Justification.pdf

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 & Approval (J&A) authorizes and approves the issuance of a Firm Fixed-Price contract for the procurement of Parraid, LLC Network Radio Gateways (NRGs), each including a server, two client licenses, a three-year hardware warranty, and one year of software product support. A quantity of 15 eight-port NRGs with an option to procure 14 four-port NRGs will be procured via a sole source contract to Parraid, LLC. The delivery schedule for the 15 eight-port NRGs is anticipated to be 182 days after contract award. The option contract line items for the 14 four-port NRGs are anticipated to be exercised within one year after contract award.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

The NAWCAD Webster Outlying Field Special Communications Mission Solutions Division has been tasked by the United States Special Operations Command to procure Parraid, LLC NRGs in support of Radio Integration System (RIS) Specialized Mobile Radio Transit System – Base station (SMRTS-B) and High Frequency - Transit (HF-T) systems. The RIS is a large scale command and control node that provides transportable radio frequency-access capabilities for Special Operation Forces (SOF) and allows for seamless information exchange across the battlespace. The SMRTS-B requires eight-port NRGs to increase capacity and capability to connect up to four dual-channel radios, each requiring two ports. The HF-T systems are replacing outdated RIS 2.0 systems, which are no longer operational and require four-port NRGs to provide voice and data patching capabilities.

The requested NRGs will be used for the SMRTS-B and HF-T systems in order to patch voice from phones, networked clients, and radios into a single audio channel or conference, which allows flexibility and improved coordination for field units. It will also allow for the use of a computer network to remotely reconfigure military radios to operate on different frequencies and in various settings. The requested NRGs are required to incorporate radio and data channeling and be compatible with the seven different types of tactical radios currently fielded by the SOF.

The NRGs are also required to be Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certified and accredited as part of the RIS Authority To Operate (ATO). The SMRTS-B and HF-T systems must be highly reliable and provide a level of redundancy that ensures seamless communications between SOF Combatant Commanders and the forward deployed users and units to ensure mission success.

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

10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

Only Parraid, LLC manufactures NRGs that meet the unique requirements of supporting the military radios currently fielded by the SOF to include the capabilities of Graphical User Interface (GUI); client/server architecture to include radio remote control, radio programming, the ability to create conferences, and conference participation; compatibility with existing infrastructure; prior approvals; and have passed operational testing. Furthermore, these Parraid, LLC NRGs are integrated and fielded in RIS systems previously procured on contracts N0042122P0469, N0042121P0016, and N0042120P0266, awarded to Parraid, LLC. Prior to Parraid, LLC being formed in 2019, it was the products engineering business unit of Smartronix, Inc. and contracts N0042118P0382 and N0042115P0518 were awarded to Smartonix, Inc. for the requested NRGs. The Parraid, LLC NRGs have also passed the most recent operational testing, which was completed 10 February 2023. Additionally, the Parraid, LLC NRGs are JITC certified and cybersecurity accreditation was obtained 19 August 2022 as part of the RIS ATO.

The Parraid, LLC NRGs specifically work in conjunction with other equipment designed into the RIS SMRTS-B and HF-T systems.

An alternate vendor, technology, make, or model would result in duplicative cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. Obtaining NRGs from a different vendor would require engineering and redesign, qualification testing, and Technical Data Package (TDP) updates, and re-accreditation. Any substitutions of the requested Parraid, LLC NRGs may render some or all of the equipment inoperable, resulting in the procurement of new material and production of a new system.

The delay would include engineering and redesign, qualification testing, procurement and receipt of new material, and TDP updates. Any delay to the program schedule regarding the procurement of the required NRGs would render the system unable to initiate and maintain vital communications and result in loss of situational awareness, potentially leading to mission failure and endangering the lives of warfighters.

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

Market research was conducted via General Services Administration (GSA) Advantage and the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA’s) Public Logistics (PUB LOG) Federal Logistics Information System (FLIS) for the requested NRGs. Searches of DLA’s PUB LOG FLIS and GSA Advantage yielded no results. The Dynamic Small Business Search was also searched;

however, there were no results. A search of the Google search engine was conducted and resulted in identifying manufacturers of NRGs including Redcom Laboratories, Inc.;

Omnitronics, Inc.; and Delmarva Engineering; however, none of the manufacturers met the RIS SMRTS-B and HF-T system requirements for compatibility within the existing infrastructure and prior approvals. Parraid, LLC is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the NRGs that meet the requirements and does not authorize resale of the requested NRGs.

Additional market research was conducted to identify available NRGs. A Request for Information for an NRG solution was posted on 01 March 2023. Responses were received from Parraid, LLC and Compunetix, Inc. While Parraid, LLC is able to meet the requirements, Compunetix, Inc. does not because their proposed solution requires additional hardware and does not include a platform to allow utilization of radio remote control, radio programming, conference creation, and conference participation. Additionally, the Compunetix Inc. solution does not offer a GUI and is not JITC certified. Response was provided to Compunetix Inc. via email.

Multiple solutions were identified and reviewed to determine each solution’s ability to meet the requirements of the RIS SMRTS-B and HF-T systems. Of the manufacturers identified in the market research only Parraid, LLC NRGs meet the requirements.

A pre-solicitation synopsis was posted on 12 May 2023 to 30 May 2023. No responses were received.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost to the Government of the supplies/services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

For the reasons stated in Paragraph 5, only the Parraid, LLC NRGs can meet the requirements for the RIS SMRTS-B and HF-T systems. The Government will continue to evaluate other technologies that would allow for future competition by conducting market research to determine if there are any future vendors that have the capability to meet this requirement.