JA Unusual and Compelling Urgency TACKit_FINAL REDACTED.pdf

This is a Department of the Air Force Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (J&A) document approving a sole-source contract award to Baxter Aerospace for Tactical Airborne Communication Kits (TACKit) in support of Operation Epic Fury.

The contracting activity is the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), DAF PAE C3BM/C3K, with an acquisition value exceeding $10 million but less than $100 million. The justification cites 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(2), Unusual and Compelling Urgency, as the statutory authority for sole-source procurement. The USAF awarded an Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) to Baxter Aerospace on an individual basis due to urgent operational requirements, with the effort anticipated to be definitivized no later than a specified date (redacted). The UCA includes a firm fixed price (FFP) contract to manufacture and deliver TACKit systems and field service representatives (FSRs) required to support Operation Epic Fury. TACKit comprises multiple components and requires digital subscriptions for operation. Field service representatives will support operator familiarization, installation on aircraft, initial training, and sustainment for a period not to exceed a specified duration (redacted). The estimated value of the base effort is not anticipated to exceed a specified amount (redacted), with options to procure additional kits, anticipated for exercise as early as May 2026. Baxter Aerospace is identified as the sole qualified vendor capable of promptly manufacturing, delivering, and sustaining the TACKit systems due to prior development, testing, qualification, and installation experience under existing contracts. The rationale emphasizes that awarding to any other vendor would cause unacceptable delays in design rework and airworthiness milestones that Baxter has already accomplished. The contracting officer is responsible for determining fair and reasonable pricing in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 15.4.