Limiting Competition at or Below the SAT Template_Redacted.pdf
PDF 436 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Questa Inspect Ap SW Subscription
- Solicitation number
- PANRSA26P0000040377
About this file
This is a Memorandum for Record justifying a sole-source acquisition for a Siemens Questa Inspect Application Software subscription license under a simplified acquisition threshold purchase order.
The Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) requires one Siemens Questa Inspect software subscription license to support the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) project. The software performs advanced static analysis on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) Register-Transfer Level (RTL) source code to detect functional design issues in registers, finite state machines (FSMs), buses, and memories written in VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog with IEEE 1800.2 support. This analysis is critical for Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) to improve design quality, detect coding errors early, and prevent defects that could cause field failures and loss of life. The performance period runs from 13 August 2026 through 12 August 2027, with a desired award date of 30 September 2026. This is a fixed-price brand-name acquisition funded by Army Research and Development FY 2026. The justification restricts competition to Siemens Questa Inspect based on exclusive licensing agreements and brand-name authority under FAR 13.106(b)(1)(ii). The Government evaluated alternative products—Synopsys VCS and Cadence Xcelium—but determined they would break compatibility with the project's seven-year established technical baseline, custom Verilog-based APIs, test benches, and automation scripts, and lack required SystemVerilog language support. Acquiring an alternative would require completely rebuilding automated test environments, re-verifying previously validated code, and incur unacceptable schedule delays and duplicative costs. The memorandum will be redacted and posted with the Request for Quote due to its brand-name restriction status over $25,000 but below the simplified acquisition threshold.
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| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Product Description S3I 26-094.pdf |
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Control Number: 12470937
Version – July 2023 finite state machines (FSMs), buses, and memories across devices written in VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog with IEEE 1800.2 support.
The Questa Inspect tool has been integrated into the program's operations for approximately seven years, serving as the foundational ecosystem for the team's custom Verilog-based APIs, test benches, and proprietary automation scripts. This comprehensive analysis unlocks the ability to perform an exhaustive audit of the FPGA and CPLD source code, ensuring the hardware components meet all objective requirements and are defect-free, which is critical to preventing product failures in the field that could lead to loss of life. Procuring an alternative software brand would break compatibility with the established technical baseline, as the only two comparable industry tools do not support the required SystemVerilog language features and would require extensive, costly modifications to the team's existing API and custom scripts.
Consequently, acquiring any other software would force the Government to completely rebuild its automated test environments, re-verify previously validated code, and incur significant duplication of costs and unacceptable schedule delays to the LRDR mission.
b. During market research, the Government evaluated alternative software suites, specifically Synopsys VCS and Cadence Xcelium, against the technical requirements of the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) project, but none were capable of meeting the mission's unique safety-critical verification needs without unacceptable duplication of cost and delay. While Synopsys VCS and Cadence Xcelium are highly capable simulation and verification platforms in the commercial sector, introducing either tool into the current LRDR environment would break compatibility with the project's established IEEE 1800.2 test benches and custom Verilog-based APIs.
Furthermore, migrating to an alternative environment disrupts the seamless integration required for the advanced static analysis, FSM verification, and real-time Register- Transfer Level (RTL) code coverage metrics currently utilized by the engineering team.
Because Siemens Questa Inspect uniquely preserves the established technical baselines, integrates flawlessly with the team's custom automation scripts developed over the past seven years, and provides the specialized static analysis required to detect critical design flaws without heavy API modifications, it is the sole brand capable of satisfying the Government's requirement to ensure the hardware is defect-free and does not fail in the field.
c. Without the procurement of this Siemens Questa Inspect software subscription, the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) project team will be unable to run the mandatory advanced static analysis, safety-critical testing, and Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) efforts required to meet Army regulations, resulting in a complete failure to complete the mission. Failing to acquire this license would halt critical Register-Transfer Level (RTL) safety verifications on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) source code, effectively
Control Number: 12470937
Version – July 2023 delaying the deployment of safety-significant system upgrades and risking the introduction of undetected defects in registers, finite state machines (FSMs), buses, and memories that could lead to loss of life in the field. Furthermore, the cost of replacing Siemens Questa Inspect with an alternative commercial product—including the extensive technical evaluations, redeveloping the established seven-year API and custom automation scripts, and retraining engineering personnel on an unvalidated tool—would introduce excessive, duplicative costs and severe schedule delays that are highly detrimental and not in the best interest of the Government.
6. Publicizing Contract Actions: For FAR Part 13 actions, the public display and synopsis requirements of FAR 5.101 and FAR 5.203 do not apply due to the $ threshold, apply and will be followed, or do not apply due to an exception at 5.202(a)(6)
Requirement to post justification in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(b)(3), FAR 13.105(c), or FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A) as follows:
X Action is a brand name restriction, over $25K but less that simplified acquisition threshold. It will be redacted and posted with the Request for Quote/Solicitation.
Exceptions to posting:
Action is NOT a brand name restriction and is under $150K, Action is a brand name restriction, under $25K.
Action is a brand name restriction over $25K but will not be posted due to exception:
FAR 6.305(f) FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(A) FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(B) FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(C) FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii(C)
7. Market Research:
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .