Revised_JOFOC_Redacted_(002).docx

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (1) and

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) 6.302-1

1. This document is a Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) prepared by the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas.

2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides the rationale for contracting by other than full and open competition for the acquisition of the Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Test Receiver, ESW44 EMI from Rohde & Schwarz.

3. Description of the supplies or services required, include an estimated value:

The Electronic Design and Manufacturing Branch’s Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)Laboratory is responsible for providing Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing to NASA Human Space Flight Programs and Program sponsored projects, and an EMI test receiver is required to perform the necessary testing. The estimated value for this effort is $170,000, and the anticipated period of performance will be 6 weeks After Receipt of Order (ARO).

4. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for this action is FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii)(A) which states that for NASA, “supplies may be deemed to be available from the original source in the case of a follow-on contract for the continued development or production of a major system or highly specialized equipment, including major components thereof, when it is likely that award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition.”

5. A demonstration that the propos e d contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The NASA JSC EMC Laboratory uses, and has only used, Rohde & Schwarz EMI test receivers since 2004, and this acquisition effort is to replace a highly specialized piece of equipment which was sent out for calibration and damaged during shipping. As a result of using Rohde &Schwarz equipment for the past 12 years:

A. The NASA JSC EMC Laboratory testing process, hazard analysis, safety review and detailed procedures have been developed, reviewed, approved and published exclusively around and with respect to Rohde & Schwarz EMI test receivers.

B. The NASA JSC EMC Laboratory hardware infrastructure utilizes Rohde & Schwarz EMI test receivers as primary and backup test equipment due to unavailability during calibration and periodic repair activities.

C. The NASA JSC EMC Laboratory has previously procured the Rohde & Schwarz EMI test receiver software.

D. The NASA JSC EMC Laboratory personnel have already been trained on and are efficient with the Rohde & Schwarz EMI test receiver hardware and software.

E. The NASA JSC EMC Laboratory has developed their testing process and procedures, procured their hardware infrastructure and software, and trained their EMI test personnel to be consistent with that of NASA MSFC EMC Laboratory and across all NASA Human Space Flight Programs and Program sponsored projects.

Awarding this procurement to any other EMI test receiver manufacturer would require the reproduction of work products, procurement of new software and retraining of personnel, and it would create center to center, center to program and program to program testing inconsistencies, all of which is counterproductive and creates a substantial cost to the government in terms of both budget and schedule. The end result would be substantial duplication of cost to the Government that could not be recovered through competition.

6. Description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable:

A synopsis for this effort was issued on the FedBizopps.gov as solicitation NNJ16598787R. The solicitation did not receive any bids.

7. Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons why market research was not conducted.

The technical officer conducted market research by contacting companies in the industry, reviewing manufacturer websites and comparing design and performance specifications to identify similar EMI test receivers. A similar EMI test receiver was identified from another large business, however the time and resources required to implement the new procedures, train personnel, conduct the testing process, hazard analysis, and perform safety reviews, and other reasons listed in section 8, would not be in the best interests of the government.

8. Other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition.

The undue burden to the Government would be created by:

A. Developing, reviewing, approving and publishing new NASA JSC EMC Laboratory Testing processes, hazard analysis, safety reviews and detailed procedures.

B. Changing between and validating test configurations to accommodate a new EMI test Receiver, which would be required two times per year.

C. Procuring new EMI test receiver software.

D. Retraining NASA JSC EMC Laboratory personnel to operate and Quality Assurance personnel to understand EMI test receiver hardware and software.

E. Having to describe, explain, compare, interpret, document and present inconsistencies between NASA MSFC and JSC EMC Laboratory testing processes, hazard analyses, safety reviews, detailed procedures hardware infrastructure, software and training to each other’s laboratory, other NASA centers, Human Space Flight Program Boards and Program sponsored projects.

9. Sources, if any, that expressed an interest in the acquisition: A synopsis for this effort was issued on the FedBizopps.gov as solicitation NNJ16598787R. The solicitation did not receive any bids.

10. The actions, if any, the Agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

The ordering office will continually assess any new requirements in addition to monitoring the market environment in an attempt to overcome any barriers that preclude the agency from meeting the requirements of FAR 8.405-2, before any subsequent acquisition for the aforementioned support services are made.