PRO_Sole Source Justification under SAT FAR 13 - FISH_Redacted.pdf

Sole Source Justification (SSJ) For Simplified Acquisitions (over the micro-purchase threshold and up to the Simplified

Acquisition Threshold (SAT)) pursuant to FAR 13.106, including Brand Name

Sole Source Justification

1. Agency and Contracting Activity.

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Procurement Division, proposes to enter into a contract on behalf of Forensics Services Division (FSD).

2. Nature and/or description of the item/service being procured and anticipated cost.

The USSS has a requirement to obtain a state-of-the-art handwriting detection and analysis software system in a sole source procurement for FSD to improve efficiencies and reduce the effort of manually intensive processes involved in detailed handwriting detection and analysis.

3. Identification of the authority and rationale.

The proposed procurement will utilize simplified acquisition procedures and will be awarded on a sole source basis in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) and as specified below.

Only one source reasonably available:

Other. Only one source is capable.

Rationale:

The results of the market research indicate other similar products lack the particular feature(s) required and do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the needs of USSS. Other automated measurement and database search tools for handwriting still available on the market lack the graph-matching algorithms of FLASH-ID. Below are detailed breakdowns of the three vendors explored as part of this market research. CSAFE and ROC not viable replacements for the current handwriting threat letter database.

I. Sciometrics Sciometrics developed the Forensic Language-Independent Analysis System for Handwriting Identification (FlashID) to assist forensic handwriting examiners by providing writer identification against a reference database of potential writers using advanced analytics. FlashID

Acquisition Threshold (SAT)) pursuant to FAR 13.106, including Brand Name is a commercial off the shelf product that automates forensic handwriting analysis and provides a probability that a writer in the reference dataset also wrote the questioned document. FlashID has been evaluated in several peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and internal Sciometrics’ reports while it also contains trial exhibit support, text selection capability, language independence, and end-user enhancement final report. FlashID has been used by the FBI, Singapore, and Australia Police. FlashID is a suitable replacement for the current handwriting threat letter database. This decision is based on 1) ability to immediately require the software to meet critical mission needs, 2) use of machine learning algorithms to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of forensic handwriting analysis, 3) objective-based scoring of each writer in the reference dataset, 4) evaluation in peer-reviewed journal articles, 5) language independence, 6) ability to support the migration of the current handwriting threat letter database into FlashID.

II. CSAFE

The Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) developed “Handwriter” to assist forensic examiners by analyzing handwritten documents against a closed set of potential writers. Handwriter is an open source, publicly funded project that requires R, RStudio IDE, and JAGS (statistical programming languages). Each user creates their own closed set database in Handwriter, and the result is to determine the probability that each writer in the database wrote a questioned document. The probability quantification of a writer is based on FlashID while providing additional quantification. FSD downloaded and began exploring how to use Handwriter in 2023 but experienced difficulties that required troubleshooting with statisticians from CSAFE. It took approximately six months to successfully complete the creation of a closed model set and compare a questioned document to the database. It was decided that Handwriter is not a suitable replacement for the current Forensic Information System for Handwriting (FISH), the USSS handwritten threat letter database. This decision is based upon 1) FSD requires immediate acquisition of a handwriting database to meet critical mission needs, 2) Handwriter is an open-source project that required USSS green line network access only, 3) modification of Handwriter to USSS blue line network access would require , 4) the need for additional testing of handwriting variables by CSAFE, and 5) the inability for Handwriter to support the migration of the 14,000+ specimens from FISH.

III. ROC

The Rank One Computing (ROC) is a biometrics and computer vison company. ROC builds software not hardware to meet different forensic needs such as facial recognition and analytics, automatic license plate reader, case management and export with annotation by both automation and human personnel. FSD met with ROC in November 2023 to see their current capabilities.

ROC does not currently have a handwriting threat letter detection and analysis software. Their company could develop a handwriting analysis based on using existing optical character recognition capabilities and statistical algorithms such as common convolution neural networks.

This approach would provide an algorithmic foundation to build upon to create handwriting

Acquisition Threshold (SAT)) pursuant to FAR 13.106, including Brand Name

SSJ No: FY24-0124 Page 3 of 3 analysis based on ROC’s similar algorithms for other forensic needs while providing FSD with the ability to help develop the score-based likelihood that a known writer in the threat letter database also wrote the new threat letter of unknown origin. ROC is not a viable replacement for the current handwriting threat letter database because 1) FSD requires an immediate acquisition of a handwriting database to meet critical mission needs, 2) collaborative research between FSD and ROC is needed to build out a handwriting analysis software which requires a large amount of time, and 3) the need to test numerous variables of the handwriting analysis software.

4. The anticipated price will be determined fair and reasonable based on one or more of the price analysis techniques described below in accordance with FAR Part 13.106- 3(a)(2).

Market Research;

Comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases;

Current price list;

Comparison with similar items in a related industry;

Comparison to Independent Government estimate;

Contracting Officer’s personal knowledge; or Other reasonable basis.

5. Other Information.

USSS intends to comply with the public display and synopsis requirements in FAR 13.105(a) unless an exception in FAR 5.202 applies.

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