Black Pearl AUV Sole Source JA_Redacted.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY

4555 OVERLOOK AVE SW

WASHINGTON, DC 20375-5320

REPLY REFER TO:

No.: J&A 6.302-1-24-GI02 20 May 2024

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, DC, Code 1330.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved Award of a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract on a sole source basis to General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. (GDMS) of Quincy, MA for design, development, construction, integration, and testing of Black Pearl class Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).

3. Descriptions of Supplies or Services The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Acoustics Division presently employs Black Pearl Class and Reliant Class Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for its ongoing research efforts. The Black Pearl Class and Reliant Class AUVs were specifically designed, developed and produced by General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc. - Bluefin Robotics subdivision (GDMS) under the sole sourced Contract Numbers N00173-14-C-6002 and N00173-20-C-2007, to meet the unique and specific research needs of NRL. Currently, NRL's Acoustics Division requires enhancement and refinement of its current fleet of AUVs to accommodate new payload requirements, as well as the purchase of new AUVs, to support its expanding and future innovative research mission needs.

For this requirement, the Contractor will provide the following:

• Design and modification of NRL's existing Black Pearl class AUVs to accommodate newly developed NRL payloads.

• Production and delivery of five (5) uniquely modified Black Pearl class AUVs to accommodate payloads developed and provided by NRL.

• Vehicle maintenance, at-sea operations support, and engineering support of the specialized modified vehicles during research missions.

The Governments minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel.

The total estimated dollar value for this acquisition is ~$20M with the contract period of performance being 28 January 2025 thru 27 January 2030.

J&A No.: J&A6.302-1-24-GI02

Estimated Dollar Value

Table 1 Type of Funds FY25 FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 Total

RDT&E,

AF

$4,714,210 $3,870,738 $3,873,050 $3,856,768 $3,938,880 $20,253,648

Total $4,714,210 $3,870,738 $3,873,050 $3,856,768 $3,938,880 $20,253,648

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Sources and Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements, as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Authority This requirement is a follow-on to the effort started under Contract Number N00173-14-C-6002 and continuing under Contract Number N00173-20-C-2007. Under these two Contracts, the Government has expended approximately $12M, over a 10 year period, in modification and qualification of GDMS's first generation (Reliant class) and second generation (Black Pearl class) 21-inch diameter AUVs to meet the NRL's specialized research needs. The current fleet of GDMS AUVs owned by NRL are integrated with NRL unique Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Mine Counter-measures (MCM), environmental sensor, and Acoustic Modem Research payloads, which are utilized to conduct specialized and innovative research. Due to NRL's evolving research needs, NRL requires enhancement of the AUVs to integrate its newly developed NRL payloads and production of the newly modified AUVs to support its expanding missions.

GDMS is the only qualified source able to fulfill NRL’s requirement. The vehicles required are very complex and must be functionally, electrically, operationally, physically, and logically interchangeable with NRL’s existing vehicles that employ the proprietary Bluefin Robotics interface standard (GDMS purchased Bluefin Robotics in 2016, and as such acquired all the technical data and proprietary knowledge for the Bluefin AUVs). This proprietary interface was developed solely at the contractor's expense, and is utilized in both the Reliant Class and Black Pearl class AUVs. This interface standard is required in order to enable continued use of the existing NRL payloads which were designed and built to specifically adapt to the GDMS interface.

If another vendor were selected, it would require significant technical modifications to the current NRL payloads, or even rebuilds, in order to adapt them to an alternative contractor's platform that uses a different interface standard. NRL is currently pursuing a Low Frequency Broadband (LFBB) mine identification program to develop and demonstrate a leading-edge broadband, structural acoustic-based concept for underwater mine identification that can operate on organic platforms, at greater ranges, and with higher coverage rates than is possible on other current Navy Systems. The LFBB sonar payload must have an operational platform with very low self-noise to prevent interference with the collection of sonar data. To date, the only vehicles that have operated successfully when integrated with the NRL sonar payload are the Bluefin Reliant class and Black Pearl class AUVs currently owned by NRL. The aforementioned technical obstacles would take several years and several millions of dollars to accomplish.

Alternatively, it is estimated that it would take a potential new Offeror five years of research and development time and at a minimum of $10M to reach GDMS’ current development level.

Attempting to process this procurement using full and open competition procedures would result in unacceptable delay and substantial duplication of costs.

With regards to the vehicle maintenance of the NRL AUVs, these special purpose vehicles and their associated unique systems contain a large number of component technologies that utilize the proprietary Bluefin Interface Standard. Vehicle maintenance consists of regularly scheduled and periodic inspections and thorough checkouts of the vehicle(s) and replacement of broken components if necessary. Vehicle maintenance is designed to ensure that all subsystems and components are functioning properly with the proprietary Bluefin Robotics interface standard, that the O-rings connecting the payload sections are properly maintained and in good working condition and that the vehicle is capable of general operations. Due to the vendor's exclusive rights to the interface standard between the AUVs and NRL’s payloads, no other vendor would have the technical ability or knowledge to carry out the maintenance of NRL's vehicles.

For the at-sea testing requirement of the NRL AUVs, it must be emphasized that these vehicles are not commercial off-the-shelf vehicles but rather special purpose vehicles with unique systems that contain a large number of component technologies that utilize the proprietary Bluefin Interface Standard needed in order to properly function at sea. During at-sea tests, NRL requires a qualified Operator from GDMS who has a thorough understanding of the vehicle’s systems and subsystems as well as dynamic control to operate the vehicle. Due to the vendor's exclusive rights to the interface standard between the AUVs and NRL’s payloads, no other vendor would have the technical ability or knowledge to operate NRL's vehicles during at-sea exercises. This aspect of the procurement is ancillary to the overall requirement.

Selecting a vendor other than GDMS would result in substantial duplication of costs and unacceptable delays of various critical technology to the fleet.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable A Sources Sought was posted to SAM.GOV on 25 Mar 2024 with a response date of 5 Apr 2024 in accordance with DFARS PGI 206.302-1. Five (5) responses were received in response to the posting, however all were determined to not be capable of meeting NRLs requirements with the exception of the incumbent. A sole source synopsis was posted to SAM.GOV on 11 Apr 2024 with a response date of 26 April 2024. Two responses were received, and both contractors were determined not capable of meeting NRLs requirements. Past history and current market research does not indicate that other contractors are available or capable of performing the requirement and as such a sole source is appropriate in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1).

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost The Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government for the supplies/services covered by the J&A will be fair and reasonable. The contractor will be required to submit a formal price proposal with required certified cost or pricing data and sufficient substantiating information to support the accuracy and reliability of the estimate. The contractor’s proposal will be reviewed by experienced technical and contract specialists with the aid of necessary field pricing support. The contracting officer will use cost and pricing analysis as the basis for negotiating a fair and reasonable price.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition Any potential future acquisition of similar or equal equipment will be re-evaluated for potentially competing the procurement.

9. Attachments In accordance with DFARS 206.304 (a)(S-70) (For a non-competitive follow-on acquisition to a previous award for the same supply or service supported by a justification for other than full and open competition citing the authority at FAR 6.302-1, follow the procedures at PGI 206.304 (a)(S-70).

PGI 206.304(a)(S-70) For a non-competitive follow-on to a previous award for the same supply or service supported by a justification for other than full and open competition citing the authority at FAR 6.302-1—

(i) The justification shall include a copy of the previous justification to assist the approval authority in determining whether the planned actions to remove any barriers to competition cited on the previous justification were completed; and

(ii) The approval authority shall determine whether the planned actions were completed. If the actions were not completed, the justification for the follow-on acquisition shall be approved by the approval authority one-level above the approval authority for the previous justification (see FAR 6.304). If the previous justification was approved by the Senior Procurement Executive (SPE), the approval remains at the SPE level.

CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance which are included in this justification are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Technical Cognizance and Requirements Cognizance:

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW

I have determined that this Justification is legally sufficient.

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION:

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

CHIEF OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (CCO) CONCURRANCE

APPROVAL BLOCK (FAR 6.304 for Approving Official):

Upon the basis of the above justification, I hereby approve, as Senior Executive of the Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory, the solicitation of the proposed procurement(s) using other than full and open competition, pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1).

In accordance with the Navy Marine Corps Acquisition Regulation Supplement (NMCARS), Annex 4 – Summary of Implementation of Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act Section 233 Pilot Program for the Enhancement of the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Centers, Justification and Approvals for Other than Full and Open competition not exceeding $93 million may be approved by a general/flag officer or Senior Executive of the

STRL.

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH

Dr. Bruce G. Danly Director of Research Code 1001

Date 8/23/2024

DANLY.BRUCE.GORD

ON.1230025599

Digitally signed by

DANLY.BRUCE.GORDON.1230025599

Date: 2024.08.23 16:39:33 -04'00'