Sole source – escalate subscription

N0016421Q0043 – SOLE SOURCE – ESCALATE SUBSCRIPTION – FSG DG10 – NAICS
541519
ISSUE DATE 03 FEB 2021 – CLOSING DATE 05 FEB 2021 – 5:00 PM Eastern Time
ITEM DESCRIPTION- Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane has a requirement NAVSEA
has implemented Cyber Red Teams to perform formal Cyber Operational Testing and Cyber
Testing across DoD operational networks (NIPR, SIPR, etc) which are certified by the National
Security Agency. One of standards for the certification is have a standard operating procedure for
certifying members of the team. As part of the certification the NAVSEA Red Team (headed by
NSWC Dahlgren) procure and implemented Escalate Software Subscriptions that provides an
environment and challenges/tests to demonstrate the candidate meets the criteria outlined in the
SOP. The subscription allows for users to test their skills in a gamified setting.
The proposed contract action is for the supplies or services for which the Government intends to
solicit and negotiate with one source, Point3 Federal LLC. of Baltimore, MD (CAGE code
7MG00), under the authority of FAR 13.106-1. This is being sole sourced because the NAVSEA
Red Team is a cross warfare center team. In order for NSWC Crane (and other WFCs) to have
members of the NAVSEA Red Team, the candidates must pass and document several dozens of
challenges in the Escalate site over several weeks per the SOP. The Escalate site is the current
site within NAVSEA and any other subscription site would have to be approved in order to ensure
it meets the requirements outlined in the SOP. This training will address multiple deficiencies
within the current training program that if not fixed, will affect the team's ability to attain DoD
Cyber Red Team Certification and Accreditation. This product is used by numerous other DOD
Red Teams. Utilizing the same training results in greater interoperability between teams, enabling
a more agile and effective workforce. To utilize another vendor’s subscription would require that
NSWC Crane would have to completely review and extract product requirements from the NSA
Red Team requirements, compete and evaluate products, test and validate the product, work with
NAVSEA to receive approval of the product and train and administer the new product. This
duplication of effort would delay current cyber security efforts by at least an additional six months
and cost the Government an additional $120,000.00 (minimum). These duplications would not be
recouped via competition. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, which shall
be considered by the agency. However, a determination by the Government not to compete with
this proposed contract based upon responses to this solicitation is solely within the discretion of
the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of
determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
Contractors must be properly registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). Offerors
may obtain information on SAM registration and annual confirmation requirements by calling 866-
606-8220 or via the internet at https://sam.gov.
This solicitation is being issued pursuant to the procedures at FAR Part 13. Synopsis exception
FAR 5.202(a)(13) applies and Solicitation Number N0016421Q0043 is hereby issued as an
attachment hereto.
Contract Opportunities on https://beta.sam.gov/ has officially replaced FBO.gov
All changes to the requirement that occur prior to the closing date will be posted to Contract
Opportunities on https://beta.sam.gov/. It is the responsibility of interested vendors to monitor
https://beta.sam.gov/ for any amendments, which may be issued to this solicitation.
For changes made after the closing date, only those offerors that provide a quote will be provided
any changes/amendments and considered for future discussions and/or award.
Offers shall be e-mailed to Joshua.tester@navy.mil. All required information must be received
on or before 05 FEB 2021 5:00 PM EASTERN TIME.