create unacceptable schedule delays. A Sources Sought notice posted to SAM.gov on December 5, 2024 and August 19, 2025 received four capability statements (Raytheon, Cortina Solutions LLC, and Ricardo Defense, Inc.) but only DRS was deemed technically acceptable after evaluation. The contract requires submission of a Small Business Subcontracting Plan and will encourage maximum practicable subcontracting opportunities. The approval was granted by the Special Advocate for Competition on the basis that substantial duplication of cost is not expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays would result from fulfilling agency requirements.