A16_-_JOFOC_L580_Workshop_NPS_-_redacted_1.pdf

ATTACHMENT 2

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

for SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITIONS OVER THE MICROPURCHASE THRESHOLD (See FAR Part 2)

UP TO SAT

(See FAR 13.106-1)

Date: September 11, 2024

PR Number: 0040673983

1. Nature and/or description of the item/service being procured and its intended use (include the anticipated cost):

Wildfire size, frequency, and duration have steadily increased over the last several decades within the western U.S. Climate-amplified wildfires have burned in several regions with multiple Pacific West

Regional parks affected by extreme fire spread rates and total area burned. Parks have had 60–100% of park land burned (Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen Volcanic

National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Pu'ukoholā Heiau National Historic

Site), and have been significantly impacted by multiple fires in the same year and successive fires year after year (Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon

National Parks, Lava Beds National Monument).

These fire events have had significant adverse impacts on irreplaceable natural and cultural resources. Since

2020, approximately 20% of the world’s monarch giant sequoias and 1.3 million Joshua Trees have been lost in parks due to wildfire. The Dixie Fire at Lassen Volcanic National Park resulted in an 8% loss of the federally listed whitebark pine. Park museum collections have been lost, historic structures burned, park infrastructure and seasonal housing destroyed, and park visitation and experience either directly impacted by park closures or indirectly by poor air quality. Changing climate conditions are also affecting the ability of parks to manage wildland fire and prescribed fire for beneficial effects and to understand the likely outcomes of these management actions.

Despite these serious incidents, National Park senior leadership (outside law enforcement and wildland fire staff) rarely have the skillset, training, or experience to lead during high-risk and complex incidents. For a park to function effectively during a crisis, the interdisciplinary members of the management team will need to work together throughout the incident, and again, these disciplines rarely are trained in managing crises.

Not having the training and requisite skillset increases the risk of loss, damage, etc. to park staff, visitors, and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources. Training is critical to developing shared goals and priorities to respond to wildfire and other all-hazard related emergencies.

The National Park Service – National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) as a requirement for a contractor to provide two (2) three (3) day Leading in Crisis: Strategic Leadership in Catastrophic Events (NWCG L-580:

Leadership is Action) training sessions that is only available from Mission-Centered Solutions, Inc. for high level leaders, agency administrators, and park managers from all disciplines in the Legacy Pacific West and

Intermountain regions of the NPS.

The training session is considered continuing education and training program that focuses on gaining and maintaining the proper mental altitude to be an effective strategic leader when faced with a large-scale crisis. The program will introduce new ideas and concepts for working in the strategic space, provides opportunities to interact with other leaders from megafires and other very large events and to apply their lessons and practice developing strategic intent in two all-hazards scenarios.

The overarching goal of each session is to reduce the vulnerability of the park, including the loss of life or injury, or the damage and loss of property, natural and cultural resources by wildland fire by providing training and tools for park managers to be able to navigate a large-scale natural disaster, including a catastrophic wildfire.

The estimated cost is approximately:

2. Sole Source Justification rationale (Check one and explain below):

__X____ Only one responsible source.

______ Urgent and compelling circumstances exist. Include critical delivery or performance dates, and when you became aware of the requirement. Provide a specific statement of the impact on Government operations, financial or otherwise, if the required delivery or performance dates are not met.

______ Other _____________________________________________________

Explain:

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1(b)(1) 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.

Mission-Centered Solutions (MCS) is a contractor that specializes in and is considered the leading expert worldwide in emergency preparedness and wildland fire training, consulting, and facilitation services. MCS has been found to be the only contractor that provides these specific services for the National Interagency

Fire Center (NIFC), which is a partnership that consists of multiple federal agencies including the

Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service (NPS), U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the U.S. Department of

Agriculture’s Forest Service, U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the National Weather Service and the

Department of Defense. They are also the main service provider for the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security, which includes the US. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as, state, local, and international emergency response agencies around the globe.

MCS is one of the only approved training partners for the National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group

(NWCG) and provides certified training, consulting and facilitation services that are authorized by the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the partners located at NIFC to meet NWCG certification requirements.

MCS is the only certified provider of specific training such as CA-010-PREV Incident Leadership and CA-

057-RESP Intent into Action in the State and Federal Sponsored Training Catalog that meets the L-381 –

Incident Leadership and L-481 – Advanced Leadership for Command and General Staff certification standards required by NWCG. MCS is also the only NWCG certified training provider that is authorized to provide Leading in Crisis: Strategic Leadership in Catastrophic Events (NWCG L-580: Leadership is

Action) which this requirement is for.

MCS has been determined to be the only contractor that is authorized by the NWCG that is capable of providing the NWCG certified Leading in Crisis: Strategic Leadership in Catastrophic Events (NWCG L-

580: Leadership is Action) Program for the National Interagency Fire Center, the Legacy Pacific West and

Intermountain regions of the NPS; therefore, awarding the Mission-Centered Solutions, Inc. on a sole source basis is considered to be in the best interest of the Government.

3. Market Research. Please explain the results or why one was not performed. State whether any other offers were received or anyone expressed interest:

Extensive Market Research was performed by the Contracting Officer (CO) in preparation of this requirement. While there are many approved NWCG emergency and wildland fire training partners with a lot of emergency and wildland fire experience out there like the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident

Management Academy, which this CO is an NWCG Instructor for, they only provide certain NWCG related training, and are not certified like MCS to provide the Leading in Crisis: Strategic Leadership in

Catastrophic Events (NWCG L-580: Leadership is Action) Program.

There are also multiple vendors available on GSA Schedules, specifically under the Human Capital and

Training Solutions 8A (HCATS 8A) under POOL1 – Professional & Management Development Training but none of the contractors were found to provide specific emergency management and wildland fire training that is required, nor the specific Leading in Crisis: Strategic Leadership in Catastrophic Events

(NWCG L-580: Leadership is Action) Program that is required for this requirement. MCS was also not found on GSA under the MAS or the HCATS contracts.

Additional open market research was conducted to see who could provide professional consulting/facilitation and training type services. Only one other company, International SOS was found to provide emergency facilitation, consulting, and training services; however, their focus is on health and security related items versus emergency and wildland fire response, and they are not found to be an NWCG certified training provider. Mission-Centered Solutions (MCS) was found to be the only approved NWCG training partner that has been authorized to provide Leading in Crisis: Strategic Leadership in Catastrophic

Events (NWCG L-580: Leadership is Action) Program.

As the requirement is over $25,000.00, there will be a Special Notice – Intent to Sole Source notice posted on SAM.gov as required by FAR 13.105 announcing the NPS’ intent to sole source to Mission-Centered

Solutions, Inc. Any responses that are received through that announcement will be used for future solicitations for similar work if additional contractors identify their capability to provide this specific training.

4. If this is a determination for sole source, the contracting officer certifies:

a. Only one source is available, or urgent and compelling circumstances exist.

b. The anticipated price will be determined fair and reasonable using the price analysis techniques described in FAR Part 13.106-3(a).

(Signature) _______________________________________ (Date)__________________________

Type or Print Name: __________________________________________

Title:

(Signature) _______________________________________ (Date) ___________________________

Type or Print Name: Brian McCabe

Contracting Officer

Over $50,000:(if applicable)

(Signature) _______________________________________ (Date) ______________________

Warranted Individual 1 Level Above Contracting Officer

Date_3: 09/11/2024