JOFOC - DE-NA0003782 - Rhinocorps.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF SECURITY OPERATIONS & PROGRAMMATIC PLANNING (NA-71)

Contract DE-NA0003782

I. AGENCY IDENTITY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE

The Office of Security Operations & Programmatic Planning (NA-71) an office within the Office of Defense Nuclear Security (NA-70) of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (“NNSA”) plans to extend services for Technical and Computer Simulation Support by means of other-than-full-and-open competition. The contracting activity is the NNSA Non-M&O Contracting Operations Division, Services Acquisition Branch, Headquarters Program Section (NA-APM-124.1).

II. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED

This document sets forth the justification and approval for the use of one of the exceptions to full-and-open competition allowed under the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984. This contract modification is for an eight-month contract extension to contract DE-NA0003782, held by RhinoCorps, Inc. (“RhinoCorps”), located at 1128 Pennsylvania St. NE, Suite 100, Albuquerque, NM, 87110, to continue providing Technical and Computer Simulation Support to NA-71. DE-NA0003782 was awarded on September 29, 2017, as a sole source, time-and-materials contract with a 5 year period of performance (one (1) year base period and four (4) one year option periods) ending on October 20, 2022. After completion of option period 1, the NNSA decided not to exercise option period 2. Rather, the contract was extended for six-months from October 21, 2019 to April 20, 2020 to provide time for a competition. This modification will extend the contract for an eight-month period, beginning April 21, 2020 to December 31, 2020 to enable implementation of DOE Order 470.3B Design Basis Threat (DBT) policy.

III. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES AND/OR SERVICES

NA-71 requires the continued use and support of a consistent set of modeling and simulation tools to ensure the security of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), the Pantex Plant (Pantex), and the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) (collectively, “NNSA Category 1 Sites”).

Modeling and simulation tools are an important part of security analysis and planning, and NA-71 requires the continued use of this integrated tool set that provides an automated combat simulation tool; a table-top training and simulation tool; a cyber-capable adversary attack vector tool; and an insider-attack vector tool. In support of these tools, NNSA also requires: on-site support for upgrade deployment and installation; telephone and on-site support for technical troubleshooting to evaluate player behaviors, weapons effects, and delay and detection components; annual basic, advanced, and auditor-level training on use of the modeling and simulation tools.

Currently, these requirements are met via a proprietary tool set provided by RhinoCorps that includes Simajin (a combat simulation tool and simulation management tool);

Vanguard (vulnerability analysis database); and Table-Top (control interface) (collectively, the “Simajin Suite”). The Simajin Suite is currently deployed at all four aforementioned NNSA Category 1 Sites.

The value of this eight-month additional service extension is $964,402.09.

IV. AUTHORITY

The statutory authority permitting other-than-full-and-open competition is 41 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subsection 6.302- 1 (“Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements”).

V. APPLICATION OF AUTHORITY

Though NNSA is currently conducting a competitive procurement for follow-on services with performance anticipated to begin in January 2021, RhinoCorps is the only vendor that can meet NNSA’s requirements for the immediate eight months. NNSA is in the process of implementing DOE Order 470.3B Design Basis Threat (DBT) policy, which requires extensive combat simulations. NNSA must implement the DBT policy by December 31, 2020. Given that RhinoCorps’ Simajin suite has been used as the tool for completing the combat simulations in support of DBT implementation to date, changing the combat simulation tools in the midst of this complex and demanding policy implementation could potentially extend NNSA’s implementation timeline by 2-3 years and create an inconsistent set of data sets to support enterprise security risk management activities. Extending the current contract through December 31, 2020 will provide NNSA adequate time to implement the DOE Order.

VI. EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL SOURCES

Other vendors were not solicited for this extension effort, given the specialized, immediate needs identified in § V.

NNSA notes that it released a competitive procurement (89233119RNA000057) on February 14, 2020, for the follow-on requirement and anticipates a new award sometime in the summer of 2020 with a performance start date of January 1, 2021.

VII. DETERMINATION OF REASONABLENESS OF COST OR PRICE

It is the determination of the Contracting Officer that the anticipated costs will be fair and reasonable based on a price/cost analysis performed utilizing technical cost and price analysis, an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), and previous historical data.

VIII. MARKET RESEARCH

NNSA has conducted continuous market research since issuing the original sole-source award to RhinoCorps in 2017. NNSA’s latest market research indicated that there may be at least one, additional vendor that has since developed its tool suite to a state where it may meet NNSA’s basic capability requirements. However, while more than one potential vendor may possess a tool suite that could perform the type of work required, NNSA’s need to meet the December 31, 2020, DBT implementation deadline, does not permit NNSA to change tool suites prior to DBT implementation. NNSA estimates that potentially changing the combat simulation tool suite during this process may extend NNSA’s implementation timeline by 2-3 years.

As noted in § VI, NNSA is pursuing a competitive follow on action based on recent market research.

IX. OTHER FACTS

NA

X. INTERESTED SOURCES

NA

XI. STEPS TO FOSTER COMPETITION

See § VI.

CERTIFICATIONS

Acquisition Initiator/Technical Representative:

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance, which are included in this justification and which form a basis for this justification, are complete and accurate.

Signature Date

Contracting Officer:

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

04/28/2020

Competition Advocate:

I have reviewed this justification and find it to be accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. Since this JOFOC does not exceed $13.5M, this review serves as approval.

04/28/2020