PR 1301144761 Brand Name Justification_Redacted.pdf

NSWCCD Sole Source/Brand Name Justification Under SAT Rev 3 Template Effective February 2023

MEMORANDUM FOR FILE

FROM:

CODE: 883

TO: Code 02 SUBJECT: Sole Source/Brand Name Justification / Limited Source Justification for Use of Other than Full &

Open Competition for an Acquisition under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT)

I. BACKGROUND

1. FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) states for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting Officers may solicit from one source if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available.

2. FAR 8.405-6(b)(1) states Brand name specifications shall not be used unless the particular brand name, market research similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the

3. As required by FAR 13.106-3(b)(3)(i), this memorandum explains the absence of competition for this acquisition, as only one source will be solicited for this requirement (or for a portion of the requirement) and the requirement is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

4. This memorandum is derived from Enclosure 3, Department of Navy Simplified Acquisition Procedures Guide (April 2018) and is only applicable to acquisitions under the SAT.

II. DESCRIPTION OF ITEM OR SERVICE

The purpose of this procurement is to acquire one (1) Blue ROV2 test vehicle, along with its accessories for operation. The selected Blue ROV2 is a remotely operated vehicle, with a 6-thruster vectored configuration to allow for greater maneuverability in surface and subsurface spaces. The vehicle is also equipped with subsea lights, and a gripper in order for the human user to use the robot to interact with the environment. The vehicle can be tethered and controlled via a wireless controller, or can be placed in autonomous mode, using the imaging sonar and DVL for navigation. The Blue ROV2 is a versatile test platform that is intended to be used for evaluating motion, UUV autonomous behavior, data fusion, and performance modeling. It is required to support the design and development of the explainability framework, and UUV performance modeling tools developed by NSWCCD Code 88. These tools are critical in evaluating UUV behavior, to inform UUV performance modeling of current and future-fielded systems.

The estimated price for this procurement is

MANUFACTURER: Blue Robotics ADDRESS: 2740 California St Torrance, CA 90503 USA

PHONE:

POC:

III. BASIS FOR DETERMINATION FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL & OPEN COMPETITION

NSWCCD Sole Source/Brand Name Justification Under SAT Rev 3 Template Effective February 2023

A. BRAND NAME:

Item required must be a brand name product, or feature of a product, particular to one manufacturer.

1. Restrictive Rights: The source has established proprietary rights, limited rights in data, patent rights, copyrights, or secret processes in the item or service required.

2. Exclusive Licensing Agreements: The item or service is only available from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

The Unmanned Undersea Systems Branch, Code 883 will be collaborating with other researchers at NSWCCD and academic partners (Stevens Institute of Technology, US Naval Academy) who currently own Blue ROV2 systems. In order to evaluate performance and test autonomy alongside our collaborators, we require the exact same system. The RDT&E Lab 205 (Unmanned Undersea Systems) had existing equipment from Blue Robotics, which will allow for streamlined interfacing for data analytics, modeling, and simulation. Other alternative UUV or ROV systems would require extensive traveling to our partners test sites to collect the appropriate amount of data for evaluating vehicle performance. Therefore, not procuring the Blue ROV2 device for Lab 205 would create significant technical gaps in capabilities when modeling data and simulating performance test.

3. Other Reasons:

B. SOLE SOURCE (select all that apply)

1. Restrictive Rights: The source has established proprietary rights, limited rights in data, patent rights, copyrights, or secret processes in the item or service required.

2. Exclusive Licensing Agreements: The item or service is only available from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or there is only one authorized distributor or technical representative for the OEM.

C. LIMITED SOURCE (FAR 8.405-6):

Item required must be a brand name product, or feature of a product, particular to one manufacturer.

1. Restrictive Rights: The source has established proprietary rights, limited rights in data, patent rights, copyrights, or secret processes in the item or service required.

2. Exclusive Licensing Agreements: The item or service is only available from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).