JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TECHNICAL RESEARCH, ENGINEERING, AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (TREDS II)

The contract modification under number 89233122CNA000255 justifies a sole-source award of Technical Research, Engineering, and Development Services (TREDS II) to the Desert Research Institute, part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, under the National Nuclear Security Administration. This action is based on FAR 6.302-1 due to the absence of other responsible sources capable of meeting the highly specialized requirements, rooted in over 40 years of historical performance by the institute. The scope involves critical national security missions across the Nevada National Security Site, Nevada Test and Training Range, Tonopah Test Range, and over 24 environmental monitoring locations spanning Nevada, Utah, and California. Work includes subcritical experiment safety, radiation detection, nonproliferation research, environmental and cultural resources monitoring, diagnostics calibration, infrared spectroscopy for UF6/HF detection, and mandatory tribal consultation. The contract is structured as an IDIQ with two new option periods—Option Period 3 valued at $800,000 and Option Period 4 at $2.9 million—increasing the total contract ceiling to $37.77 million. Personnel must hold Q Clearance for access to classified nuclear security information, and subject matter experts are required to maintain cutting-edge technical expertise, deliver detailed reports, and advise on long-term technical roadmaps. The institutional structure of the Desert Research Institute as a state entity without a profit motive provides inherent organizational conflict of interest mitigation. No formal evaluation factors, inspection criteria, packaging requirements, or invoicing methods are specified, as the award is grounded exclusively in sole-source justification rather than competitive acquisition processes. The contracting officer, Samantha Sartori, issued the modification on February 5, 2026, following a government-documented determination that no small business under NAICS 541715 can fulfill the unique technical demands.