Redacted_JA CECT-NWO 21-02 - Advantor_Truax Field.pdf

Control No. CECT-NWO-21-02

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR

OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. CONTRACTING AGENCY: The responsible contracting agency is the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, Northwestern Division, Omaha District, Contracting Division (CENWO-CT), 1616 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102.

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION: Request approval for the brand-name Advantor equipment to be utilized under the military construction (MILCON) acquisition titled Fighter Alert Shelter, PN XGFG189004, Truax Field, Madison, WI as Advantor is the current central monitoring system of record at the Air National Guard’s (ANG) airfield. The brand name justification is only a portion of the anticipated acquisition for the construction of a fighter alert shelter. The successful offeror for the MILCON acquisition will be responsible to install a complete and fully integrated electronic security system (ESS) that meets requirements of the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-021-02. This project will utilize Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization (SRM) funds, having a one-year obligation period, for the installation of the ESS. The ESS will be a separately priced line item awarded with the base construction contract and will not be an option. This ESS line item will be funded at time of award.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: The current system of record at Truax Field uses Advantor products for their ESS needs. The construction of the new fighter alert facility at Truax Field will include the installation of ESS which must be compatible with the existing system. In addition, the installation has an existing maintenance contract with Advantor Systems Corporation who provided the initial Advantor products. If any other equipment is installed for the ESS integration, the current maintenance plan will be null and void at Truax Field.

Advantor equipment is essential to the Government’s requirements in order to retain the current maintenance plan and continue a seamless integration of ESS equipment, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured by another company.

4. AUTHORITY CITED: 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, gives DoD the authority to set aside requirements when there is only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. In addition, FAR 6.302-1(c)(1) outlines the requirements for the portion of an acquisition that uses a brand-name description.

5. REASON FOR AUTHORITY CITED: This J&A is based upon FAR 6.302-1(c)(1) and is necessary for this requirement based on the following rationale:

a. Background.

Advantor Systems Incorporated provides equipment directly to the U.S. Government via General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule GS-07F-039DA. The National Guard Bureau (NGB) acquired Advantor equipment under the GSA schedule for installation at seventy-three (73) locations, to include Truax Field in Madison, WI, under Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) delivery order 47QSWC19A0012. CLIN 002 under this BPA delivery order also included preventative and emergency services for the equipment provided by Advantor Systems Incorporated. The MILCON project to construct a fighter alert shelter at Truax Field contains the integration of new ESS equipment with the existing system. In order to retain the maintenance contract for the current system of record, the brand name Advantor products must be acquired and installed for the fighter alert shelter project.

b. Justification.

Advantor Systems Incorporated is the exclusive source for Advantor equipment. Advantor Systems Incorporated has no distribution channels other than direct sale to end users.

Advantor Systems Incorporated has no authorized resellers, no dealers or distributors that sell Advantor products. Advantor Systems Incorporated is the exclusive source for installation of Advantor equipment and integration of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) equipment with the Advantor products. Advantor Systems Incorporated has no certified installers or maintenance personnel, other than Advantor employees or exclusive subcontractors operating on Advantor’ s behalf. There are no independent sources for installation of Advantor equipment other than Advantor Systems Incorporated. Additionally, any other ESS products or equipment will not sustain the current NGB Maintenance contract as the equipment would not be installed by Advantor Systems Incorporated certified personnel.

c. Impact

According to the UFC 4-021-02, an ESS is one of many physical security measures that must be considered when addressing the physical security posture of a DoD facility. The Advantor system is the sole system for ESS at Truax Field and is a vital physical security measure at the installation. If other ESS equipment is acquired and installed for the fighter alert shelter, the ESS physical security measure will be compromised. First, as stated previously, the current system is under a maintenance contract which will be null and void if other products than Advantor products are integrated into the system. Secondly, as explained in Chapter 8 of the UFC 4-021-02, the integration of different brand name equipment for an ESS system may be possible, however, difficult when making the subsystems and components “talk to each other” reliably and consistently which is a major portion of an ESS system. A drawback with attempting to integrate portions of ESS equipment (such as integrating an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) with a Closed-circuit Television System (CCTV)), typically has to have the same vendor as the manufacturer for these products have proprietary equipment that does not contain compatible software that will “talk to each other”.

d. Alternatives

The only alternative is to incur additional cost to change the entire ESS at Truax Field and remove the existing system’s integrated software and design. This alternative would more than double the cost of the initial installation and procurement of equipment. In addition, as the current system included training under CLIN 003 on BPA delivery order 47QSWC19A0012, a new system would cause duplication of costs for the training of personnel due to the personnel having to learn new software. This alternative is not realistic, feasible or a good business judgement.

6. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN COMPETITION: Based on the proprietary information on the existing system and the current maintenance contract, no other brand name or product will be feasible nor compatible. However, in accordance with DFARS PGI 206.302-1(d), a sources sought was posted and the responses received were analyzed and included in this document (reference Paragraph 9).

7. ACTIONS TO INCREASE COMPETITION: The project delivery team reviewed the requirement of ESS integration for the MILCON fighter alert shelter project and provided rationale to support the recommendation of using the same Advantor products for a seamless integration. The team realized the potential of having another system fully compatible with the current Advantor system was minimal, however, the Project Manager coordinated with the NGB to seek information on compatible systems in lieu of Advantor to keep the competition open. At that time, the team realized the impacts that another system would have on the current maintenance contract. As these ESS system manufacturers continue to hold proprietary information exclusive to their products, competition in the ESS industry is a small niche market.

The project delivery team will continue to survey the market as new ESS requirements are identified, but currently there are no other means to increase competition when an installation has an existing system.

8. MARKET RESEARCH: Market research was conducted in accordance with FAR 10.002(2)(i)(2). Several techniques for conducting market research included an analysis of the industry regarding market capabilities to meet requirements and by contacting knowledgeable individuals who understand the technical requirements of such systems.

Advantor Systems Incorporated is the only company able to provide Advantor products, which is proprietary software and equipment developed by the company. This justification will be made publicly available in accordance with FAR 6.305.

9. INTERESTED SOURCES: Although no other ESS equipment can be utilized at Truax Field except the Advantor products due to the existing maintenance contract, a sources sought was still published as required by DFARS PGI 206.302-1(d). The sources sought identified that the ESS will consist of three (3) subsystems and features: IDS, CCTV and Access Control Systems (ACS). The responses were to include a description of the ESS integration to include compatible software drivers for allowing subsystems to talk to each other and with the current central monitoring system manufactured by Advantor.

Three (3) sources expressed interest and submitted their rationale for how their systems will be compatible. The three firms that submitted were

. The responses were sent to the Technical Representative (Security Forces (SF)

Resources Project Manager at the NGB) for review and analysis. A summary of the analysis is stated below. The full, detailed technical analysis is saved in the contract files.

a.

b.

c.

In summary, all three respondents ( ) do not meet the needs of the Government.

10. OTHER FACTS: None.

11. TECHNICAL CERTIFICATION:

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: DATE: __________________________

TITLE: SF Resources Project Manager/NGB SIGNATURE:

12. REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION:

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: DATE: __________________________

TITLE: Project Manager SIGNATURE:

13. FAIR AND REASONABLE COST DETERMINATION:

I hereby determine that the anticipated cost or price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. The determination of price reasonableness will be based on comparison with the Independent Government Estimate. No certified cost or pricing data will be obtained as this portion of the acquisition will be under the $2 million threshold.

NAME: DATE: ______

TITLE: Contracting Officer SIGNATURE:

14. CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION:

I certify that this J&A is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

NAME: DATE: ______

TITLE: Contracting Officer SIGNATURE:

11/3/20

APPROVAL

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the brand-name Advantor equipment to be utilized under the MILCON acquisition titled Fighter Alert Shelter, PN XGFG189004, Truax Field, Madison, WI using other than full and open competition pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements", subject to the availability of funds, and provided that the supplies and services described herein have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

DATE

Contracting Officer U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District