EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY -- Test & Evaluation Joint Tactical Networks Center (JTNC)/Waveform (WF) Standards Conformance Testing (SCT)

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVALS FOR FAR SUBPART 16.5 ACQUISITIONS EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY Multiple Award Schedule (MAS)/ Multiple Award Contract (MAC) Orders under MAC/ Fair Opportunity - FAR 16.505, DFARS 216.505-70, PGI 216.505-70 Purchase Request Number: 37171-5 Contract Number: HC1028-12-D-0024 Task/Delivery Order Number: 0027 Procurement Title: Test & Evaluation Joint Tactical Networks Center (JTNC)/Waveform (WF) Standards Conformance Testing (SCT) Contracting Office: Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) / PL8315 Estimated Value: REMOVED (Base and Option Years): Authority: FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C) JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Contracting Officer, hereby approve this exception to fair opportunity pursuant to the authority of FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C). 1. REQUIRING AGENCY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE: Requiring Agency: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) Contracting Office: Defense Information Systems Agency/Defense Information Technology Contracting Office (DITCO) 2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S): This modification increases the scope of the task to support the JITC with technical testing of radios which includes additional travel requirements. The initial proposal requested by the Government assumed a level of effort sufficient to cover three customers a year. These initial projections were based on historical testing data at the time, and the increase in demand was not anticipated. The level of effort was increased by the Government, during the base period, to cover five customer tests. The latest projection for the first option period has approximately 10 customers requesting test support. 3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES: Testing of Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) for Standards Conformance Testing (SCT) Certification requires 2 months in the lab and 1 month report preparation. Estimated value is REMOVED. Support to the Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC) is comprised of ad hoc test and evaluation support (training users, evaluating Network Manager's upgrades, analyzing and evaluating problems from fielded units, and supporting working groups in the development of new waveform specifications). Historically, the task has been funded for 50% of the fiscal year. However with this large ramp up of other customers' testing the JTNC support has been backed off to 30%. Estimated value is REMOVED. This support is performed out of the JITC Networking lab in San Diego, California. Other waveform tests (SINCGARS, HaveQuick, Link 16 and Legacy Interoperability assessments) conducted under this task are much shorter in duration; nominally four weeks test and two weeks reporting. Estimated value of each test is REMOVED. These are generally conducted out of the JITC Ft Huachuca, Arizona lab. Extimated value of the entire task is now REMOVED. 4. SUPPORTING RATIONALE, INCLUDING A DEMONSTRATION THAT THE PROPOSED CONTRACTOR'S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY: (a) Exception to Fair Opportunity. IAW FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C): The order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency because it is a logical modification to an order already issued under the contract, and all awardees were given a fair opportunity to be considered for the original order. (b) Description of the Justification. The Test & Evaluation Joint Tactical Networks Center (JTNC)/Waveform (WF) Standards Conformance Testing (SCT) task order was awarded as a cost plus fixed fee task order to TASC on 3 January 2013 following a fair opportunity competition using the JITC T&E MSS IDIQ contracts. The awarded contract was modified on 21 March 2013, Modification 01 to include additional testing and travel requirements. It was modified again on 18 June 2013, Modification 05 to include additional testing subtasks. Finally, it was modified on 4 December 2013, Modification 08 to include additional testing for additional customers. Because the additional tasks falls in scope with the current JTNC/WFSCT task, the logical modification is to an order already issued under the current contract. Justification: Since the increase in demand falls under the purview of an existing task where efficiencies and processes have been developed, it is in the best interest of the Government to complete the additional tests under the existing task. This particular radio testing requires expertise that is not typically available through the set of JITC contractors. Of the initial seven contractors available to bid on this task only three actually submitted proposals. Only TASC was technically acceptable, and it was also the Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable. The initial request to bid was only 10 months ago and it is not expected that recompeting the task would provide a more cost effective option. If the Government were to bring in another contractor, all the experience and knowledge gained from contractor TASC would be lost. The time to recompete, hire and retrain new contractor employees on the highly technical, diverse radio waveforms: Wideband Networking Waveform, Soldier Radio Waveform, Link-16, SINCGARS, HaveQuick, and newest satellite mode Mobile Users Objective System requirements and protocols, would take an additional REMOVED and cost approximately REMOVED for labor and would impact five JITC customers with an unacceptably long delay in their testing. This is in addition to the amount of labor it takes to perform the testing. This increased labor cost would not be recovered through competition. 5. COST/PRICE FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION: Rates have been established with the basic contract. All rates set forth in the contract, and used on individual task orders, were based on full and open competition and a price analysis was accomplished. Proposed task order rates and loadings will be compare with the basic contract rates and loadings and verified as fair and reasonable. The total estimated value for this requirement is REMOVED (Total estimated proposal value, including options.) 6. MARKET RESEARCH: Full and open competition in Nov/Dec 2012 made the Government aware of the capabilities and costs of the other JITC contractors. This task was competed with all seven contractors under the Test & Evaluation Mission Support Services IDIQ contract and awarded in Jan 2013. The existing competitive sources (three T&E MSS contractors) have been evaluated within the last ten months. Both OBERON and ALION clearly did not understand the technical requirements of conducting a radio's waveform Standards Conformance Test. Only TASC was deemed technically acceptable. Since the original award, the technical requirements have further increased to include Link-16, SINCGARS, and HaveQuick waveforms. These requirements were added during the base period due to an unforeseen customer demand for this testing. The contractor TASC was able to accommodate these additional test requirements due to their available, highly skilled, and experienced technical workforce. This J&A is required for an increase in funding, not because of more new technologies, but rather an increase in the numbers of customers requesting testing support. 7. ANY OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS: The WNW, SRW, Link 16 and JTNC testing performed serially comes to approximately REMOVED. Resource constraints and parallel testing will in reality bring the cost closer to REMOVED. A REMOVED savings that cannot be accurately reflected in the proposal. 8. ACTIONS THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS THAT LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY: (a) Procurement History. Task Order HC1028-12-D-0024-0027 was awarded on 3 January 2013. The original RFP was competed and awarded for a total cost of REMOVED. This increase has occurred based on two previous change scopes. The increase for Modification 1 (REMOVED) and Modification 5 (REMOVED) totaled to REMOVED. This modification increases the task estimated cost by REMOVED and a J&A was approved with the current change scope (Modification 6). To date the total increase of the task is REMOVED which equates to a 29% increase of the total task amount. 9. REFERENCE TO THE APPROVED ACQUISITION PLAN (AP): N/A. This requirement does not require a written acquisition plan.