PreSol - Telecom Sig.pdf

Pre-Solicitation Notice: Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract Classification Code: D – DG11 – IT and Telecom – Network – Telecom Access Services

NAICS Code: 517111 – Wired Telecommunications Carriers

Subject: Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract for Telecommunication Services in Sigonella, Sicily

1. Introduction The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella (FLCSI) provides this notice of its intent to award an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract from which firm-fixed-price (FFP) task orders shall be issued as a sole-source to Telecom Italia S.P.A. (TIM). This action is pursued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.103-1, which allows for restricting competition when supplies or services required by the Agency are available from only one responsible source.

2. Description of Services The U.S. Navy requires the procurement of fixed-line Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) telephone services in Sicily, Italy. This instant action provides for the provision of four bidirectional Post Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) trunks E1PRI or their technical evolution (SIP VoIP Trunks) to allow commercial inbound and outbound telephone traffic to Naval Air Station Sigonella.

The areas that shall be supported are Sigonella NAS 1, NAS 2, Naval Radio Transmitter Facility NRTF Niscemi, Augusta NATO pier, and the Marinai housing complex. The Navy owned telecommunication infrastructure runs underground between NAS I and NAS 2. NAS 1 and NAS 2 are approximately 20 kilometers apart connected by Italian motorways made of Italian owned private and public lands. The contractor shall also provide access to a network infrastructure that will serve as a backup to the Navy owned cables in the event of emergencies.

The Navy Microwaves (MW) originates from NCTS locations and shall be supported by the contractor’s frequencies. The contractor shall facilitate the protected backup links of all circuitry to and from Sigonella and NRTF Niscemi, Augusta Bay pier site support and to the US Navy Public Safety Network PSNet/Emergency Land Mobile Radio (ELMR).

3. Justification for Sole Source Market research identified that TIM is the only viable source for providing the required services. While the Government owns all the traditional copper line networks and fiber optic cables on the base, TIM currently operates and maintains the underlining commercial telecommunications infrastructure immediately outside the base, supporting the installation, including local exchange facilities, last mile connectivity, numbering resources, and regulatory interface with the Italian national telecommunications framework that the Government owned equipment is connected to. As the incumbent carrier, infrastructure and relay sites owner, TIM possesses exclusive operational control over the fiber backbone, central office switching system, access nodes, and SIP platform interconnection points serving the geographic area of the installation. This level of infrastructure ownership and integration cannot be replicated by alternative providers without significant duplication of facilities, regulatory coordination and extended implementation timelines.

Furthermore, while the Government has a requirement for VOIP services, it has been identified that fiber optic cables are not available across the entirety of the locations of performance. As such, the Government shall rely upon traditional copper based networks to service these areas. Additionally, as the base upgrades to fiber optic cables, the Government requires the traditional copper based networks to remain as a backup method, thus requiring the relay towers for backup transmissions for both the Niscemi NRTF and the Augusta Bay pier site. Additionally, the Mount Cassara relay site is the only way to communicate with the Augusta Bay pier site, as there are no fiber optic connections. These facilities are all owned and maintained by TIM, to include all the infrastructure, public switches, equipment, frequencies, and relay sites of Mt. Cassara and Mt. Lauro, which are critical to transmitting the information/data under this requirement. At this time, TIM does not allow other companies authorized access or use of TIM owned facilities. In addition, TIM provides point to point circuits that remotely extend the internal line of the phone switch in all the locations required by NAS Sigonella.

During the market research phase, the Government attempted to locate additional licensed national carriers in Italy for land line services using traditional copper-based networks and fiber optic. In the course of its research, the Government was only able to locate one licensed national carrier, TIM.

Given TIM’s status as the licensed national carrier, its ownership of the commercial telecommunications infrastructure, its regulatory authority over numbering resources, and its demonstrated ability to maintain continuity of operations without degradation of service, TIM is determined to be technically capable and operationally qualified to deliver the required services.

4. Submission of Information This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, any responsible source that believes can meet the requirement may submit a capability statement. All capability statements received no later than June 26, 2026, 2:00 PM Central European Time (CET) will be considered by the Government.

Electronic responses are permitted and should be sent to the contracting point of contact listed below. The capability statement must provide clear and convincing evidence that the interested party can meet the Government's requirements as stated in this notice.

Disclaimer: A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government's decision to solicit from and negotiate with only one source is a discretionary decision.

5. Point of Contact

Benjamin Bethel Contracting Specialist, NAVSUP FLCSI benjamin.m.bethel.civ@us.navy.mil

Sebastiano Paciello Contracting Specialist, NAVSUP FLCSI sebastiano.paciello.ln@us.navy.mil mailto:benjamin.m.bethel.civ@us.navy.mil mailto:sebastiano.paciello.ln@us.navy.mil