Sole Source Justification (Determination & Findings)

This document is a Determination & Findings justifying a sole source acquisition for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RMZA). The Systems Technology Office (AFRL/STO) is procuring a renewal license for Altair HyperWorks software as a firm fixed price (FFP) contract. The total estimated acquisition value is redacted, with appropriation from Fiscal Year 26, 3600 funds. The contracting officer has determined that only one source is reasonably capable of providing this product based on RFO 8.401 and GSAR 538.7104-3(a) authority for FSS Orders.

The justification emphasizes that Altair HyperWorks is the only known brand capable of meeting AFRL/STO's specific mission requirements due to extensive integration with the Air Force's proprietary in-house software code, validated file libraries, and testing infrastructure. The findings detail that alternative software solutions would require substantial retraining costs (redacted man-hours) and create unacceptable risk to high-value test results. Key technical advantages cited include PBSPro's approval for Multi-Layer Security environments, FEKO's asymptotic numerical solutions for high-speed mesh generation, and HyperMesh's superior mesh quality. The document concludes that purchasing an alternative brand would result in duplicative government costs, unrecoverable expenses, unacceptable mission delays, and incompatibility with existing Air Force research and development processes.