Description
United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Directorate of Procurement intends to solicit and negotiate a 5-year contract solely with KeyW Corporation, 7740 Milestone Parkway, Suite 400, Hanover, MD, 21076-3153, for the technical support and maintenance of Suite B CryptoModule, KeyWXcoder, and KeyWProtect software products. These three Suite B products constitute USSOCOM's current solution for an NSA Certified, classified mobile device environment, provides the approved solution securing voice, video, and data, in the classified SOF Information Environment (SIE). These products are currently NIAP (NSA) certified and validated as fully interoperable for the SIE. A determination not to compete this proposed contract was made pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, only one source is capable of satisfying the agency's requirements. This determination is based on the fact that KeyW is the developer of the Suite B products, and as a result, they are the only vendor that can support the request to perform revalidation for their software solutions with NIAP (NSA certification) or Common Criteria labs. KeyW is the only company that can provide the appropriate software updates and level of technical services/support required for the products they developed. This technical support includes software patching, upgrade, integration, interoperability, software remedy support. Entertaining procurement of a like support capability is untenable for two reasons. First, as the sole developer of the Suite B software products, only KeyW Corporation can request follow-on certifications and testing from NIAP or Common Criteria Labs. Second, a follow-on support contract from another source would require the wholesale development of a solution other than the NSA Certified Suite B software products, which would require years of extensive development, testing, certification, and cost for new software solutions. Acquiring a second solution would also increase training schedule and cost to USSOCOM Operators. Development and deployment of a parallel solution would also disrupt USSOCOM combat operations and introduce risks of mission failure. In summary, as the sole developer of Suite B software, only KeyW can provide the appropriate software upgrades and level of technical support required for the products, without mission degradation and significant duplication of costs. This notice is not a formal solicitation or request for competitive proposals. The intent of this notice is for informational purposes only. No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be accepted. No award will be made on the basis of quotations or offers received in response to this notice.