ITPO Quintron JOFOC_ FINAL_Redacted.pdf

Rev.:1/2023

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

IT Procurement Office (ITPO)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For 80TECH24Q0013/ Quintron Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.303-2(b)(1) – Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Justification for other than full and open competition.”

This document is a justification for other than full and open competition prepared by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) IT Procurement Office (ITPO).

The procuring agency is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the contracting activity is IT Procurement Office (ITPO).

2. FAR 6.303-2(b)(2) – The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides the rationale for contracting by other than full and open competition to award a sole-source Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with Quintron Systems, Inc. (Quintron) for the design, acquisition, development, integration, test, and delivery of all Quintron hardware, firmware, and software components which comprise the Mission Next Generation Voice (MNGV) system configuration for each NASA center.

3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the

Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

The NASA Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) intends to procure supplies and services provided by Quintron to support the Agency. This acquisition is required to manage and support the existing Quintron hardware and software infrastructure used throughout the agency, as well as to provide for the procurement of new hardware, software, and related services to complement the existing Quintron infrastructure. This agreement will provide for ease of ordering Quintron products and services in support of the entire Agency.

Quintron is the product integrator and software developer of the required equipment.

Quintron writes specific software, loads it on computers and integrates all the inter-workings of the equipment to existing NASA systems. Quintron does not use resellers for this type of specialty equipment and integration. Any other source would require extensive testing, verification, and integration to ensure interoperability with the current extensive NASA infrastructure.

The supplies and services required by Quintron consist of network cables, switches, servers, appliances, headsets, display panels, and other miscellaneous systems as well as unique software running on these systems. The missions supported are numerous, but all fall under the singular service umbrella of Mission Voice Services.

Mission Voice Services allow for direct, one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many voice communications and conference bridges. The Mission Next Generation Voice (MNGV) project focus on Mission communications that deal with mission launch, pre-launch and in-flight missions. The users of these Voice Mission Services spread across many NASA Centers and are dependent upon the specific Mission.

The total estimated value of this sole-source BPA is and the estimated period of performance is .

4. FAR 6.303-2(b)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for acquisition using the procedures in FAR subpart 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. 1901.

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The rationale supporting the use of FAR subpart 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. 1901 is due to unique software and hardware integration requirements as described below.

In 2018, NASA conducted a competitive procurement to support the Mission Systems requirement for Mission Next Generation Voice (MNGV) and awarded a contract to Quintron for the mission voice system. Quintron is the original equipment manufacturer for the Quintron products and services listed in section 3# of this justification.

The Quintron system is a voice communications system that is unique due to the proprietary Quintron applications running on the infrastructure, the configuration of the infrastructure for network switches, voice gateways, servers, applications, and the unique servers integrated into the environment. Currently, the Quintron solutions have been deployed at eight (8) NASA facilities with two additional installations at other NASA facilities in planning stages.

The Mission Voice System is an encapsulated system, separate and isolated from other networks and systems and are designed to provide a highly specialized service. No other manufacturer’s equipment will work with the Quintron system due to software, hardware integration and proprietary applications. As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Quintron has provided a statement that they are the only source that provides Quintron products and services, and have no authorized resellers to include certified service support for Quintron products and services.

Over the past eight years, NASA has procured Quintron devices through Enterprise IT Contracts and through two individual purchase orders (80TECH22PA008 and

80TECH23PA012) to support the MNGV requirement. The total estimated cost to replace the Quintron system is .

6. FAR 6.303-2(b)(6) – A description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) was published on April 12, 2024, in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source contract to Quintron Systems, Inc. The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.303-2(b)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The Contracting Officer’s signature on this document indicates that the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. The Contractor shall be required to submit a proposal to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a proposal analysis will be performed. The proposal analysis will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable. In accordance with FAR 13.106-3, the Contracting Officer expects to use historical prices for the price analysis.

8. FAR 6.303-2(b)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons a market research was not conducted:

Market Research was conducted and included interchange meetings with the OEM Quintron on March 6, 2024, to discuss the current hardware, software, and services. NASA verified with Quintron that it has never entered nor currently maintains any reseller agreements with any company or individual in the marketplace that represents or sells any product or service provided by Quintron. Further, Quintron has never agreed to have their products or services sold via a government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) or other mechanisms such as NASA SEWP or a GSA Schedule. Quintron services and products are sold via an internally controlled and maintained catalog.

On April 3, 2024, the ITPO Contract Specialist searched the GSA e-library which yielded no results for the search criteria, “Quintron Systems, Inc.” In addition, on March 8, 2024, a query on the Small Business Administration (SBA) Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) for capable vendors using search criteria, “Quintron Systems, Inc.” resulted in no firms found.

On April 16, 2024, the ITPO Contract Specialist again confirmed with Quintron that it has no authorized/approved Reseller Agreements with any other company.

9. FAR 6.303-2(b)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None.

10. FAR 6.303-2(b)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

A notice of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source action was synopsized on the GPE website (Sam.gov) per FAR Subpart 5.2 (See Section 6 above).

The synopsis was posted on April 12, 2024, and closed on April 26, 2024. The only company which expressed interest in writing was . On April 29, 2024, the Government determined that was not technically capable because it is not a value-added reseller for Quintron products and lacks the capability to perform services as Quintron does not certify other companies to sell/maintain their products or software. Additionally, no other manufacturer’s equipment will work with the Quintron system due to software, hardware integration, and proprietary applications.

11. FAR 6.303-2(b)(11) – A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

The Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.

Quintron Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SIGNATURE PAGE

Technical Representative: I certify that the facts presented in this justification are accurate and complete.

Technical Representative

Contracting Officer: I hereby certify that the above justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer

CONCURRENCES:

Competition Advocate Deputy Director, ITPO

APPROVAL:

Procurement Officer/Head of the Contracting Activity