A02_-_Redacted_DnF_for_OTFOC_-_19-Q-0115.DOC

DETERMINATION & FINDINGS FOR OTHER THAN FULL & OPEN COMPETITION

(ACTIONS SAT AND BELOW)

1. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PROCUREMENT: Electrical and Thermal Power Tester

2. PROPOSED CONTRACTOR/MANUFACTURER: Mentor Graphics Corporation

8005 SW Boeckman Road

Wilsonville, OR 97070-9733

CAGE Code: 66763

DUNS: 031374879

Expiration Date: 10/24/2019

Business Size: Large

3. ESTIMATED TOTAL VALUE: {REDACTED INFORMATION}

4. STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION: The statutory authority permitting sole source is 41 USC 1901(e), implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i):

_X_ Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements

___ Unusual and Compelling Urgency

___ Industrial Mobilization; Engineering, Developmental, or Research Capability; or Expert Services

___ International Agreement

___ Authorized or Required by Statute

___ National Security

___ Public Interest

5. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE AUTHORITY CITED ABOVE:

The item(s) listed in section one above is available from only one source and competition is precluded for reasons indicated below. There are no substitutes available.

___ Compatibility: The item(s) must be compatible in all aspects (form, fit, and function) with existing systems presently installed. Describe the equipment you have now and how the new item/service must coordinate, connect, or interface with the existing system:

___ Proprietary: A patent, copyright, or proprietary data limits competition. The proprietary data are described as follows:

___ Experimental Continuity: The item(s) must be consistent with prior materials in order to ensure experimental continuity. Describe the conditions that necessitate the use of experimental continuity: Please see below ___ Warranty: Purchasing item(s) from another manufacturer/provider would void existing warranty. Provide a brief explanation for the use of this reason and the impact that would occur if the item was purchased from another manufacturer/provider:

___ Direct Replacement: These are “direct replacement” parts/components for existing equipment and no substitutes exist.

_X_ Other reasoning to support a sole-source buy:

The Army Resource Laboratory (ARL), Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD), have a requirement to purchase an electrical and thermal power tester to facilitate experimental testing and measurement of device characteristics over frequency and power with a customizable external cooling capability. SEDD currently possess an external cooling system that needs to be integrated with an electrical and thermal power tester.

The Microelectronics Research and Development (MicReD) Industrial Power Tester 3600A is the only product that fulfills the experimental requirements: specifically power cycling with thermal testing to simulate and measure lifetime performance in electronics components, while also allowing customizable cooling of test objects and it is compatible with the external cooling system currently in use by the government. The MicReD instrument can also be used for BOTH thermal characterization AND reliability testing.

Other key requirements:

1. Tester must accurately and efficiently measure die temperature using temperature measuring units of Celsius or Kelvin in potted/packaged components and provide accurate temperature reading (junction instead of surface) – 0.01C accuracy and 1 microsecond time resolution.

2. Provide reliability testing of electrical and thermal components in long term durations (minimum hundreds of pulses)

3. Provide built-in terminal camera to eliminate variability in experiment testing.

4. Be able to determine precise electrical characterization of tested power in measurement of current versus voltage (IV) curves.

5. Ability to test and measure up to three (3) samples concurrently.

6. Allow all testing in one (1) set up with no need to move the part (thermal, electrical, calibration) The following companies were researched via internet

· Mentor - https://www.mentor.com/

· Alpitronic - http://www.alpitronic.it/en/products/test-benches/power-cycling-test-bench/

· EC&M - https://www.ecmweb.com/content/infrared-testing-assures-power-reliability Market Research determined that only Mentor Graphics Corporation met the government’s requirements; specifically a power tester that can be customized and is compatible with the government’s existing equipment. The Alpitronic power-cycling-test-bench does not have the critically essential capability to allow customized external cooling and therefore it cannot be integrated with the government’s existing external cooling system. The replacement of the entire system by another manufacturer will result in significant duplication of cost as well as lost time in order to find a system that can gather needed data to be tested, and replace the current data which has already been collected for testing. The customized external cooling allows researchers to swap out different cooling methods being evaluated, which is central to the experimental effort. The research team would have to study ({REDACTED INFORMATION} added labor and supplies), implement ({REDACTED INFORMATION} added cost) and develop data reduction methods ({REDACTED INFORMATION} added cost) for each of these approaches. This would result in labor and instrumentation costs of at least {REDACTED INFORMATION} per per cooling method evaluation. Over the course of the experimental research this would translate to added costs exceeding {REDACTED INFORMATION}.

Mentor Graphics Corporation is the only company which has been identified whose product meets the government’s experimental requirements. The experimental requirements critical to the research being performed include the ability to integrate existing customized external cooling equipment with the device measurement instrumentation. The only thermal/electrical device measurement product with this capability is the MicReD power tester. Tri-Logic Inc. (CAGE Code: 1KX07) is a small business distributor for Mentor Graphics Corporation.

Both Mentor Graphics Corporation and their distributor, Tri-Logic Inc. can supply the required tester. Therefore, this will be solicited as a brand name sole source.

6. FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICE DETERMINATION:

It has been determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable and that approval of this recommendation is in the best interest of the government. This justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Template last updated 4/23/2018