A06-FY24 ISO Justification for other than full open competition_OSPE Review..pdf

Justification for Other than Full & Open Competition

1. Identification of the agency and contracting agency:

Contracting activity Customer agency Department of Labor Department of Labor

OSPE BLS/OPLC, PPI

200 Constitution Ave NW 2 Massachusetts Ave, NE.

Washington, DC 20210 Washington, DC 20212

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification authorizes and approves the issuance of a one (1) year contract to provide Insurance symbol group data from the Insurance Service Organization (ISO) to be used in escalating insurance premiums in Producer Price Indexes (PPI). This is an annual requirement.

3. Description of supplies/services required to meet the agency�s Needs (including the estimated value):

This contract will provide the following services to employees within the Bureau of Labor Statistics as follows:

The contractor will provide the PPI with the current year�s insurance symbol group data for use by analyst in PPI index calculations.

The Independent Government Cost Estimate for this 12-month contract is $17,700.

4. An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

Identification of the justification rationale is 6.302-1, �Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.� Due to the proprietary information from ISO/Verisk, it is recommended a sole source order be issued as they are the only vendor that can meet the needs.

5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor�s unique

Qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

Verisk/ISO creates and maintains symbol data used by all insurance companies to adjust the rates they charge. No other organizations produce this data. Although insurance companies in our sample purchase this same data, they cannot determine the change in risk as autos move from one symbol group to another, which is the information that we need for quality adjustment. BLS requests specific updates from ISO for our unique sample of autos that we are tracking in the PPI. It is not possible to request other companies to provide the specific symbol data we need to perform the annual quality adjustment for auto insurance. Without this data, the PPI cannot accurately reflect price change for the Automobile Insurance and Motor Vehicle Insurance indexes, respectively.

6. A description of efforts to obtain competition to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by subpart 5.2 and if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

The PPI has surveyed the market through internet searches and from industry trade groups and has been unsuccessful in finding other sources for the unique and highly specialized data to meet its requirements. Additionally, in an effort to obtain competition, within the last 12 months, an RFI was posted on SAM.gov and GSA eBuy to determine other capable sources. Unfortunately, no responses were received. A notice will be publicized in accordance with FAR 5.2.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable:

ISO has provided this data to the PPI for many years and any yearly price increases remain reasonable. For FY23, 1625-OPL-23-NAT-0092, the price was $16,850 while the price for FY22, 1625-OPL-22-NAT-0097, was $16,200. The Contracting Officer will be able to determine that pricing is fair and reasonable based upon previous acquisition history.

8. A description of market research conducted (part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted:

Market research was conducted to determine if there were any additional vendors that have entered the marketplace. An RFI (1625-OPL-23-NAT-0064) for these services was published on sam.gov and eBuy in within the last year (July 2023) and zero responses were received Therefore, the identified vendor, remains the only source of data that can be utilized by PPI.

9. Any other supporting facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

N/A

10. A listing of sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition:

N/A

11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

BLS will continue to perform market research and survey the market to determine if there are any capable vendors that can provide the required services.

12. Signature blocks:

The program/technical official further certifies that no conflict of interest exists in awarding a sole source contract to the contractor identified herein.

Technical certification:

I certify 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.

Signature: _________________________ Date: _____________________________

Type name: __Dinis Leal_________

Title: ___Senior Economist____________

Contracting officer certification:

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

signature: _________________________ date: _____________________________

Type name: __Rachael Vargas__________

Title: ___Contracting Officer___________