REDACTED Justification.docx

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER CARDEROCK DIVISION

9500 MACARTHUR BOULEVARD WEST BETHESDA MD 20817-5700

J&A Number: N00167-23- SIMACQ-CD-74-0027 Code:

P.R. Number:

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION JUSTIFICATION

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

Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) Code intends to purchase supplies and services to support NSWCCD Instrumentation Radar installations – both current and future. To support this, NSWCCD requires 5 Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTA), a spare High Voltage Power Supply (HVPS) parts kit, 2 antenna-mounted Environmental Control Units (ECU) and 1 free-standing ECU to protect each TWTA (Summarized in Table 3-1). This procurement is part of a massive, ongoing, NSWCCD Div. 74 effort to provide reliable, on demand, high fidelity Radar Cross Section (RCS) measurements, to validate modeling and support threat analysis of current and future US Navy platforms. Current NSWCCD Code radars need a ‘drop-in’ replacement TWTA that can be protected from the environment in a multitude of use cases, to meet objectives.

In support of this program, NSWCCD intends to award a firm-fixed price contract to Applied Systems Engineering, Inc. (ASE), the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the NSWCCD Code ’s current TWTAs that are exact replacements for all NSWCCD Code RCS current and future measurement systems.

J&A

Number:

N00167-23-SIMACQ-CD-74-

This justification document is in accordance with FAR 13.501(a).

The total estimated value of the acquisition is approximately $ .

3. Description of Supplies/Services

Estimated Dollar Value1

The proposed acquisition is for the purchase of the supplies identified in the table below:

TABLE 3-1 – Procurement Items

The total value of the anticipated contract including labor, parts, and installation is $ .

The Government’s minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

10 U.S.C. §2304(c)(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.” (FAR 13.106-1(b)(2))

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION

One of NSWCCD Code ’s missions is the measurement of the Radio Frequency (RF) Signatures of US Navy platforms in real-world environments around the globe. These measurements require the collection, analysis and assessments of the frequency, amplitude and duration of RF Signatures. Upon completion of these measurements, the data is compared to historical trends and prediction models. The finalized data product is used to inform the sponsor, and ultimately, the warfighter.

To make accurate RF Signature measurements in real-world environments, Code uses high-resolution instrumentation radar systems. The ability to transmit high-power, wide bandwidth RF signals from each radar system is critical to achieving such measurements.

The TWTA is a key component of the instrumentation radar systems, and it is a single point of failure for each radar, and by extension NSWCCD Code ’s mission, if or when it does fail. NSWCCD Code supports 5 permanent radar installations in:

1) Virginia Beach, Virginia

2) San Diego, California

3) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

4) Rota NAS, Spain

5) Yokosuka, Japan

In addition, Code operates 2 additional Deployable Signature Measurement Instrumentation radars, which all use the ASE Model 176 X/Ku 1.5kW TWTA. The requested procurement of additional ASE Model 176 TWTAs serves to supplement NSWCCD’s current inventory of 7 other ASE 176 TWTAs used across all radar systems. These new TWTAs will be a direct replacement for any failures in the field, or provide a source of spare parts to fix a faulty TWTA. Moving to other TWTAs will jeopardize NSWCCD 7420’s spare depth ability to logistically support all its radars across the globe. To build an equivalent spare depth of another TWTA model would cost upwards of $ , as well as entail significant effort on the part of the government to refit its globally deployed radar systems.

To support these TWTAs in a multitude of geographical locations with different meteorological conditions, it is important to keep each TWTA in an environmentally conditioned enclosure. For this reason, Code has talked extensively with TWTA manufacturers about providing environmental enclosures that keep their produced TWTAs at the optimal temperature and humidity. Specifically, NSWCCD Code needs environmental enclosures built specifically for direct antenna-mounting and a separate free-standing enclosure that allows a standard TWTA, which meets all the technical specifications, to be housed in either type of enclosure.

These enclosures will be permanently exposed to the harsh outdoor environments in which NSWCCD Code anticipates operating for many years to come. Hence, these enclosures will need to be built by a company with a design proven to survive such harsh environments for many years, if not decades.

Based on extensive market research and experience with high power amplifiers for other NSWCCD projects, NSWCCD Code found that the ASE TWTA MODEL 176 X/Ku met all the technical specifications identified.

Additionally, ASE was the only company surveyed that had the ability and willingness to make both antenna-mounted and free-standing environmental enclosures as detailed in the specification. In summary, Table 5-1 lists each technical specification and reflects whether each company that responded to the solicitation met that specification. Each technical specification can be found in more detail in the NSWCCD TWTA Technical Specifications.

TABLE 5-1 – Vendor Technical Specification Compliance Matrix

VENDOR TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION COMPLIANCE

Technical Specification

1.0 RF/Electrical Specifications

(PRF)

X

X

X

1.7 Amplifier On/Off

Control

2.0 RF Pulse Characteristics

2.1 Pulsed Amplifier

Operation

3.0 Connections, Control, Monitoring, Safety and Built-in Test Measurement

3.2 Remote Control and Monitoring

X

X

X

4.0 Environmental Specifications

Notes:

UC - Unconfirmed - Manufacturer cannot guarantee these specification P - Vendor only meets a part of this technical specification

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

NSWCCD Code conducted market research in accordance with FAR 10.002(b)(2)(vii), focusing on both procurement of the TWTAs by other manufacturers, as well as alternatives to antenna-mounted and free-standing environmental enclosures compatible with such TWTAs.

ASE, AMETEK-CTS and dB Control were identified as companies who make TWTAs. Each company was provided the same set of technical specifications from which a quote could be derived. NSWCCD Code has spent well over 100 man-hours of market research, continuous dialogue, email exchanges, and in-person consultations between all the companies.

ASE has continuously shown that they are interested in this project and they are fully able to support the technical specifications outlined in a timely manner. ASE can provide both the TWTAs as requested while also furnishing the requested ECUs – all to NSWCCD Code ’s specification.

AMETEK-CTS has been given the opportunity to identify if they can meet NSWCCD 7420’s specifications. There are a few areas that they are lacking, specifically being able to guarantee Amplitude and Phase variation from pulse to pulse. These are critical specifications that they are required to meet. AMETEK has discussed performing factory tests to prove they could meet these specifications, but they have not provided an answer over the last 4 months of correspondence. AMETEK expressed reluctance to make environmental enclosures, either free-standing or antenna- mounted.

dB Control has also been given every opportunity to identify if they could meet NSWCCD 7420’s technical specification. dB Control feels they are unable to fabricate environmental enclosures as described in the specification, and have instead proposed “outdoor” TWTAs which are hermetically sealed and could be mounted on the radar pedestal the same way an antenna-mounted enclosure would. dB Control would not agree to make free-standing enclosures, which would leave NSWCCD Code turning to another vendor like Rackmount Solutions to make a custom- built enclosure, and would put the burden of environmental control and hardware integration onto NSWCCD Code . dB Control has also expressed that they are not confident their TWTA could meet all of prescribed technical specifications. In discussions with dB Control in March 2023, the vendor decided that they could verify that their TWTA could meet the spec through in-house testing. A follow-up conversation in mid-May showed dB Control could not address the discrepancies discussed in March. Following this meeting, dB Control was asked to provide a quote to meet NSWCCD Code ’s technical specifications the following week (May 26), and dB Control did not respond with a quote until 21 June.

ASE has been the only OEM to agree that they meet the technical specifications. NSWCCD Code has performed an engineering and risk assessment and determined that the inability or unwillingness of the aforementioned brands to produce environmental enclosures as outlined in the spec would introduce unacceptable risk to NSWCCD’s ability to meet the current mission schedule.

Pursuant to FAR 13.501(a)(1)(iii), the Government will make this Justification available on the Government point of entry (SAM.gov), the Government will ensure that the contract file will be documented as to any responses received from making the Justification available.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Costs

In accordance with FAR 13.106-3(a) the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) shall ensure that all supplies and services provided under the anticipated contract are procured at a fair and reasonable price. The Government will require the contractor to submit a formal price proposal and sufficient information to support the accuracy and reliability of the estimate. The PCO shall determine that the proposed order represents the best value (as defined in FAR 2.101) to meet the Government’s needs. The PCO will also rely on experienced technical experts, as well as information from prior procurements conducted by the Navy where the same (or comparable) devices were procured, when conducting the price analysis. This information will form the basis for a fair and reasonable price. Following is further information about price, gathered by Code .

Upon receipt of quotes from ASE, AMETEK-CTS and dB Control, NSWCCD Code believes that $ is reasonable. This estimate is based on a combination of quoted prices and historical pricing. ASE has quoted

TWTAs at $ each, which is in line with historical purchases of past TWTAs from ASE. AMETEK-CTS, Inc. provides similar TWTAs at $ each. dB Control has quoted similar TWTAs at $ .

In an attempt to determine if ASE’s quote for an ECU was reasonable, NSWCCD Code received a quote from Rack Mount solutions for similar ECUs, and evaluated the cost to modify them to meet the specifications.

Based on market research on environmental enclosures, the quoted prices from ASE do seem reasonable. Rackmount Solutions, for example, quotes stock free-standing enclosures at anywhere from ~$ to $ . Market research from Rackmount Solutions shows that as the A/C units mounted on the enclosures get larger to accommodate higher rates of heat dissipation, the more those enclosures approach $ . At this price, their enclosure can only dissipate 20,000 BTU (British Thermal Units) with their most powerful A/C unit, which corresponds to about 5.8 kW power consumption. As NSWCCD Code expects to be dissipating the heat from up to 10 kW of power consumption (closer to 40,000 BTU), NSWCCD Code expects to spend at least twice as much ($ ), and likely much more because the free- standing enclosure would need to be modified with bulkhead connections to match the requested TWTAs and ancillary equipment. NSWCCD Code estimates it would take $ in labor, and $ in additional parts (total of $ ) to modify the enclosure to meet the required technical specifications. ASE currently quotes their free-standing enclosure at

The antenna-mounted enclosures will be similar to a wall-mounted type of enclosure. Some stock wall-mounted enclosures have been quoted at a range from ~$ to $ by Rackmount Solutions, depending on size. For example, Rackmount Solutions offers a 26u, 28" Depth NEMA Wall Mount Server Rack with AC Option at $ . Again, however, NSWCCD Code estimates that it will take $ in labor, and $ in parts (total of ~$ ) to modify the enclosure to meet the required technical specifications. ASE currently has their antenna-mount enclosures quoted at $ each.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition

NSWCCD will assess whether competition for future requirements associated with the TWTA is feasible. However, NSWCCD’s requirement is a unique case, because the time constraints and costs associated with new, untested equipment in a global radar infrastructure will prevent NSWCCD Code from meeting their mission requirements of near-term, upcoming trials.

Although market research does suggest that other vendors offer the capability of providing TWTAs, the costs associated with buying extra spares, integrating them into the existing radar systems, and training personnel on the new TWTAs to match existing capabilities with ASE TWTAs, are both costly and time- consuming to meet the mission requirements for NSWCCD Code - .

If future requirements involving the TWTA or the environmental enclosures develop, the PCO will assess whether the circumstances surrounding the need to obtain the required supplies/services without full and open competition have changed in a manner to allow for competition in meeting those future requirements.

CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION (FAR 6.303-2(c)) I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance, which are included in this justification and its supporting data, except as noted herein, are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

TECHNICAL AND REQUIREMENTS COGNIZANCE:

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