Sole Source to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute for Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Resilience In-Water Test Support per attachments

Sole Source Justification

This document is a sole source justification memorandum for awarding a firm-fixed-price contract to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) for unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) resilience in-water testing. The contracting activity is NSWC-PCD.

• Two in-water test events in Panama City Beach, FL, to test a REMUS 600 UUV with an FLS payload.

• Contractor to provide all labor, materials, and support for vehicle mobilization, on-water testing, and demobilization.

• Acquisition will use simplified acquisition procedures.

• WHOI is the original developer of the REMUS family of UUVs and possesses proprietary, in-depth knowledge of the REMUS 600's engineering, software, and operational systems.

• WHOI has the specialized personnel and technical expertise required to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the REMUS 600 in a field environment, ensuring data collection integrity.

• Using a different contractor would introduce unacceptable technical risk, substantial costs, and delays.

• It is more advantageous to the Government to award on a sole-source basis to WHOI.

• The order represents the best value and lowest overall cost alternative to meet Government needs.

• The requirement will be synopsized on SAM.gov.

• Market research was not conducted as WHOI is the only source that can meet the Government's needs, as specified in paragraph 4.

Forms / Attachments / Pricing Sheets

This document lists contract clauses and related information that are applicable to the opportunity. It is divided into sections covering Deliveries or Performance (Section F), Contract Clauses (Section I), Representations (Section K), Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Bidders (Section L), and Evaluation Factors for Award (Section M).

• Section F: Specifies F.O.B. (Freight On Board) terms for destination and origin.
• Section G: Outlines electronic submission requirements for payment requests and receiving reports, and wide area workflow payment instructions.
• Section I: Contains a comprehensive list of contract clauses, including those related to reporting, system for award management, ownership or control of offeror, safeguarding of covered contractor information systems, prohibitions on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services/equipment, and contract terms and conditions for commercial items. It also preselects and requires specific clauses related to internal confidentiality agreements, inverted domestic corporations, protest after award, and applicable law for breach of contract claims.
• Section K: Lists representations required from offerors, including those related to internal confidentiality agreements, incorporation by reference of representations and certifications, and prohibitions on contracting for certain telecommunications and video surveillance services/equipment.
• Section L: Provides instructions and conditions for bidders, including instructions for offerors on commercial items, system for award management, alternative line item proposals, and notice to prospective suppliers on the use of the Supplier Performance Risk System.
• Section M: Details the evaluation factors for award, stating that the award will be based on Best Value considering Price, Delivery, Quality, and Past Performance. It also includes a clause regarding the use of Navy support contractors for official contract files.

This document is critical for bidders as it outlines the specific contract clauses, representations, instructions, and evaluation criteria that will govern the contract. Understanding these elements is essential for preparing a compliant and competitive proposal. Bidders should pay close attention to the required and preselected clauses, as well as the evaluation factors, to ensure their proposal meets all government requirements and expectations.