59--ANTENNA ASSEMBLY

This contract pertains to the procurement of three units of an antenna assembly (NSN 1R-5985-015235622-XA) for Northrop Grumman Technical Services in Saint Augustine, Florida. The delivery terms are FOB Origin, and the government is issuing this action based on a sole-source negotiation rather than a competitive bidding process. However, the government is open to receiving expressions of interest or quotes before the award date, which it may consider solely to determine if competitive procurement is warranted. The current design of the part is considered unstable, with known issues in engineering, manufacturing, or performance resulting in failure to meet design objectives. Significant design changes are planned due to low process yield and marginal performance during testing and service, which will ultimately render the existing configuration obsolete and unusable. Despite this, limited acquisition from the current source is anticipated until the revised configuration is available. The contract solicitation is managed by the Navsup Weapon Systems Support office of the Department of Defense in Philadelphia, PA, and was posted as a presolicitation in March 2010. The contract notice clarifies that this is not a set-aside opportunity and no specific NAICS code is designated. The government retains full discretion in deciding whether to proceed with sole-source negotiations or to open competitive bidding based on the responses received. This acquisition reflects a transitional procurement strategy addressing an interim need for existing antenna assemblies while awaiting an improved design solution.