Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition - UAF UARC NACT Waveform 04102020.pdf

Defense Threat Reduction Agency 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Stop 6201

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

1. Nature and/or Description of Action

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency contracting activity proposes to procure, without using full and open competition, International Monitoring System (IMS) waveform operations and maintenance.

2. Description of the Supplies/Services Required

DTRA is the Department of Defense (DoD) executive agent for the Nuclear Arms Control Technology (NACT) program which operates, maintains, and improves the majority of the U.S.

portion of the International Monitoring System (IMS). The U.S. IMS supports United States Government (USG) and Department of Defense (DoD) objectives and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban- Treaty (CTBT) for nuclear detonation monitoring, mitigation of impacts from natural and other catastrophes, and other civil and scientific applications. DTRA requires unique and highly-specialized engineering capabilities to operate and sustain the 13 US IMS waveform monitoring stations. These stations were designed and installed under supervision of the NACT program, and are certified and operated according to the technical requirements specified in the relevant IMS CTBT Operational Manual. The end product is the timely delivery of quality seismic and infrasound (waveform) monitoring data to the International Data Centre (IDC) enabled by the operations and maintenance services of the waveform stations provided by the performer.

The contractor shall:

Operate and maintain : seven infrasound stations at the following locations: Fairbanks, Alaska (IS53); Windless Bight, Antarctica (IS55); Newport, Washington (IS56); Pinon Flat, California (IS57); Hawaii, Hawaii (IS59); Midway Island (IS58); and Wake Island (IS60); one primary seismic station at Mina, Nevada (PS47); and five auxiliary seismic stations at Tuckaleechee Caverns, TN (AS107); Pinon Flat, CA (AS108); Yreka, CA (AS109); Kodiak Island, AK (AS110); and Shemya Island, AK (AS112).

Provide all necessary logistical support and sustainment for each US IMS station’s infrastructure and installed monitoring system, including but not limited to: system and component repairs, spare and depot management, hardware and software upgrades, and recapitalization planning for stations and systems. Perform preventive and unscheduled corrective maintenance of the station infrastructure and equipment to enable the continuous operational capability of the station and optimal data availability and data quality.

Perform system and sensor calibrations and tuning as necessary to ensure stations meet operational data quality requirements specified in the operations manuals.

Conduct O&M activities in accordance with existing or planned support and lease agreements, to include establishment of lease agreements at six NACT US IMS stations located on private, State, or other non-Federal properties, for operators access and cost reimbursement for select operations costs such as utilities and rents. The six stations are as follows: Fairbanks, AK (IS53); Pinon Flat, CA (AS108); Pinion Flat, CA (IS57);

Hawaii, HI (IS59); Mina, NV (PS47); Tuckaleechee Caverns, TN (AS107).

Support the CTBT Organization Preparatory Commission (CTBTOP) Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) Global Communications Infrastructure (GCI) performer and IDC as required to troubleshoot and fix communications problems at any US IMS station.

Conduct engineering and RDT&E tasks on systems and components to operationalize prototypes, conduct test and evaluation, and transition system or components into normal station operations. Conduct the necessary acceptance and revalidation tasks required by the PTS for the station to be returned to operations and data accepted in the IDC.

Provide and maintain unique waveform engineering and operational subject matter expertise (SME) and provide technical leadership/advice on related DTRA research development test and evaluation (RDT&E) projects.

This work is currently being performed by University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) on contract HDTRA1-17-C-0031. A sole-source contract will be awarded to the University of Alaska Fairbanks University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for Research and Development in the Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation. The follow-on work will consist of a 12-month base award with up to four 12-month option periods starting 1 February 2021. The estimated dollar value is approximately $4.5M per year, which includes the base effort, a station installation, and optional research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) funding based on mission needs, for a total of $28.3M for the entire proposed contract period of performance.

3. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this non-competitive action is: 10 United States Code (U.S.C.)

2304(c)(3)(B), as implemented by FAR 6.302-3, Industrial mobilization; engineering, developmental, or research capability; or expert services.

4. Applicability of Authority

The authority to use non-competitive contract funding is specified in 10 U.S. C. 2304 (c)(3)(B), which allows DoD to use non-competitive procedures to maintain an essential engineering, research, and/or development capability. This authority is applicable to UARCs because of their establishment as part of an educational institution.

The establishment of the Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation UARC at the UAF Geophysical Institute (GI) leveraged the many years of experience operating International Monitoring System (IMS) waveform stations. Since the UARC contract at UAF GI was awarded only a year and a half ago with only six technical task orders initiated, the IMS waveform station operations remains a key enabler for the UARC research and development activities. Awarding the follow-on waveform IMS O&M contract to the UARC at UAF GI will ensure the sustainment of the essential engineering, research, and development capability at the UAF GI

UARC.

As specified in Section 2 above, follow-on contract performer requirements include both a core engineering expertise and the capability to complete highly-technical tasks associated with the operations and maintenance of the waveform stations. These follow-on contract requirements align with several core competencies and capabilities specified in the UAF Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation Charter, approved June 2, 2017, by the Acting ASD (R&E), for the establishment of this UARC was subsequently awarded to the UAF Geophysical Institute (GI) in September 2018.

Applicable core competencies include: “theoretical and practical understanding of the techniques and technologies related to nuclear treaty verification, from research and development of such techniques and technologies, to their implementation and operation around the world” and “basic and applied geophysical research in the solid earth, atmosphere”. The UAF GI possesses a vastly qualified and experienced group of engineers and subject matter experts, that form the core expertise of the UARC, that are essential and relevant to the work required by the follow-on effort. This team provides expertise in the required disciplines associated with hands-on operations/maintenance of stations: geophysics, system engineering, failure analysis, seismology, infrasound physics, modeling, electrical engineering, computational simulation and modeling, machine learning, and data analytics.

Applicable core capabilities include “specialized facilities for geophysical RDT&E in acoustics, high performance computation, data analysis, global fieldwork, instrumentation, monitoring, seismology, signal processing”, and “data collection from extreme field environments, full-scale seismic and acoustic modeling, atmospheric transport modeling, event forensics for yield estimation and characterization”. The UAF possesses a robust laboratory on-site at its Geophysical Institute custom-tailored for seismic and infrasound monitors and ancillary-equipment testing, as well as an operating infrasound array near its lab facility. The UAF GI scientists and engineers currently use custom-designed software to analyze complex data streaming from multiple stations and to perform remote and on-site station maintenance or repairs.

The UARC UAF GI core competencies and capabilities exercised by UAF execution of the DTRA follow-on contract, would allow DoD to maintain an essential engineering and RDT&E capability to meet/exceed the treaty-specified data availability/quality requirements. In the course of the extensive and recurring operations and maintenance activities, contract engineers are provided multiple opportunities to identify needed improvements, which could become UARC research and development task orders. The resulting research prototypes/improvements are then integrated into IMS operations through various stages, culminating in evaluation within an operational environment by engineers with the required operational experience. The involvement of O&M performers as both a source of R&D ideas and evaluation of R&D, results in the highest quality and most effective UARC R&D.

In addition to alignment of UAF UARC core competencies and capabilities with the NACT follow-on performer requirements, the NACT follow-on contract work itself would be within UARC permissible activities. The Charter authorizes a provision for the UARC performer to manage and conduct operation and maintenance of maturing technologies deployed worldwide.

This provision aligns exactly with the core tasks of the IMS operations and maintenance of waveform stations worldwide. Also, the Charter states that “it is also expected that UARCs can perform 6.4-6.7 level R&D work supporting operationally deployed capabilities.” The RDT&E that would be performed by the follow-on contract option(s), would use the expertise and capabilities of the UAF UARC to develop, test, and evaluate improved waveform technologies at the IMS stations, to efficiently and cost-effectively improve the operations and maintenance of the stations. The NACT RDT&E activities conducted to improve the data availability and data quality provided by operations of the waveform stations, is “6.5” (BA5) type, within the 6.4-6.7 scope.

5. Effort to Solicit Potential Sources

A notice of the proposed contract action will not be published as a synopsis is not required per 5.202(a)(10), because DTRA is not attempting to foster competition, but rather, is placing this requirement specifically with UAF GI in order to maintain the UARC’s essential engineering, research, and/or development capability.

In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(l), as implemented by FAR 6.305, the final approved Justification and Approval will be made publicly available within 14 days after contract award in a posting to the FedBizOps website.

6. Fair and Reasonable Costs

The anticipated cost/price of this contract action to the Government will be assessed to determine if it is fair and reasonable based on comparison with historical data from the current and previous contract efforts for the same or similar services, a cost analysis of the contractor’s proposal, and input/evaluation from the program office.

7. Market Research

DTRA published a Request for Information/Sources-Sought (RFI/SS) notice on Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps), July 9, 2019, as a Request for Information (RFI) for International Monitoring System (IMS) Waveform Operations and Maintenance. DTRA received three replies: the University of Alaska Fairbanks (current performer), Applied Research Associates, and Leidos Innovations Center.

In addition to the RFI notice described, additional market research consisted of researching the background and authority for this proposed sole source contract. The results of the market research conclude that the use of the UARC at the UAF Geophysical Institute (GI) is in the best interest of the Government in order to maintain an essential engineering and RDT&E capability.

8. Other Facts

Based on the RFI/SS results, DTRA estimates that it would take at least 18 months to train another contractor to gain the expertise necessary to perform the tasks at the level the UAF contractor currently performs. This estimate is based on the contract period required for UAF to initially build the core engineering expertise and capabilities to first achieve treaty-specified performance levels. The required engineering expertise needed to operate and maintain these highly-complex monitoring stations is obtained and sustained by both daily remote monitoring of the stations’ operating performance, troubleshooting of problems, and, on-site “hands-on” repairs. Significant risk of not achieving treaty compliance standards would be incurred with a new contractor, so, it is in the best interest of the government to maintain the UARC essential engineering expertise on a continuous basis using the UARC as the vehicle for the follow-on contract.

9. Interested Sources University of Alaska Fairbanks, Applied Research Associates, and Leidos Innovations Center

10. Subsequent Actions

As the use of the UARC expands in the future with additional technical task orders from a variety of sponsors, the sustainment of the essential engineering, research, and development capability might be achieved without being dependent on the operations of the IMS waveform stations. As similar waveform O&M support acquisitions are undertaken in the future, Market Research will be conducted in order to assess the potential for competition.

Technical Certification

I certify that the data and information forming the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Program Manager Date

Contracting Officer Certification

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date

Date

Based on the above justification, I hereby approve accomplishment of this acquisition by means other than using full and open competition.

Head of Contracting Activity

Date

VAVRINA.GERARD.AM

BROSE.1041429778

Digitally signed by

VAVRINA.GERARD.AMBROSE.104

1429778 Date: 2020.04.10 13:16:49 -04'00'

NELSON.LESLIE Digitally signed by

NELSON.LESLIE.S.1271017878

Date: 2020.04.13 11:44:38 .S.1271017878_____________________________-04'00'

Contracting Officer

General Counsel Coordination

This justification i legally sufficient.

Attorney

RICHARDSON.JUD

ITH.L.1081829302

Digitally signed by

RICHARDSON.JUDITH.L.10818293

Date: 2020.04.13 12:31:57 -04'00'

BRAXTON.ELIZABE

TH.R.1231040222

Digitally signed by

BRAXTON.ELIZABETH.R.1231040222

Date: 2020.04.14 12:50:07 -04'00'

MILLER.DAVID.E.

1229162850

Digitally signed by

MILLER.DAVID.E.1229162850

Date: 2020.04.14 17:41:03 -04'00'