Intent to Award Sole Source: ARES BVI-7 FT SAND TABLE

The Washington Army National Guard has published a Special Notice announcing its intent to award a sole-source contract to Dignitas Technologies of Orlando, Florida for an ARES BVI-7 Ft Sand Table system valued at approximately $143,341.41. This procurement involves a specialized training system that includes a 7-foot sand table with computers, peripherals, virtual reality and gesture recognition capabilities, along with floor projection equipment capable of covering a 16'x9' area. The system is designed as a terrain board assessment platform with distributed training capabilities that integrates commercial off-the-shelf technologies in image projection, virtual reality, augmented reality, and machine vision. The Army National Guard is utilizing the sole-source procurement authority under FAR 6.302-1 "Only One Responsive Source" because Dignitas Technologies is considered the only responsible source capable of meeting the agency's specific requirements and providing compatibility with existing Washington National Guard equipment.

The procurement supports the implementation of the Maneuver Senior Leaders Course (MSLC) Version 7.0 in fiscal year 2025, with the systems to be delivered to Yakima, Washington. The contract encompasses comprehensive services including shipping and packaging of four systems, installation and calibration at Camp Murray, operator training for up to 10 students involving both lecture and hands-on learning activities, and travel costs for two technicians over seven work days. Additionally, the agreement includes one year of virtual technical support covering email and phone assistance Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM EST. The Special Notice indicates that no full and open competition will be conducted due to the specialized nature of the requirement and compatibility needs, with interested parties able to direct questions to the contracting point of contact Ryan Spriestersbach via the provided military email address.