Redacted_AMIC RC-135 CAT_CWD Bridge JA 25 Sept 20 Final Version_Redacted.pdf

Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other Than Full and Open Competition

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

March 2018 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Page 4 of 6 six-month extension of services clause. The current contract extension under FAR Clause 52.217-8 will end on 30 September 2020. Award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays and duplication of costs in fulfilling the Air Force's requirements.

Award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition, and would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Air Force's requirements. costs for evaluation team time and TDY travel would duplicate costs incurred for the follow-on contract award.

Also, additive to the direct costs would be the mission impact caused by a break in service if the competition cannot be concluded by 30 September 2020: i.e. stopping production at the Formal Training Unit (FTU). We also believe award to any other source would result in substantial startup costs to potential vendors for proposal preparation and staffing costs for such a short period of time of only six (6) months, estimated around $100K.

This current RC-135 contract will need to transition to a new follow-on contract that is scheduled to begin on approximately 31 January 2020 (pending GAO protest results). The new follow-on contract starts with a phase-in period of 60 days for a smooth transition between the current and the new contract. The bridge period will allow for that. Sonoran (the incumbent) is the only contractor fully trained and equipped, and that has the knowledge and expertise ready and capable of meeting the government's requirements during the bridge contract modification period. Sonoran's access to personnel, capabilities and resources is currently in place. Sonoran was also alloted a 60 day transition themselves. No other contractor can meet the Government's requirements over this performance period. The Air Force does not have military personnel to provide this training and is therefore dependent upon contractual support to ensure that continuous critical training requirements of the RC-135 E-4B program are met. Any attempt to award an interim competitive contract would result in further delay of approximately 3-6 months (as indicated by the most current source select evaluation time based on the pre-defined requirement) and complete shutdown of the RC-135 E-4B qualification training, simulator, mission flying and launch and recovery instruction at all locations, thus reducing the ability of the warfighters to accomplish their mission in the

AOR.

The extension permitted by FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, has been exhausted. A competitive acquisition in the time remaining before the current contract expires is not practical. The current contractor can continue the current effort for the extended period with no loss in efficiency and no adverse impact on the mission. Accordingly, Sonoran is the only vendor capable of providing the supplies and services described in Section III above without the Air Force experiencing substantial duplication of cost that could not be expected to be recovered through competition, and without experiencing unacceptable delays in fulfilling requirements.

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

Based upon the rationale in Section V above, it is not practicable to solicit additional sources for this immediate requirement. The follow-on contract has not yet been awarded and as discussed above, the purpose of the bridge contract is to facilitate transition to a new contract that is competitively awarded. See Section VIII below.

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VII. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The anticipated cost for this modification will be fair and reasonable after comparing the proposed prices for the bridge contract to the original competed prices, as well as recent pricing for similar awarded CAT/CWD contract efforts. Collective Bargaining Agreements containing labor rates effective for fiscal year 2020 are in effect and will also be used to compare pricing. No changes to staffing are expected during the six-month extended period of performance.

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

Market research was already conducted for the follow-on RC-135 recompete with an estimated contract start date of 31 January 2020. Therefore market research was not separately conducted for this bridge action.

IX. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

None.

X. List of any sources that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

See Section VI above.

XI. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required.

No barriers to competition exist for the RC-135 E-4B requirement. The follow-on contract was competitive and six (6) proposals from small business were received.

XII. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I have determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

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XIII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my (our) signature(s) above, I (we) certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my (our) responsibility, is both accurate and complete.