SBS005523 Short Term Services

The Department of the Air Force has awarded a sole-source task order to SpaceX under contract FA254125FB021 for specialized commercial services and accompanying hardware to support critical mission operations requiring fail-over capabilities.

The justification, filed under RFO 16.507-6(b)(2), claims SpaceX is the only awardee capable of providing the unique and highly specialized supplies and services required at the necessary quality level. The procurement covers operational customer-specific Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Starshield short-term services providing backup and fail-over capabilities to support Department of Defense land mobile, maritime, and aviation missions. Required services include unlimited data global connectivity with typical downlink rates of 450 Mbps and uplink rates of 60 Mbps using full-size high-performance terminals and an unspecified quantity of Starshield Mini terminals compatible with government-owned equipment. Market research confirmed no other commercially available compatible equipment or services exist, and the contractor determined that substantial duplication of costs and unacceptable delays would result from acquiring alternatives. The Contracting Officer found pricing fair and reasonable. The task order is being issued under the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Commercial Satellite Communications Multiple Award Contract. The base period performance is one year. Contracting activity is United States Space Force, Space Systems Command/CMK (COMSO), located in Chantilly, VA. The Air Force identified actions to promote future competition, including early market research, on-ramping alternative sources, seeking government purpose rights to technical data, and establishing open interface standards for future competitive procurements.