LSJ_FAR_8.405-6_f_prepaid_analyst_time_Redacted.pdf

LIMITED SOURCES JUSTIFICATION FOR MULTIPLE AWARD

SCHEDULE (MAS) ORDERS FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(C)

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity and specific identification of the document as a limited source justification.

This requirement is in support of GSA, Office of Information Technology Category (ITC), 1800 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20005. The contracting activity is Office of Internal Acquisition (OIA), 1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405.

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

In December 2018, Congress passed the Strengthening and Enhancing Cyber-capabilities by Utilizing Risk Exposure Technology (SECURE) Act mandating that the Federal Acquisition Security Council has been stood up to oversee the effort, including OMB (Chair), GSA ( – FAS Commissioner), DHS, DOJ, DOD, and Commerce. The Security Council intends to develop policies and processes based on the NIST Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) framework for agencies to use when purchasing IT products. These policies and processes will be used by agencies when assessing supply chain risk and developing mitigation strategies during the acquisition phase.

GSA ITC requires a contractor to help it comply with SECURE Act mandates without sacrificing its ability to serve its customers.

Inherent in these policy and process changes is the need to improve compliance with these recommendations and existing best practices. These policies and product recommendations are a key component of the Chairperson’s planned 2019 report due to Congress no later than December 31st, 2019

A sole source task order will be issued to Forrester Research, for Service Units.

The action will be firm-fixed price task order to Forrester Research, Inc. via Blanket Purchase Agreement GS14H16AAA0012, awarded off of their GSA IT Schedule 70 Contract Number 47QTCA18D001C, for a period of twelve (12) months. The justification will be posted to the FBO website.

3. A complete description of the supplies and/or services required to meet the agency’s needs.

GSA ITC requires Forrester’s help to navigate the complex nature of the GSA’s environment to understand Federal agency buyer journeys to align the GSA SCRM program to key buyer needs, pain points, and gaps thereby ensuring engagement is consistent and oversight is effective. Knowledge of the buyer’s challenges will allow GSA to identify an appropriate set of tools, processes, and resources to support Federal agency acquisition and supplier management needs under the SECURE act. With a deep understanding of both the external buyers’ needs and the internal operational model to support these buyers, GSA will be able to develop a complete business case to further plan program investment. To meet this need, the GSA has four objectives:

1. Understand the buyer’s journey to identify customer centric SCRM needs

2. Define the vision and key operating principles for GSA’s SCRM program

3. Articulate a Concept of Operations for the SCRM program outlining specific resources required for success across people, process, and technology

4. Assess the financial viability and business impact of implementing a GSA SCRM program

The engagement supports the mission of the ITC by helping it better partner with both Federal Agencies and Federal contractors while meeting SECURE Act mandates.

The estimated value of this 12-month task order is $ .

4. The authority and supporting rationale (see FAR Part 8.405-6(a)(1)(i) and (b)(1)) and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

Please check one:

FAR 8.405-6(a) Justifications for Limiting Sources (for brand name requirements, please see the following table)

(A signed copy of this justification document must be posted to www.fedbizopps.gov for 30 days within 14 days from the date of award)

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(A) An urgent and compelling need exists and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays.

N/A

X FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(C) In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-on to an original Federal Supply Schedule order provided that the http://www.fedbizopps.gov/ original order was placed in accordance with the applicable Federal Supply Schedule ordering procedures. The original order or BPA must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures.

Per Strengthening and Enhancing Cyber-capabilities by Utilizing Risk Exposure Technology Act, H.R. H.R.7327, 115th Cong. (2018), Section 1324(a) the Council must develop a strategic plan for addressing supply chain within 180 days of the enactment of the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018. As the Council began creating its policy and process recommendations, it became clear that, while supply chain best practices were clear, compliance presented the greatest risk to successful implementation. To address this need, GSA ITC needs to better understand how it can use CX to increase the likelihood of policy and process adoption.

As the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 was passed in December of 2018, it is imperative that the GSA ITC comply with the SECURE Act mandate as quickly as possible to comeback into compliance of the SECURE Act.

At the latest, this Strategic Plan must be completed in time for the annual Chairperson’s report to Congress on December 31st, 2019 Furthermore, non-compliance comes with almost daily costs in the form of administrative challenges and inefficient spending. For this reason, GSA ITC requires support from a contractor that can use its existing knowledge of GSA ITC, its mission, organization, and culture to help it better understand how to address SECURE Act mandates while maintaining a best-in-breed customer experience.

GSA ITC has relied on Forrester’s proprietary content under our existing task order; however; the level of effort, and the urgency of the requirement, exceed the existing funds and resources because of the level of research-based consultation needed to address the issues presented at the depth required to be effective.

Without this modification, Forrester would be unable to provide the level of support required by GSA ITC, putting its response to the challenges presented by the SECURE Act in jeopardy of being underdeveloped, ultimately resulting in the requirement of funds far beyond those proposed in this modification.

Forrester’s unique insights are grounded in annual surveys of more than 675,000 consumers and business leaders worldwide, rigorous and objective methodologies, and the shared wisdom of our most innovative clients. GSA ITC gets direct value from this content thanks to Forrester experience with GSA ITC and its research-based consulting methodology. They do utilize research personnel and content to support consulting engagements in a way that ensures the findings are applied directly to the client’s challenge by the same team that conducted the analysis.

Beyond the clear cost of waiting, there are planning constraints that create urgency for GSA ITC. GSA ITC is in the process of finalizing its FY 2019 operating plan and its FY 2020 strategy. Without the information that will be generated by this engagement, the GSA will not be able to accurately plan and budget for the improvements that it needs to make. By even delaying the engagement start date to October – a reasonable estimate for the completion of a full and open completion – GSA ITC would be forced to delay plans into FY 2021 and beyond due to planning and funding windows. By this time, technology will have changed so much that the data and findings from this study will be obsolete and a second study may be required.

By working with Forrester directly, for the reasons listed above, using any source other than Forrester would result in a cost of well over $1,000,000, in wasteful spending and inefficiencies. For example, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the Department of Defense saved $1.4 Million annually through the use of RFID tags to provide visibility of sustainment cargo. This policy and planning report will help identify similar cost saving measures across Government. This figure does not include incalculable costs such as those caused by missed deadlines and misallocated resources that could have been used more efficiently. Therefore, a purchase of Service Units is required to complete the work in the timeframe required.

FAR 8.405-6(b) Items peculiar to one manufacturer (Brand Name Requirements) (A signed copy of this justification document must be posted to www.eBuy.gsa.gov along with the solicitation if the total estimate dollar value of the requirement is $25,000 or more.)

An item peculiar to one manufacturer can be a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer). A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer.

(1) Brand name specifications shall not be used unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency’s needs.

Does Not Apply http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/

5. A demonstration by the ordering activity- Contracting Officer- that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 8.404(d).

(To be completed by the Contracting Officer)

6. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders, and the results of the research, or a statement why market research was not conducted.

The market research was conducted at the time Lot 2 (Professional Leader Advisor) was awarded. This is a logical follow-on to an original Federal Supply Schedule order awarded as Lot 2 under GSA Task Order No. GSH1416AA0296 against GSA Schedule BPA No. GS14H16AAA0012. The original order was not issued under a sole source; it was competitively solicited.

7. Any other facts supporting the limited sources justification.

N/A

8. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for supplies or services is made.

The program office expects a future need for capability to further acquire services for IT Research Advisory Service Solutions tailored to the Government’s specific situation through a retainer of prepaid analyst time.

Program/Technical Official Certification:

I hereby certify and accept the responsibility that any and all supporting data provided above or used to justify the above requested for a sole source procurement (e.g., verifying the Government’s minimum needs, schedule requirements, and/or other rationale for other than full and open competition) is accurate and complete to the best of my personal knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer’s Representative’s Signature Date

Project Manager’s Signature Date

Contracting Officer’s Certification:

I hereby certify that the information contained in this Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition, is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

Contracting Officer’s Signature Date

In accordance with Office of Internal Acquisition policy, One Level Above Contracting Officer’s Review and Approval (required for all actions over $250,000).

I hereby certify that the information contained in this Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition, is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

One Level Above Contracting Officer’s Signature Date