ACF GCS Limited-Sources Justification (LSJ)_6-17-2021_signed.pdf

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL TEMPLATE

FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children Families

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING SERVICES

ACF GCS TEMPLATE (May 2020 version) ACF GCS TEMPLATE

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

TRACKING# (ACF-GCS-J-21012)

The Office of Government Contract Services (GCS) makes this Justification and

Approval (J&A) for Limited-Sources Justification pursuant to Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6.

1. Identification of Agency and Contracting Activity:

Requesting Agency:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Acting in support of: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Contracting Activity:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Office of Government Contract Services (GCS)

2. Nature and/or Description of Action Being Approved:

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple-Award Schedule

Program. This will be a sole source Task Order in accordance with FAR 8.405-6 with the procedures of 8.405-2.

ACF GCS TEMPLATE (continued)

3. A Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet Agency’s Need:

Accurate and ongoing surveillance of the incidence of child maltreatment and related risk and protective factors can help to inform policy, programs, and shape prevention and intervention efforts. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires the examination of a wide range of topics related to the incidence of child abuse and neglect with the aim of informing efforts to better protect children from maltreatment and improve the well-being of victims of maltreatment. The purpose of this contract is to support the design and execution of a descriptive study examining the data linkage capacities of state child welfare agencies. This descriptive study is intended to provide novel information regarding state data linkages that may be leveraged to improve the ongoing and accurate surveillance of child maltreatment incidence and related risk. This contract will build from the initial design and planning work carried out as part of the

Child Maltreatment Incidence Data Linkages project (Contract No. HHSP233201500035I

39; Task Order No. HHSP23337022T) and support activities necessary to execute and disseminate findings from the descriptive study. This task order aims to complement and build from ACF’s existing portfolio of projects intended to address questions and priorities related to the incidence of child abuse and neglect and related risk and protective factors. This task order includes three non-severable services components:

Services Component 1 has a period of performance of 36 months (September 2021 to

September 2024); Optional Services Component 2 has a period of performance of 18 months (September 2022 to March 2024); and Optional Services Component 3 has a period of performance of 12 months (September 2023 to September 2024). This task order is a sole source to the Contractor of Contract No. HHSP233201500035I 39; Task

Order No. HHSP23337022T.

4. An Identification of the exception to fair opportunity:

The authority under which this J&A is made is pursuant to FAR 8.405-6 Limiting

Sources.

The Contractor will need to rely heavily on their technical and methodological knowledge and the insights from the preceding task order to execute a descriptive study that captures the appropriate and useful information to successfully address CAPTA requirements. This technical and methodological knowledge would take months if not years to gain by another contractor. Transferring information and implementing activities from multiple simultaneous sources is an integral component of the study, therefore a collaborative environment is required between the existing contract and this new effort.

Awarding this effort to new contractor will result in delays of the study due to the current rapport of Mathematica with all parties involved that has created a collaborative and coordinated arrangement between both efforts. Another contractor would not be ready to execute the required tasks on day one, resulting in additional substantial time required to indoctrinate this new contractor and the inability to leverage 6 years of intuitional knowledge, ultimately resulting in sunken costs negatively affecting the budget at an estimated cost of $300,000, which not be fiscally responsible.

Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized; or

(FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B)).

5. A Demonstration that the Proposed Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or the

Nature of the Acquisition Requires Use of the Authority Cited:

The State Child Welfare Data Linkages Descriptive Study task order must be issued on a sole-source basis to Mathematica in the interest of economy and efficiency; this task order relies on a subsequent task order related to the Child Maltreatment Incidence Data

Linkages project, issued under Contract No. HHSP233201500035I 39; Task Order No.

HHSP23337022T to meet the statutory requirements of the Child Abuse Prevention and

Treatment Act (CAPTA). All potential awardees on the PSC IDIQ were provided the opportunity to bid on the original order [FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C)]. ACF also previously awarded other task orders that address CAPTA questions and priorities related to the incidence of child abuse and neglect and related risk and protective factors. These task orders include Design Options for Understanding Child Maltreatment Incidence project and the Definitions and Policies Related to the Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect and

Related Risk project. Mathematica was awarded both task orders after a competitive effort amongst all potential awardees.

Since winning, these competitive efforts, Mathematica has provided this support for over

6 years, this has allowed Mathematica staff to gain institutional knowledge and develop highly specialized and specific expertise related to novel and innovative methodological approaches; a skill required to support the ongoing and accurate surveillance of child maltreatment incidence and related risk and protective factors. Additionally, Mathematica’s staff possess, the appropriate policy context and specific technical needs required to effectively execute these requirements, a skill acquired through their current support on the existing task order. This honed expertise has proven essential to achieving the overall goals of this task order and to the production of high-quality end products to include the Descriptive Study Memoranda, Public-Facing Briefs, and Technical

Appendices, that are vital and meet the needs of the Government. The design task and execution of the State Child Welfare Data Linkages Descriptive Study relies heavily on the extensive learnings, insights, and findings from the current activities of the Child

Maltreatment Incidence Data Linkages project; this information is not available for public consumption.

The Contractor will need to rely heavily on their technical and methodological knowledge and the insights from the preceding task order to execute a descriptive study that captures the appropriate and useful information to successfully address CAPTA requirements. This technical and methodological knowledge would take months if not years to gain by another contractor. Transferring information and implementing activities from multiple simultaneous sources is an integral component of the study, therefore a collaborative environment is required between the existing contract and this new effort.

Awarding this effort to new contractor will result in delays of the study due to the current rapport of Mathematica with all parties involved that has created a collaborative and coordinated arrangement between both efforts. Another contractor would not being ready to execute the required tasks on day one, resulting in additional substantial time required to indoctrinate this new contractor and the inability to leverage 6 years of intuitional knowledge, ultimately resulting in sunken costs negatively affecting the budget at an estimated cost of $300,000, which not be fiscally responsible.

In consideration of these impacts, no other source could accomplish this highly technical and specialized work in a manner that is integrated and consistent with the work of the

Child Maltreatment Incidence Data Linkages project, other than Mathematica.

Therefore, awarding this proposed task order to Mathematica will result in a substantial benefit to the Government as it relates to the cost efficiency of completing the design of the State Child Welfare Data Linkages Descriptive Study, and successful implementation of the design through intensive data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities.

As a result of Mathematica’s six years of institutional knowledge, these specialized skills are currently available to perform this requirement; no other contractor possesses this ability or can assist the Government in leveraging this collaboratively built knowledge which will result in both positive impacts to schedule and cost savings.

6. A Description of Efforts Made to Ensure that Offers are Solicited From as Many

Potential Sources as Practicable:

The current solicitation is proposed as a sole source to an existing contract (Contract No.

HHSP233201500035I 39; Task Order No. HHSP23337022T). The original contract was publicized to all businesses on the Program Support Center IDIQ, awarded competitively, and all potential bidders were given a fair opportunity to be considered. For the proposed contract, the Government 's market research entailed consulting with experts in the field on the need for data on this topic and the conclusion that a brief survey alone would not provide the level of detail the Government needs to answer the research questions.

Expanded data collection will allow the Contractor to obtain a level of detail a brief survey alone cannot provide. No actions have been taken to increase competition. This is a sole source to the current contractor because they have collected knowledge, expertise, and information integral to successfully completing the activities included in the proposed contract, such that increased competition would not provide a benefit to the

Government.

The current contract is in progress and expected to continue until 2023. The scope of this work is outside the original scope of the project and therefore it is deemed that an award of a sole source contract would provide the Government with the best approach to fiscal responsibility and the ability to meet the requirements for the incidence of child abuse and neglect with the aim of informing efforts to better protect children from maltreatment and improve the well-being of victims of maltreatment.

The Government will consider a competitive contract action in the future when procuring similar services in this general topical area.

7. A Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the

Government will be Fair and Reasonable:

An analysis of the Contractor’s proposal will be performed by the ACF, Officer of

Government Contract Services (GCS), Contracting Officer to determine the price fair and reasonable pursuant to FAR Subpart 15.402.

8. A Listing of the Sources, if any, That Expressed, In Writing, An Interest in the

Acquisition:

To date, the Contracting Officer has not received any statements of interest regarding the proposed Sole Source effort.

9. A Statement of the Actions, if Any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome

Any Barriers to Competition Before Any Subsequent Acquisition for the Supplies or

Services Required:

The Government will consider a competitive contract action in the future when procuring similar services in this general topical area.

10. Technical Personnel Assertion:

Evidence that any supporting data that is the responsibility of technical or requirements personnel (e.g., verifying the Government’s minimum needs or requirements or other rationale for an exception to fair opportunity) and which form a basis for the justification have been certified as complete and accurate by the technical or requirements personnel.

I hereby certify that the supporting data is accurate and complete.

Jenessa Malin Date

Technical Point of Contact/ Contracting Officer Representative (COR)

HHS, ACF, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

11. Contracting Officer Certification that the Justification is Accurate and Complete to the Best of the Contracting Officer’s Knowledge and Belief:

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and I determine on the basis of the findings above that another than full and open competition approach is in accordance with the requirements and is in the best interest of the Government.

Jonathan Gonzalez

Date

Contracting Officer

HHS, ACF, GCS

06/17/2021