A11. SSJ HHS FAR 8 - Signed REDACTED FINAL.pdf

FAR 8.401 & GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)

1. Acquisition Title: Medicaid Data Analysis for Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens and Information Systems Division: CDC Contracting Activity: OAS Contracting Officer: Robin C. Meyer

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action being Approved: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD) requests a Sole Source Blanket Purchase Agreement with the contractor listed in the table below. The requested contractor Mathematica qualified as “innovator status” vendor for data analysis by Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Mathematica also has demonstrated experience and specialized staff with unique access and analytical capabilities for Medicaid data sets which captures the largest segment of US healthcare data, including births.

This acquisition is conducted under the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Program using the ordering procedures established by the General Services Administration found in the General Services Acquisition Manual/Regulation (GSAM/R) at subpart 538.71. The Government projects award for 9/26/2026.

Contractor: MATHEMATICA INC.

Schedule Contract Number: 47QRAA18D00BQ Period of Performance: Base Period: September 27, 2026 to September 26, 2027

Option Period One: September 27, 2027 to September 26, 2028 Option Period Two: September 27, 2028 to September 26, 2029 Option Period Three: September 27, 2029 to September 26, 2030 Option Period Four: September 27, 2030 to September 26, 2031

Estimated Total Dollar Value: $4,995,629.94

3. Description of Supplies and/or Services:

The contractor shall perform analyses across four technical dimensions defined in the Statement of Work: (1) validating infant GBS case counts using TAF OT claims and evaluating a fourth case definition tied to maternal Medicaid IDs; (2) developing and refining a probabilistic mother-infant linkage algorithm using the Medicaid Case Number and supplementary variables;

(3) estimating maternal vaccination coverage (COVID-19, influenza, Tdap, and prospectively RSV) accounting for bundled payment code effects; and (4) applying methods to reduce gestational age missingness using prenatal claims data. These tasks require continuity with linkage algorithms and case-definition logic Mathematica has already built and validated under prior CDC task orders.

Sole Source Justification (SSJ) https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-8 https://www.acquisition.gov/fss-ordering-procedures https://www.acquisition.gov/fss-ordering-procedures

4. Authority Cited and Rationale: Authority of the FSS Program, Title III of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251, et seq.); Title 40 U.S.C. 501, Services for Executive Agencies, as implemented at FAR 8.401 and GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1).

☐ GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)(i)- The need is of such unusual urgency that following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling that need.

☒ GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)(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.

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has qualified Mathematica as an “innovator status” vendor for data analysis. CMS data sources reflect the broadest reach of healthcare services, includes the largest sample of births, allows linkages from baby to birth mother, and includes critical racial and ethnicity data necessary for study objectives.

Mathematica is available on a GSA Schedule with predetermined fair and reasonable pricing.

Mathematica has spent multiple contract periods developing and refining the specific methods used to match mother and infant health records and identify cases within this complex Medicaid dataset—work that involved detailed, judgment-based decisions built up through hands-on experience with the data, not documented steps that could simply be handed to a new contractor. Bringing in a new vendor would mean starting this process over from scratch, a challenge made worse by the lengthy approval process for accessing the additional restricted data needed to do this work, which alone can take 8 to 9 months. Because regulators depend on this analysis to make timely, well-supported decisions about vaccine safety and effectiveness, switching methods now would introduce inconsistency across years of data and put the reliability of the entire evaluation at risk.

Following the preliminary demonstration of Mathematica’s methods and abilities, and finding the products beneficial, the program office then decided to follow-up with the vendor to ensure methodological continuity. A new vendor would have to develop their own methodology which would lack continuity with the previous methods and years. Without that continuity, a new methodology would be inconsistent with the previous work effort and products, and thus any new years of analysis under the new methodologies would be incompatible for scientific or regulatory purposes. High-quality and consistent methodology are key considerations with data analysis affecting scientific research and conclusions as well as the interpretations of results.

☐ GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)(iii)- The order should be issued on a sole source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency because it is a logical follow-on to an FSS order already issued on a competitive basis.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-8 https://www.acquisition.gov/fss-ordering-procedures https://www.acquisition.gov/fss-ordering-procedures

☐ GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)(iv)- It is necessary to place the order with a particular FSS contractor to satisfy a minimum guarantee established in the FSS BPA.

☐ . GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)(v)- A law expressly authorizes or requires that the purchase be made from a specified source.

5. Market Research: The data being used is CMS data, which is already restricted and not granted to everyone. Training on obtaining securely, analyzing, and delivering that to support scientific understanding is extremely limited generally. The contracting officer also searched SAM.gov for past notices of sole sources for “CMS data” to capture other non-sole source award announcements. One of the few notices found was to another vendor, Acumen, but that notice (HHS-NIH-NIDA(SSSA)-2015-PSOL22) was from 2015. There were no data analysis award notices with those terms, though there were some for data libraries and maintenance.

In 2024, before Mathematica was awarded $249,000 for comparable data analysis, the contracting officer conducted announced a request for information through GSA and received a capability statement from Honnête, LLC, an 8(a) certified vendor. Honnête self-identified 'Medical Claims Analysis' as a core competency. However, review of Honnête's documented past performance did not identify any contract involving CMS Medicaid restricted-data access, probabilistic record linkage methodology, or epidemiologic case-definition analysis. Honnête's claims-related past performance (e.g., CareSource staff augmentation for 'Medical Claims Analytic Reporting') reflects claims reporting support rather than the linkage and case-validation methodology required under this SOW. Honnête's staffing composition, as documented in its capability statement, is oriented toward clinical and administrative support roles (e.g., physician assistants, registered nurses, practice managers) rather than biostatistics, epidemiology, or health data science. Honnête was therefore not identified as a source capable of meeting the requirement at the level of quality required.

6. Procurement history: Through its prior contracts, Mathematica has already built key parts of this analysis—including updating the medical codes used to identify cases, working to link mother and infant records more completely, and adjusting for how individual states handle Medicaid enrollment for newborns. This steady, hands-on progress means Mathematica starts this next phase of work already ahead, with the knowledge and tools in place that a new contractor would not have.

Mathematica has developed the methodology that is required to analyze this data in the way that the CDC needs. Mathematica has been awarded previous recent contracts including 75D30124C20317, 75D30124F20226, 75D30124F20722, 75D30126F20956. It also has prequalified personnel who have access to the CMS data. Access to the CMS data, earning CMS’s designation for innovator status, and having developed the methods for this assessment makes Mathematica the most qualified for this proposed award.

a. Contractor:

Contract or Order Number: 75D30124C20317, 75D30124F20226, 75D30124F20722, 75D30126F20956.

Award Date and Period of Performance:

Value (including all options):

Competitive Status:

Authority formerly relied upon if Not Competed: FAR RFO GSAR 538

Contract / Order

Number Award Date Period of Performance Total Value Competitive Status

75D30124C20317 09/30/2024 09/30/2024 – 09/29/2027 $1,229,689.00 75D30124F20226 09/20/2024 09/20/2024 – 09/19/2025 $248,764.92 Sole Source 75D30124F20722 11/18/2025 11/18/2025 – 12/10/2025 $19,690.00 75D30126F20956 04/03/2026 04/03/2026 – 09/30/2026 $224,421.00

7. Actions to Foster Competition for Future, Similar Requirements: The contracting officer is encouraging the program to seek additional contractors over time through market research and development of subcontractors.

8. Technical or Requirements Program Management Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. [Always required

10. Best Value Determination: As the contracting officer, I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action represents the best value for the Government.

The anticipated price is derived from Mathematica's GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract 47QRAA18D00BQ (SINs 541611, 54151S, 54151HEAL), under which rates have already been determined fair and reasonable by GSA. The proposed labor mix is anticipated to draw primarily from the Senior Statistician, Senior Data Scientist I/II, Subject Matter Expert II-IV, and Research Analyst categories under Years 8-10 of the schedule (FY2026-2031 rates), consistent with the technical complexity of probabilistic linkage modeling and clinical case-definition analysis described in the PWS.

11. Contracting Officer (CO) Certification and Approval: I hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. [

Theresa Kanter COR II, Public Health Advisor Signature & Date:

Typed Name ROBIN C. Digitally signed by

ROBIN C. MEYER -S

XMEYER -S Date: 2026.09.25 13:15:37 -04'00' Contracting Officer Signature & Date:

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