Sole_Source_Justification.pdf

NAVOCEANO 4200/12 (08-11) PAGE 1 OF 3

JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLE SOURCE

(<SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD (<$150,000))

Requisition/Document Number:

1. The service or material listed on the above requisition is sole source, and competition is precluded for reasons indicated below. There are no substitutes available for this material or service.

2. Restricted to the following source. Provide original manufacturer’s name. (If a sole source manufacturer distributes via dealers, ALSO provide dealer information.)

Manufacturer:

Manufacturer POC & phone number:

Manufacturer address:

Dealer/Rep.:

Dealer/Rep. address/phone number:

3. Description of the item or service required, the estimated cost, and required delivery date.

(a) Description:

(b) Estimated cost (total value, base plus options): Base $ Options $

(c) Required delivery or start date:

NAVOCEANO 4200/12 (08-11) PAGE 2 OF 3

(<SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD (<$150,000))

Requisition/Document Number:

4. Specific characteristics of the material or service that limit the availability to a sole source (unique features, function of the item, etc.).

(a) Detailed description as to why only the identified source/sources can furnish the stated requirements to the exclusion of other sources:

(b) Description of market research conducted, including the results, or a statement as to the reason no market research was conducted:

Note: When restricting to an item peculiar to one manufacturer (e.g., a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product peculiar to one manufacturer), an ordering activity must justify its action. Brand name specifications shall not be used unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet or cannot be modified to meet the agency’s need.

5. The requested material or service represents the minimum requirements of the government.

CHECK AND FILL IN ALL APPLICABLE BLANKS BELOW

The material/service must be compatible in all aspects (form, fit, and function) with existing systems presently installed/performing. Describe the equipment/function you have now and how the new item/service must coordinate, connect, or interface with the existing system.

NAVOCEANO 4200/12 (08-11) PAGE 3 OF 3

(<SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD (<$150,000))

Requisition/Document Number:

A patent, copyright, or proprietary data limits competition. The proprietary data is:

These are “direct replacements” parts/components for existing equipment. Explain:

Other information to support a sole source purchase:

6. TECHNICAL AND REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION:

I CERTIFY THAT STATEMENTS CHECKED AND INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS FORM

ARE ACCURATE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. I UNDERSTAND

THAT THE PROCESSING OF THIS SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION PRECLUDES THE USE OF

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION.

TECHNICAL COGNIZANCE (The end user may perform this technical certification.)

Signature Title Code Phone Date

CONTRACTING OFFICER APPROVAL

Signature Phone Date

(540) 231-3204 TextField2: Bradley Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 23183

The requirement is for an upgrade to the Shepherd Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) navigation system so that it can accurately travel to and recover each deployed Mobile Acoustic Recording System (MARS) AUV. The contractor shall develop an inertial navigation algorithm filter that will estimate the position of the Shepherd AUV from data provide by an installed Fiber Optic Gyroscope inertial navigation unit.

Period of performance is 12 months from the date of contract award.

TextField2:

The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) currently produces a ship deployable environmental data acquisition system. To optimize deployment and recovery, a Mobile Acoustic Recording System (MARS) was designed by Virginia Tech (VT). The MARS is a mobile platform that is low-cost, easy-to-manufacture Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). To recover deployed MARS AUV, NAVO modified a MARS AUV and named it Shepherd AUV. The Shepherd AUV requires an upgraded navigation system so it can accurately travel to each MARS AUV location which could be up to 50 nautical miles away. To improve the navigation accuracy of the Shepherd AUV, a Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG) inertial navigation unit will be installed to aid in the navigation upgrade. However, once this hardware is installed, inertial navigation algorithms will need to be developed that incorporates the data from this FOG and associated sensors for the Shepherd AUV. VT designed the MARS and the source code; therefore, they have a detailed knowledge of the requirement and the technical capability to successfully complete the upgrade within the required time-line without substantial cost. A new vendor would require a substantial amount of time to learn the code, processes, and functionality of the Shepherd AUV before starting the upgrade which will increase cost and delay completion of the upgrade.

TextField2:

Market research indicates that while electrical and computer engineering services are readily available in the commercial industry, the knowledge and expertise required to upgrade the MARS AUV platform is extremely limited.

Virginia Tech developed the Shepherd AUV and has the knowledge and expertise required to upgrade the AUV.