CERTA_JA_Redacted.pdf

Control No: JA-RTP-17-186 Contractor Trailblazers Innovations, Inc:

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

JUSTIFICATION REVIEW DOCUMENT

FAR PART 6 JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance (CERFFTA)

Program/Equipment: DOD Friendly Force Tracking system integration, technical engineering, fielding, and sustainment support.

Authority:

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(5) as implemented by FAR Part 6.302-5 -- Authorized or Required by Statute. See FAR 19.1406 implementing 15 U.S.C. 657(f).

Amount: $1,928,115.00 Base Period $1,928,115.00 Option Period 1 $3,856,230.00 Estimated Total

Prepared by: DSN:

Contracting Officer: Lisa Gregory-Robinson DSN:

Contracting Officer Date:

Email: lisa.m.gregory-robinson.civ@mail.mil

Technical:

Requirements:

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

Program Manager:

Typed Name:

DSN:

Signature: Date: ____________________

Legal Counsel:

Typed Name:

DSN:

Signature: ____________________ Date: ____________________

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

FAR Part 6 Justification and Approval for Other than

Full and Open Competition

1. Contracting Activity: US Army Contracting Command (ACC)-Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Research Triangle Park (RTP) Division, 800 Park Office Drive, Suite 4229, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

2. Description of Action: U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Night Vision and Electronic Systems Directorate (NVESD), Quick Response Branch (QRB), Unique Mission Cell (UMC) requests a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with Trailblazer Innovations, Inc. 14120 Sullyfield Cir Suite J, Chantilly, VA 20151-1627. The Government projects an award for March 2017 and Fiscal Year 2017

X An acquisition plan is not required because this procurement does not meet the threshold at Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 207.103(d)(i)(B).

3. Description of Supplies/Services: NVESD/UMC under the U.S. Army CERDEC provides Expeditionary Warfare and other global responder support to the Army and Combatant Commands (COCOMs). COCOMs respond to a variety of exercises, events and actions in the global environment. Maintaining situational awareness regarding the location and status of friendly forces is of critical importance in these activities.

This requirement will support deployment, employment and sustainment of Friendly Forces Tracking (FFT) devices to DOD service components, agencies, and combatant commanders. FFT/Blue Force Tracking (BFT) equipment as defined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI 3910.01) will generate, collect, and disseminate friendly force identification, location, and tracking information. The services provided under the proposed contract will range from training and providing integration, installation and support for FFT capabilities to COCOMs, to providing technical support for assessment and transition of emerging FFT technology to enable continuing competence in COCOM FFT employment. Support is provided both for normal operations and for special events or unforeseen national crises in any theater of operations, including the Continental United States (CONUS). This specialized subject matter expertise is required to provide the necessary FFT rapid response needed by the COCOMs incorporating multiple Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) hardware types, disparate common operating picture data display and dissemination architectures, and a variety of end-user skills, tactics, techniques and procedures.

The anticipated contract will contain a one (1) year base with one (1) one (1) year option in support of Fiscal Years 2017-2019.

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

Base Period: 1 February 2017 to 31 January 2018 Value: $1,928,115.00 Option Period 1: 1 February 2018 to 31 January 2019 Value: $1,928,115.00

Total:

$3,856,230.00

4. Authority Cited:

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(5) as implemented by FAR Part 6.302-5 – Authorized or Required by Statute. FAR Part 6.302-5(b)(6) - Sole source awards under the Veterans Benefits Act (VBA) of 2003 (15 U.S.C. 657f).

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

As described in FAR 6.302-5, full and open competition need not be provided for when a statute expressly authorizes or requires that the acquisition be made through another agency or from a specified source, or the agency’s need is for a brand name commercial item for authorized resale.

The requirements for a sole source award under the VBA are described in FAR 19.1406(a), which states:

A contracting officer shall consider a contract award to a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) concern on a sole source basis (see 6.302-5(b)(6)), before considering small business set-.asides (see 19.203 and Subpart l 9.5) provided none of the exclusions of 19.1404 apply and--

(1) The contracting officer does not have a reasonable expectation that offers would be received from two or more service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(2) The anticipated award price of the contract, including options, will not exceed-

(i) $6 million for a requirement within the NAICS codes for manufacturing;

or

(ii) $4million for a requirement within any other NAICS code;

(3) The requirement is not currently being performed by an 8(a) participant under the provisions of Subpart 19.8 or has been accepted as a requirement by SBA under Subpart 19.8;

(4) The service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern has been determined to be a responsible contractor with respect to performance; and

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

(5) Award can be made at a fair and reasonable price.

The Contracting Officer has determined that the DoD has complied with FAR 19.203 and FAR Subpart 19.5 that no exclusions of FAR 19.1404 apply, and that, for the following reasons, there is not a reasonable expectation that offers would be received from two (2) or more SDVOSB concerns.

This procurement action is being considered for sole source award because market research revealed that only one (1) SDVOSB concern, Trailblazer Innovations (TBI), would be capable of submitting a technically acceptable proposal. Trailblazer Innovations is the only known source capable of fulfilling the DOD’s need for CJCSI

3910.01 Joint Friendly Force Tracking requirement’s technical support to deployed and CONUS forces.

Various organizations, for various reasons, bought different kinds of trackers, and command and control systems. These organizations often need to work together, and their systems made (at least locally) to interoperate and coordinate for periods of time or events. The Government is not procuring those systems under this contract. The Government is only buying Services to make these existing systems (which are likely to be replaced over the next several years due to the pace of technological development) work together for specific missions and events. This effort fulfills the need to provide as much interoperability within systems as possible. Which is a partial response to the acknowledgement that government-wide acquisition of these systems does not provide interoperability of systems as the most important result. This procurement does not recognize any specific OEM, only that there are OEM systems out there in service that occasionally or often need to be made to interoperate.

After originally performing this work as a subcontractor on a classified contract, TBI was competitively awarded via SDVOSB set aside contract N00164-13-C-JT77, on 3 September 2013. A follow on SDVOSB sole source, N00164-15-C-JT91, was awarded on 3 September 2015 and was based upon market research that revealed TBI as still, the only viable source. Throughout TBI’s performance, TBI has continually deepened its uniquely held knowledge, expertise, and processes in support of end to end integration of FFT equipment into the DOD Friendly Force Tracking architecture.

There continues to be no SDVOSB, other than TBI, which has such a combination of capabilities related to the above-mentioned requirements. Consequently, there is no SDVOSB, other than TBI, which could submit a viable offer for the required work (see paragraph 8 below). Additionally, the Army and the COCOMs have a continuing and urgent need for these capabilities

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Moreover, in accordance with FAR 19.1406, the Contracting Officer has determined that:

(a) the anticipated award price of the contract, including options, will not exceed $6 million for a requirement within the NAICS codes for manufacturing and will not exceed $4.0 million for a requirement within any other NAICS code, because the anticipated award price of this non-manufacturing NAICS code requirement is $3,856,230.00;

(b) the requirement is not currently being performed by an 8(a) participant under the provisions of PAR Subpart 19.8 and has not been accepted as a requirement by SBA under FAR Subpart 19.8;

(c) the SDVOSB concern, TBI, has been determined to be a responsible contractor with respect to performance, based upon its performance under previous Department of Navy contracts N00164-13-C-JT77 and N00164-15-C-JT91.

(d) award can be made at a fair and reasonable price

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: The Contracting Officer shall publish the notices required by FAR 5.201 and any bids or proposals received shall be considered.

a. Effective Competition: Because this is a sole source action, effective competition is not applicable.

b. Subcontracting is not anticipated, however IAW FAR 19.702 (b) A Small Business

Subcontracting Plan is not required as the award will be made to a small business.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: Prior to the initiation of future acquisitions for the aforementioned requirement, the market place will be continually surveyed in order to determine whether another SDVOSB source has emerged that can fulfill the Government’s requirements. Breaking out portions of the requirement would be counterproductive to getting a knowledgeable, skilled integration capability to the various systems, conops, and procedures that are employed by the various agencies utilizing the various trackers.

In the event that another SDVOSB source is capable of meeting the Government’s minimum requirements, future acquisitions, in accordance with FAR Part 19.1405, will be pursued as a competitive SDVOSB set aside under the SDVOSB Program.

8. Market Research:

Market Research was conducted between September 2016 through February 2017 by

. The market survey included querying various Government contractor and contract databases.

The Small Business Administration Dynamic Small Business Search database (https://dsbs.sba.gov) was searched using NAICS Code 541690 Other Scientific and

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Technical Consulting Services, 541512 Computer System Design Services, and 541330 Engineering Services using Keywords: “geospatial services”. The results were limited to SDVOSBs. Search results were reviewed. Trailblazer LLC was the only company identified by the search offering the required capabilities.

In addition, Government personnel queried Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) ( who are familiar with the procurement and employment of tracking systems, and industry personnel who manufacture tracking systems, identified that Trailblazer has been their supplier for the FFT services required. This stems from Trailblazers unique knowledge of Government client Tactics Techniques and Procedures (TTP), and their access to necessary proprietary information from client deployed FFT systems. Both SMEs are not aware of any other providers that could provide the services. Their consensus is that the special knowledge, access and experience that is required would not be broadly applicable to other customers, and therefore there are not likely to be performers of which they are unaware.

FFT system manufactures who provided these capabilities to the identified Government clients were also queried. They did not identify any service providers other than Trailblazer with ability to provide the necessary capability and to whom they would release their proprietary information.

Furthermore, the Pre-solicitation Notice posted on www.fbo.gov on January 6, 2017 did not yield any SDVOSB interest that could satisfy this requirement as discussed in paragraph 9.

Based on the aforementioned market research conducted, the Contracting Officer does not have a “reasonable expectation” that offers would be received from 2 or more SDVOSB firms; that the requirement is not currently being performed by an 8(a) participant discussed as discussed in paragraph 10 and that contract award can be made at a fair and reasonable price as discussed in paragraph 13.

9. Interested Sources: A pre-solicitation notice expressing the Government’s intent to sole source to TBI was posted 6 January. In response to the pre-solicitation notice a white paper titled “SAFE Strike” was submitted to the contracting office by DCPAS Inc.

The paper was reviewed and evaluated by the Technical Subject Matter Expert from the requiring activity, recommended continuing with the sole source award to TBI in part because the white paper did not address the required capabilities but instead offered capabilities that it believed would be valuable to the Government but did not meet the Government’s requirements. Specifically, stated, “the DCAPS system does not respond to the requirements of this PWS. This requirement is to support the integration and operation of existing FFT systems, not to develop a new battlefield management system.” As a result of the aforementioned it does not appear that DCPAS Inc’s SAFE Strike system will meet the requirements of the RFP. To date, no additional sources have written to express interest in the acquisition.

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

10. Other Facts:

a) Procurement History:

(1) Contract numbers and dates of the last several contracts for these same requirements.

a. N00164-15-C-JT91 – SDVOSB Sole Source – CPFF – 12 month base with one 12 month option period. $4,465,000.00 Authority used: 10 U.S.C 2304 (c) (5). Authorized or Required by Statue.

b. N00164-13-C-JT77 – SDVOSB Set-Aside – FFPLOE/CPFF - 12 month base with one 12 month option period. $3,000,000.00.- Only one proposal received as aforementioned in paragraph 3.

This requirement is not currently being performed by an 8(a) concern but by a SDVOSB Trailblazers Innovations.

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

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.

Typed Name: Date:

Title: Signature:

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.

Typed Name: Date:

Title: Signature:

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost or price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. The Contracting Officer shall require submission of cost or pricing data per FAR 15.403- 1(b)(3). Market analysis of the prices being offered and evidence of previous contracts issued for same/similar services/efforts will also be compared and used for the basis of determining price reasonableness.

This determination will be made using the following:

Cost Analysis

IGCE

As a part of this basis, certified cost or pricing data will be required.

Typed Name: Lisa Gregory-Robinson Date:

Title: Contracting Officer Signature:

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

Typed Name: Lisa Gregory-Robinson Date:

Title: Contracting Officer Signature:

Program/Equipment: Crisis and Event Response Friendly Force Tracking Assistance

(CERFFTA)

Version – MAY 2016 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Approval

Based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the procurement of services to support development, employment, and sustainment of Friendly Forces Tracker devices to DOD components on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C.2304(c)(5), subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services or property herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Date:

Special Advocate for Competition Signature: