JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 1. Contracting Activity. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD) Patuxent River, MD 2. Description of the Action Being Approved. This requirement is for the purchase of WildStar 6 VPX Mezzanine Cards, and 4-Slot Chassis' provided by Annapolis Micro Systems (AMS), Inc. These materials are vital to the mission of BEAMS (Broadband Emitter Antenna Measurement System) which supports the test and evaluation of the Next Generation Jammer pods that will be used on the EA-18G aircraft. This requirement supports the research and integration which BEAMS has already applied with the 3 WildStar 6 VPX's purchased from AMS in September 2012 (contract number N00421-12-P-0969). This requirement will result in a Firm Fixed Price contract with AMS for WildStar 6 VPX's (with chassis'). This sole source procurement is part of a BEAMS upgrade being managed by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) in the Avionics Signature and Avionics Measurements (ASAM) branch (5.2.4.2) at the Atlantic Test Range (ATR). BEAMS is a program which supports the Test and Evaluation of the NexGen Jammer (NGJ). BEAMS will be an extension of the ADAMS system that is currently used to support the Radar Cross Section (RCS) measurement of various DoD aircraft. This product is commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) but this version is specifically designed to support DoD and intelligence community. 3. Description of Supplies/Services. The equipment required by the Government in support of the BEAMS upgrade includes: Qty Part No./ Description 9 WS6/XCLX550-2VPX/XC6LX550-2/1.5GD2D/4GD2D; WildStar 6 VPX with 3 LX550T-2 and 1.5 GB CPE DDR2 memory and 4 GB IOPE DDR2 Memory w IRIG 3 WS4/IOADCD2.5G10E/0; 2 channel WS Mezz card 2.5 GSps ADC (A with B support) 5 WS/ChVPX/4M/H; COTS 4 Slot VPX chassis 8 WS4/LVDS; 2 channel WS Mezz LVDS card (A with B support) 8 WS4Ind/IOSFP+/4/P; 4 channel SFP+ mezz card (Class B Support) 10 WS/50C036I77CHAMP; 36 in LVDS cable for item #4, CHAMP50 to Male DB50 5 Chassis Shipments; UPS shipping charges for item 3 28 UPS delivery; Delivery for items 1,2,4,5 See Appendix A for Estimated Dollar Value 4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition. 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. 5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority. AMS has successfully provided reliable equipment to support the ASAM Branch for several years. A key factor in the sole source justification is that there is over 10 years' worth of labor that has been spent to develop, test, and integrate codes specifically made to be compatible with AMS' products. To use any other product would be counterproductive because over 10 years of labor in software development will be rendered unusable with products manufactured by other vendors; therefore, increasing cost and preventing the Government from meeting schedule requirements. Since AMS was awarded the previous contract on September 26, 2012 (contract number N00421-12-P-0969), integration, written codes, and development into AMS' products are unique and cannot be simply altered to accommodate another brand. The AMS' products are modified COTS that are uniquely designed to support defense operations such as those of BEAMS. The WildStar 6 VPX is the only compatible board with our current systems and to change companies would involve a cost that is far greater than this procurement. AMS is the only company that can provide products/ services that fit the description of BEAMS' requirement. It will cost a minimum of 5 man years of labor to modify the Government's existing software, costing approximately $200K per man year which will total approximately $1M. This will also increase lifecycle costs because the Government will be forced to support separate sets of hardware which will cost another two man years of labor for a total of $400K. Total potential costs associated with procuring another brand are estimated to be approximately $1.4M. 6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable. A synopsis was issued on 05 June 2014 notifying industry of the intent to issue a sole source contract to Annapolis Micro Systems. The synopsis closed on 20 June 2014 and no questions or inquiries were received. In addition, a search of the internet and sorting through the Microwaves and RF magazines, extensive research was conducted by the ASAM Branch to identify all solutions. Market Research was conducted to best identify companies that have the expertise, capabilities, and experience associated with this requirements. As stated in paragraph 5 above, no other company can replicate or meet the specifications of the software from AMS, nor provide the unique integration and written codes specifically used by BEAMS using AMS software without significant costs and delays. The BEAMS program has spent a great deal of time and effort working with AMS' proprietary devices and collaborating their equipment to support BEAMS' mission. As a result, AMS is the only company that can provide products/services that fit the BEAMS' requirement. As previously mentioned in paragraph 5, the total cost for not proceeding with this procurement will total approximately $1.4M. 7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost. In accordance with FAR 15.402, the Contracting Officer shall ensure that all supplies and services provided under this contract are procured at a fair and reasonable price. The contracting officer will also ensure that price analysis is performed and utilize necessary resources to help determine a fair and reasonable price. 8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition. For the reasons discussed above, the ATR has no plans, at this time, to deviate from the commitment to use AMS' products. The required types of materials are unique and have been collaborated for over 10 years' in terms of labor, integration, and writing code to be compatible with BEAMS. If another source emerges, ATR will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.
