SAM #M6700126D0007

Award for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Parts Marketplace IDIQ

This award notice announces a contract for a commercial online marketplace supplying Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) parts to the US Marine Corps. - Government Buyer: - United States Marine Corps (USMC), Marine Corps Installations Command, MCIEAST, Commanding General at MCB Camp Lejeune - Awarded Vendor: - EMPIRIUM, INC. - Products/Services Requested: - Contractor-operated, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) online marketplace for sUAS parts - Security vetting service for new sUAS components to ensure compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - Actual sUAS parts, OEMs, and quantities to be determined per order based on mission requirements - Contract Structure: - Hybrid IDIQ contract with Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) for security vetting and Time & Materials (T&M) for parts procurement - Unique Requirements: - Security vetting for NDAA compliance is a formal, fixed-price service - Marketplace leverages commercial market pricing for sUAS parts - 100% Small Business Set-Aside - No specific OEMs, part numbers, or quantities are listed in the award notice; these will be specified in future task orders.

Description

This action awards a single-award, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract to establish a contractor-operated, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) online marketplace for Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) parts.

In accordance with FAR 5.705(b), this contract action was not entirely fixed-price.

The contract employs a hybrid structure to provide the best value and flexibility to the Government:

Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Component: This is used for the formal security vetting of new sUAS components to ensure compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This service has a definitive outcome and is appropriately priced on a fixed-price basis per vetting action. Time & Materials (T&M) Component: This is used for the procurement of the actual sUAS parts from the marketplace.

A hybrid approach was selected because the costs associated with the procurement of commercial sUAS parts cannot be priced with certainty at the time of award. The specific parts, quantities, and market prices will vary for each order based on evolving mission requirements.

Using a Time & Materials (T&M) structure for the parts themselves (under CLIN 0002) is the most appropriate and cost-effective method because:

It is not possible to estimate with any reasonable degree of confidence the types and quantities of parts that will be required over the life of the contract. The contract allows the Government to leverage publicly available, commercial market pricing for each part at the time of order, ensuring Fair & Reasonable prices are determined for each transaction. This prevents the Government from being locked into potentially outdated or non-competitive prices.

This hybrid structure provides the Government with the stability of fixed pricing for the vetting service while allowing the necessary flexibility to procure a wide and unpredictable range of commercial items in the most cost-effective manner. This action was awarded competitively as a 100% Small Business Set-Aside.

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