Justification for EtFO_Redacted.pdf

This is a Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity under FAR Subpart 16.5 – Indefinite-Delivery Contracts issued by the Department of the Navy's Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT), Code 02.

The contracting activity seeks to award engineering services to support the design, development, modification, maintenance, installation, and testing of Remote Environmental Unit (REMUS) autonomous undersea vehicle (AUV) systems and related subsystems for Navy submarines and surface vessels. Services encompass concept studies, engineering development, software and firmware modifications, hardware modifications, and testing across multiple platforms including Project 1319, Fleet Modular Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (FMAUV), Yellow Moray Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery (YM-TTL&R), Black Moray variant (BM-TTL&R), and associated systems including advanced acoustic communications (ACOMMS), optical communications (OCOMMS), and navigation interfaces. Specific deliverables include system hardware and firmware evaluations, design analysis, software and firmware development to meet cybersecurity and operational requirements, hardware modifications for submarine launch and recovery operations, integration of prototype payloads and sensors, testing at multiple levels, technical documentation supporting NAVSEA certification and cybersecurity approval, at-sea training and installation support, and maintenance and repair services. The justification identifies the exception under FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), asserting that only one awardee (WHOI—Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) possesses the necessary hardware, software, and engineering expertise due to the unique and highly specialized nature of the REMUS systems, their NSA-approved encryption capabilities, existing dual-layered encryption implementation, and decades of accumulated technical knowledge. The document indicates that alternative procurement would result in unacceptable delays to critical fleet deployment schedules and mission-critical AUV operations. Fair and reasonable cost will be determined through a Business Clearance Memorandum prior to task order award.