USCG JA for Rescue 21 Coastal Sustainment Final signed_PDF_Redacted.pdf

This document is a Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (J&A) filed pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 3204 by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard's Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Cyber and Intelligence Service Center (C4ISC) proposes to award a five-year, sole-source, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS), located at 8201 East McDowell Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257, for continued operations, maintenance, and sustainment engineering services of the Rescue 21 Coastal (R21-C) system. The R21-C system is an advanced command, control, and direction-finding (DF) communications system serving 32 USCG sectors throughout the continental U.S. and territories, providing search and rescue (SAR) capabilities with specific coverage and operational availability requirements. Contract type is IDIQ with Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) and Time-and-Materials (T&M) Task Orders. Funding is limited to Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support funds for Fiscal Year 2026, with solicitation number TBD. The current sole-source contract with GDMS was awarded March 31, 2021, with a final ordering period ending March 31, 2026.

The justification establishes that GDMS is the only contractor capable of maintaining the R21-C system due to its exclusive access to proprietary data and software necessary for system maintenance. Market surveys and a Sources Sought Notice posted May 6, 2024 confirmed no other vendors possess the requisite proprietary software access. An independent study conducted in September 2023 determined that developing an alternative system would require a minimum of seven years and significant costs, during which the current system must remain operational. The USCG plans to introduce a next-generation Coastal Sentinel system as a competitive replacement, with option periods up to five years included in this contract that are not required to be exercised. The Contracting Officer will determine fair and reasonable pricing based on historical prices and comparison with an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), with certified cost and pricing data requested per FAR 15.403-4.