J&A_Redacted.pdf

Control No: JA-18-Belv-536 Contractor: Raytheon BBN Technologies

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

JUSTIFICATION REVIEW DOCUMENT

FAR PART 6 JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Program/Equipment: Development of a Dari Speech-to-Speech (S2S) Language Pack (LP) to support Product Director Machine Foreign Language Translation System (PD

MFLTS)

Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (2) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.302-2 -- Unusual and Compelling Urgency.

Amount:

Prepared By:

Acting Product Director, MFL TS Email:

Procuring Contracting Officer:

Contracting Officer Email:

Technical Representative:

Acting Product Director, MFL TS Email:

DSN:

Date Reviewed: 8/17/18

DSN:

Date Reviewed: 8/17/18

DSN:

Date Reviewed: 8/17/18

Reviews: I have reviewed this justification and find it adequate to support other than full and open competition.

Program Manager:

Project Manager, DCGS-A Email:

Signature:

DSN:

Date Reviewed: 8/17/18

Legal Counsel:

Attorney Email:

Signature:

Control No: JA-18-Belv-536 Contractor: Raytheon BBN Technologies

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

DSN:

Date Reviewed:

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. CONTRACTING ACTIVITY: United States Army Contracting Command Aberdeen Proving Ground-Belvoir Division 10205 Burbeck Road, Bldg. 362 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5863

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION: Product Director Machine Foreign Language Translation System (PD MFL TS) had an urgent request for a Firm Fixed Price Letter Contract to Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp. (BBN); 10 Moulton St., Cambridge, MA 02138-1119. The Government awarded Letter Contract Number W909MY-18-C-0023 on 13 July 2018 with Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Research Development Test & Evaluation (ROTE) funds for development of the Dari Speech to Speech (S2S) Language Pack (LP). This Letter Contract was initially funded at 49% or of the Not-to Exceed (NTE) Price of FY17 ROTE funding will be used for the remaining development portion of the Dari S2S LP and FY18 Other, Procurement Army (OPA) funds will be used for the twelve (12) month Enterprise License Agreement (ELA).This is an After the Fact J&A. The awarded Period of Performance (PoP) was for twenty-two (22) months from 13 July 2018 to 12 May 2020. This PoP includes a ten (10) month period for development, delivery and upgrades of the Dari S2S LP and a twelve

(12) month period for usage under an enterprise license agreement. The anticipated date of definitization of the letter contract is 28 September 2018.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES: This effort was awarded as a result of a Rapid Equipping Force (REF) 10-Liner, that was validated on 30 May 2018. A REF harnesses current and emerging technologies to provide immediate solutions to the urgent challenges of deployed or deploying U.S. Army forces globally. Deployed or deploying commanders and units can contact the REF with a requirement using the REF 10-Liner requirement authorization document. A request for a Dari S2S Translation LP capability was submitted by the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) in Afghanistan.

The awarded Letter Contract allows for the purchase of a Dari S2S LP that can be

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP quickly integrated with the existing MFL TS Application which resides on the Nett Warrior (NW) End User Device (EUD), an android smartphone. The Dari S2S LP development includes two (2) phases. The 1st phase, (surge) is for development and delivery of a Dari S2S LP to Communications-Electronics Command Engineering Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground within two (2) months after award. The LP shall operate within the current MFL TS architecture and application on a portable platform (Samsung Galaxy S5, running Android 6.0), with Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) improvement based on deep learning techniques. The 2nd phase is for upgrades to the developed Dari S2S LP within ten (10) months after contract award based on additional domain data available from 1st phase for the following domains: Checkpoint Operations, Base Security, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear, Counterinsurgency, Combat Lifesaving, Convoy Operations, and Internment and Detention. The delivered Dari S2S LP shall be compliant with the MFL TS SW Architecture and MFL TS Interface requirements and shall pass Contractor integration and qualification testing.

Period of Performance (PoP): 13 July 2018 to 12 May 2020 Total Value:

The total value is based on BBN's Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) value of , submitted to the Government on 29 June 2018. A breakdown of the

ROM is provided below:

Item Description Not To Exceed (NTE) Price

Development of Dari S2S LP Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) Total

The Letter Contract will be definitized at a price NTE . BBN's submitted ROM price is above the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) price of

, which included an estimate of for development of a Dari S2S LP and an estimate of for an ELA. The IGCE was developed based on historical data under MFL TS efforts and information received during market research.

The labor categories and labor hours for this effort included in the IGCE are provided below:

Labor Cate ories Labor Hours

Total Estimated Labor Hours

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

4. AUTHORITY CITED: 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (2), as implemented by FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency.

5. REASON FOR AUTHORITY CITED: The source for this action is BBN. MFLTS is a software (SW) only program that provides an automated foreign speech and text translation capability in order to augment and complement limited human linguistic resources across all Army echelons in all environments. The United States Army 2nd

Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) identified an urgent requirement for Dari S2S LP that can be quickly integrated with the existing MFL TS Application that was validated through Rapid Equipping Force (REF) 10-Liner on 30 May 2018. As a result, Product Directorate (PD) MFL TS provided an urgency statement on 26 June 2018 requesting ACC-APG-Belvoir to immediately award a Letter Contract BBN Technologies Corp.

under urgency based on the immediate requirement. Based on Market Research conducted, BBN provided the best result in providing a S2S LP that can meet the Government's urgent requirement.

The MFL TS Application is currently part of the NW SW Image on the NW EUDs provided to the Leaders and Soldiers of the 1st SFAB. The 1st SFAB operates in areas (classified) where Dari language is heavily spoken. 1st SFAB reports that the lack of human linguists to support communications with their Afghan counterparts has greatly impacted their mission resulting in an increased risk of loss of life or injury to the warfighter. The SFAB's mission includes advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts by providing knowledge of the operational environment and training their Afghan counterparts on specific functions to complete future tasks and missions in Afghanistan. Most importantly, these Afghan counterparts can provide the SFAB information on intelligence and enemy forces.

In preparation for a pending deployment, 2nd SFAB anticipated their requirements

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP based on 1st SFAB's current experience in Afghanistan. Therefore, 2nd SFAB submitted the REF 10-Liner requesting a Dari S2S LP to meet their equipping and training schedule in support of their deployment timeline in order to avoid the language barrier experience encountered by 1st SFAB. 2nd SFAB requested a Dari S2S Translation LP be integrated with the MFLTS Application, already resident on NW EUDs, since this enables the Leaders and Soldiers to simply add another LP to the existing MFL TS application and NW EUD hardware without burdening the Leaders and Soldiers with additional gear and training. This Dari S2S LP will enable both the 1st and 2nd SFAB to successfully communicate with their Afghan counterparts, allowing them to successfully complete their missions.

Based on previous work experiences with BBN, the Government has high confidence that Raytheon BBN can meet the requirements for a Dari S2S surge capability. BBN has demonstrated the ability to perform both parts of the surge task. BBN performed a "surge" exercise under contract W15P7T-11-C-A004 during the EMO phase of the MFL TS POR during which the BBN developed, tested, and delivered a S2S translation LP for Urdu based on government-provided Urdu language data within 60 days.

Additionally, BBN delivered improved ASR LCs for English, Iraqi Arabic, and Pashto as part of the sustainment phase of the MFL TS Program. The deep learning improvements to the ASR LCs were made over a period of days for each language.

BBN, as the developer of the MFLTS Architecture and existing Iraqi Arabic and Pashto LPs, has demonstrated the ability to deliver fully integrated language packs with the MFL TS Architecture and has demonstrated the ability to deliver LPs that can run on the NW host platform and operating system.

BBN's proposed approach provided the Government with high confidence that they are the only source capable of meeting the Government's immediate requirement, specifically the urgent need to provide the Dari S2S LP based on the approved REF 10-Liner. Market Research was conducted and only two (2) vendors, BBN and

, indicated that they have Dari S2S translation LP capabilities that could be enhanced to meet the requirements for a "surge" capability requiring a developed Dari S2S LP delivered within two (2) months after contract award. BBN has previous "surge" capability experience with MFL TS LPs. BBN, as the MFL TS Government SW Architecture developer, is uniquely qualified to expedite development and integration of a Dari S2S LP into the existing MFL TS Application and has demonstrated the ability to deliver fully integrated LPs with the MFL TS Architecture.

BBN performed a "surge" exercise during the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMO) phase of the MFL TS Program of Record during which BBN developed, tested and delivered a S2S translation LP for Urdu based on government provided Urdu language data within 60 days. Additionally, BBN delivered improved ASR language components (LCs) for English, Iraqi, Arabic and Pashto as part of the sustainment phase of the MFLTS program. The deep learning improvements to the ASR LCs were made over a period of days for each language. Based on an analysis of the responses the Government has high confidence that BBN is the only source that can meet the Government's urgent schedule requirement.

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

Failure to provide the Dari S2S LP immediately will significantly impact the 1st and 2nd

SFAB's in Afghanistan, thereby jeopardizing successful mission accomplishment.

Failure to execute an expedited acquisition of the required Dari S2S LP will jeopardize translation capabilities of the leaders and soldiers of the 1st and 2nd SFAB, which will place Warfighters at serious risk of loss of life or injury.

6. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN COMPETITION: PD MFL TS has maintained formal and informal contact with industry subject matter experts in the field of machine translation (MT), particularly S2S, going back to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Translation System for Tactical Use program (2006-2010). Since the DARPA program, PD MFL TS is continuously contacting knowledgeable individuals in the Government and industry regarding market capabilities and reviewing the results of recent market research undertaken to meet similar or identical requirements. Vendors who have been involved with PD MFL TS translation requirements and the development of a Dari S2S capability have attended recent MFLTS Industry Day events, one hosted 26-27 April 2017 which twelve (12) companies participated in one-on-one sessions and one hosted 11-12 October 2017 which nine (9) companies participated in one-on-one sessions. Additionally, a Request for Information (RFI) was posted to FedBizOpps on 07 November 2017 specifically seeking to identify sources having an interest and capability to develop a Dari S2S LP. Only three (3) responses were received : BBN (Large Business), and A synopses of the proposed contract action was not posted in accordance with FAR 5.202(a)(2). However, a synopses of contract award was published on 17 July 2018. FAR Clause 52.244-5- Competition in Subcontracting is provided in the Letter Contract.

7. ACTIONS TO INCREASE COMPETITION: During the past 24 months, PD MFL TS took several actions to increase competition and interest in the marketplace for MFL TS LPs and the overall state-of-the art in the industry. PD MFL TS and Training and Doctrine Command Capability Managers technical experts have participated in symposiums, conferences, and Industry Days to inform potential sources of PD MFL TS requirements, track marketplace developments, and identify other potential sources that could increase competition and enhance the Government's ability to acquire future LPs that are more technically advanced at lower acquisition and support costs. As a result, the Government was able to compete a multiple award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) on a lowest price technically acceptable basis to support PD MFL TS text to text (T2T) requirements, which resulted in significant cost savings for individual LPs.

Acquisition Data Availability: The Government owns the open SW architecture developed by BBN and has obtained unlimited license rights, but does not possess the technical data rights for LCs (Optical Character Recognition, ASR and MT). The Government requires a license agreement to utilize and for BBN to maintain these LCs.

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

8. MARKET RESEARCH: On 07 November 2017, RFI W909MY-18-R-A004 was posted on FedBizOpps which included S2S LP questionnaires. The Government received responses from three (3) vendors: BBN, . In April 2018, PD MFL TS was notified of an anticipated REF 10-Liner which included the urgent need for a Dari S2S LP by October 2018 to support the 2nd SFAB's mission in Afghanistan. As such, on 18 April 2018, a follow-up questionnaire was sent to the three (3) interested vendors who originally responded to the RFI to determine if the Dari S2S market place had evolved since November 2017 and if the respondents had conducted further Dari S2S research or data collection, and updated their ASR and/or MT engines. Only BBN and responded to the follow-up questionnaire. On 30 May 2018, the REF-10 Liner was validated. On 6 June 2018, PD MFLTS conducted a final follow-up telephone call with BBN and on 7 June 2018 conducted a final follow-up telephone call with . During these phone calls with the vendors, the Government provided an update on the approved/validated 2nd SFAB REF 10-Liner for Dari S2S.

Additionally, the Government reviewed the known schedule and performance requirements. The Government wanted to understand exactly what each vendor would provide and deliver in the required two (2) months to support the urgent surge requirement. BBN indicated thatthey can provide a Dari S2S LP, fully integrated with MFL TS, with an improved ASR. indicated that they can provide an improved integrated Dari S2S LP. Throughout this market research, BBN and both indicated that they have Dari S2S translation LP capabilities that could be enhanced to meet the requirements for a "surge" capability (a militarily useful capability) within 2 months that operates within the MFL TS portable (Android 6.0 smartphone) application with a technology improvement to their ASR capability based on deep learning techniques.

Based on the technical understanding for Dari S2S translation, integration requirements with the MFL TS SW Architecture and ability to operate on NW host platform (Android 6.0 smartphone), PD MFLTS identified low risk for BBN and determined BBN provided the Government higher level of confidence that the initial "surge" SW delivery with a two (2) month delivery schedule (SEP 2018) could be achieved.

has not demonstrated any experience in the ability to perform the Government's requirements, as well as meeting the Government's urgent requirement and delivery schedule. Based on an analysis of the market research responses from , the Government has low confidence that can successfully meet the Government's urgent requirements for a Dari S2S surge capability. Although stated their ability to meet all of the identified schedule and performance requirements, the Government identified high risk of unsuccessful performance for based on never performing a "surge" LP delivery. This provided the Government with low confidence in ability to complete the initial "surge" SW delivery in accordance with the 2 month schedule. The Government's low confidence in being able to meet the delivery schedule is a result of SRl's lack of experience with the MFL TS architecture.

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

9. INTERESTED SOURCES: See paragraph 6 for the synopsis information. To date, no other qualified sources have written to express interest in the acquisition. In the event that a proposal is received from another source, it will be considered.

10. OTHER FACTS:

a. Procurement History: N/A. This is a stand-alone contract for a new requirement.

b. Unusual and Compelling Urgency. FAR 6.302-2 is applicable to this requirement.

An approved Urgency Statement was provided by PD MFL TS on 23 June 2018. A request for use of an Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) was approved on 13 July 2018 by the Principle Assistant Responsible for Contracting.

11. Technical Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Acting Product Director - Machine Foreign Language Translation System

Date: 2018 SEP 11

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date: 2018 SEP 11 BMD Chief, PM DCGS-A Signature: ______ _

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. This determination will be made based on price analysis and comparison to the IGCE. As a part of this basis, certified cost or pricing data will be required.

Procuring Contracting Officer

Date: 2018SEP11 Signature:

14. Procuring Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Procuring Contracting Officer

Date: 2018SEP11 Signature:

APPROVAL

Contractor: Raytheon BBN Technologies

Program/Equipment: Dari S2S LP

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve to the procurement of a Dari S2S LP by Letter Contract award in the amount of to BBN on an other than full and open competition basis. Pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(2) and FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency, subject to the availability of funds and provided the services herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Special Advocate for Competition

Date:

Signature: