JA25-015 GW DISN IP SATCOM JA Bridge Final_Redacted.pdf

CUI

Controlled By: DISA Controlled By: PSD/PS8313 CUI Category: SSEL, PROCURE Distribution/Dissemination Control: FEDCON POC: Erica J. Ackeret, disa.scott.ditco.mbx.it-requirements@mail.mil

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL (J&A) FOR FEDERAL ACQUISITION

REGULATION (FAR) SUBPART 16.5 ACQUISITIONS

EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Multiple Award Schedule/Multiple Award Contract (MAC) Orders under MAC/ Fair Opportunity – FAR 16.505(b), Department of Defense FAR

Supplement (DFARS) 216.505(b), Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) 216.505(b)

Purchase Request Number: HC1085450462 Contract Number: HC1028-18-D-0006 Task/Delivery Order Number: HC1028-20-F-6102 Procurement Title: Gateway Defense Information Service Network (DISN) / Internet Protocol (IP)

Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Integration and Engineering Support Estimated Value:

Statutory and Regulatory Authority: 10 U.S.C. 3204(a) and FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C)

Exception to Fair Opportunity Number: JA25-015

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as Procuring Authority Competition Advocate hereby approve this exception to fair opportunity pursuant to the authority of FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C).

1. REQUIRING AGENCY AND CONTRACTING ACTIVITY:

Requiring Agency: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Acquisition Directorate, Program Executive Office Transport (PEO Transport)/ Communications Gateway Division 6910 Cooper Ave Fort Meade, Maryland 20755

Contracting Activity:

DISA/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO)/PS8313 2300 East Drive, Building 3600 Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225

2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S): Due to PEO Transport restructuring efforts by senior leadership, a contract strategy was developed to better allow for an integrated approach and reduction of redundant services across the directorate by realigning requirements onto new contract vehicles for increased economy and efficiency. This revised contract strategy has resulted in a delay of requirements generation for affected contracts/orders and their follow-on efforts due to necessary scope determination analysis and development of possible new contracts. The proposed bridge contract action is to maintain current support for the Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering Support requirement to allow time to manage

JA25-015 Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering and complete the realignment of tasks into a new task order without a loss or delay of mission critical Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering Support ensuring continuity to DISA and the Department of Defense (DoD) community.

The current task order, HC1028-18-D-0006/HC1028-20-F-6102, supporting the Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering Support expires December 20, 2024. The projected Period of Performance (PoP) for the bridge is seven months (December 21, 2024 - July 20, 2025). The total estimated lifecycle value of the Firm Fixed Price (FFP) with Cost Reimbursable (CR) travel bridge will be ( in labor, in other direct costs/travel, and in surge support) and will utilize Fiscal Years 2024 Procurement funds and 2025 Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funds. The modification will increase the current task order lifecycle value from $45,147,331 to .

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES: This action is for the procurement of critical engineering, cybersecurity, integration, and Tier-III support for the SATCOM Gateway Program, which provides tactical users transport and access to the DISN services in a seamless, interoperable, and economical manner. Engineering support embodies system and subsystem interoperability and consists of system design, integration, testing and evaluation, cybersecurity, operations, and Tier-III support for multiple SATCOM subsystems including Teleport, Global Broadcast System (GBS), Digital Video Broadcast Return Channel Satellite (DVB-RCS), Gateway Video Reception and Distribution System (GVRDS), Satellite Star, and Survivable Super High Frequency subsystems.

This bridge ensures continuity of services and support to allow time to manage and complete the realignment of tasks into a new PEO Transport task order without a loss or delay of support. The Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering Support task order sustains current SATCOM Gateway and Teleport capabilities and enhances those capabilities as warfighter information technology needs advance. A loss of Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering support will have grave impact to Operation and Maintenance commands’ ability to access Tier-III, technical, cybersecurity, and logistics support, no remediation of Cybersecurity/Information Assurance vulnerabilities, system accreditation, tech refresh of obsolete or end-of-life products, and loss of Tier-III support to DISA Global’s Enterprise SATCOM Gateway Services for any remote management and control of the SATCOM Gateway and Teleport systems. Operationally, a loss of Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering support could impact Senior Leader, Combatant Commands, and service users of the SATCOM Gateway capabilities due to service disruptions and outages, impacting presidential communications, national command authority, and most importantly, thousands of warfighters deployed in combat, peacetime, and humanitarian operations. Due to the breadth and depth of the requirements, no alternate contractor can develop the work force necessary to replace the current support team and achieve an initial satisfactory level of support without risk of negative impact to economy and efficiency.

4. SUPPORTING RATIONALE, INCLUDING A DEMONSTRATION THAT THE

PROPOSED CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE OF THE

ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY:

(a) Exception to Fair Opportunity. In accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C), the order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency because it is a logical follow-on to an order already issued under the ENCORE III Full and Open Suite, a multiple-award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract vehicle.

(b) Justification.

(1) Description of the Justification and discussion regarding cause of the sole source situation.

The justification is to provide continuity of services as well as prevent a lapse in services until award of a new competitive follow-on task order is awarded. The new task order will not be awarded before the FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, ends December 20, 2024. Efforts are currently ongoing to pursue a new competitive task order. Relevant task areas from this requirement are anticipated to move to the new requirement listed below:

Satellite Communications Engineering Support (SCES): This new requirement will provide engineering and test support services to PEO Transport for SATCOM teleport capabilities, systems engineering, architecture and standardization efforts, data transport, and Airborne Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance data transport and dissemination. Combined, these capabilities provide critical support to the warfighter by enhancing joint forces interoperability through secured access to voice, video, data, and transport services. PEO Transport responds to the warfighter's direct SATCOM needs and provides flexible integration points throughout all phases of conflict.

Projected award date: June 5, 2025 (performance starting June 15, 2025) Anticipated contract strategy: SETI Full and Open Suite Anticipated PoP: One-year base period, with four, one-year option periods Estimated task order value:

Funding type: O&M, Procurement, and Research Development Testing & Evaluation

The PoP being requested for the bridge requirement provides for up to seven months of additional support, which will allow adequate time for the award of the new task order and transition efforts to the new contractor. Failure to maintain the contractor support currently provided by Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) until the new task order is awarded will result in a loss of continuity of services and will be detrimental as it will negatively impact mission-critical functionality and services provided to DISA. BAH understands the requirements and currently possesses the requisite expertise and relevant experience to continue performance. A gap in the critical Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering Support that BAH currently provides is unacceptable as it will result in the loss of critical support of national defense and priority missions.

(2) Minimum Government requirements.

The contractor will provide Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering support at its current level of effort in order to support DISA and the DoD community starting December 21, 2024, immediately following the current PoP end date. DISA and its mission partners depend on the Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and

Engineering support to provide deployed forces with increased satellite telecommunications for multi-band and multimedia connectivity from locations throughout the world to online DISN service delivery nodes, GBS service, DVB-RCS service, GVRDS service, and legacy tactical command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems. Due to the breadth and depth of the requirements and the clearance required to support requirements, no alternate contractor can develop the work force necessary to replace the current support team and achieve an initial satisfactory level of support expeditiously before the expiration of the current Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering task order.

(3) Proposed sole source contractor and demonstration of unique source.

BAH, the incumbent on the existing task order, is the only source that can continue to fulfill this requirement within the time frame of the existing task order and without risk of a substantial break in service/support to DISA and its mission partners. BAH is uniquely postured to support the current Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering task order without a loss of time and work stoppage starting December 20, 2024. BAH understands the requirements and currently possess the requisite expertise and relevant experience. BAH currently performs support to provide tactical users access to the DISN services in a seamless, interoperable, and economical manner anywhere in the world between latitudes 65 degrees north and south. The support requires meticulous and highly technical skillsets which are not readily available in the marketplace in the timeframe necessary. Any other contractor would, at a minimum, require in-depth knowledge of SATCOM Gateway architecture design, sustainment, and upgrade recommendations, as well as tactical relay suites and how they are integrated into the gateway structure. This is in addition to recruiting personnel with specialized qualifications and training, working clearances for contractor personnel operating in a Government Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, and completing the lengthy onboarding process necessary to support the effort before technical support services could continue. This would cause unacceptable delays to the continued support efforts negatively impacting economy and efficiency.

(4) Procurement discussion.

Relevant task areas from this requirement are anticipated to move to the new SCES requirement, which is anticipated to be solicited on a competitive basis under the SETI Full and Open Suite. The anticipated award date is June 5, 2025, and will require a 30-day transition.

(5) Impact.

Failure to maintain the contractor support continuity provided by BAH until the previously discussed actions can be awarded and transitioned will result in a loss of continuity of services and cause detrimental effects as it will negatively impact mission-critical functionality and services to military operations. Specifically, this could result in mission failure and unnecessarily endanger lives. The current contractor provides highly specialized and critical support to DISA and DISA’s mission partners, and a gap in service would cause a decline in quality of services to DISA and its mission partners.

5. COST/PRICE FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION: Determination of fair and reasonable price for this extension modification will be based on the independent government cost estimate and comparison to the competitively awarded task order labor rates currently on contract/task order HC1028-18-D-0006/HC1028-20-F-6102. The contracting officer will determine if the ultimate price is fair and reasonable by comparing past rates and labor categories on this task order for current work and requirements of the performance work statement being performed. The final cost/price will be determined fair and reasonable upon completion of negotiations.

6. MARKET RESEARCH: BAH is the only contractor currently with the requisite knowledge and technical personnel capabilities to support the requirement in the timeframe necessary for uninterrupted support. Market research is being finalized for the new SCES requirement, which is anticipated to be solicited on a competitive basis under the SETI Full and Open Suite. However, it is not currently feasible to award a new task order prior to the expiration of the current task order. The Government has determined that the current level of support can only be provided by the incumbent. Therefore, BAH is the only source that can continue providing the necessary level of support without risk of a substantial break in support.

7. ANY OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS: None

8. ACTIONS THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS THAT

LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY:

(a) Procurement History

Contract/TO Number: HC1028-18-D-0006 / HC1028-20-F-6102 Brief Description: Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and

Engineering Support Contractor: BAH Business Type: Large Business Life Cycle Contract Value: $45,147,331 Bridge PoP (including all options and FAR 52.217-8):

December 20, 2019 - December 20, 2024

Contract Type: FFP and CR travel

Basis of Award: Competitively awarded as a task order amongst large businesses against the ENCORE III Full and Open Suite.

(b) The requirements covered under the Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and

Engineering Support task order were competitively awarded under the ENCORE III Full and Open Suite. Efforts are currently ongoing to pursue a new competitive task order that will encompass PEO Transport’s requirements, including tasks from the existing Gateway DISN IP SATCOM Integration and Engineering Support requirement.

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: SIGNATURE/DATE: See separate signature page

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Program Manager, PEO Transport

PHONE:

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: SIGNATURE/DATE: See separate signature page

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: Chief, PEO Transport Communications Gateway Division

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

NAME: Erica J. Ackeret SIGNATURE/DATE: See separate signature page

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: DISA/DITCO/PS8313

PROCURING ACTIVITY COMPETITION ADVOCATE (PACA) 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 does not exceed $15M, this review serves as approval and my written determination that the FAR circumstances apply.

NAME: Gay Arnold SIGNATURE/DATE: See separate signature page

TITLE/ORGANIZATION: PACA, DISA

ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS JUSTIFICATION ARE TO BE REFERRED TO

Erica J. Ackeret, , erica.j.ackeret.civ@mail.mil.

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