RAMP Annex 1 - Justification and Approval_Redacted.pdf

J&A No. N00167-26-SIMACQ-

CD-61-0067

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

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.

This is a sole source action to be awarded without providing for full and open competition. The proposed contract action is for a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to be awarded to MRL Materials Resources, LLC (CAGE: 5PEG9) (MRL) for the operation, repair and maintenance of the Rapid Alloy Manufacturing and Processing (RAMP) Facility.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

This action is to acquire operational, repair, and maintenance support services for the newly established RAMP Facility at the NSWCCD � Memphis Detachment. This is a non-personal services contract.

The scope of work requires a full-time, on-site contractor workforce to perform program management, facility operations, preventative maintenance, foundry operations (melting, alloying, casting), thermomechanical processing (forging, rolling), process development support, material characterization, and data management.

The period of performance is a five year BPA with a total estimated ceiling of

Estimated Dollar Value

RDT&E FY27

Total

FY28

Total

FY29

Total

FY30

Total

FY31

Total

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER

CARDEROCK DIVISION

9500 MACARTHUR BOULEVARD

WEST BETHESDA MD 20817-5700

J&A No. N00167-26-SIMACQ-CD-61-0067

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) �The 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.� The permitting regulatory authority is FAR 6.103-1(a).

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

MRL is the only source that can meet the Government's requirements for the operational, repair and maintenance support of the RAMP Facility without incurring unacceptable mission delays and significant duplication of costs. This justification is based on MRL's unique, non-transferable knowledge of the specific, multi-vendor, and custom-integrated Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) that comprises the RAMP Facility.

As detailed in the equipment contracts (including but not limited to N0016725A0002, N0016725A0004, N0016725A0006, etc.), the RAMP lab is not a standard collection of commercial equipment. It is a purpose-built, integrated suite of advanced materials processing and analysis systems.

MRL maintains and operates the same systems in the US Air Force Research Lab (ARFL) High Bay Metals Pilot Processing Facility, under contract SDAMPT - FA865021D5270. As the lead integrator of the High Bay facility, MRL is uniquely equipped with the experience to install, maintain, and operate the specialty analytical and production equipment of the RAMP facility.

MRL was previously contracted by the Navy to perform the critical planning and layout for the RAMP facility. MRL�s tasks included finalizing the equipment list, designing the facility workflow, creating the initial operational and sustainment plan, and coordinating equipment installation for this specific, multi-vendor suite of GFE. This has given MRL an unparalleled and intimate familiarity with the integration, operation, and maintenance requirements of this unique GFE collection.

Awarding this BPA to MRL provides continuity of operations while the RAMP facility transitions into full operation. Awarding this BPA to any other source would require a new contractor to expend significant time and Government resources to reverse-engineer the operational plans and learn the complex interdependencies of this custom-integrated equipment�a process the Government already funded MRL to complete. This would result in unacceptable schedule delays and a critical duplication of costs to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. Therefore, MRL is the only source capable of providing the required services within the timeline and cost constraints of the program.

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

Market research was conducted by reviewing the history and specific technical requirements of the RAMP Facility. This research determined that soliciting offers from other sources would be impractical and would not yield any additional qualified candidates.

This determination is based on the fact that MRL, under a previous HQ00342420008 CLIN 0022, was tasked by the Navy with the foundational planning and development of the RAMP Facility's specific operational framework. This work included finalizing the equipment list, designing the unique facility workflow for the integrated suite of GFE, and creating the initial sustainment plan.

As a result of this prior work, MRL is the only contractor with the requisite, non-transferable knowledge of the RAMP Facility's custom-integrated systems. A formal solicitation or sources sought notice would be of no value, as no other vendor could possess this unique, program-specific knowledge without engaging in a prohibitively costly and time-consuming reverse engineering effort, which would result in unacceptable delays and a substantial duplication of costs already incurred by the Government.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) will determine that the costs to the Government for the services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

To support this determination, the Government has completed an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) that provides necessary capacity for potential surge requirements and minor operational variances over the five year BPA ordering period.

Prior to the award of the BPA and the issuance of any individual BPA Call, the contractor will be required to submit a detailed price proposal. The PCO will perform a comprehensive price analysis, comparing the contractor's proposed labor rates and operational costs against the IGCE, historical pricing for similar commercial facility support contracts, and current commercial market rates. The PCO will determine whether the proposed price of each offer represents the best value (as defined in FAR 2.101) to meet the Government�s needs. No BPA Call will be awarded unless the final negotiated price is determined by the PCO to be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

For this specific procurement, the sole-source justification is based on the unacceptable schedule delays and duplication of costs that would be incurred by hiring any contractor other than MRL, who possesses unique, non-transferable knowledge from their effort to develop the RAMP facility's initial operational framework.

To remove barriers for future competitions, the Government will use the five year period of performance of this BPA to create a comprehensive technical data package. Under this BPA, MRL will be required to fully document all operational and maintenance procedures, create detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and establish a complete performance baseline for the facility.

This Government-owned data package will be used to support a full and open competition for the follow-on operational, repair and maintenance support contract at the end of this five year period, ensuring that all offerors will have access to the necessary data to compete on a level playing field.