A03-RedactedLSJ.pdf

LIMITED SOURCE JUSTIFICATION UNDER FAR

8.405-6

Orders against Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) when restricting consideration IAW

FAR 8.405-6/DFARS 208.405-6

1a. Contracting Agency/Activity:

Adelphi Contracting Division, Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground, ACC-APG, 2800 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, MD 20783.

1b. Requiring Agency/Activity: U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate (SLAD) Cybersecurity and Electromagnetic Protection Directorate (CEPD), White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), NM 88002.

2. Description of Action (put an X in the space provided where applicable):

Nature: New Requirement X Follow-on Requirement

Mod to Existing Order Number (Insert task/delivery order no. : )

Order against: X FSS Contract Number (fill-in): GS-10-F-0243K

OR

Multiple Award ID/IQ Contract Number:

Contract Type: Firm-Fixed Price (FFP)

For Hybrid Contracts, list type and percentage of each type of pricing:

Type: Percentage: %

Type: Percentage: %

Type: Percentage: %

Funds: Operations and Maintenance, Army (OMA)

X Other Funds: Research, Development, Test, and Experiment

(RDT&E) Army funds will be used.

Fiscal Year of Funds: 2015 will be utilized for the base period. Option period funding will be evaluated at the time the options are exercised.

SUGGESTED

SOURCE(s):

Name of Proposed Contractor: Optimetrics, Inc.

Street Address: 100 Walter Ward Blvd City, State, Zip: Abingdon, MD 21009-1284

3. Description of Supplies or Services: Survivability / Lethality and Vulnerability (SLV) engineering and analysis services.

The required engineering and analysis services support the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Survivability / Lethality Analysis Directorate (SLAD) Cybersecurity and Electromagnetic Protection Directorate (CEPD) Cyber Vulnerability Analysis Branch’s Electro-Optical Vulnerability Analysis Facility (EOVAF) and the Experimental Support Branch’s Signature Group. This is a follow-on award to continue the requirement for laser vulnerability and signature measurement engineering and analysis services. This new award will be a follow-on to task order W911QX-10-F-0115 issued 01 October 2010 and due to expire 30 September 2015. The contractor, Optimetrics, Inc. has a unique background and skillset in the familiarity with the hardware, software and current ARL WSMR laboratory facilities.

The estimated value of the proposed action is $ 3,304,622.14 inclusive of one (1) base year and four (4) one-year option periods as follows:

FY

Monthly Labor Cost Estimate

Materials Travel

Total Monthly Cost

Total Annual Cost

2016 [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted]

2017 [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted]

2018 [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted]

2019 Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted]

2020 [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted]

$ 3,304,622.16

4. Authority (put an X next to all that apply):

X ORDER AGAINST FSS: Title 40 USC 501, Services for Executive

Agencies; and Section 803 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2002 (PL 107-107); and FAR 8.405-6. Mark the applicable exception:

___ an urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays [FAR 8.405-6(a) (1) (i) (A)]

_ __ only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized [FAR 8.405-6(a) (1) (i) (B)]

_X__ In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-on to an original Federal Supply Schedule order provided that the original order was placed in accordance with the applicable Federal Supply Schedule ordering procedures. The original order or BPA must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures. [FAR 8.405-6(a) (1) (i) (C)]

___ Items peculiar to one manufacturer. An item peculiar to one manufacturer can be a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer. A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer. (FAR 8.405-6(b)).

OR:

ORDER AGAINST MULTIPLE AWARD ID/IQ CONTRACT: Section 803 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2002 (PL 107-107), FAR 16.505(b) (2) and

DFARS

216.505-70(b), the contracting officer shall give every awardee a fair opportunity to be considered for a delivery/task order. Mark the applicable exception:

The agency need for the supplies or services is so urgent that providing a fair opportunity would result in unacceptable delays [FAR16.505 (b) (2) (i) (A)]

Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized [FAR16.505 (b) (2)

(i) (B)]

The order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency because it is a logical follow-on to an order already issued under the contract, provided that all awardees were given a fair opportunity to be considered for the original order [FAR16.505 (b)(2)(i)(C)]

It is necessary to place an order to satisfy a minimum guarantee [FAR16.505 (b) (2) (i) (D)]

For orders exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, a statute expressly authorizes or requires that the purchase be made from a specified source [FAR16.505 (b) (2) (i) (E)]

In accordance with section 1331 of Public Law 111- 240 (15 U.S.C. 644(r)), contracting officers may, at their discretion, set aside orders for any of the small business concerns identified in 19.000(a)(3). When setting aside orders for small business concerns, the specific small business program eligibility requirements identified in part 19 apply [FAR16.505 (b)(2)(i)(F)]

5. Rationale/explanation to support cited authority:

The ARL SLAD EOVAF is a unique laboratory within the Department of Defense (DOD) which performs laser vulnerability analysis evaluations in support of the Army.

This lab contains highly specialized hardware that has been developed over the past 30 years. This hardware includes [Redacted]To support the collection of laser vulnerability data including [Redacted] using these measurement stations, specialized software has been developed. This software collects and controls various cameras, scan mirrors, power monitors, and attenuator assemblies necessary for the performance of laser vulnerability measurements. The data collected is then processed and presented in a format for archiving as well as presentation in ARL SLAD data reports. This data collection and reduction software has been developed and maintained by Optimetrics for approximately twenty (20) years.

No other vendor has the combination of technical expertise in the field of laser vulnerability, combined with first-hand knowledge of the specialized hardware and the many thousands of lines of software code (written by Optimetrics) required to provide the needed services for ARL SLAD. It is estimated that it would take a minimum of six (6) months for another contractor to learn the hardware and software and to be effective at operating, maintaining, and implementing upgrades to the hardware and software required to support SLAD’s laser vulnerability analysis evaluations. Due to the complex nature of this hardware and software, continual maintenance and support by the contractor is required while the Government is performing laser vulnerability evaluations. As one (1) example of the complexity and specificity of the ARL SLAD EOVAF data collection process, camera data collection must be synchronized with the movement of an in-house developed scan mirror as well as laser power monitor readouts and beam shutters. Each camera image and generated maps are stored in ARL SLAD specific formats created by Optimetrics including calibration information required for data processing. This map data is saved in multiple specific formats which make it compatible to be imported into various models for further processing [Redacted] with graphical user’s interfaces (GUI) that were also developed by Optimetrics. Due to the complexity of the data collection and http://farsite.hill.af.mil/reghtml/Regs/FAR2AFMCFARS/FARDFARS/FAR/19.htm#P3_68 reduction capabilities of the EOVAF, no other source is capable of performing these services immediately as there would be a significant learning curve for any other vendor which will result in significant delays to the EOVAF programs.

The negative impact to the Government would be the delays to current Army programs. There are three (3) current programs that the EOVAF will support in early FY16 that would be affected by a disruption in the required services. These programs/systems include [Redacted] All three (3) programs/systems have upcoming Milestone C production decisions which require extensive testing and evaluation that require the laser vulnerability and signature measurement engineering and analysis services that Optimetics provides... Any delays in performance of the laser vulnerability analyses required for Milestone C decision will result in decisions made without the appropriate information which could ultimately [Redacted] is the most critical concern with regard to the ability of the EOVAF to provide timely analysis support to our customers. In addition, the EOVAF’s reputation would be damaged within the Army and DOD community if the EOVAF is unable to provide timely analysis which could impact opportunities for future work with regular as well as new customers.

It is expected that the additional cost to the Government to pay for at least six (6) months of contractor training will have at a cost in excess of $300,000.00. Further, there will be a decrease in productivity that could last several years until the contractor is completely experienced in the EOVAF hardware and software.

In addition to the contractor delays in performance due to the steep learning curve along with potential risk of mission delays, it should go without mentioning that acquiring another contractor would also require a great amount of Government resources. A new contractor would require additional Government oversight, technical direction, and time spent providing training to ensure the all systems and support are fully operational. Optimetrics, Inc. currently has the necessary trained personnel to fulfill the requirements on the first day of performance without any gaps.

All labor rates proposed are in accordance with the published GSA schedule contract GS-10-F-0243K which is valid through 31 May 2020.

The current task order W911QX-10-F-0115 was competed as full and open, resulting in only one (1) vendor submitting a response, Optimetrics, Inc. The solicitation, performance work statement, evaluation criteria, and instructions to offerors was posted to the GSA Advantage E-Buy website. When the solicitation closed, only one (1) response was received from Optimetrics, Inc. which further supports award of a sole source task order for this effort, since it is not believed that the market has increased that would allow other vendors to offer a proposal based on the complexity of the effort and the unique skillset and capabilities maintained by Optimetrics, Inc.

A Synopsis was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website on 04 August 2015 with a closing date of 19 August 2015. The notices required by FAR 5.201, shall be published and all bids or proposals shall be considered. To date, only one (1) source has expressed interest. On 05 August 2015 [Redacted], emailed Contract Specialist (CSPEC), [Redacted] expressing interest in the synopsis posted.

[Redacted]provided a corporate overview of capabilities on 06 August 2015. Technical review was completed on 12 August 2015 by Contracting Officer Representative (COR) [Redacted]. The technical review determined that no capabilities addressed the area of laser vulnerability expertise with an emphasis [Redacted]required by the Government.

CSPEC sent an email on 13 August 2015 [Redacted]to request any further capabilities in above areas specified in the technical review. Contractor responded with no involvement/capabilities in the laser vulnerability areas [Redacted]. Therefore, it is determined that [Redacted]is not capable of fulfilling the requirement.

Based on the aforementioned, it is in the best interest to award this task order on a sole source basis to Optimetrics, Inc. due to being uniquely qualified and having extensive experience in engineering and analysis services in SLV required for ARL SLAD.

6. Market Research:

Market Research was conducted from 01 January 2015 through 02 March 2015 by [Redacted], with 29 years of experience. Market research determined that while a number of vendors offer expertise in computing programming or optical engineering services, no other vendor has the specific knowledge to operate, maintain and upgrade the current ARL SLAD EOVAF data collection and data reduction software, as detailed in section 5. Sources identified during market research as follows:

Optimetrics, Inc, http://www.optimetrics.org/ TRAX International, https://services.traxintl.com/contracts/white-sands-missile-range/ METI Inc., http://www.meticorp.com/services/test-and-training-range-support/ Syndetix, http://www.syndetix.com/services/test-evaluations-operations-support/

Conclusion: Only Optimetrics is capable of providing the needed contract support.

The ARL SLAD EOVAF has a unique laboratory within the DOD which performs laser vulnerability analysis evaluations in support of the Army. Highly specialized hardware has been developed over 30 years in order to perform these evaluations. Specialized software has been developed over years to control this hardware as well as acquire and collect data. The current support contractor has been responsible for the development and maintenance of this software for almost 20 years. No other contractor would have the first-hand knowledge of this specialized hardware and software required to provide the needed support to ARL SLAD from day one (1) of the contract. A significant learning curve would be needed, that is estimated to be at least six (6) months, for another vendor to learn the hardware and software and to be effective at operating, maintaining, and implementing upgrades as needed. A breakdown of the determination made for each source identified during market research is as follows:

http://www.optimetrics.org/ https://services.traxintl.com/contracts/white-sands-missile-range/ http://www.meticorp.com/services/test-and-training-range-support/ http://www.syndetix.com/services/test-evaluations-operations-support/

[Redacted]

7. Actions to Increase Competition: Continual market research will be completed to find areas where commercial solutions in the area of commercial programming and in optical engineering are becoming more popular among new and upcoming firms, as this market niche increases with professional interest will be possible to attempt soliciting an effort like this using full and open competitive methods.

8. Any other facts supporting the justification: As stated previously, the EOVAF technical area is a highly specialized niche area. Very few contractors have the required expertise and knowledge in laser vulnerability of optical and electro-optical systems, especially in the area of [Redacted], of optical systems on the battlefield. A major part of the EOVAF mission is the measurement and evaluation of these [Redacted] in order to provide specific recommendations for hardening. Optimetrics has been involved in this specialized technical area for over 25 years with 20 years of services provided to the EOVAF where they have been responsible for the development of highly specialized software to control the hardware utilized for these signature measurements. Optimetrics is uniquely qualified to provide the required services to the EOVAF from the 1st day of the contract without the extensive learning curve that would be required from any other source.

9. Technical / Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which is included in this limited sources justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

10. Contracting officer’s determination that the order represents best value (FAR DoD Class Deviation 2014-O0011), to include the basis for determination of a fair and reasonable price per FAR 15.402: Detailed documentation and justification of cost/price reasonableness will be disclosed in the official contract file to include a published price list, and comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases. Cost or Pricing data is not required, in accordance with the threshold at FAR 15.403-4(a) (1)

11. Review: I have reviewed this justification and have no legal objection.

12. Approval: Based on the foregoing, I approve this limited source justification subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services and supplies herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition. If the proposed contract action is not completed within 180 days from the below date, this Justification and Approval shall be returned to the Special Competition for Advocate (SCA) for revalidation. Additionally, if any changes to the requirements, basis for the justification, market conditions, or increases in the estimated value of the proposed action occur at any time, the Contracting Officer shall document these changes in a memorandum and obtain review/concurrence from the Competition Advocate.