J and A Fuel Tank Monitoring System - Veeder Root System - DRAFT.pdf

Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other Than Full and Open Competition

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION

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(See "Specific Guidance for Completing this Template" after item XII below.)

I. Agency and Contracting Activity.

Department of the Air Force, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, 673 Contracting Squadron, 10480 Sijan Ave, JBER, AK 99506

II. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

The tank monitoring system component of this project includes acquiring the brand name Veeder-Root tank monitoring system (Veeder Root TLS 450+) and its associated components/probes. The estimated cost for the Veeder Root System is $20,000.00, which is only required for tanks smaller than 30,000 gallons. The Veeder Root Automated Tank Gauge (ATG) system is determined to be commercial items in accordance with (IAW) FAR 2.101 "Commercial Products".

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs.

The Veeder Root ATG System (Veeder Root TLS 450+) is utilized on JBER to monitor underground fuel storage tanks across the installation on 46 fuel tanks. This system is a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Air Force standard for fuel tank farms, and is the only acceptable ATG solution for smaller fuel tanks.

IV. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited above.

The use of brand name description is essential to the Government's requirement, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured by another company. DLA's project manager provided 673 CES and 673 CONS with a DLA ATG Installation Policy Memo, dated 17 December 2019, standardizing DoD-wide ATG systems requiring all small tanks with a capacity less than 30,000 gallons to be equipped with Veeder Root ATG probes and TLS-350+ or TLS-450+ monitoring console. No other system will adhere to DLA's policy memo. Veeder Root ATG systems are utilized on bulk fuel storage tanks across the installation, United States Air Force, and DLA. As a USAF standard, fuels operators, maintainers and service contract technicians are trained and certified on Veeder Root ATG systems. Using an alternate gauge system would incur significant cost, time to retrain the users and maintainers and a waiver to the existing policy. Additional system components would also have to be acquired to maintain sustainability of tank gauge systems as components from different manufactures are not interchangeable.

V. Description of 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

FAR 5.202 applies.

A synopsis will be posted on SAM.gov with supporting documentation of the requirement prior to posting the Invitation for Bid (IFB) on Sam.gov.

VI. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The contracting officer shall make a contract award to that responsible bidder whose bid, conforming to the invitation, will be most advantageous to the Government, considering only price and the price-related factors included in the invitation.

Award shall not be made until all required approvals have been obtained and the award otherwise conforms with FAR 14.103-2.

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VII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Market research was limited based on the policy. While there are other gauges on the market, none of the alternative products meet the need of the mandatory DLA policy. Many vendors were found that are able to provide the required gauges.

VIII. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

N/A

IX. List of any sources that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

None

X. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required.

The 673 Civil Engineer Squadron does not plan to acquire any alternative system. The mandatory DLA policy states Veeder Root ATG probes and monitoring consoles are the only brand name authorized for use on DoD installations. Until another product is authorized very little can be done to remove barriers to competition on subsequent acquisitions.

XI. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

XII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my (our) signature(s) above, I (we) certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my (our) responsibility, is both accurate and complete.

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Specific Guidance for Completing this Template

I. Agency and Contracting Activity. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(1))

Self-explanatory

II. Nature and description of the action being processed. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(2))

An individual J&A is for a single contract. State whether the action is a new contract or a modification to an existing contract (identify contract number) and identify the contract type(s) planned (e.g., firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee). If exception 2 is cited (unusual or compelling urgency), include the date of UCA/contract/modification issuance and amount.

An individual J&A cannot be used to support more than one contract action irrespective of the quantities or the dollar value stated therein. If a proposed contract will contain unpriced options (including NTE prices), those options must be supported by a separate J&A prior to option exercise. Stoehner Security Services, Inc., 248077.3, Oct. 27, 1992, 92-2 CPD ¶ 286 at 6. This principle applies with equal force and effect whenever a contracting officer seeks to exercise FAR 52.217-8 (Option to Extend Services) if the contract that incorporated that clause by reference is not a Service Contract Labor Standards-covered contract, as such contracts do not include wage determinations that establish “prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor.” FAR 52.217-8. See Major Contracting Services, Inc., B-401472, Sep. 14, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 170 at 6, mot. for reconsid. den., Department of the Army --Reconsideration, B-401472.2, Dec. 7. 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 250 at 5-6. In the alternative, the J&A supporting the basic contract must be a Class J&A.

Although a Class J&A may be written for multiple awards to a single source, or multiple awards to various sources, it must describe each proposed contract action separately so it is clear that each such action is within scope of that Class J&A. FAR 6.303-1(d).

III. Description of the supplies/services required to meet agency needs. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(3))

Describe the supplies, services, or supplies and services to be acquired. Identify the quantities of each item, the estimated delivery dates/periods of performance, the type of appropriation(s) that will acquire those supplies/services, the total estimated value of the acquisition (including options), and the methodology used to arrive at that total estimated value. Provide sufficient information to demonstrate to the approving official that the acquisition of intellectual property (IP) and associated IP rights will satisfy the program's requirements, acquisition strategy, life cycle sustainment plan, systems engineering plan, and test and evaluation master plan.

The program's requirements for IP and IP rights in the Request for Proposals (RFP) must be consistent with the program's acquisition strategy, life cycle sustainment plan, systems engineering plan, and test and evaluation master plan. Accordingly, approving officials will ensure this section of the J&A:

(1) States whether the CLIN structure will include separately-priced CLINs for intellectual property (IP) and IP rights. Once the DFARS is revised to implement 10 U.S.C. § 4236, Air Force contracting officers will be required to negotiate a fair and reasonable price for IP and associated IP rights. Air Force contracting officers must start thinking now how they will do so during sole-source and competitive negotiations and how the resulting contract will reflect the results of those negotiations. Otherwise, they may be caught flat-footed if the RFP did not include such separately-priced CLINs and the Director of Defense Pricing and Contracting issues the final rule implementing 10 U.S.C. § 4236 --the effective date of which occurs one day prior to the award date. See also FAR 7.105(b)(14)(iii) and DFARS 215.470(a);

(2) Lists the titles of all such IP (including digital models) to be to be acquired contained in Exhibits A-N of the draft Request for Proposals; and

(3) Identifies the type of IP rights to be acquired to those deliverables (including the IP rights to be acquired to contract administration information since the standard DFARS clauses do not grant the Air Force any license rights to that type of IP).

Mission-focused business leaders are encouraged to engage early in the acquisition life-cycle with industry regarding the subjects of IP and IP rights. They are also encouraged to consult with approving officials, designees, or both, regarding those subjects well in advance of submitting a draft J&A to the appropriate approving official.

For Class J&As, identify each contract action (contract, modification) to be authorized by the proposed J&A for each potential offeror. If the same information applies to more than one contract, it need only be stated once.

For ID/IQ or requirements contracts, use the maximum dollar value of the total estimated orders as the total estimated value of the

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VI. Determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(7))

Include the following text, suitably tailored: “Based upon (1) certified cost or pricing data provided in the offeror's proposal, (2) the program office's technical analysis of the offeror's Basis of Estimates (BOE), and (3) inputs from the Defense Contract Management Agency, including from the Administrative Contracting Officer, the contracting officer expects they will be able to determine that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.”

VII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or explain why market research was not conducted. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(8))

Discuss any market research conducted pursuant to FAR Part 10 (in addition to any actions described in Section VI above) and describe the results of that research. When other exceptions from the requirement to obtain full and open competition are relied upon, the market research might be limited to an examination of the acquisition history and experience with the marketplace under previous acquisitions for the same or similar items. Discuss what relevant documentation the contracting officer provided to respondents in a bidders library (e.g., capability development document, system engineering plan, system requirements document, statement of work/ performance work statement, technical data package, compliance documents). Discuss how the contracting officer shared the Government's analysis of each respondent's response with that respondent.

If market research was not conducted, so state and provide the rationale.

VIII. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(9)(i))

Provide any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition, including an explanation of why technical data packages, specifications, engineering descriptions, statements of work, or purchase descriptions suitable for full and open competition have not been developed or are not available. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(9)(i)).

IX. List of sources, if any, that expressed interest in the acquisition. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(10))

If all interested sources are identified in Section V, it is acceptable to state, “See Section V above.”

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

Describe any actions taken or to be taken to foster competition for future acquisitions of the supplies or services being acquired.

Describe potential actions the program office will take to remove existing barriers to competition identified in the justification and include a milestone schedule for accomplishing those actions. For example, if the barrier to competing acquisition of the supplies and services described in Section III is the lack of IP deliverables or sufficient IP rights to those deliverables, identify and analyze what possible steps could be taken to:

(a) Acquire those IP deliverables and associated IP rights,

(b) Implement a modular open system approach consistent with the program's capability development document, acquisition strategy, and system engineering plan (10 U.S.C. §§ 4401-4403), or

(c) Reverse engineer subsystems or components of the end items described in Section III.

IAW DFARS PGI 206.304(a)(S-70)(ii), for a non-competitive follow-on acquisition to a previous award for the same supply or service supported by a J&A citing the authority at FAR 6.302-1, include a copy of the previous J&A and include a discussion of the actions planned to overcome barriers to competition established in the previous justification, the status of those actions, and the results of those actions. The approval authority shall determine whether the planned actions were completed. If the planned actions were not completed, the justification for the follow-on acquisition shall be approved by the approval authority one-level above the approval authority for the previous justification. If the Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) approved the previous justification, the approval remains at the SPE level.

XI. Certification by the Contracting Officer. (FAR 6.303-2(b)(12))

As evidenced by their signature, the contracting officer certifies that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of their

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XII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel. (FAR 6.303-2(c))

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