Justification for Sole Source Procurement_eXtyles Software MMWR - signed.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLE SOURCE PROCUREMENT (OPEN MARKET OR GSA)

UNDER $250,000

Sole source acquisitions may be used on a limited basis and only when the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)/Program Official has provided sufficient justification and the Contracting Officer has determined that the circumstances warrant such action. The content for a justification must contain detailed facts and rationale to justify the sole source acquisition. Soliciting from a single source must be done in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b) or 8.405-6. At a minimum, the following information must be included:

Identification of Program Office, Contracting Activity, and Proposed Requirement, Justification and Program Office Certification:

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Journal, CDC/IOD/OS/OSD (HCAHB)

A. Program Office:

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Office 1600 Clifton Road Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA 30333

B. Contracting Activity:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Financial Resources Office of Acquisition Services 4770 Buford Highway Atlanta, GA 30341

C. Identification of Requirement:

1. Nature of Action to be Approved by Contracting Officer:

a. Sole source acquisition of eXtyles editorial software plug-in to Microsoft Word from Atypon Systems LLC, including licenses and annual maintenance

b. Procurement Request (PR) Number (if available): 000HCAHB-2025-80397

2. Proposed Vendor and Estimated Procurement Amount (if available):

a. Proposed Vendor: Atypon Systems LLC, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030

b. Estimated Procurement Amount: $50,400 / 2 years at $25,200 a year

Item Quantity Unit Price Total eXtyles 1 Year Maintenance - 15 November 2024 through 14 November 2025 (22 seats)

22 $500 $11,000 eXtyles PubMed Reference Correction Module 1 Year Maintenance - 15 November 2024 through 14 November 2025

1 $800 $800 eXtyles CrossRef Reference Linking and Correction Module 1 Year Maintenance - 15 November 2024 through 14 November 2025

1 $200 $200 eXtyles Advance Process - URL Validation 1 Year Maintenance - 15 November 2024 through 14 November 2025

1 $200 $200 eXtyles 5-day Service Pack, 15 November 2024 through 14 November

1 $9,000 $9,000 eXtyles 1-day Service Pack, 15 November 2024 through 14 November

2 $2,000 $4,000

Total (per year) $25,200

3. Is the requirement on General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule? ☐ Yes ☒ No

If yes, provide schedule number: Click here to enter text.

D. Justification:

1. The justification for this non-competitive action is:

☐ In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), “only one source [is] reasonably available” which states that, “For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold. (i) Contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization). (ii) Where a single source is identified to provide a portion of a purchase because that portion of the purchase specifies a particular brand-name item, the documentation in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section only applies to the portion of the purchase requiring brand-name item. The documentation should state it is covering only the portion of the acquisition which is brand- name.”

☐ Urgency ☐ Exclusive licensing agreements/Proprietary data ☐ Brand name required ☐ Industrial mobilization ☒ Other (e.g., compatibility, space issues, continuity, compatibility, etc.)

☐ In accordance with FAR 8.405-6 “Limiting Sources” which states that, “the only circumstances that may justify the action are – (A) An urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays; (B) Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized; or (C) In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-up to an original Federal Supply Schedule order provided that the original order was placed in accordance with the applicable Federal Supply Schedule ordering procedures. The original BPA must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures.”

☐ Urgency ☐ Only One Source ☐ Logical Follow Up ☐ Brand name required

2. Other facts supporting sole source procurement:

a. What can this product/service do that other products/services cannot do?

eXtyles is an editorial software plug-in for Microsoft Word that automates time-consuming and error-prone aspects of document cleanup, styling, and editing. It is modular and fully customizable to meet MMWR’s workflow needs, with off-the-shelf solutions enhanced by optional modules and configuration choices.

Using eXtyles streamlines tedious document coding tasks for MMWR copy editors. It reformats manuscript references (which number more than 1,500 for a typical MMWR issue), automatically validates citations, and inserts database (e.g., PubMed) electronic web links. The autoredact function applies journal-specific style rules to the text, eliminating some manual editing while ensuring uniform application. Customized clean-up functions and user-friendly text styling allow copy editors, who work without administrative assistance, to focus on content.

eXtyles upgrades MMWR document management by automatically mapping customized styles to specified tags for web and XML production. This reduces layout labor and expedites manuscript publication. These tags simplify text export to XML, which is required by public domain databases, and allow faster, more complete listings in scientific archives such as PubMed.

The XML tagging also prepares MMWR content for various other export versions, such as e-readers like the Nook and Kindle, and automatically generates PDF and HTML article pages.

These services provided by eXtyles are not available at CDC, and MMWR does not have the capacity to create its own customized service.

b. What other products/services were considered and why did they not meet the need?

This software is customized for MMWR and is well integrated with other specialized software applications that MMWR uses. Typefi, Arbortext, Penta, Adobe FrameMaker, and Oxygen XML Editor were all considered as possible options to fulfill this requirement. However, alternatives to this product are not other companies but rather other customized software solutions. According to the Managing Editor, it would take nearly two years of customization and testing for MMWR to transition to a new software. Creating a potential new customized software is not feasible due to the associated costs to the government and potential disruption of service to the journal. eXtyles has been tailored for our specialized production processes and is the only software that provides the necessary tools to produce the MMWR Series of publications.

c. Is this the only product that can perform all of your requirements?

Historically, eXtyles has been the only software used by MMWR. When MMWR modernized its processes in 2016, eXtyles was (and still is) the only software that met the technical and editorial needs required by MMWR. It was customized to MMWR’s deadline-driven production workflow. Without eXtyles, MMWR could not produce the large volume of publications annually, with publications released weekly and monthly.

This is the only product that can perform all of the requirements available to the journal at this time. Any change would disrupt publication of MMWR and threaten its impact factor and its good standing in PubMed, the Library of Medicine’s database.

3. Program Office efforts to seek potential offerors:

CDC uses this vendor for all journal licenses, including MMWR and EID. The Preventing Chronic Disease’s (MMWR) e-journal has already been provided customized templates specifically for styling XML. eXtyles interacts with CrossRef, another database that MMWR uses to deposit and link its references with Scholar One/Manuscript Central, a Web-based manuscript submission and peer-review system used by the journal. Changing vendors that could provide these specialized and elaborate services, would interrupt the journal’s production and distribution schedule and incur unnecessary cost for the government.

E. Contracting Office Certification:

I have fully relied on the information provided herein and hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief:

CDC/OCOO/OFR/OAS – Paul Yatsco: