0183 - JA - Kemper.pdf

VHAPG Part 813.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items Attachment 1: Request for Sole Source Justification >SAT-$7.5M under FAR13.5

Effective Date: 11/15/24 Page 1 of 3

REVISION: 01

Acquisition ID#: 36C250-25-AP-2614

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION UNDER SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS IN

ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.5

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C250-25-AP-3606

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 10, Louis Stokes Cleveland Medical Center Network Contracting Office (NCO) 10.

2237: 541-25-4-575-0183

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: This award is for a firm-fixed price contract for a AvaNET Support Agreement with Sierra 7, Inc., in accordance with FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial items and specifically FAR 13.501 Special Documentation Requirements, where acquisitions conducted under Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6, but still require a justification using the format of FAR 6.303-2. This action will be awarded as a new contract.

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs: Sierra 7, Inc., shall provide all necessary technical skills, management, parts, upgrades, and equipment necessary to provide the Service Agreement for the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. All work shall be performed in strict accordance with the manufacturers specifications. The estimated value of this acquisition is $612,888.67. The planned period of performance is 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2026 with four option periods to be exercised at the Government’s convenience.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Restricted Competition:

FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The statutory authority for applying the Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items of FAR 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 and is implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) for restricting competition on this procurement. Competition is restricted on this procurement for the reason below:

(X) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements ( ) Unusual and Compelling Urgency ( ) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert Services ( ) International Agreement ( ) Authorized or Required by Statute ( ) National Security ( ) Public Interest

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): Sierra 7, Inc., is the only firm in existence capable of providing the hardware and service support implementation described in Section III above without the Veterans Health Administration experiencing substantial duplication of cost that could not be expected to be recovered through competition. There would be unacceptable delays in fulfilling this requirement though a different source. This is the only vendor found through market research that offers this solution. Sierra 7, Inc., has the proprietary software and hardware currently in use with which this implementation must interface. Sierra 7, Inc., has provided an endorsed proprietary letter on company letter head demonstrating there are no other qualified businesses capable of working on their equipment. It is imperative to keep the system functioning at its best in order to provide services to our veteran patients, and at this time it can only be achieved through Sierra 7, Inc.’s full implementation solution.

Effective Date: 11/15/24 Page 2 of 3

REVISION: 01

Acquisition ID#: 36C250-25-AP-2614

6. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: Sierra 7, Inc., is the sole provider of the services requested in this contract because of the proprietary nature of its services. Checks were made to ensure there were no available agreements on FSS or GWAC listings. This action will be solicited as an intent to sole source with Sierra 7, Inc., to provide vendors with the ability to inform the contracting officer of any capable parties.

7. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: The Contracting Officer (CO) searched the internet for applicable contracts or an open market competitor that could provide the services required and was unable to locate one. A query of the Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) was conducted using NAICS code 811210 finding 318 SD/VOSB concerns.

Additionally, VetCert query using business name “Sierra 7, Inc.,” returned zero results. A subsequent search through DSBS using NAICS code 811210 and keyword “AvaNET” returned zero results. The VA/SBA Rule of Two cannot be met. Sierra 7, Inc., is the only responsible source capable of performing the requirement.

In accordance with FAR 25, the BAA was not considered applicable to this procurement because it pertains to services being performed domestically within the United States and the vendor is not a prohibited source.

As described in Section 6 above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, was conducted by synopsis of the proposed acquisition, advising industry of the pending acquisition and soliciting inquiries from interested parties.

8. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: The contract is unrelated to information technology and the stipulations and oversight mechanisms mandated by FITARA are not applicable.

Product Service Code (PSC) identified for this requirement is J065.

9. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition:

Sierra 7, Inc., 1676 International Drive, Suite 930 McLean, VA, 22102

10. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: The VA will research the market prior to any purchases for these services to determine if there are any other sources with the capabilities to meet the Government’s requirements.

11. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Laura Willett Date Management & Program Analyst (Biomedical) Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

Effective Date: 11/15/24 Page 3 of 3

REVISION: 01

Acquisition ID#: 36C250-25-AP-2614

12. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP:

a. Contracting Officer or Designee’s Certification (required): I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Chad Kemper Date Contracting Officer Network Contracting Office (NCO) 10

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer (Required over SAT but not exceeding $750K): I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

Kelly Poole Date Branch Chief – Services Team Two

Network Contracting Office (NCO) 10