A13 SSJ_sam.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLE SOURCE PROCUREMENT (OPEN MARKET OR GSA)

UNDER $350,000

Sole source acquisitions may be used on a limited basis and only when the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)/Program Official has provided sufficient justification and the Contracting Officer has determined that the circumstances warrant such action. The content for a justification must contain detailed facts and rationale to justify the sole source acquisition. Soliciting from a single source must be done in accordance with FAR 12.102 or 8.401 (GSAR 538.7104-3). At a minimum, the following information must be included:

Identification of Program Office, Contracting Activity, and Proposed Requirement, Justification and Program Office Certification:

A. Program Office:

Nutrition Branch Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Chamblee Campus, Building 107 4770 Buford Hwy MS S107-5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA 30341-3717

B. Contracting Activity:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Financial Resources Office of Acquisition Services

C. Identification of Requirement:

1. Nature of Action to be Approved by Contracting Officer:

a. Sole source acquisition of: Manuscript preparation and submission services to publish a supplement (stand-alone issue) to the journal Pediatrics. The supplement will include up to ten articles detailing the findings of a research study. Services will include peer-review process, copyediting, illustration/graphic design, composition, printing, binding, online hosting and maintenance, and dissemination and promotion with an anticipated release in December 2026.

b. Procurement Request (PR) Number (if available): 0000HCLE-2026-98396

2. Proposed Vendor and Estimated Procurement Amount (if available):

a. Proposed Vendor: American Academy of Pediatrics/aap.org

b. Estimated Procurement Amount: $

3. Is the requirement on GSA Schedule? ☐ Yes ☒ No

Rev. 5/28/26

If yes, provide schedule number: Click here to enter text.

D. Justification:

1. The justification for this non-competitive action is: (NOTE: Must select only ONE of the listed justifications for other than full and open competition and fully support the justification in the following paragraphs. Please delete this note prior to submitting the justification.)

☐ In accordance with FAR 12.102, “only one source is available” in accordance with 41

USC 1901:

Only one source available A brand-name product or service being required without allowing “equal” products The need for compatibility with existing systems, equipment, software, licenses, warranties, or support arrangements Unusual urgency Exclusive licensing or proprietary rights Continuity of operations Other: [briefly describe]

☒ In accordance with GSAM 538.7104-3 as required in FAR 8.401(b) I hereby determine that the circumstances of this acquisition deems only one source reasonably capable of providing this requirement on the basis that:

The need is of such unusual urgency that following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling that need;

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;

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;

It is necessary to place the order with a particular FSS contractor to satisfy a minimum guarantee established in the FSS BPA; or

A law expressly authorizes or requires that the purchase be made from a specified source.

Other: [briefly describe]

2. Market Research Conducted:

a. What can this product/service do that other products/services cannot do? The Infant Feeding Practices Study III (IFPS III) is a longitudinal study that followed pregnant women and their child through the first 24 months. The proposed journal supplement will feature up to ten papers outlining the findings from IFPS III including a review of the study methods, descriptions of maternal dietary quality during pregnancy and postpartum, an assessment of how early factors like maternity care practices or feeding behaviors can impact later infant feeding behaviors, and how returning to work or experiences with child care play a role in infant and toddler nutrition behaviors. Although separate from the journal supplement, the data from IFPS III will be made publicly available in conjunction with the release of the findings. This stand-alone supplement is important to highlight the findings of this study, fill gaps in our understanding of infant and child feeding and care practices, maternal diet, and early life health outcomes, alert researchers interested in these topics that data are now available for use, and serve as a way to inform clinicians, public health and healthcare entities, and policymakers of key findings. The findings from this supplement touch on numerous topics related to early nutrition and feeding. Findings are particularly relevant for pediatric health care providers because they are in the position to support families to implement practices and behaviors that can support a child’s optimal nutrition, growth, and development. Several journals were considered including those that focused on nutrition and those that focused on pediatric health care providers. The nutrition journals (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Maternal and Child Nutrition) were too biologically focused or were targeting international audiences. The papers in this supplement are not focused on the physiologic aspects of early nutrition and they are not as relevant for international audiences. This made these journal options unsuitable for the release of these papers. Although both Pediatrics and The Journal of Pediatrics publish articles on different aspects of pediatric health, Pediatrics was the only one that specifically indicated topics related to nutrition. In addition, Pediatrics publishes policy statements for their members on related nutrition and feeding topics that are specifically relevant for these findings, including recommendations on breastfeeding. The journal’s impact factor also played a role in this decision. This is a metric that measures how often, on average, articles published in a particular journal are cited by other research papers within a specific timeframe, typically used as an indicator of the journal's influence and importance within its field of study; the higher the impact factor, the more frequently articles from that journal are cited by others. Pediatrics had an impact factor of 6.4 and is the most cited journal in pediatrics. The Journal of Pediatrics’ impact metrics were substantially lower (impact factor of 3.5) indicating that they do not have the reach and impact necessary to ensure pediatric health care providers learn about these important findings. This made it not as relevant for this supplement. Lastly, it is imperative that the findings from IFPS III are read by readers within the United States, as opposed to internationally, as these findings and the implications are more applicable to the U.S. context. Some of the considered journals have large international readership, which was not what we were looking for with this supplement. Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, appears to be the only peer-reviewed journal that reaches the audience we are trying to reach (pediatric health care providers), has the highest impact factor (6.4), is the most cited pediatric journal in pediatric medicine, has a strong reach with our target audience, has a scope and aim that are relevant to our topic, and has a readership that is domestic-focused.

b. What other products/services were considered and why did they not meet the need?

The following journals were considered: 1. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2.

Maternal and Child Nutrition 3. The Journal of Pediatrics 4. Pediatrics. Refer above to 2a answer for reasons why these journals did not meet the need.

3. Program Office efforts to seek potential offerors:

Prior to initiating an extensive and time-consuming research project such as the development of a journal supplement for publication, it is considered a normal course of action to secure the interest of the editor of a journal that will be potentially interested in publishing the supplement. This does not bind the journal to publish the supplement but merely establishes that the efforts will most likely not be wasted. It is imperative that the most highly respected and widely read journals are explored to maintain scientific credibility of the published research and ensure impactful reach to a wide audience.

Prior to securing the definitive interest of Pediatrics, a review was conducted of scope and aims, previous supplement topics, and potential costs among highly respected and widely read journals that fit our initial criteria. This identified four possible options;

however, after reviewing each journal’s information, Pediatrics was identified as the sole option that would best fit our needs.

E. Program Office Certification:

I have reviewed this sole source justification and certify the justification is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and adequate to support other than full and open competition.

Center/Institute/Office COR/Program Official Name: Click here to enter text.

Center/Institute/Office COR/Program Official Signature/Date

F. Contracting Office Certification:

I have fully relied on the information provided herein and hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief:

Contracting Officer Name: Click here to enter text.

Contracting Officer Signature/Date