Sole Source Justification - GPS SatSim_Redacted.pdf

This document is a Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity or Use Brand-Name Restriction for a federal contracting action by the Air Force Aerial Networks Division (AFLCMC/C3NK) located at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts.

The procurement concerns a GPS satellite simulator/emulator, including hardware and accessories, for the Tactical Data Networks (TDN) Laboratory Refresh project. The equipment must meet specified salient characteristics including key simulation features such as 1000 Hz iteration rate, jamming and spoofing capabilities, real-time GNSS environment emulation, signal propagation and error simulation, multipath and terrain modeling, error introduction and management capabilities, receiver trajectory simulation with static/circular/car trajectories and spacecraft orbits, and hardware-in-the-loop functionality. The simulator must support 10 MHz, 1 PPS, and GPS antenna inputs with frequency range 32 to 3225 MHz and minimum 4 transmit channels, simulate all constellations and frequency bands, emulate GPS Open systems (L1C/A, L1C, L1P, L2P, L2C, L5) and encrypted systems (P(Y) Code, M-Code, AES, SDS, MNSA), and support GLONASS G1 and G2 systems, with equipment training desired.

The Contracting Officer justified the sole-source award to Safran Federal Systems under RFO 16.507-6(b)(2), citing unique and highly specialized requirements. The justification states that based on an RFQ posted April 29, 2026 (Notice ID: SatSim_RFQ) on SAM.gov, only Safran Federal Systems met the specifications and security requirements. The procurement is mission-critical to USAF resilient communications in contested environments and operational kill chain acceleration, requiring strict architectural continuity with existing program baselines. The Contracting Officer determined anticipated costs are fair and reasonable based on market research and government RFI pricing analysis. Future actions will include Requests for Information and Sources Sought to identify alternative vendors and reduce reliance on these specifications.