J&A Number: N00167-26-SIMACQ-CD- 72-0023

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER

CARDEROCK DIVISION

9500 MACARTHUR BOULEVARD

WEST BETHESDA MD 20817-5700

J&A Number: N00167-

26-SIMACQ-CD-72-0023

Code: 72 P.R. Number: N/A

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

1. Contracting Activity

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), Contracting & Acquisitions Department (Code 02).

2. Description of the Action Being Approved

NSWCCD intends to purchase hardware and equipment produced by the following Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on a brand name only basis:

National Instruments (NI) Corporation 11500 North Mopac Expressway Austin, TX 78759-3504

The hardware and equipment identified in Section 3 of this Justification are necessary to replace components that make up existing NI integrated systems used by Code 70 for data collection and analysis for direct fleet support.

This Justification is in accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) 12.102(b).

The Government anticipates establishing a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), which will allow for the placement of firm-fixed price calls. The period of performance/ordering period of the anticipated BPA is expected to be five (5) years.

The Government will use the combined synopsis and solicitation procedures set forth in RFO 12.202(b), and the notice will be posted to SAM.gov. The total estimated value of this proposed acquisition is approximately

3. Description of Supplies/Services

The proposed acquisition is for the purchase of the quantities of the supplies/services described below:

PXIe o Chassis (Qty. 20) o Controller (Qty. 20) o Modules (Qty. 120) cDAQ o Chassis (Qty. 84) cRIO o Chassis (Qty. 40) C Series o Modules (Qty. 744) o Accessories (Qty. 468)

Miscellaneous (Qty. 620) o Antennas o Cables o Rails o Controllers

The Government’s minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

10 U.S.C. §3204(a)(1). “[T]he property or services needed by the agency are available from only one responsible source or only from a limited number of responsible sources and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the agency.” (RFO 12.102(b)).

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

NSWCCD Codes 71, 72, and 75 require hardware and equipment to replace components that make up existing NI integrated systems used to capture and analyze data used for direct fleet support at the various test facilities.

Code 71 utilizes NI integrated systems for on base systems and installations in various ship installs, to comply with direct fleet support for signatures characterization and analysis. Code 72 utilizes NI integrated systems to assist with capturing and analyzing data through testing at the Anechoic Flow Facility (AFF) to support acoustic sound and vibration signatures. Code 72 also uses NI integrated systems to assist with capturing and analyzing data through testing Large Scale Vehicles (LSVs) and the High Gain Measurement System (HGMS), which are used primarily for portable acquisition systems, as well as the calibration barge acquisition system, to calibrate sensors used at the Acoustic Research Detachment (ARD) and at the full-scale test ranges: South Tongue of the Ocean Acoustic Facility (STAFAC), Southeast Alaskan Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC), and British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC). The portable systems are used for hardware verification prior to deploying on the test range and for validating the HGMS arrays after deploying. Code 75 utilizes NI integrated systems to assist with capturing and analyzing data through the Magnetic Field Laboratory (MFL) and Magnetic Silencing Facility (MSF). Both testing facilities heavily rely on NI hardware and software to support underwater electromagnetic (UEM) signatures.

All equipment and hardware required by NSWCCD are proprietary and to NI. For instance, the physical form factor, pinouts, and the proprietary communication protocol used to talk to the backplane of the C-Series modules for cDAQ and cRIO chassis are unique to NI. A module from another brand will not physically fit or communicate with the NI branded chassis. Additionally, the chassis controllers that are used in NSWCCD’s existing NI integrated systems and are slotted into the cDAQ and cRIO chassis, are proprietary to NI. Moreover, the components for the PXIe system (i.e., chassis, controller, and modules) require the use of NI driver application programming interfaces (APIs), as the PXIe system used by NSWCCD uses NI brand modules and in-house LabVIEW coding, which is NI developed software. Only NI and its authorized resellers have access to sell this hardware and equipment.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable

On or about 5 May 2026, the Government requested market research quotes from four vendors capable of providing the requisite hardware and equipment needed. The results of this market research effort yielded three quotes from NI and authorized resellers that are approved to sell the NI branded hardware and equipment. The below illustrates the responses the Government received:

Company Outcome National Instruments Quote received Testmart Quote received TEVET Quote received Ideal System Solutions Acknowledged request

Additional market research was completed using various internet resources and GenAI to determine other potential brands and if they can be used in place of NI with the current existing systems.

NI, now a part of Emerson, has long been recognized as an industry leader in Data Acquisition (DAQ) hardware. Unlike many competitors that offer fixed-function, single-purpose hardware, NI leverages a unified platform approach. By combining modular hardware (such as CompactDAQ and PXI) with the powerful NI-DAQmx driver and software environments like LabVIEW or Python, NI allows engineers to scale a single system from simple benchtop tests to massive, highly synchronized, multi-channel industrial deployments without starting from scratch.

There are several other prominent brands in the test, measurement, and automation industry that offer competitive DAQ System Hardware. These brands range from high-performance laboratory instrumentation providers to industrial automation and rugged field-testing specialists. The primary competitors and alternative brands to NI/Emerson are Dewesoft and Keysight Technologies. A side-by-side comparison is listed below:

Outside of the proprietary nature of NI products, NI is the best suited brand due to the ability to build complex, customized automated test systems while using custom GUI/logic.

It also allows NSWCCD personnel to continue using its expertise with LabVIEW, Python, and C++ and combine scale massive channel counts using the PXI chassis.

Feature NI/Emerson (CompactDAQ/PXI)

Dewesoft

(SIRIUS/KRYPTON)

Keysight

(DAQ970A/34980A)

Primary Philosophy

Software-Defined. You buy hardware blocks and build custom software using LabVIEW, Python, or C#.

Turnkey Out-of-the- Box. Powerful, pre-configured software (DewesoftX) that works immediately.

Instrumentation- Grade. High-accuracy, bench-top focus with precise switching and DMM integration.

Software Model

Development Heavy. Requires programming or configuration of driver APIs.

Heavy licensing fees for IDEs.

All-Inclusive. Software license is tied to the hardware; updates are generally free for life.

Bench-focused. BenchVue software is used for simple logging; otherwise programmed via SCPI.

Environmental Ruggedness

Good. Offers rugged options (cDAQ-9189), but mostly designed for industrial enclosure/lab use.

Extreme. Offers fully sealed, IP67-rated, shock-proof, and fanless chassis for outdoor/in-vehicle testing.

Standard. Designed mostly for climate-controlled lab benches or standard 19-inch equipment racks.

Best Suited For...

Automated test systems, highly customized software apps, and mixed-signal test benches.

Automotive testing, aerospace telemetry, NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness), and field testing.

Precision calibration, component temperature profiling, and multi-channel DMM measurements.

Cost Profile Moderate-to- High. Requires factoring in software licensing (e.g., LabVIEW) and modular chassis.

High upfront cost, but offsets software licensing costs and saves development time.

Moderate-to- High depending on precision requirements;

highly reliable long-term investment.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Costs

In accordance with RFO 12.204(a), the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) must determine the price to be fair and reasonable price. The Government will require the contractor to submit a formal price proposal and sufficient information to support the accuracy and reliability of the estimate. The PCO shall determine whether the proposed price of each offer represents the best value (as defined in RFO 2.101) to meet the Government’s needs. The PCO will also rely on experienced technical experts, as well as information from prior procurements conducted by the Navy where the same (or comparable) hardware and equipment were procured, when conducting the price analysis. This information will form the basis for a fair and reasonable price determination.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, NSWCCD has no plans at this time to compete future contracts for the types of supplies/services covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, NSWCCD will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.

The circumstances surrounding the need to obtain the required supplies without providing full and open competition will be reviewed annually by the PCO.

CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance, which are included in this justification and its supporting data, except as noted herein, are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

TECHNICAL AND REQUIREMENTS COGNIZANCE:

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW

I have determined 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.

APPROVAL BLOCK (FAR 6.104-2(a)for a proposed contract exceeding $900,000 - $20,000,000, the Advocate for Competition approval)

Upon the basis of the above justification, I hereby approve, as the solicitation of the proposed procurement(s) described herein using other than full and open competition, pursuant to the authority of

10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1).

(TITLE OF APPROVING OFFICIAL)