JA DC3 SETA Bridge_Redacted2.pdf

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION March 2023 Page 2 of 5

I. Contracting Activity.

Air Force District of Washington (AFDW/PKA) Contracting Directorate 1500 W. Perimeter Dr, Ste 5750 Joint Base Andrews, MD 20762

Contracting Officer: -

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

The DoD Cyber Crime Center (DC3) is seeking to establish a Firm-Fixed-Price contract with a Period of Performance (PoP) of 6 May 2025 - 5 March 2026, plus FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services, for the Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) Support Services.

This will be a bridge contract for DC3. Over the past year, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and Secretary of the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management (SAF/CDM) mission owners collaborated to establish procurement and contract requirements for SETA support. DC3's requirements were initially excluded due to classification concerns in which SAF/CDM would provide contracting support. However, it was determined after-the-fact that DC3's requirements were unclassified, so contracting support shifted back to AFDW/PK. As a result, DC3 is currently experiencing a break in service. This bridge contract is necessary to allow DC3 to continue with SETA support until a competitive, follow-on acquisition is executed.

The current contract is supported by:

Contracting Office: GSA AAS (FEDSIM) Delivery Order: 47QFCA20F0054 PoP: 4 September 2020 - 5 March 2025 Contractor: Noblis, Inc.

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

DC3 requires SETA support to conduct system-wide testing and evaluations of current/legacy programs, applications, and new systems under development, and provide engineering support in connection with performing organizations developing new systems/ capabilities. The content of work continues to be in support of ongoing and future requirements within the Operations Enablement Directorate and the Enterprise Management & Resources Directorate.

DC3 needs specialized technical support to enhance its ability to investigate and prevent criminal and foreign malicious activity, as well as protect Department of the Air Force resources and personnel. The growing complexity of modern threats and rapid advancements in technology have created a pressing need for expert technical assistance to help DC3 achieve its mission. To address this need, DC3 requires a range of technical support services, including research, development, test & evaluation; program integration; strategy, budget and policy development or integration; systems engineering, technical advisory, as well as compliance and analysis support. These services will bolster investigative capabilities, improve operational efficiency, and enable the effective management and deployment of advanced technologies, ultimately allowing DC3 to support the Department of the Air Force's and Department of

Defense strategic objectives, including developing a more agile and responsive force, enhancing cybersecurity capabilities, and improving overall mission performance. Specifically, these services will

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION March 2023 Page 3 of 5 focus on cyber support and mission & enterprise management. Ultimately, this acquisition is crucial to ensuring DC3's success in executing its mission and supporting the Air Force as it evolves its ability to increase awareness, protect critical equities and project capabilities worldwide.

DC3 Cyber Support Task 1.1 - Engineering and Technical Analysis Support Task 1.2 - Process Improvement and Transition Planning Task 1.3 - Cyber Operations Analysis Task 1.4 - Developmental Technical Project Support (R&D) Task 1.5 - Technical Project Management

DC3 Mission & Enterprise Management Task 2.1 - Program Management & Mission Integration Task 2.2 - Enterprise Management Support

Given the rapid evolution of cyber threats and the necessity for continuous, real-time operational support, it is essential to secure Noblis, Inc., who has demonstrated extensive experience and qualifications in this field.

Appropriation: 3400 - Operations and Maintenance (O&M)

3600 - Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E)

Firm-Fixed-Price (All CLINS) Base PoP: 6 May 2025 - 5 March 2026 FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services: 6 March 2026 - 5 September 2026

PoP: 06 May 2025 - 05 March 2026 CLIN Description Qty/UOM Unit Price Extended Price 0001 Senior Manager Group 2 7 FTE/10M

0002 Senior Ops Research Analyst 3 FTE/10M

0003 Other Direct Cost (ODC) Tools NTE 1 Lot

0004 Other Direct Cost (ODC) Travel NTE 1 Lot

Total:

-8 PoP: 06 March 2026 - 05 September 2026 CLIN Description Qty/UOM Unit Price Extended Price 1001 Senior Manager Group 2 7 FTE/6M

1002 Senior Ops Research Analyst 3 FTE/6M

1003 Other Direct Cost (ODC) Tools NTE 1 Lot

1004 Other Direct Cost (ODC) Travel NTE 1 Lot

Total:

PoP Grand Total with Options

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION March 2023 Page 4 of 5

IV. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

AFFARS 5313.501 - 10 U.S.C. 3572, Implementation of Simplified Acquisition Procedures (41 U.S.C. 1901)

V. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above (applicability of authority).

DC3's SETA contract with GSA FEDSIM expired on 5 March 2025, so they're currently experiencing a break in service. Noblis, Inc., is the incumbent on the previous FEDSIM contract and is capable of providing continuation of services in accordance with the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

Noblis, Inc., possesses a unique blend of technical and operational expertise in cyber operations, counterintelligence, and law enforcement support, making it the only viable option without further disruption and delays. To avoid any further disruption in services, duplication of costs and unacceptable delays, it is crucial that the bridge contract is in place with the incumbent to mitigate any further program risks. Acquiring these services and managing all efforts for this requirement quickly becomes costly, time-consuming, and ineffective for the government if it were competed. It is estimated to take seven (7) months to find/hire other contractors with the requisite skill set.

Noblis, Inc., has already demonstrated the ability to perform these tasks at a dramatically reduced cost and management overhead. Additionally, Noblis, Inc., has been integrally involved in ongoing operations and investigations that require specialized knowledge and familiarity with current cases and programs (e.g. DC3's Sensor Program). Engaging a new contractor would result in significant delays and operational risks, as a new contractor would require time to develop the specialized knowledge of existing operations. A contractor unfamiliar with the intricacies of aforementioned programs will result in delays of 6-12 months as they attempt to reach the same level of operational effectiveness. This will disrupt the Department of the Air Force's and Department of Defense strategic objectives, including developing a more agile and responsive force, enhancing cybersecurity capabilities, and improving overall mission performance.

VI. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable.

Market research was conducted for the follow-on effort, which will be competitive. DC3 is currently experiencing a break in service due to initial classification concerns, but now that the follow-on acquisition is back on track, this bridge action is needed to avoid further disruption.

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

When determining fair and reasonable pricing the Contracting Officer may base the statement on comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases or a comparison with similar items in a related industry IAW FAR 13.106-3(a)(2)(ii) and (vi).

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

Prior to the acquisition shifting back to AFDW/PK for contracting support, SAF/CDM issued three (3) separate Requests For Information (RFI) via SAM.gov. The series of RFIs issued were intended to gain a better understanding of the number of potential offerors, assess potential offerors compliance with Organizational Conflicts of Interest, and determine the ability of potential offerors to support Law Enforcement/Counterintelligence/Counter Espionage activities performed at each organization. Four (4)