Limited Sources Justification-Redacted.pdf

Limited Source Justification

“Source Selection Information – see FAR 2.101 and 3.104”

1. Identification of the agency and contracting activity.

a. Federal agency and contracting activity.

National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM), Specialized Scientific Information Technology (SSIT) Division

Sponsoring organization. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Division of intramural Population Health Research (DiPHR) Program

b. Project Officer information. Provide the following information:

Project Officer name.

Dr. Neil J Perkins

Mailing address.

BG 6710 Rockledge DR. Wing BRM 3153C 6710B Rockledge Drive, Bethesda MD 20817

E-mail address.

perkinsn@mail.nih.gov

Telephone number.

301-435-6928

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

The Division of Intramural Population Health Research (DiPHR) performs public health research within the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Under contract number 75N94022F00046, the Contractor is providing program support for study operations, data collection, management, analysis, and reporting and development of methodological packages and software.

This funding action is intended to continue to procure services under this contract for three (3) additional months to prevent any disruption to critical research services currently being provided by the Contractor.

The Government intends to recompete this contract to continue to procure these services through another contract cycle. The Contracting Officer, in collaboration with the Program Office, will ensure that the Government receives the best quality and value to benefit NICHD’s scientists. The current scope of work under the contract will remain unchanged.

a. Acquisition purpose and objectives.

The purpose of this action is to exercise an option to extend services in accordance with FAR Clause 52.217-8, which is incorporated into the contract. Funds obligated will be in the amount of $510,766.09. Due to unanticipated changes in priorities, as well as organizational restructuring and realignment of roles and processes, the Government faced unforeseen delays in recompeting this contract and making a new award prior to the end date of the current contract on 4/21/2026. Therefore, it is necessary to extend the current contract to ensure continuity of mission-critical services. This extension would enable NICHD to maintain essential operations that provide mission-critical support for DiPHR. Any disruption in services would severely impact DiPHR’s scientific objectives and the schedule.

The Government intends to issue a modification to extend GSA Contract # GS00F012AA, Task Order # 75N94022F00046 for three (3) additional months to prevent a lapse in services.

Although FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services was included in the original award of the task order, it was not evaluated at the time of award. Therefore, this extension is treated as a new procurement action requiring a Limited Sources Justification in accordance with FAR 8.405-6. This proposed action will prevent a break in critical services while providing the Government with the necessary time to recompete this contract through competitive acquisition.

Project background.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) was established as a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1962. The NICHD mission is substantially devoted to the many facets of human development- with the broad goal to ensure, through research, the birth of healthy and wanted babies that have the opportunity to reach adulthood unimpaired by physical or mental disabilities and able to achieve their full potential.

The Division of Intramural Population Health Research (DiPHR) was one of the two intramural divisions at NICHD, and was established in 1967, only five years after the inception of the Institute. DiPHR has been performing groundbreaking research and fulfilling NICHD’s public health mission to improve child health and human development for over 50 years. This research has produced and relied upon numerous large cohorts of participants who generously contributed their data via questionnaires and biomarker measurements as well as valuable biological specimens for future research.

As data collection instruments and storage that have evolved allow for more efficient and extensive collection of study data, so too have guidelines on the dissemination and sharing of data collected at NIH. The increased emphasis on data sharing at NICHD and throughout NIH will allow public health to move forward more rapidly and reliably and will enable more researchers to access more data, as well as increase their ability to investigate new ideas and to validate emerging results in alternative populations. To this end, NICHD has created the DASH website to facilitate the sharing of data collected and curated at the institute, including DiPHR.

DiPHR has approximately 5-10 large historic cohorts consisting of several hundred datasets and thousands of variables that need to be organized, documented, and formatted specifically to the DASH website requirements. Sharing data from DiPHR's historic cohorts (if performed by a combination of DiPHR staff and contractors under the Statistical Support Contract) will be time consuming and labor intensive. Without the current Contractor’s support, data sharing will be impacted which will hinder DiPHR's ability to conduct science and fulfill the research mission of NICHD. It is critical to avert a gap in services which would severely impact DiPHR’s research.

(i) Incumbent Contractor:

The Prospective Group, LLC

8280 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Suite 600 Fairfax, VA 22031-4516 GSA Contract/Delivery Order Number:

GS00F012AA/75N94022F00046

(ii) Period of Performance:

Base Period 4/22/2022-4/21/2023 Option Period 1 4/22/2023-4/21/2024 Option Period 2 4/22/2024-4/21/2025 Option Period 3 4/22/2025-10/21/2025 Option Period 4 10/22/2025-4/21/2026 Option Period 5 4/22/2026-7/21/2026

(iii) Amount obligated to date:

$10,024,102.50

(iv) The initial award was competed under GSA FSS Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) IT Professional Services, SIN 54151S in 2022.

3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

a. Project title. Data Analysis and Statistical Programming Support

b. Project description. Attachment 1- Statement of Work

Requirement type.

x Support services (non-research & development) Supplies/equipment Information technology (IT) Other (specify): ____________________

Type of action.

New requirement Follow-on x Other (specify):

Pending recompetition. Obligation of Funds to exercise FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services

Proposed contract/order type.

x Firm-fixed-price

Time and materials Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity, or requirements): ___________ Other (specify): ___________

Acquisition identification number.

Solicitation # NIH-NICHD-DiPHR-2022-5

c. Total estimated dollar value and performance/delivery period.

Period of Performance

Total Funds Obligated

Base:

4/22/2022 – 4/21/2023

$2,475,862.00

Option Period 1:

4/22/2023 – 4/21/2024

$2,549,911.00

Option Period 2:

4/22/2024 – 4/21/2025

$2,988,000.20

Option Period 3:

4/22/2025 – 9/21/2025

$1,005,164.65

Option Period 4:

9/22/2025 – 4/21/2026

$1,005,164.65

Estimated Amount for Option Period 5 (if exercised) in accordance with FAR 52.217-8 to Extend Services

Period of Performance Estimated Amount

Option Period 5: 4/22/2026- 7/21/2026

$510,766.09

The Government intends to exercise FAR Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which allows the Government to require a Contractor to continue providing services beyond the original contract end date. This Clause allows the Government to extend the contract for up to six additional months after the end of the contract. At this time, the Government intends to extend for 3 additional months past the current expiration date of 4/21/2026.

Based on programmatic need and the availability of funds, the Government may exercise its right to extend the contract for up to 3 additional months past the end date of 7/21/2026.

4. Identification of the justification rationale (see GSAR 538.7104-3(b)(1)) and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

a. Acquisition authority.

☐ This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule Program. Consideration of schedule contractors will be restricted to fewer than the number required by GSAR 538.7104, as follows:

☐GSAR 538.7104-3(b)(i), need is of such unusual urgency that following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling that need.

☒ GSAR 538.7104-3(b)(ii), only one source is capable of providing the products, services, or solution required at the level of quality required because the products, services, or solutions are unique or highly specialized.

b. Demonstration of the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

Name and address of the proposed contractor(s).

The Prospective Group, LLC 8280 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Suite 600 Fairfax, VA 22031-4516

Nature of the acquisition and proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications.

This funding action is to issue a three-month extension to the current contract by exercising the option to extend services under FAR 52.217-8. The proposed contractor is the current contractor who is responsible for DiPHR data management, data sharing support, and statistical analysis. Funds will be obligated through a modification to the current contract.

In the interest of economy and efficiency, this work is a logical follow-on. The current Contractor has a team that is well established with qualified and experienced personnel, tools, processes, and historic cohorts which need to be shared and are required to support the requirements in the SOW. The team is also very familiar with the work and would be able to support NICHD’s scientists without any impact on their schedules.

Contracting with a new team would also require a contract/order with a much longer period of performance to account for the learning curve, increasing both cost and the ability to get information to the end-users in a timely manner. Costs that would be incurred for a new Contractor include cost for transition in/out, onboarding, and ramp-up a new contractor team.

This short-term extension allows the Government to procure critical services without disruption and gives adequate time to recompete the contract during this extension, as well as conduct a smooth transition in the event of a new awardee through recompetition.

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

By procuring these services through the current Contractor, the CO has concluded that the order represents the best value (see FAR 2.101) and results in the lowest overall cost alternative (considering price, special features, administrative costs, etc.) to meet the Government's needs.

Furthermore, additional discounts will be sought before placing an order in accordance with FAR 8.405-4.

In accordance with 8.405-2(d), Evaluation, the price evaluation will be conducted by the CO and Contracting Officer’s Representative by considering if the level of effort and the mix of labor proposed to perform the work is appropriate, and by making a determination that the total price is reasonable. The resultant modification will be for a firm-fixed price effort using institutional knowledge of the work to be performed and information for previous similar efforts to negotiate a fair and reasonable price. The Government will rely on labor categories and rates consistent with the Contractor's Federal Supply Schedule.

6. Description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Market research for this extension was not conducted because the extension will be given to the current contractor in the interest of economy and efficiency. No other vendor would be able to complete the efforts initiated under the current contract without duplication of costs and efforts as well as potential project delays that would occur.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

None

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

a. Removal of barriers to competition.

The Government expects that this requirement will be recompeted at the end of this extension. The future requirement will be competed adequately based on appropriate market research to identify qualified vendors.

b. Listing of sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing, in the acquisition.

None

9. Program office certification.

This is to certify that the portions of this justification that have been developed by the undersigned program office personnel, including supporting information and/or data verifying the Government’s minimum needs or requirements, or other rationale for limited sources, are accurate and complete.

Official Name & Title Signature Date

Contracting Officer’s Representative

Dr. Neil J Perkins

Staff Scientist, NICHD

10. Contracting Officer certification.

This is to certify that the justification for the proposed acquisition has been reviewed and that to the best of my knowledge and belief the information and/or data provided to support the rationale and recommendation for approval is accurate and complete.

Official Name & Title Signature & Date

Officer

Usha Raman, Contracting Officer, OALM

Officer

Shirley Ruiz-Lundgren, Section Chief, OALM, Office of Acquisitions