TAB 1 JA Western Africa Bridge 2 - REDACTED Final.pdf

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition Under Authority of 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(1) Full Foodservice Prime Vendor for Customers in Western Africa

1. Agency Identification: Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Troop Support, Subsistence Supply Chain, is the contracting activity.

2. Nature of Action being Approved: The action being approved is the ability to solicit for DLA requirements on an Other than Full and Open Competition basis.

3. Description of Supplies: The proposed acquisition will be an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), fixed price with Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) bridge contract, in accordance with the definition at DLAD 2.101, for Prime Vendor support for a period of 430 days. The proposed action will result in the award of a bridge contract with EFS Ebrex Sarl (EFS) effective October 11, 2026, through December 14, 2027. This performance period affords sufficient time to award a new, competitive contract and provide coverage during the implementation period by the awardee.

The proposed bridge contract encompasses Subsistence Prime Vendor (SPV) support to provide perishable and semi-perishable subsistence supplies to authorized customers in the Western Africa Area of Responsibility (AOR). The supplies to be acquired are commercial food items, which are distributed to ordering facilities by EFS, the current Prime Vendor contractor.

, the estimated dollar value of the proposed bridge contract is $700,000.00. The guaranteed minimum dollar value is ten percent (10%) of the estimated dollar value, $70,000.00. The maximum dollar value is 300% of the estimated value, $2,100,000.00. The necessary funds for the guaranteed minimum will be reserved after the approval of the Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition and obligated upon award.

4. Statutory Authority: The applicable statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(1), as implemented by Class Deviation 2026-O0017 Revision 2 – Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul Part 6, Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Part 206, and Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Part 6.103-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Basis for use of the Authority: The use of this authority is necessary to provide continuous, uninterrupted food supplies to DLA customers in the Western Africa AOR. These supplies are available in the AOR from the current contractor, EFS, in the timeframe required, and award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements.

The original competitively awarded prime vendor contract for foodservice support in the Western Africa AOR, SPE300-20-D-4067, was awarded to EFS on September 16, 2020, with a maximum dollar value of $22,000,000.00. Due to increased customer demand and additional customer locations for Western Africa, a modification was processed in December 2021 to increase the maximum dollar value from $22,000,000.00 to $97,600,000.00. Subsequently, the Niger Military led takeover in July 2023 significantly impacted supply routes. Due to the critical need to utilize airlifts for the inbound supply chain in addition to delays in the competitive follow-on acquisition, a modification was processed in December 2023 to increase the maximum from $97,600,000.00 to $307,600,000.00. The contract expired on September 15, 2025. The first (current) bridge contract for this AOR, SPE300-25-D-4005, was awarded with an effective date of September 16, 2025, and a maximum dollar value of $5,400,000.00. Western Africa AOR is currently supported under the first bridge contract, SPE300-25-D-4005, and administrative catalog SPE300-25-D-A092. The current bridge contract will expire on October 10, 2026.

The use of this authority is necessary to maintain uninterrupted food service support for military units in the Western Africa AOR until a competitive follow-on contract can be awarded and fully phased in. The proposed bridge contract period of performance spans 430 days, effective October 11, 2026 through December 14, 2027. This period represents the minimum time required to complete source selection evaluations of submitted proposals, conduct pre-award reviews and source selection authority approvals, and execute the mandatory 180-day contractor ramp-up and implementation period. If the follow-on contract is awarded and implemented ahead of schedule, ordering against this bridge contract will cease immediately.

EFS is the only source capable of satisfying DLA's requirements starting October 11, 2026, without a break in service. EFS possesses the existing secure warehousing, established supply distribution lines, cleared personnel, and active STORES electronic catalogs required to sustain military customers in this theater. Any other contractor would require the full 180-day transition period to establish ordering points/validation, hire and clear personnel for base access, obtain PHC inspections of the facilities, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) testing, and build fully functional STORES catalogs, which requires an item-by-item Fair and Reasonable price determination for every catalog line item. Awarding to any source other than the incumbent for this interim period would result in an immediate and unacceptable break in food supply, causing mission failure for deployed forces.

6. Publication: A notice of this contract action will be published to Contract Opportunities (www.SAM.gov). All information pertinent to the special notice will be available to the general public at www.dla.mil/TroopSupport. In addition, this justification will be made available for public inspection within after award, in accordance with Class Deviation 2026-O0017 Revision 2 – Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Part 6, DFARS Part 206, FAR Part 6.301(b).

7. Fair and Reasonable Price Determination: As the Contracting Officer, I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable

8. Market Research: The information supporting this action is based primarily on the Government’s knowledge of the food service market in the region. This action is further supported by the market research RFI results obtained for the competitive follow-on procurement, which confirmed that no other source currently possesses the existing capability, including the fully implemented STORES cataloging required to meet the immediate mission need of DLA customers in the Western Africa AOR within the required timeframe. The current STORES catalogs for Western Africa consist of food and beverage items, with each having undergone a vetting process including technical review to ensure compliance with the Service Requirements, Berry Amendment, and other requirements, as well as supplier invoice documentation needed for the Contracting Officer’s fair and reasonable price determination. It is not possible to initiate new STORES catalogs with another prime vendor without requiring similar documentation and completing the technical and pricing approval process for each item. For this reason, the competitive acquisition timeline includes, and the bridge period factors in, an implementation period of up to 180 days.

9. Other Supporting Facts: There are no additional facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition. In the specific Western Africa AOR, the required foodservice supplies through a fully implemented STORES catalog are available only from the current contractor, EFS, in the timeframe required, and award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements.

10. Potential Sources: EFS is the only source expected to express an interest in this proposed bridge contract. Although four commercial food distributors responded to the October 2025 RFI, EFS continues to remain the only source capable of providing the customers with uninterrupted SPV support in the immediate timeframe required. To date, no inquiries have been received. EFS remains the only contractor with the existing necessary resources and STORES capabilities in place to perform the requirements of the contract without significant transition or interruption of support. To date, no other source has expressed interest in performing this interim bridge requirement,

11. Removing/Overcoming Barriers to Competition: The anticipated date for the award of the new follow-on contract is . The primary barrier to competition for the bridge contract that will be awarded pursuant to this justification is the temporary need for performance by the incumbent as the only contractor able to provide immediate support for all requirements until implementation of the new contract. It is anticipated that all future acquisitions for these requirements will be competed on a full and open competition basis.

12. Contracting Officer Certification: As the Contracting Officer, I hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date

Contracting Officer

I hereby certify that the requirements which form the basis of this justification are accurate, that these supplies meet the Government’s needs in accordance with applicable specifications and that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date Chief, OCONUS Region Subsistence Supply Chain

I have reviewed and hereby approve this justification.

WILLIAM J. KENNY Date Executive Director DLA Troop Support Contracting and Acquisition Management