REDACTED AO-X ATC Simulator JA.pdf

Single Source Justification (Simplified Acquisition)

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION

April 2021 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 2 of 3April 2021 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 2 of 3 capability to AO-X. First, a GSA search was performed using keywords, such as "ATC Simulator", "Tower Simulator", and "Air Traffic Control", and no relevant results appeared.

Secondly, other ATC organizations were canvassed to investigate previous market research. Of note was the experience at Keesler AFB in June 2021, where 334 TSS executed a single-source J&A for an Adacel MaxSim Training System. Keesler had previously procured a Mobile Air Traffic Control Simulator from UFA, Inc, in FY2019. However, that UFA system was found to not be 100% compatible with 334 TSS's existing Adacel TSS, even after hundreds of man-hours trying to achieve 100% compatibility.

Keesler AFB then sent a "Sources Sought" to all 79 2GIT BP A holders--zero vendors indicated their intent to submit a quote. A sources sought was posted to NASA SEWP. Two responses were received; one from ETSI for Adacel (ETSI would partner with Adacel, which would result in pass-through costs with no value added) and one from AATD, LLC for their brand (AATD, LLC stated they couldn't guarantee it would be 100% compatible). Adacel was contacted to determine the availability of authorized resellers or distributors, and they indicated they had no distributors. On this basis, Keesler AFB executed a J&A to procure directly from Adacel on a sole-source basis. The Hanscom AFB AO-X finds Keesler AFB's recent experience informative for this effort.

Third, a Google search of ATC Tower Simulators yielded many low-cost app or web-based ATC training software. These systems are not compatible with current government-owned tower simulators and do not come with a full suite of capabilities that a desktop tower sim has such as bringing up radar feeds, weather, and voice recognition. Those solutions are therefore not appropriate for this effort.

Lastly, Hanscom AFB, via AFLCMC/HBAK, posted a Request For Information (RFI) on SAM.GOV on 6 Aug 21 with a deadline for responses set for 20 Aug 21; the RFI remained visible on SAM.gov through 3 September 2021. Responses were received from three prospective vendors: Adacel; UFA; and Voice Products, and are described below:

Adacel met all requirements stated in the RFI. Adacel has a desktop-size system and is readily compatible with existing USAF ATC systems with respect to system hardware, software, and training library.

UFA met some of the requirements and while the vendor said they could tailor a simulator to make it small-footprint, the diagrams and pictures they showed were all large-scale simulators. UFA also said it could work with the customer to develop Air Force Training scenarios, but the response did not say they had training scenarios ready to go with the simulator. Lastly, UFA asserted that their proposed system could be compatible with current Air Force systems, but would require additional work to achieve the necessary compatibility. This response showed that there would be additional work needed and potentially increased costs to achieve all requirements, with no guarantee of success.

Voice Products' submission showed that it is a speech recognition company and does not provide any ATC simulator capabilities. Voice Products is unable to meet the AO-X ATC simulator requirements.

Section E: Steps to Preclude Future Single Source or Brand Name Awards

The requiring activity does not anticipate purchasing another simulator unless the Air Force moves towards another brand of simulator.

If the requiring activity does find there is a need for additional ATC simulator systems, the requiring activity will conduct additional market research to identify whether another vendor offers a (new) cost-effective solution compatible with existing USAF systems and capable of furthering the AO-X mission.