GS-35F-0037M-014.pdf

Computrition Software Licenses Control Number TAC-18-49657

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Procurement Acquisition and Logistics

Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown, New Jersey 07724

2. Description of Action: The proposed action is for a firm-fixed price (FFP) delivery order under General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract number GS-35F-0037M to Computrition, Inc. (Computrition) for renewal of existing brand name Computrition software licenses, procuring new licenses and maintenance support for all licenses.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services: The proposed action is in support of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 4, Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) Office for the renewal of 25 Computrition software licenses and maintenance support for VISN 4 and to procure up to an additional 65 Computrition software licenses. Specifically, VA is renewing 25 licenses at time of award and buying up to 65 additional licenses as optional tasks. In addition, all the licenses require maintenance support to ensure they remain operational. VISN 4 consists of VA Medical Centers (VAMC) in Pennsylvania and Delaware, including nine sites covered by this proposed action. VISN 4 VAMC has been using the Computrition software since 2012 and the software allows them to manage multiple food service functions within current resources and customize programs for specific patient populations. The maintenance support provides remote database administration needs for each Computrition software operation, and includes 24x7x365 access to the Certified Oracle Database Administrator Staff support via telephone and online website.

The Contractor shall ensure that each Computrition software component is the latest version released by their manufacturer and shall include all field engineering/security changes and/or software updates. The period of performance shall be from September 23, 2018 through September 22, 2019 with four 12-month options for continued support and an Optional Task for additional licenses and maintenance support, if exercised.

4. Authority: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C.3304(a)(1) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(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.

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: The proposed source for this action is Computrition, Inc. 8521 Fallbrook Avenue, Suite 100, West Hills, California, 91304. Computrition is the Original Equipment Manufacturer of this brand name software and maintenance support that is currently being utilized within VISN 4.

Computrition’s proprietary software provides food service operations management, nutritional care management/automated diet office and Point of Sale functionality.

Computrition not only manufactured this brand name software and maintenance support, but developed and tested it. Computrition exclusively owns and maintains the software’s functionality and does not authorize any other entity to sell, support, maintain, or train technicians in the use of the software. Since the software is proprietary in nature, it cannot be licensed by any other company, and VISN 4 requires the continued use of the Computrition software licenses for maintained program operation availability.

Computrition’s software package is the only software currently available that meets the VISN 4 interface requirements. Computrition’s software is the only currently available software package that is fully compatible with the existing VISN 4 architecture and VA’s Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA). No other Food Service Menu Management software can function within VA's existing database architecture. Specifically, the currently fielded databases are only able to function and communicate with Computrition software. This is due to the Computrition’s proprietary code. There are approximately 100 Computrition licenses, currently fielded, not being renewed under this action that must communicate with this software. If any other brand name software was used, that software would not be able to communicate with the currently fielded licenses due to the proprietary coding of the software. Approximately 100 licenses would have to be replaced if another brand name was utilized, resulting in extensive delivery delays and duplicated costs that would not be recovered through competition. Any other brand name software will not be able to function and communicate in these existing databases without an extensive redesign and redevelopment effort. This would include building new databases such as ingredient lists, storage areas, room lists, diet lists, recipes, menus, and interfacing with the databases, testing tray tickets, and training personnel at all sites in order to function on VISN 4’s architecture to provide the functionality currently provided by Computrition’ s software. Redeveloping, redesigning, and implementing these databases will result in delivery delays of 18 months or more for each site, of which there are nine in total, in order to allow for communications between the existing Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) Electronic Health Records using an existing Health-Level (HL) 7 interface. In addition, redeveloping, redesigning, and implementing these databases will result in a duplicated cost of $2M or more that will not be recovered through competition based on similar design and development efforts. These estimates are based on previous efforts to establish existing infrastructure. The existing Computrition software stores Veterans’ health and diet data through existing databases. Switching to another brand name software and redesigning and redeveloping this existing architecture will result in data corruption due to the proprietary code used by Computrition to store that data. Using another software would result in delays and require Nutrition and Food Service to re-engineer the way Veterans’ dietary needs are processed, and potentially adversely affecting patient care.

Due to the proprietary nature of Computrition’s software, any new solution would have to replace the existing Computrition licenses used throughout VISN 4. No other solution will be able to communicate with the existing Computrition software already in use, given that the existing Computrition software is a proprietary platform. Even with such extensive development, full integration with VISN 4’s architecture would still not be guaranteed and any new interfaces created using a solution other than Computrition’s software would have to be developed, configured, and tested. Testing would include verifying communication with VistA and CPRS. Developing an entirely new software solution to replace the existing Computrition software currently in use at VISN 4 poses significant risk of applicability, compatibility, and interoperability issues.

Finally, no other source other than Computrition can provide the services without access to their proprietary code. Access to this code is needed to ensure all the services provided are properly configured.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in the market research section of this document. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government’s requirements; therefore, no competition is anticipated for this acquisition. In accordance with FAR 5.301 and 8.405-6(a)(2), the proposed action will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities Page (FBO) and this justification will also be made publicly available within 14 days after award.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: In order to remove or overcome barriers to competition in future acquisitions for this requirement, the agency will work with the program office to perform additional market research so that other solutions can be considered.

8. Market Research: Market research efforts were conducted through a Request for Information (RFI), issued on June 2018, to determine if competition was viable for this action. This RFI sought sources for a nearly identical VISN 1 acquisition requiring Computrition software support and maintenance. Like the present VISN 4 effort, the VISN 1 effort sought continuation of existing Computrition software licenses and maintenance support to ensure uninterrupted program operability. The RFI was posted on the FBO website to ascertain whether any Contractors other than Computrition were capable of providing the required software licenses and related support. Responses to the RFI were received from CBORD and Computrition. The Government’s subject matter expert/technical expert reviewed the responses and determined no source other than Computrition was capable of meeting the VA’s requirements based on the following evaluations of the similar products. Specifically, VA determined that CBORD could not communicate with the existing databases as outlined in Section 5 of this Justification. Furthermore, CBORD confirmed VA’s assessment in its own RFI response when it stated it would take approximately 18 months, per site, to activate and interface its software. The time period would include development and testing of new databases, and training of employees on the new system. As such, the Government technical expert determined that VA could not accept a delay of 18 months to implement a new system. VA contacted CBORD on June 28, 2018 and advised them of VA’s assessment that they cannot meet the Government’s requirements. No objection was received.

The responses to the June 2018 RFI for the VISN 1 acquisition are applicable to VISN 4’s present acquisition for Computrition software licenses and maintenance support.

The RFI for the VISN 1 effort was issued less than 60 days earlier and it is not anticipated that any other source, other than Computrition, has become available to fulfill VISN 4’s existing need in the interim.

Finally, Computrition provided a memo, dated April 25, 2018, which indicates that “Computrition, Inc. offers a proprietary software package that includes foodservice operations management, nutritional care management/automated diet office and Point of Sale functionality. This functionality is developed, tested, owned and maintained by Computrition, Inc. Computrition does not authorize any other entity to sell, support or train this software. Therefore, Computrition, Inc. is considered to be the sole source provider of this functionality. The software modules cannot be licensed by any other company.” This confirmed there are no resellers for this action.

9. Other Facts: none