JA20-118 SATCOM SBS0023_JandA_FINAL_Redacted.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND

OPEN COMPETITION (OTFAOC)

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6 Justification & Approval (J&A), Supporting Procurements under FAR Part 12, and FAR Part 15

Purchase Request Number: SBS0023 Contract Number: To be determined Procurement Title: E-4B High Capacity Crossover (HCX) Broadband Aero Mobile Satellite Communication (SATCOM) Service Estimated Value:

Statutory Authority: 10 United States Code (U.S.C) 2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (OTFAOC)

Justification for OTFAOC Number: JA20-118

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as Senior Procurement Executive, hereby approve the use of other than full and open competition of the proposed contractual action pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (1) and FAR 6.302-1/Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) 206.302-1.

1. REQUIRING AGENCY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE:

(a) Requiring Agency:

Headquarters United States Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office P.O. Box 549 Ft. Meade, MD 20755-0549 on behalf of United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) 965 Twining Dr., Bldg. 4565, Barksdale AFB, LA 71110

(b) Contracting Activity:

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO)/PL8221 2300 East Drive, Building 3600 Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225

2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S): This acquisition is for the award of a follow-on sole source, firm fixed price (FFP) contract. Fiscal year (FY) 2021 operations and maintenance funds will be provided using a Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request. AFGSC’s mission needs for satellite communications on E-4B aircraft has been provided for the past two years through the Boeing Broadband Satellite Network (BBSN). This requirement is to provide continued satellite communications service with the same HCX commercial wideband capability.

SBS0023 – E-4B HCX Broadband Aero Mobile SATCOM Service – JA20-118

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Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, 10 U.S.C. §2304(c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1/DFARS 206.302-1.

5. DEMONSTRATION OF CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS:

(a) Description of events:

AFGSC was provided services via BBSN through October 1, 2018. Due to Boeing HCX commercial wideband being the only technical solution providing proprietary beam steering fielded at the time, AFGSC continued services with Boeing HCX after BBSN’s end of life in October 2018 via task order FA8134-19-F-0001, Task Order Number: ST 44035. AFGSC seeks the same level of service with minimal required installation upgrades and zero aircraft downtime. Currently, Boeing is the only contractor capable of providing the required secure commanding capability to track single aircraft utilizing proprietary beam steering with the ThinKom antenna and WPM-1000 modem installed on the E-4B aircraft. E-4B is currently only capable of Ka-band spectrum and will not work with Ku-band services. E-4B HCX service requires Military Ka-band High Capacity spot beams (steerable) and associated satellite access stations, terrestrial connectivity for user traffic, secure beams steering capability, remote monitoring capability via Remote Monitoring and Assessment Tools, technical support and 24/7/365 Network Operations Center support. Additionally, Boeing is currently the only provider capable of meeting E- 4B aircraft highest possible data rate (approximately 90 Mbps) consistent with Government owned terminal performance when aircraft are at or above 10,000 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) and aircraft antenna elevation angles are greater than or equal to 20 degrees and provides global coverage from 60 degrees North to 60 degrees South latitude with an existing Supplemental Type Certification (Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification) on E-4B aircraft.

(b) Justification.

(1) Minimum Government requirements. E-4B requires highest possible data rate (approximately 90 Mbps) consistent with performance limitations of the Government owned equipment currently on board the aircraft, with worldwide HCX coverage through a present ThinkKom antenna with an existing Supplemental Type Certification (FAA certification) on E-4B aircraft.

(2) Proposed sole source contractor.

The proposed contractor for this effort is Boeing Defense, Space & Security, 929 Long Bridge Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.

(3) Discussion regarding cause of the sole source situation.

The AFGSC’s E-4B aircraft utilizes the ThinKom antenna with the WPM-1000 modem which were installed in September 2018. AFGSC performed necessary market research to utilize the most cost effective communication solution available, as shown in E-4B CWS HCX Talking Paper dated March 22, 2018. Currently, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is the only contractor capable of meeting AFGSC’s requirement without additional hardware modification or replacement. Boeing is the only provider that has demonstrated a capability of providing secure beam steering

Page 4 of 6 Pages capability with data rates of approximately 90 Mbps when aircraft are at or above 10,000 feet AGL and the antenna elevation angles are greater than or equal to 20 degrees. These conditions will provide global coverage from 60 degrees North to 60 degrees South latitude on existing Supplemental Type Certification (FAA certification) on E-4B aircraft. To pursue other satellite service providers for this effort would require replacement of all existing E-4B suites to become compatible with other vendor’s services, which would represent substantial cost that the Government could not expect to recover through competition. To replace existing equipment suites on E-4B aircraft would also present aircraft downtime for installation and testing that would represent unacceptable delays and impose operational risks to the AFGSC mission.

(4) Impact.

If Boeing HCX services are not procured, secure beam commanding/steering would not be available to the senior leaders on the E-4B aircraft. Alternative, but less secure and operationally flexible, solutions would result in a substantial hardware cost duplication of $75 million for the entire E-4B fleet, which would not be recouped through competition. In addition, each aircraft would be unavailable for 75 days or longer to retrofit each aircraft with new equipment suites to support alternative commercial SATCOM options, resulting in unacceptable mission delays.

6. FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES (FEDBIZOPPS)

ANNOUNCEMENT/POTENTIAL SOURCES:

A synopsis for this action will be published on the FBO website, as required by FAR 5.201.

7. DETERMINATION OF FAIR AND REASONABLE COST:

With the assistance of a Cost and Price Analyst, the contracting officer (KO) will determine Boeing’s proposed price fair and reasonable before award. Other than certified cost and pricing data will be requested from the contractor at the time of solicitation. Evaluation of the supporting price documentation will be analyzed, and contractor-proposed pricing will be compared to the independent Government cost estimate, commercial price lists or catalogs, and other contracts for similar services. Based on this analysis, the KO will determine whether the negotiated price is fair and reasonable.

8. MARKET RESEARCH:

Market research has been conducted to determine contractors capable of meeting the Government’s need. Results clearly demonstrate that Boeing is the only contractor capable of providing the required services to satisfy this requirement. A Sources Sought announcement was issued on November 1, 2019 with responses received from Boeing and L3Harris. After review, it was determined that only Boeing’s response met the requirements for secure commanding capability and does not require modifications or replacement of the already installed ThinKom antenna and WPM-1000 modem.

Review of L3Harris’s response resulted in a determination that their solution does not meet the Government’s minimum needs. The stated solution not only uses Boeing proprietary beam steering capabilities, but also uses a different modem resulting in increased costs and unacceptable E-4B fleet and aircraft down-time.

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Boeing clearly articulated that it was the only contractor offering the widely known proprietary HCX service with utilization of the current equipment suite on the E-4B fleet. The Government will continue, throughout the duration of the contract, to investigate the use of non-proprietary services in the AFGSC architecture.

Also, a complete review of the entire General Services Administration price listing for contract vehicles 132-54 and 132-55 completed in November of 2019 demonstrated that no other contractors offered this service.

9. ANY OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS:

Not applicable.

10. LISTING OF INTERESTED SOURCES:

Boeing and L3Harris expressed interest in the procurement; however only Boeing is capable of providing this service. As stated in paragraph 6 above, a synopsis will be published on the FedBizOpps website, as required by FAR 5.201.

11. ACTIONS THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS

THAT LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

(a) Procurement History.

(1) BBSN E-4B CLS ST (FA8134-19-F-0001). Task Order Number: ST 44035, Period of

Performance: October 1, 2018 – March 31, 2021

(2) The previous contract was a FFP sole source contract to Boeing.

AFGSC will continue to conduct market research for alternative airborne communications on the move solutions to meet their requirements. Market research will be conducted prior to exercising option period(s) for this contract, and the results of this market research will be presented to the KO to determine if exercising the option period is in the best interest of the Government. Additionally, AFGSC will continue to evaluate and research alternatives to secure beam steering capabilities that allow for single aircraft beam steering utilization. While Boeing is the only vendor who offers this capability currently, market research for this requirement has presented possible future alternatives in both hardware and service support through standard maintenance cycles and upgrades to aircraft. AFGSC will continue to look for other contractors who can provide secure beam steering capability.

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TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the J&A are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: Steven A. Strain SIGNATURE:

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Col, USAF/ Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)

PHONE: 318-456-8279 DATE:

REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the J&A are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: Dung T. Le SIGNATURE:

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Lt. Col., USAF/ AFNC3 Programs & Requirements Division

PHONE: (318) 456 - 1101 DATE:

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: Jarid Schulte SIGNATURE:

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: DISA DITCO/PL8221

PHONE: 618-418-6567 DATE:

SENIOR PROCUREMENT EXECUTIVE APPROVAL: I have reviewed this justification and find it to be accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. Since this justification for OTFAOC exceeds $93M, this review serves as approval.

NAME: SIGNATURE:

TITLE/ORGANIZATION:

PHONE: DATE:

ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS JUSTIFICATION ARE TO BE REFERRED TO

LACEY ARENTSEN, 618-418-6618, LACEY.ARENTSEN.CIV@MAIL.MIL, AND JARID

SCHULTE, 618-418-6567, JARID.L.SCHULTE.CIV@MAIL.MIL.