JOFOC - I2O Support Services_6.6.25_Redacted.pdf

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition for the Follow-On Contract with Information Innovation Office Support Services

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR

OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

SUBJECT: Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition for Information Innovation Office (I2O) Support Services.

PART 1 - JUSTIFICATION

1. Agency and Contracting Activity Identification: This justification and approval for other than full and open competition is executed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contracts Management Office (CMO), on behalf of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office (I2O). The resulting action, once approved hereby, will be contracted through

DARPA CMO.

2. Description of Action: DARPA proposes to enter into a sole-source, Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) procurement contract with Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) to continue highly specialized and vital support services for I2O.

3. Description of Supplies or Services: The proposed sole-source effort is a 6-month follow-on to Contract N0017819D7741, Task Order N6523621F3020 currently performed by Gryphon Technologies, L.C. (Gryphon), which was competitively awarded and included a 60-month period of performance at a total contract value of $115, 505,044. The estimated cost of this 6-month follow-on effort is approximately $16,906,573.41.

The scope of this effort is to provide technical and subject matter expertise support to I2O for existing and planned programs, new start efforts, scientific research, and technology transition.

4. Statutory Authority Cited: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(l), “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements,” as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.302-1.

5. Reason for Authority Cited: SPA is uniquely qualified to provide these services because they are currently providing the preponderance of the effort as a subcontractor under Gryphon’s Contract N0017819D7741, Task Order N6523621F3020.

Gryphon is a subsidiary of ManTech SRS Technologies, Inc. (ManTech). In March 2024, ManTech and Gryphon executed a novation agreement to transfer several contracts including Task Order N6523621F3020 from Gryphon to SPA.

As a result of ManTech’s divestiture and pending novation, ManTech (and its subsidiaries, including Gryphon) limited its prime contractor role to contract administration, and collecting and invoicing costs through to DARPA, with SPA acting as the primary contractor directly supporting DARPA despite their role as a subcontractor.

Task Order N6523621F3020 is a task order issued under the Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) Seaport Next Generation (Seaport-NXG) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. ManTech/Gryphon anticipated execution of a novation modification to the task order by the Task Order’s administrative contracting office, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic, following execution of the novation agreement. However, the Seaport-NXG and NIWC Atlantic contracting offices determined this would not be possible because NAVSEA does not allow novation of individual task orders without also novating its base IDIQ contract.

In May 2025, ManTech alerted DARPA that the novation modification could not be completed as planned. In response, DARPA determined that it could award a “bridge contract” to SPA, which materially copied the terms and conditions of the remaining period of performance (PoP) on Contract N0017819D7741, Task Order N6523621F3020.

Since SPA is acting as the primary contractor, DARPA considers SPA the original source as referenced in FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii), and this justification and approval for other than full and open competition is being executed in lieu of a formal novation modification. Award of a 6-month contract for these highly specialized services to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Agency’s requirements. The projected acquisition milestones for the re-compete discussed in Section 10 below shows that there would be at least a 3-month lapse in service if this bridge contract is not awarded, which would be unacceptable considering the vital services provided by SPA in support of unclassified and classified I2O research and development programs.

6. Efforts Made to Obtain Competition: The Head of the Contracting Activity waived the requirement to post a request for information or a sources sought notice in accordance with DFARS PGI 206.302-1. There is high confidence that no external interested parties would be able to meet the needs for the proposed 6-month follow-on contract since it is essentially a means to complete a novation from Gryphon to SPA.

7. Market Research: Market research was done by NIWC Atlantic for the initial award of Contract N0017819D7741, Task Order N6523621F3020, and is currently being conducted for the planned re-compete of these services by DARPA for the longer-term requirement, which will begin in December 2025.

8. Other Facts: The proposed effort is a one-time, short-term procurement to fulfill the intent to novate Contract N0017819D7741, Task Order N6523621F3020 from Gryphon to SPA. The estimated cost is based on Gryphon’s competitive pricing for option period 4. Therefore, the total awarded dollar amount of these services is not being raised.

9. Interested Sources: None – see paragraph 6 above.

10. Actions to Increase Competition: DARPA CMO is working toward award of the long-term follow-on effort via competition under its Technical and Analytical Support Services IDIQ.

CMO held an Industry Day on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, to encourage competition by providing information about I2O's mission and specifics about the upcoming requirements. The solicitation is planned for release to IDIQ contract holders on/around June 13, 2025, with award anticipated in September 2025. The PoP is planned to begin in December 2025 to allow a potential non-incumbent awardee sufficient time to staff the high number of personnel and ensure a successful transition of services.