Justification.docx

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity.

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, NJ

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

This Justification and Approval authorizes and approves the issuance of a five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity fixed-price contract for the procurement of Tactical Operations Center Network (TOCNET) tactical Intercommunications System (ICS) kits and spares on a sole source basis to SCI Technology, Inc. Orders will be issued on a Firm-Fixed-Price basis. Maximum quantity is antipicated to be 474 TOCNET ICS kits and 2,234 spares.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

The NAWCAD Webster Outlying Field (WOLF) Special Communications Mission Solutions (SCMS) Division has been tasked by the National Guard Bureau (NGB) Joint Product Manager Guardian Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Analytics and Response Systems to procure commercial-off-the-shelf tactical ICS equipment for the modernization of the NGB Unified Command Suite (UCS) Block II (B2). The TOCNET tactical ICS equipment will be used in conjunction with Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) equipment currently integrated in the UCS B2 CBRN Response Enterprise (CRE) by the NGB Civil Support Teams (CSTs). The TOCNET tactical ICS equipment will replace obsolescent intercom, crossbanding, and radio interconnection equipment that has reached product end-of-life and will serve as a single solution capable of replacing three devices (i.e., ICRI, ACU-T, and TDIS II), which currently provides the intercom, crossbanding, and interconnection capabilities in the UCS B2 CRE.

The TOCNET tactical ICS equipment will be deployed for down-range operations in austere environmental conditions. The equipment will also provision the UCS B2 CRE to provide Situational Awareness (SA) in theater through the interconnection of variant communication systems while complying with Department of Defense (DoD) network security requirements for operation on the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network and with Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) criteria for cell phone software applications.

The UCS Main, Advanced Liaison (ADVON), and the Tactical Operations Center systems require a full digital intercom system that allows for the bridging, crossbanding, and conferencing of various disparate assets such as radios, phone lines, Voice over Internet Protocol, and network internet protocol. The TOCNET tactical ICS equipment allows CSTs to communicate simultaneously (both internally and externally) with vehicles using multiple radio variants (i.e. Harris AN/PRC-117G, Harris AN/PRC-152A, Harris AN/PRC-152, Harris 100M, Harris XL 200P, Motorola APX 8500/8000, Motorola XTS 5000, Motorola XTL 5000, and MICOM 2R/3R) and with other end point devices such as cell phones, laptops, and tablets. Such end point devices are necessary to interoperate with first responders, National Guard teams, military tactical components, law enforcement, and other DoD entities. The configurations included in the requested TOCNET tactical ICS equipment will interoperate with the radios that are part of the CST C4I suite and will work in conjunction with other equipment designed into the CST CRE. The NGB requires a tactical ICS solution with the same fit and function as the system already integrated and tested in the UCS First Article Test (FAT) systems to integrate the UCS fleet.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

SCI Technology, Inc. is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the required TOCNET tactical ICS equipment. The TOCNET tactical ICS operational environment requires the equipment to operate In Accordance With (IAW) Military Standard 810F for Methods 502.4, procedures I and II; Method 514.5, procedure I, Category 20; Method 516.5-10; and Method 512.4, Procedure I. Not only is the TOCNET tactical ICS the only commercially-available tactical ICS capable of uniquely meeting the required combination of performance, compatibility, and cybersecurity requirements, this equipment is also able to operate in austere environmental conditions downrange; provide intercom, crossbanding, and radio interconnection capabilities in a single solution; and function as a full digital intercom system between crew stations on the UCS Main, ADVON, Tactical Operation Center Trailer, and ad hoc command centers.

Additionally, the requested TOCNET tactical ICS equipment is the only tactical ICS solution that has implemented security protocols aligned with DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) necessary to conduct cyber hardening for implementation of the secure deployment of the UCS B2. A renewal authorization to operate package for the UCS B2 was submitted and the selection of an alternate tactical ICS solution would require restarting the multi-tiered cybersecurity risk management process using the alternate ICS solution and would result in a delay to develop the STIGs necessary for cyber hardening, modify the Plan of Action and Milestones and network diagrams, and complete new network scans required for the Authority to Operate (ATO) package, including the Security Controls Assessment Validation completed by DISA.

Delays to the ATO would cause the UCS B2 to become non-mission capable. Because the UCS B2 supports the transmission and exchange of electronic communications among and between end users such as networked computers, the availability of the UCS B2 directly impacts operations such as technical reachback. UCS B2 provides intra-team communications, interagency communications, and SA to higher echelon commands during response to CBRN events. Without these functions, the response, including life saving measures, would be delayed or prevented.

Furthermore, the requested TOCNET ICS equipment was procured for testing purposes on contract N00178-04-D-4080 Purchase Orders MAT0015170 and MAT0015162 (awarded on 2 April 2019) and the test equipment was installed on the UCS B2 FAT systems. Alternate solutions would need to be evaluated and would require mounts, hardware, and metalwork changes to the UCS B2, necessitating re-engineering, re-design, re-procurement, and technical documentation changes. Changes to the existing FAT designs would require retesting of the overall system configuration at the component and system levels to ensure that the system can operate IAW the requirements.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable.

Thorough market research was conducted utilizing various methods to identify additional possible sources for the required equipment. A search was conducted using the nomenclature “tactical intercom system” and the part numbers. Although several manufacturers were identified, only the SCI Technology, Inc. TOCNET solution was found to meet the Government’s combination of performance, compatibility, and cybersecurity requirements. Additional market research was conducted to identify authorized resellers or distributors for the SCI Technology, Inc. equipment utilizing the Google search engine, General Services Administration Advantage, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement V contract. As a result, it was discovered that SCI Technology, Inc. does not have authorized distributors or resellers for the required equipment.

On 28 July 2020, a Request for Information (RFI) was posted on the beta.SAM.gov website to survey the marketplace for additional sources with the ability to meet the Government’s requirements. The RFI closed on 3 August 2020 with responses from eight manufacturers, including: Advanced Simulation Technology, Inc.; Clear-Com LLC; Compunetix, Inc.; Trident Systems Incorporated; Miltope Corp; Motorola Solutions, Inc.; SCI Technology, Inc.; and Systems Engineering Technologies Corp. After review, the Technical Point of Contact determined the only company that could meet the Government’s requirement was SCI Technology, Inc. The vendors were notified they were determined not capable of meeting the requirement.

A pre-solicitation synopsis was posted on 16 March 2021 and closed on 1 April 2021. One response was received from SAVOX Communications. The vendor was notified that the posting was not a request for proposals and that the Government intends to award this effort on a sole source basis to SCI Technology, Inc. as stated in the synopsis.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Contracting Officer shall ensure that the price negotiated for this acquisition is fair and reasonable In Accordance With (IAW) FAR Subpart 15.4. The Contractor will submit a formal price proposal with other than certified cost or pricing data and sufficient information to support the accuracy and reliability of the estimate. The proposal will be reviewed by experienced technical personnel at NAWCAD WOLF and the Contract Specialist. The Contracting Officer will utilize cost and price analysis IAW FAR 15.404-1, including a review of historical data and commercial price lists, as the basis for negotiating a fair and reasonable price.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

For the reasons stated in paragraph 5, only SCI Technology, Inc. can provide the required TOCNET tactical ICS equipment. The Government will continue to evaluate other technologies that would allow future competition by conducting market research to determine if there are any future vendors that have the capability to meet this requirement.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION

LAKEHURST, NJ 08733

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