Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) - Quintron - 80TECH23Q0047_Redacted.pdf

Rev.:4/2023

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Information Technology Procurement Office

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For Quintron Keysets & Services for EGS, LSP, ISS, OPS

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.303-2(b)(1) – Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Justification for other than full and open competition.”

This document is a justification for other than full and open competition prepared by

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

The procuring agency is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the contracting activity is Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

2. FAR 6.303-2(b)(2) – The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides the rationale for contracting by other than full and open competition to award a sole-source contract for Solicitation 80TECH23Q0047 to Quintron Systems, INC.

3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the

Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

The Quintron Keysets & Services will be used by the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program across KSC and will be connected to an existing center wide OIS system. There are multiple types of keysets that are used for various purposes such as rackmount, desktop, wall-mount, outdoor and hazard-rated. Keysets are used for intercom teleconferencing (similar to multiple channel telephones) to support operations and processing of flight hardware. A prior Quintron contract was awarded in FY22 totaling $ . The total estimated value of the proposed order is $ and the estimated period of performance is 24 Weeks ARO.

4. FAR 6.303-2(b)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 3204(a) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 (6.302-1 Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements (10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1)),).

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The rationale supporting the use of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a) (1) is due to unique software and hardware integration requirements as described below.

NASA has an existing contract with Quintron (Mission Next Generation Voice - MNGV) to provide Operational Intercom System (OIS) services to any NASA center that has adopted the new OIS. Quintron was selected to be the OIS provider for the full and open competition MNGV contract. KSC began the transition to MNGV (Quintron OIS) in 2021. All keysets and servers that are used for this system must be electrically, physically, and software compatible with the existing system. Any other source would require extensive integration and verification to ensure interoperability, adding undue cost and schedule impact to the project. The equipment contains highly specialized software written by Quintron that has been integrated to work with the keyset components and existing KSC system. These keysets are mostly for other programs at KSC (in addition to EGS). OIS is transitioning from OIS-M to OIS-Q2 with all new hardware and software. This is due to obsolescence issues with OIS- M. Additional procurements will be required for programs that have not provided funding to date.

6. FAR 6.303-2(b)(6) – A description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

A notice to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) was published on August 24, 2023, in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. This posting informed potential sources of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source Quintron. The results of this synopsis are summarized in Section 10 below.

7. FAR 6.303-2(b)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The Contracting Officer’s signature on this document indicates that the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. The Contractor shall be required to submit a proposal to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a proposal analysis will be performed. The proposal analysis will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable. This procurement is for a commercial item therefore the price can be determined fair and reasonable based on a comparison of the established market price, historical pricing, and current price lists. NASA has historical contract information from previous award with Quintron Systems, INC., and there are no anticipated issues that would circumvent fairness and reasonableness during the proposal evaluation process prior to contract award.

8. FAR 6.303-2(b)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted:

KSC requires the procurement for the Quintron Keysets & Services for EGS, LSP, ISS, OPS.

NASA has an existing contract with Quintron (Mission Next Generation Voice - MNGV) to provide Operational Intercom System (OIS) services to any NASA center that has adopted the new OIS. Quintron was selected to be the OIS provider for the full and open competition MNGV contract. KSC began the transition to MNGV (Quintron OIS) in 2021. This system is used for all voice communications at KSC, including launch of Artemis I, SpaceX missions, Atlas, some expendable launch vehicle launches, and all testing and processing at KSC. Without this system, there would be no processing or launches on KSC. OIS successfully supported these operations as scheduled. The replacement system is 100% compatible with the old system. All keysets and servers that are used for this system must be electrically, physically, and software compatible with the existing system. Any other source would require extensive integration and verification to ensure interoperability, adding undue cost and schedule impact to the project. The equipment contains highly specialized software written by Quintron that has been integrated to work with the keyset components and existing KSC system. Additionally, there would be significant cost to NASA associated with switching to different solution at this time. In addition, the amount funding that has already been invested in the existing system which would result in a loss of over $ .

9. FAR 6.303-2(b)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

If any other keysets or servers are purchased besides Quintron, KSC will be required to integrate the equipment to function with the existing system. Last year’s purchase was the first of multiple purchases over the course of 2-3 years for the system transition. The current system is approximately 12 years old and has reached its supported end-of-life from the vendor. The upgrade project will take 2-3 years. System integration costs performed by NASA or a KSC NASA contractor would cost much more than for Quintron to provide the integration. Quintron already has the integration included in their service and NASA would have to provide extensive engineering to become proficient in the integration. An actual cost comparison is not currently available.

10. FAR 6.303-2(b)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

A notice of NASA’s intent to award this sole-source action was synopsized on the GPE website (Sam.gov) per FAR Subpart 5.2 (See Section 6 above).

As Quintron is the only provider for the Keysets and Services for EGS, LSP, ISS, OPS, there are no other sources for this product and services.

11. FAR 6.303-2(b)(11) – A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

The Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.