Contains CUI eMITS Determination and Findings Consolidation of Requirements.pdf

CUI//SP-PROCURE

Rev.: 11/2021

Controlled by: NASA Enterprise Multimedia and Integrated Technical Services (eMITS) Source Evaluation Board

Point of Contact: Gisela Moreno, 281-244-6776, gisela.a.moreno@nasa.gov

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Information Technology Procurement Office (ITPO)

Determination and Findings (D&F) for Consolidation of Requirements

Findings

I. Requirement Specific Information

A. Proposed/New Requirement

1. Description of Services:

The purpose of the Enterprise Multimedia and Integrated Technical Services (eMITS) contract is to acquire information technology (IT) management, multimedia and communication services and related services for NASA’s (or Agency) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and Office of Communications (OCOMM). The eMITS contract will support all NASA Centers and Facilities located throughout the United States. The scope of work is segregated as follows:

• Information Technology Management Services

• Customer Collaboration and Support Services

• Information Management Services

• Multimedia and Communication Services

2. Identify whether the requirement will be competed or sole source:

The eMITS requirement will be procured as a competitive small business set-aside based on the results of market research and requirements at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2. This is consistent with NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) Appendix A-102.17(d)(3), which requires that acquisitions for communications services be set aside for small businesses.

3. Solicitation Number, Contract Name, or Contract Number if known:

The solicitation number is 80TECH22R0001 and the Contract Name is Enterprise Multimedia and Integrated Technical Services (eMITS).

4. Contract Vehicle (e.g., contract, task order, IDIQ contract):

The contract vehicle for the eMITS contract will be a hybrid, single award, Core and Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The Core contract

Rev.: 11/2021 the purpose of establishing a more efficient operating model that maintains a minimum set of capabilities and meets current and future mission needs, while encouraging divestment strategies for outdated and/or duplicative investments and reinforcing an enterprise approach for related services.

The BSA initiative evaluated the health of mission support operations and enacted changes to optimize processes and practices. The Centers were challenged to plan strategically to align contracts that would offer potential cost savings. The highest ranked recommendation from the Agency BSA was to significantly increase strategic sourcing, including reducing requirement redundancies.

Following BSA, in (give year) NASA initiated the Mission Support Future Architecture Program (MAP) to implement a phased plan to transform all mission support functional areas from their current state to an enterprise architecture. One of the initiatives of MAP is to optimize mission support services by moving toward a more interdependent model through the following goals:

• Transform through collaboration

• Share capabilities across Centers

• Realign structure (budget and people)

• Establish a more efficient model

• Strategically evolve Center work and Agency objectives

The eMITS consolidation activity strongly supports the Agency’s MAP goals, by transforming the Agency’s IT management, multimedia and communications services into one enterprise contract for utilization across all NASA Centers and Facilities, thereby creating a more efficient, cost effective model. Establishing an enterprise-wide contract will increase collaboration, allow for the sharing of capabilities across all NASA locations, and allow cross-utilization of Agency employees. The consolidated eMITS requirements will establish a more effective and efficient utilization of resources, which will result in cost savings while at the same time providing opportunities for small business participation as a small business set-aside contract.

While the primary goal of FITARA is to improve controls on IT investment (e.g., software acquisition) and eMITS is primarily a services contract, the consolidation will make a positive contribution towards improving NASA’s FITARA score. In particular the goals of the consolidation are to eliminate duplication and improve the management of IT services within an agency and hence, improve the ability for that agency to deliver its mission and conduct its business. Furthermore, the consolidation of requirements under the eMITS contract will benefit NASA’s strategic sourcing initiative (SSI) by making this a mandatory source in the NFS for NASA end-users versus the previous decentralized approach where there were multiple duplicate sources to meet these requirements. Thus, the eMITS approach coincides with one of the objectives of FITARA.

Furthermore, consolidating multimedia and communications efforts for the skills and capabilities that are so intermingled allows for greater flexibility for surge around events and future unknown requirements and will enable support to be provided for any Agency event at any NASA location. To sum, while the expected benefits of the eMITS contract do not meet the thresholds for a substantial benefit under FAR 7.107- 2(d)(1), as described above, the benefits to be realized by the eMITS contract are critical to NASA’s mission success. Furthermore, the eMITS procurement strategy provides for maximum practicable participation by small businesses, since it will be competed as a total small business set aside. See FAR 7.107-2(e)(1)(i) and (ii).

D. Identify alternative contracting approaches that have been considered that would involve a lesser degree of consolidation (FAR 7.107-2(a)(2)).

Other contracting approaches were considered; however, none of the potential savings would be realized nor do the other approaches meet the intent of the Agency’s strategy to use mandatory sources. Multiple award and regionalization were considered but each would require additional resources to award and administer, which would not support the Agency’s “One NASA” strategy and would not allow for the level of standardization and efficiencies resulting from a single award.

E. Describe the impacts of the acquisition strategy on contracting with small business concerns; be sure to specifically address:

1. The annual amount that was previously obligated to small businesses that will no longer be obligated as a result of the planned consolidation: eMITS will be procured as a competitive, total small business set-aside.

2. The change in the number of small businesses that have prime-level contracts with NASA as a result of the planned consolidation: At this time, this planned consolidation will not change the number of small businesses that have prime-level contracts with NASA since only the IT management, multimedia and communication services portions of those contracts will be transitioning to eMITS. The remaining portions of the work and contract value will remain. Center IT Contracts will eventually end as NASA begins to use the enterprise IT services contracts. While NASA is consolidating portions of Center-level contracts into one enterprise-wide contract for eMITS, the Agency is setting aside the enterprise requirements for small business. While this decreases the number of opportunities, it also allows a significant opportunity for a small business to graduate to a large business. Overall, this strategy aligns with the OCIO’s MAP Acquisition Strategy and Service Line concept.

F. Select all of the steps taken to include small business concerns in the acquisition strategy for the planned consolidation. In addition to numbers 1 and 2 below, include any other steps taken. Check all that apply below.

1. ☐ Incorporated recommended small business subcontracting goals in the draft and final request for proposal (RFP), in accordance with NPD 5000.2 Small Business Subcontracting Goals and NFS 1815.304(c)(4)(B).

2. ☐ Evaluation of offerors’ small business subcontracting commitment as a part of the evaluation criteria, NFS 1815.304(c)(4)(C).

3. ☒ Other steps taken: eMITS will be procured as a competitive, total small business set-aside.

III. Determination

In accordance with the findings provided above, I determine that it is in the best interest of the Agency to consolidate the aforementioned requirements. This written determination demonstrates that this consolidation is necessary and justified.

DETERMINATION AND FINDINGS FOR AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE

REQUIREMENTS

SIGNATURE PAGE

Gisela Moreno Contracting Officer

Robert Betts, LaRC Small Business Specialist

I have reviewed the above determination and findings and have no legal objection with respect to it. Comments, if any, are included in the file.

Lisa Terrell Office of the General Counsel

Sarah Pollock Information Technology Procurement Officer

Charles T. Williams Cognizant Office of Small Business Programs Program Manager

GISELA

MORENO

Digitally signed by

GISELA MORENO

Date: 2022.04.20 14:05:33 -05'00'

ROBERT

BETTS

Digitally signed by

ROBERT BETTS

Date: 2022.04.20 16:58:55 -04'00'

LISA TERRELL

Digitally signed by LISA

TERRELL

Date: 2022.04.20 17:18:14 -05'00'

Sarah Pollock Digitally signed by Sarah Pollock Date: 2022.04.20 16:21:36 -07'00'

CHARLES

WILLIAMS

Digitally signed by CHARLES

WILLIAMS

Date: 2022.04.22 13:50:11 -04'00'

DETERMINATION AND FINDINGS FOR AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE

REQUIREMENTS

SIGNATURE PAGE (CONTINUED)

Victoria Kauffman Associate General Counsel for Procurement Law HQ Office of the General Counsel

Karla Smith Jackson Senior Procurement Executive

APPROVAL:

Robert Gibbs

Associate Administrator for the Mission Support Directorate

VICTORIA KAUFFMAN

Digitally signed by

VICTORIA KAUFFMAN

Date: 2022.04.22 16:55:31 -04'00'

Jason Detko Digitally signed by Jason Detko Date: 2022.05.16 12:56:21 -05'00'

Robert Gibbs Digitally signed by Robert Gibbs Date: 2022.05.24 12:08:09 -04'00'