JOFOC 80MSFC23CA017-P00009.pdf

Rev.: 10/2025

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For SCALABLE SCIENCE DATA EXPLORATION

80MSFC23CA017

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.104-1(a)(1) – Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Justification for other than full and open competition.”

This document is a justification for other than full and open competition prepared by

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) /George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

The procuring agency is NASA, and the contracting activity is MSFC.

2. FAR 6.104-1(a)(2) – The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification supports the award of a sole-source extension to Contract 80MSFC23CA017 with Element 84 to continue performance under the Scalable Science Data Exploration effort. The extension will add three months to the current period of performance, establishing a new end date of June 30, 2026, with an additional one-month option period through July 31, 2026, if required.

3. FAR 6.104-1(a)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

NASA/MSFC requires continued development of tools, services, and platforms for scalable visualization, exploration, and analysis of Earth science data in a commercial cloud environment. The effort focuses on evolving current capabilities to enable interactive visualization and exploration of large datasets through innovative, cloud-native solutions.

The contractor shall:

Develop open-source tools for ingesting and cataloging selected science datasets into the cloud.

Develop cloud-native services for indexing and dynamic scaling based on demand.

Develop cloud-native search, discovery, and distribution services to deliver Earth observation data for visualization and geospatial analysis.

These capabilities directly support NASA’s Earth Science Division within the Science Mission Directorate and are essential for meeting mission objectives

The estimated period of performance associated with this action is April 1, 2026 through July 31, 2026 for the 3-month extension plus the 1-month option period. The overall contract

Rev.:10/2025 period of performance will be extended, and the total estimated dollar value is $430,000.00 for the 3-month extension and option period. The current contract value would increase from $2,381,703 to $2,811,703 for the 3-month extension and option. The overall period of performance is from July 29, 2023 through July 31, 2026.

4. FAR 6.104-1(a)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C.

3204(a)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. FAR 6.104-1(a)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The rationale supporting the use of 10 U.S.C 3204(a)1, which is only one responsible source, and no other supplies and services will satisfy agency requirements, as described below.

The primary justification for this sole-source extension is the alignment with NASA’s acquisition strategy and the imminent transition to the Next Generation Scalable Data Engineering, Operations, and Informatics Support for Open Science (Next Gen) contract. The Next Gen acquisition, which is being conducted under full and open competition, is scheduled to begin its phase-in on April 30, 2026. Attempting to award a new, standalone contract at this time would be impractical and contrary to the Government’s best interest for the following reasons:

Ensuring Continuity of Operations During Transition

The current effort directly supports mission-critical Earth Science data visualization and exploration capabilities. Disrupting this work by introducing a new contractor would jeopardize continuity during the transition period, creating operational risk and potential delays in meeting stakeholder requirements.

Time Constraints and Integration Risks The extension period is limited to three months, with an optional one-month contingency.

Any new contractor would require significant time to gain sufficient understanding of the existing infrastructure and deliverables. This timeline is incompatible with the short-term nature of the extension and the scheduled phase-in of Next Gen.

While Element 84’s unique technical expertise and familiarity with the existing system reinforce this determination, the overriding factor is that the Government has already committed to a competitive follow-on acquisition. Maintaining Element 84 for this brief extension ensures a seamless transition, minimizes risk, and upholds the Government’s acquisition strategy.

6. FAR 6.104-1(a)(6) – A description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by part 5 and, if not, which exception under part 5 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) was published January 13, 2026 through January 28, 2026, in accordance with FAR part 5. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source contract extension to Element

84. The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.104-1(a)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The Contracting Officer’s signature on this document indicates that the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. The Contractor shall be required to submit a proposal to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a proposal analysis will be performed. The proposal analysis will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable.

The Contracting Officer will assess the Contractor’s proposal utilizing cost and price analysis techniques in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.404-1 to determine a fair and reasonable price.

8. FAR 6.104-1(a)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted (e.g., urgent, and compelling requirement):

A SAM.gov market survey was not conducted for the proposed acquisition due to the complex nature of the requirements and the urgent need to execute the action in a very short timeframe. The requirements of the current Element 84 contract for this extension are presently under full and open competition with the Next Gen activity. Due to the anticipated phase-in of the follow-on Next Gen competitive acquisition beginning April 30, 2026, an attempt to award another new, standalone contract at this time is not practical nor in the best interest of the government.

However, in addition to the synopsis notice posted on January 13, 2026, and in accordance with FAR 8.002(a)(2), market research was performed by the mandatory source AbilityOne.gov Procurement List with no availability. A review of the Office of Procurement Strategic Sourcing Website was performed yielding no solutions. Other sources were reviewed such as geospatial data science contracts via GSA eLibrary, and other Government contracts. Additional review of existing NASA contracts, per NFS 1808.004, that provide the required services has been conducted and none were suitable for this requirement.

9. FAR 6.104-1(a)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None.

10. FAR 6.104-1(a)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

A notice of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source action was synopsized on the GPE website (Sam.gov) from January 13, 2026 through January 28, 2026, per FAR part 5 (See Section 6 above). This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source extension to Element 84. One interested company responded to the posting and requested consideration.

11. FAR 6.104-1(a)(11) – A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

We are actively removing barriers to competition by having a full and open competition for the Next Gen follow-on contract, and this requirement will continue to be competed into the future. The Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.

SCALABLE SCIENCE DATA ECPLORATION

80MSFC23CA017

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SIGNATURE PAGE

I certify that the facts presented in this justification are accurate and complete.

Elizabeth Fancher Deputy Project Manager/ST50 Interagency Implementation and Advanced Concepts Team (IMPACT)

I hereby certify that the above justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Brad Vest Contracting Officer/PS51 Science and Technology Support Branch

Elizabeth Fancher

Digitally signed by Elizabeth Fancher Date: 2026.01.29 10:09:31 -06'00'