JOFOC Enhancement and Maintenance of SACADA-2 Approved_1.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (JOFOC)

Date: May 5, 2021

MEMORANDUM TO: Monique Williams, Contracting Officer Operations Branch B Acquisition Management Division

FROM: Lawrence Criscione, Contracting Officer’s Representative

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

SUBJECT: LIMITED SOURCES JUSTIFICATION (LSJ)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION (JOFOC)

REFERENCE: Enhancement and Maintenance of SACADA-2

1. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

a. Acquisition purpose and objectives.

Lack of appropriate and sufficient human performance data has been identified as a key factor affecting human reliability analysis (HRA). Therefore, in a 2009 Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM-090204B), the Commissioners directed the NRC staff to develop a database for human reliability analysis (HRA) to address this data need. To support the SRM, the NRC developed the Scenario Authoring, Characterization, and Debriefing Application (SACADA) software tool to collect licensed operator simulator training data. The SACADA tool is currently in the second version (SACADA-2). The purpose of this acquisition is to provide continued support for the enhancement of SACADA-2 tool and provide technical support to users.

b. Project background.

Development of SACADA began in 2011 under an agreement with the Idaho National Lab (INL) and INL has been the NRC’s contractor for the past nine years.

The current agreement is NRC-HQ-60-16-D-0006. The period of performance for the current agreement is December 1, 2017 to July 28, 2021. The initial version of SACADA was established as a database that was hosted on an INL server. Due to security, system maintenance efforts, and connectivity concerns, in 2018 SACADA was re-coded transitioning from the use of SQL server (i.e., SACADA-1) to a MS

Windows standalone program (i.e., SACADA-2). The central database in SACADA-1 was replaced by data files. SACADA-2 is installed in the internal network of the participating plants. The collected data is stored locally by the licensee and delivered to the NRC periodically by the plant staff. Currently, Centroid LAB employs the software developer for SACADA-2.

During the course of development, the software developer visited the NRC’s partnering utility to understand how they used SACADA-2 for their operator simulator training. In addition, the software developer has participated in many meetings with NRC staff and plant staff to understand improvements needed to SACADA-2 in order to meet the needs of the NRC staff and partnered utilities. The understanding gained through the interactions greatly helped establish effective communication between the software developer and the participating plants and NRC.

Presently, one US reactor licensee is providing data via SACADA. There is a need to continue the use of the SACADA tool to collect operator performance data from more nuclear power plants to better inform HRA The NRC staff plans to conduct outreach to domestic and international nuclear power plants to use SACADA-2 for the collection of the nuclear operator simulator training data and to share this information with the NRC.

Name and address of the proposed contractor(s).

Centroid PIC Inc dba Centroid LAB

3887 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066-4414

2. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs.

a. Project title.

Enhancement and Maintenance of SACADA-2.

b. Project description.

The contractor shall provide continued support to improve and maintain the SACADA-2 software tool. The contractor shall Improve SACADA-2 software’s functions to include additional modules to collect operator performance information in written exams and actual events. The contractor shall provide technical support to SACADA-2 users, to include, but is not limited to, software installation, debugs, perform cosmetic modifications to the existing software modules to meet user-specific applications; and improving data reporting capabilities. The contractor shall provide support to a new International User, if required. Support includes developing a version of SACADA-2 in a local language other than English and then installing the software.

c. Acquisition Information.

Requirement type.

Research & development (R&D)

R&D support services Support services (non-R&D) Supplies/equipment Information Technology (IT) or Electronic and Information Technology

(EIT)

Construction Architect-engineer (A-E) services

Design-build Other (specify): ____________________

Type of action.

New requirement Follow-on Other (specify): ______________________

Proposed contract/order type.

Firm-fixed-price

Other fixed-price (specify, e.g., fixed-price award-fee, fixed-price incentive-fee): __________ Cost-plus-fixed-fee

Other cost reimbursement (specify, e.g., cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee): ___________ Time and materials Labor Hours Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity, or requirements): ___________

Statement of Work Type Completion Level of Effort Performance Based

Requisition number.

RES-21-0128

Total estimated dollar value and performance/delivery period.

The total estimated value, inclusive of all options, is . The period of performance is five years, which includes a three-year base period and two, one-year option periods.

3. Identification of the justification rationale.

This acquisition is conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6.

Urgent and compelling need exists Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services

(i.e., peculiar item, brand name item) Logical follow-on

This acquisition is conducted under FAR 13.106-1(b).

This acquisition is conducted under FAR 6.302-1 Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency requirements.

This acquisition is conducted using Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items pursuant to FAR 13.500.

This acquisition is conducted using Simplified Procedures for

Certain Commercial Items pursuant to FAR 13.500(c).

4. Description of the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

The proposed contractor employs the software developer who has developed and maintained the SACADA-2 software tool from the beginning. Prior to developing the SACADA-2 software in 2018, the software developer spent three years supporting the earlier version of the software. As a result, the software developer is intimately familiar with the software architecture and programming details of SACADA-2. Through the years of development, the software developer has visited the partnering utility to learn how they used SACADA in operator simulator training. He also supported the piloting of SACADA-2 at a third-generation reactor plant that was considering partnering with the NRC, and he participated in many meetings to discuss software functions and bugs. The experience and knowledge gained through the process will significantly benefit the software developer with regard to knowing the users’ thinking to cost effectively and efficiently develop improvements to the software to fulfill the users’ needs. For another software developer to continue the development and maintenance of SACADA-2 there would be a learning curve to know the users’ interests in the software tool, how the software is used, and challenges to capturing the data. Therefore, the learning curve would result in a substantial cost impact and schedule delays to have another contractor acquire the unique knowledge and gain the necessary experience, to support the SACADA-2 C# based architecture. In additional to proficiency with C#, years of experience with the conduct of NRC Licensed Operator training and familiarity with the nuances of the data being collected under SACADA is required.

5. Description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable. Indicate whether a FedBizOpps notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies.

No other known contractors exist that meet NRC’s requirement for having extensive experience with NRC licensed operator training programs, expertise in programming language C#, and knowledge with performance factors and nomenclature pertaining to the SACADA data set. A notice of intent was posted on the betaSAM.gov website on January 14, 2021 in accordance with FAR 5.203. No responses were received.

6. Description of the efforts made by the Contracting Officer (CO) to determine that the cost/price of the contract/order is fair and reasonable consistent with FAR 8.404(d) or 15.406-2.

In order to determine the proposed price is fair and reasonable, the CO compared the price proposed to the prices paid for services under Agreement No.

NRC-HQ-60-16-D-0001 and other similar procurements

7. Description of the market research conducted (see FAR Part 10) and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Market Research was conducted by reviewing websites and consulting with the NRC Small Business Program Manager. No companies were identified that were capable of immediately taking over the maintenance and continued improvement of the SACADA-2 software

8. Other factors supporting the justification, if any.

N/A

9. List sources, if any, that have expressed an interest in the acquisition.

No other sources have expressed an interest in the proposed acquisition.

10. If applicable, describe the actions the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

AMD will closely scrutinize future requests for this type of support and will ensure that any restrictions to competition are adequately supported and documented.