Depot Level Repair and Maintenance of AN/AQS-24 Sonar System and Related AMCM Systems

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWC PC) intends to issue a five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, 895 Oceanic Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401 for providing Depot level repair, maintenance, and modification of:

1. AN/AQS-24 Sonar Detecting Set (all variants)
2. AN/ALQ-141 Countermine Set
3. Common Post Mission Analysis (CPMA)
4. Intermediate Level Test Equipment (ILTE)

The use of task orders will provide the flexibility necessary for the different types of work required.  Under this IDIQ Northrop Grumman will provide for repair, modification and overhaul of the AN/AQS-14A and AN/AQS-24 Sonar systems.  This includes the conversion of the AN/AQS-14As to the AN/AQS-24 configuration, including the generation of all Integrated Logistics Support documentation to support the conversions.  This effort is sole source for the following reasons.

(a) Northrop Grumman is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the only source of the AMCM equipment listed above.  As such, only Northrop Grumman has the expertise, technical data, equipment, and experienced personnel to successfully complete the system overhauls and supporting documentation as well as the other tasking specified above.  Northrop Grumman is the sole developer of the AN/AQS-24 AMCM Sonar systems.  There have been no other contractual actions related to the direct development of these systems.  Northrop Grumman is the Depot facility for the above Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) systems.  By NAVSEA PMS-495 direction, Northrop Grumman is the Software Support Activity and the Drawing Configuration Manager for the AN/AQS-24 system.  The Government views all software and drawing changes, but the software and drawings reside at Northrop Grumman under contractor control. Northrop Grumman has the proprietary rights including the source code necessary for this requirement.

(b) Given the complexity of the AMCM systems and the level of system knowledge required to overhaul and repair this complex equipment and systems, Northrop Grumman is the only source possessing the expertise, internal technical data, equipment, and experienced personnel necessary to successfully provide the engineering and design services to accomplish all tasking.

(c) This is a follow-on contract for the acquisition of engineering services for continued development of a major system or highly specialized equipment, including major components thereof, within the exact meaning of FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii). Use of any other vendor would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition, especially due to the OEM-proprietary data.

In summary, there are no other possible sources that can satisfy this requirement without significant additional cost, significant schedule risk and significant technical risk to the Government.