JA_AMO Sensors Tech Services_Redacted.pdf

Justification & Approval for Other Than Full and Open Competition Template v3.9 (Feb 2026)

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.103 (FAR Class Deviation 25-111) and in accordance with the requirements of RFO 6.104, the justification for the use of the statutory authority under RFO 6.103 is justified by the following facts and rationale required under RFO 6.104-1 as follows:

1. Agency and Contracting Activity.

Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition, proposes this Justification and Approval to award a hybrid contract with Scientific Research Corporation (SRC) for the acquisition of aircraft systems technical services for Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircraft on a basis of other than full and open competition.

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action being Approved.

(a) Nature of action.

CBP intends to procure, on a sole source basis, technical support services for sustainment, maintenance, upgrade, modification, and intermediate and/or depot level repair of AMO sensors, mission systems, and communication systems for multiple aircraft platforms.

(b) Name and address of the contractor.

Scientific Research Corporation (SRC) 2300 Windy Ridge Parkway Suite 400 South Atlanta, GA 30339

(c) Contract type:

Hybrid consisting of Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Time and Materials (T&M)

(d) Estimated total value (including options).

Period Total Base Sep 23, 2026 Sep 22, 2027 Option 1 Sep 23, 2027 Sep 22, 2028

1 In this document, citations to RFO Parts 6, 10, 15, 25 are citations specifically to FAR Class Deviation 25-11 for FAR Part 6, FAR Class Deviation 25-06 for FAR Part 10, FAR Class Deviation 26-08 R1 for FAR Part 15, and FAR Class Deviation 26-09 R1 for FAR Part 25, which were issued as part of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), implemented in response to Executive Order 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement, signed April 15, 2025.

Option 2 Sep 23, 2028 Sep 22, 2029 Option 3 Sep 23, 2029 Sep 22, 2030 Option 4 Sep 23, 2030 Sep 22, 2031 Total $26,849,624.40

Note: If the products or services under the justification were previously awarded under another contract, also provide the period of performance end date for that contract(s).

The services that are the subject matter of this Justification and Approval were previously awarded under the following contracts:

HSBP1014F00119: 06/01/2014 – 06/30/2016*

HSBP1016F00379: 09/26/2016 – 09/22/2021

70B02C21F00001249: 09/23/2021 – 09/22/2026

*There was a lapse in services while HSBP1016F00379 was being awarded.

(e) Type of funding.

Operations and Support (O&S) funds

(f) Year of funding

Fiscal Year 2026

(g) Solicitation number: TBD

(h) Background information about the requirement: Air and Marine Operations (AMO) currently operate multiple aircraft platforms with various sensors, communication systems, and mission systems. Technical support services are required for sustainment, maintenance, upgrade, modification, and intermediate and/or depot-level repair for these aircraft systems to meet AMO mission requirements.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

The services include sustainment, maintenance, upgrade, modification, intermediate and/or depot level repair and installation services of the following systems:

(a) SeaVue Radar

(b) APG-66(V)5 Radar

(c) MINOTAUR Mission System

(d) Navigational System Interface Unit (NSIU) computers

(e) Ocean Surveillance Initiative (OSI) computer variants

(f) Situational Awareness Display System (SADS) computers

(g) TPX-54 IFF

(h) HF-9000 radios

(i) Ancillary Systems and components

These aircraft sensors and systems support AMO’s core competencies of interdiction, investigation, domain awareness, contingency operations, and national tasking. SRC is the only vendor that can provide the required services.

4. Identification of Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open

Competition.

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C.

3304(a)(1) implemented by the RFO Subpart 6.103-1 entitled “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.”

5. Demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited

Details on the specific requirements;

The specific requirements of the proposed acquisition are to procure technical support services necessary for sustainment, maintenance, upgrade, modification, and intermediate and/or depot-level repair for various aircraft sensors and systems, including: Seavue Radar, APG-66(V)5, Minotaur Mission System, TPX-54 IFF, NSIU computers, OSI computer variants, SADS computers, and ancillary systems.

These sensors and systems are key enablers for the missions that CBP’s P-3 Orion, De Havilland Canada DHC-8, General Atomics MQ-9, and Beechcraft 200 LR Multi-role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) perform. To conduct the missions, operators receive inputs from radar, infrared optics and cameras, long distance electro-optical systems and selected communications equipment. These sensors must be maintained in a constant state of readiness, repairs must be performed at both the organizational level and the depot-level, and sometimes upgrades and modifications are required to meet operational needs.

o Information on why only one contractor is capable of fulfilling the requirements;

This requirement has been competitively solicited three times, the last time being in July 2021 with only one bid received from SRC. Furthermore, Market research conducted throughout 2025 also indicated that SRC was the only interested vendor.

AMO and Procurement surveyed the marketplace in May 2026 for other potential vendors and contracts; however, none were identified.

o SRC has identified both technical and cost-effective solutions to preserve the life of these sensors and systems on behalf of the government. SRC can maintain all radar, mission computers, and sensors, including equipment that is no longer supported by the Original Equipment Manufacturer(s) (OEMs). They have been successfully performing this effort for over 10 years.

o Why other proposed contractors are unable to meet the requirements;

(b) If an announcement is being planned for posting in SAM.gov, provide the estimated date of publication;

Not applicable.

(c) If an announcement will not be published, identify the applicable exception under FAR Part 5.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable.

The contracting officer determines that the anticipated price(s) will be fair and reasonable based on substantial prior acquisition history and comparison of proposed price to the government cost estimate.

8. Description of Market Research. Market research is required by RFO Part 10, and the results of the market research should be summarized here. Include the following information:

(a) Describe the market research techniques utilized, the specific results of the market research, the date when the market research was conducted, and how the market research was used by the contracting officer to determine price reasonableness.

From January 2025 through May 2026, AMO and the Office of Procurement have conducted various market research. In November and December 2025, various contract vehicles were reviewed:

DHS Strategic Sourcing TACCOM; however, TACCOM is not appropriate as it does not pertain to engineering services for aircraft components.

GWAC - GSA OASIS +; The previous two orders were issued under OASIS as unrestricted; however, the results were limited to only one bid, SRC.

Full and open competition; however, as discovered through the issuance of a Request for Information (RFI) in late January 2025 on SAM.gov, only one interested party submitted a response, SRC. The RFI concluded that SRC is a capable vendor and they can and currently perform all tasks as requested in the announcement.

The program office and Contracting Officer in April – May 2026 provided an updated market research report; however, the landscape of potential offerors and contract vehicles remain unchanged. A review of contract vehicles was conducted and only OASIS + was a potential resource; however, based on the procurement history, again, only one bid was received from SRC.

Furthermore, no vendors provided a response or interest after the release of both the APFS and pre-solicitation notice.

Based on RFI results, only one responsible source is available to fulfill the requirement.

This confirms three prior competitive contracts for the same requirement awarded to the same offeror. As such, the contracting officer will determine fair and reasonable price based on substantial prior acquisition history and the government cost estimate.

(b) Describe the market research results that support the determination that the items are nonavailable (Section is required to be completed when the J&A includes the exception listed under RFO 25.103(b)(2) or RFO 25.202(a)(2)).

(c) If market research was not conducted, a reason for its absence must be cited here.

(d) If patents, copyrights, and/or intellectual property are applicable to the acquisition, describe the circumstances for acquiring a patented or copyrighted product on the representation of the intellectual property holder that has not been licensed for resale.

Not applicable

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

(a) An explanation why technical data packages, specifications, statement of work, or purchase descriptions are not suitable for full and open competition.

Technical data packages, specifications, statements of work, or purchase descriptions are not suitable for full and open competition because, despite the systems not being proprietary to SRC and SRC not being the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), SRC is the only vendor with the demonstrated capability, experience, and resources required to meet the operational requirements.

(b) Discuss why your requirement cannot be modified to enhance competition.

This requirement cannot be modified to enhance competition because the specialized sustainment, maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and modifications for the critical sensors and systems demand unique technical expertise, experience, and resources that only SRC possesses. Efforts to broaden the requirement or adjust specifications have not resulted in qualified responses from other vendors. Any further modification would risk compromising system performance, reliability, and mission readiness, and would not address the fundamental lack of capable vendors. Therefore, modifying the requirement would not enhance competition and could jeopardize CBP/AMO’s operational effectiveness.

(c) For a proposed contract subject to the restrictions of RFO 6.103-1 for follow-on acquisitions as described in 6.103-1(c)(2)(i), all Components must provide an estimate of the cost to the Government that would be duplicated and detailed information on how the estimate was derived.

(d) For a proposed contract subject to the restrictions of RFO 6.103-2(c) or HSAR 3006.103-

2(c)(70) (HSAR Class Deviation 25-01) and where RFO 6.103-2 is cited as the authority, describe the exceptional circumstances allowing for an award for a period of performance in excess of the one-year limitation (applicable to all federal agencies) or the DHS-specific statutory 150-day limitation.

10. A Listing of the Sources, if Any That Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the

Acquisition.

An RFI was issued in SAM.gov on January 28, 2025, requesting that potential offerors express their interest in writing to the contracting officer. Only Scientific Research Corporation responded.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if Any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome Any Barriers to Competition Before Any Subsequent Acquisition for Supplies or Services Required. Include a statement of actions taken or that will be taken to increase competition for future acquisitions of the same item/service. Include information such as:

(a) Will the Government revise overly technical specifications, acquire data rights, etc.?

CBP will continue to monitor the marketplace over the period of performance of this requirement for emerging capable vendors. The Government does not intend to revise specifications or acquire data rights. However, if sensors and systems are replaced with newer sensors and systems, the potential exists for future competition to support.

(b) When a J&A is issued for the purposes of acquiring goods or services while a competitive procurement is being conducted, the justification should include a detailed timeline for completion of the competitive procurement. The period of performance for the sole source action should fairly balance the time needed to complete the competitive procurement. The focus should be on minimizing the need for additional sole source awards.

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12. Contracting Officer’s Certification. I certify that the data supporting the recommended use of other than full and open competition is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer Date

13. Technical/Requirements Personnel Certification. I certify this requirement meets the

Government’s minimum need and that the supporting data, which forms a basis for this justification, is complete and accurate.

Technical Representative Date

APPROVAL:

Contracting Officer Date

Note: The Contracting Officer is the final approving official when the action does not exceed $900K.

Procuring Activity Advocate for Competition Date

Note: The Procuring Activity Advocate for Competition (PAAC) is the final approving official when the action exceeds $900K but is less than or equal to $20M.

Approval by the PAAC is not required if the J&A is reviewed and approved by an official designated by the Component who is a member of the armed services at the general or flag officer level or a civilian in a grade above the GS-15 (or equivalent) level. However, this exception does not apply to justifications citing that cite RFO 6.103-2 Unusual and Compelling Urgency as the authority.

Head of Contracting Activity Date

Note: The HCA is the approving official when the action exceeds $20M but is less than or equal to $90M (less than or equal to $150M for USCG). The HCA is not required to approve the justification if the Component PAAC is a member of the armed services at the general or flag officer level or is a civilian in a grade above the GS-15 (or equivalent) level. HCA may also delegate approval to a member of the armed services at the general or flag officer level or a civilian in a grade above the GS-15 or equivalent level. However, this exception does not apply to justifications that cite RFO 6.103-2 Unusual and Compelling Urgency as the authority per HSAR 3006.104-270 (HSAR Class Deviation 25-01).