Intent to Sole Source_R.pdf

SPECIAL NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

SUBJECT: Notice of Intent to Sole Source ATIS and 3GPP Annual Membership

GENERAL INFORMATION

SOLICITATION NUMBER: AA-NTI-SE-O-25-00211

ARCHIVE: 15 DAYS AFTER THE RESPONSE DATE

PRODUCT SERVICE CODE: U005

NAICS CODE: 813920

SIZE STANDARD: $16.5M

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS: First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive M/S 243

Reston, VA 20192

POINT OF CONTACT: Alicia Brister, Contracting Officer

Alicia.Brister@FirstNet.gov mailto:Alicia.Brister@FirstNet.gov

SPECIAL NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

DESCRIPTION

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE ORDER AND

IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTES. The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) intends to award a firm-fixed-price sole source purchase order under 41 U.S.C.

3304(a)(1) – Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements to Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, Inc. for a yearly membership to Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, Alliance for Telecommunications Next G Alliance, and Third Generation Partnership Project.

ATIS and 3GPP is the only standards body that is responsible for the creation and evolution of LTE (“4G”) technology mandated by legislation for use by FirstNet and where mission critical services are being defined and standardized for the LTE.

This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotes. No solicitation documents exist for this requirement and telephone and/or email requests will not be honored. Sources interested in responding to this notice are required to submit a capability statement that includes management and technical data along with cost, in sufficient detail and with convincing evidence that clearly demonstrates the capability of the services. All capability statements received by the due date of this notice will be considered by the Government. A request for documentation or additional information or submissions that only ask questions will not be considered. A determination by the Government not to compete based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement or to proceed with a sole source purchase order. If no responses are received, the Contracting Officer will proceed with a sole source award to the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, Inc.

Capability statements shall be submitted by email only as a MS Word or Adobe PDF attachment to Alicia Brister at Alicia.Brister@FirstNet.gov by 11:00AM (EST), 21 November 2024.

TELEPHONIC INQUIRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. The email subject line shall state, “FirstNet Special Notice AA-NTI-SE-O-25-00211”.

mailto:Alicia.Brister@FirstNet.gov

FORM CD-492

(REV. )

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

I recommend that the Department of Commerce negotiate only with

(Proposed Contractor(s)) for

(Description of Supplies or Services)

Requisition No. Cost Estimate $ (Include basic contract period and all options or total systems life costs)

Requesting Activity Contracting Activity

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

I certify that the attached narrative justification is accurate and contains complete data necessary to support the recommendation for other than full and open competition.

The requisitioner further certifies that the attached narrative justification verifies the Government's minimum needs or schedule requirements and any rationale used to justify other than full and open competition procedures.

Requisitioner (Name and Title) Signature Phone No. Date

Before requesting this acquisition, state the statutory authority for conducting this acquisition under "other than full and open competition" procedures in the following blank ____________________________________ (use only one statutory authority). Also provide a narrative justification to this form. In accordance with FAR Subpart 6.3, the narrative justification must include the facts necessary to reasonably and legitimately lead to the use of the specific authority for other than full and open competition; including adequate information on the nature and/or description of the action being approved and a description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs.

Use of this form is optional when: the justification contains all information required by FAR 6.303-2, is certified by the requisitioner and contracting officer and is approved at the appropriate levels.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

The supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

41 USC ( )(1) - Only one responsible source

41 USC )(2) - Unusual & compelling urgency The agency's need for the supplies or services is of such an unusual and compelling urgency that the government would be seriously injured unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals. (NOTE: This authority will not be approved if it is determined that the urgency is due to a lack of advance planning by the requiring activity. Solicitation from as many potential sources as is practicable under the circumstances is required.)

41 USC ( )(3) - Industrial mobilization; engineering, developmental, or research capability; or expert services

The terms of an international agreement or a treaty between the United States and a foreign government or international organization, or the written directions of a foreign government reimbursing the agency for the cost of the acquisition of the supplies or services for such government, have the effect of requiring the use of procedures other then competitive procedures.

41 USC )(4) - International agreement

A statute expressly authorizes or requires that the acquisition be made through another agency or from a specified source, or the agency's need is for a brand-name commercial item for authorized resale.

41 USC ( )(5) - Authorized or required by statute

The disclosure of the agency's needs would compromise the national security unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals.

41 USC ( )(6) - National security

The agency head (Secretary of Commerce) determines that it is not in the public interest to use full and open competition in the particular acquisition concerned, and notifies Congress in writing of such determination not less than 30 days before award of the contract.

41 USC )(7) - Public interest

ATIS

202 Annual membership fees for ATIS and 3GPP membership fees and HNI Code Maintenance of Five (5) Codes

Standards Membership

41 USC 3304(a)(1)

AA-NTI-SE-O-25-00211

Office of the Chief Procurement Officer

DatePhone No.

ting - Not exceeding $ 0,000:

Title

APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS

Date

Advocate - Over $ ,000 but not exceeding $ million:

Title gnature Phone No.

Date

- Over $ million:

Title Signature

NOTE: Use the total cost estimate specified on the front of this document in determining the necessary approvals. Each review must be preceded by lower level approval(s), e.g., over $ million all approvals are required.

DatePhone No.

The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act) created the FirstNet (FN) organization to build and operate a wireless broadband network dedicated to the First Responder Community. The Act also called out for FirstNet to utilize the wireless LTE technology and to utilize open standards. Further, the Act called out for FirstNet to represent the interests of Public Safety in appropriate standards organizations. In order to accomplish the FirstNet mission and satisfy many statutory requirements, it is essential for the organization to procure memberships in the standards bodies that are relevant to the wireless industry and associated technology ecosystems. Participation in the standards bodies, ATIS and 3GPP, by FirstNet is necessary to comply with the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act). This participation is essential to develop standards that create necessary public safety features and capabilities that will be an embedded part of the NPSBN. This contract will fund membership in these two critical standards bodies.

The 3GPP is a standards setting organization that unites several international telecommunications standard development organizations (ARIB, ATIS, CCSA, ETSI, TSDSI, TTA, TTC), known as “Organizational Partners” and provides their members with a stable environment to produce the Reports and Specifications that define 3GPP technologies. In fact, 3GPP is the only standards body that is responsible for the creation and evolution of LTE (“4G”) technology mandated by legislation for use by FirstNet. Further, this is the only standards body where mission critical services are being defined and standardized for the LTE. 3GPP also developed the next generation wireless technology, 5G, which evolved from LTE and is being standardized to support Public Safety services. The 3GPP standards organization is made up of approximately 615 members from about 45 countries from around the world. The project covers cellular telecommunications network technologies, including radio access, the core transport network, and service capabilities - including work on codecs, security, and quality of service - and thus provides complete system specifications. The specifications also provide hooks for non-radio access to the core network, and for inter-working with Wi-Fi networks.

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) is a North American Standards Development Organization that brings together the top global ICT companies to advance the industry’s business priorities. ATIS, 150 member companies are currently working to address 5G, cybersecurity, robo-call mitigation, IoT, artificial intelligence-enabled networks, the all-IP transition, network functions virtualization, smart cities, emergency services, network evolution, quality of service, billing support, operations, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wireless regulatory issues and much more such as placing the United States at the forefront of 5G evolution to 6G to ensure US technology competitiveness. There is no other North American alliance, which provides this oversight to the industry. In fact, the only means for a US entity to obtain a membership in 3GPP is by being a member of the ATIS. Through involvement in ATIS committees and forums, ATIS members benefit from a comprehensive approach that takes into account technical, market and regulatory impact to help them achieve their business objectives. ATIS also gives its 150 members a strategic view of the future of technology in the industry through access to the insights of the CTOs of the leading ICT companies.

ATIS also manages the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID’s obtained by FirstNet. The PLMN ID's are essential because it identify to the customer that the network is a FirstNet network and allows our customers' mobile devices the ability to connect to the network. The PLMN IDs are required for the operation of the FirstNet broadband network which is operated by AT&T. Based on AT&T’s design of our network a total of 5 PLMN IDs are required. ATIS manages these IDs as a part of our overall membership fees contained in this contract. There is no other organization in the US that provides this service.