ADAP Form 206-303 Justifications and Approval 1_Redacted.pdf

CUI

Acquisition Directorate

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES

1155 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1155

Control No. 2025-WHS-1677

May 5, 2025

JUSTIFICATION FOR LIMITED SOURCE JUSTIFICATION (LSJ)

UNDER FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SUBPART 8.4

GS-00F-095CA / HQ0034-25-F-0126

1. AGENCY AND CONTRACTING ACTIVITY: The Department of Defense (DoD), Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisition Directorate (WHS/AD), Enterprise Research & Engineering Division (ERED), Technical Analysis Branch (TAB) on behalf of the Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Performance Improvement Officer/Director for Administration and Management (OPIO/DA&M).

2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTION: DA&M has a continuing need for Professional Support

Services provided under GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contract Number GS-00F- 095CA contract, Task Order number HQ0034-25-F-0126, which was awarded to Analytic Services, Inc (ANSER) on April 11, 2025. The Government intends to extend the task order Period of Performance (POP), due to a protest filed on April 21, 2025, against the Task Order HQ0034-25-F-0126. Therefore, a short-term bridge contract for a total six months with a three

(3) month base period and three (3) one-month option periods will be required for continuity of service while the Government works to resolve the protest. The bridge will be awarded as a Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contract type, with a total value of $6.1M, using Fiscal Year 25 Operation and Maintenance Funds. The Period of Performance (POP) will be from May 6, 2025, through November 5, 2025.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES: DA&M has a requirement for Professional

Support with the day-to-day operations and execution of responsibilities and functions of DA&M; core tasks include professional research, program, policy and budgetary analysis, training, IT support, training, records management and legislative support. The contract supports several program offices within the OSD, i.e. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Policy (OUSDP), Washington Headquarter Services, Facility Services Directorate (WHS/FSD), Washington Headquarter Services, Immediate Office (WHS/IO), Director of Administration and Management, Business Operation Office (DA&M/BOO), Director of Administration and Management, Information Management and Technology Directorate (DA&M/IMT), Director of Administration and Management, Organizational and Management Policy Directorate (DA&M/O&MPD).

Controlled by: WHS/AD

CUI Category(ies): SP-PROCURE Limited Dissemination Control: FEDCON

The Performance Work Statement (PWS) tasks require Analysts at the expert, senior and mid-levels to assist the governance councils, including the Deputy’s Management Action Group (DMAG) with statutes, regulations, decisional analyses and advisory guidance. Assistance is needed in formulating strategies, data analytics, metric development, preparation of staff packages, reports, memoranda, and effective management of OSD’s multiple functional, complex organization activities.

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform services as defined in the contract PWS, except for those items specified as government-furnished property and services. The Contractor shall perform to the standards in the contract.

The Contractor’s performance and deliverables shall provide a wide range of specialized and sensitive administrative and program support at the direction of DA&M.

Bridge Summary Performance Period Dates Amount

FY 2025 6 May 2025 – 5 November 2025 $6,152,725.80

4. CIRCUMSTANCES JUSTIFYING LIMITED SOURCES: This action is under the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.501(a)(i), Sole Source Acquisitions.”

Failure to extend these services and losing the expertise of the ANSER’s contract team and its specialized support would cause significant, unpredictable delays and jeopardize critical missions. This mission critical support is crucial to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense, their governance forums and the Director of Washington Headquarters Services because numerous OSD directorates rely on this support for developing and updating DoD wide policies, including IT policy guidance across the OSD and public affairs planning for Information and Defense Media Operations. The mission critical functions of the PIO DA&M to provide legislative and organizational policy and manage DoD’s manpower, for both OSD and the Joint Staff, would be severely hampered without this support.

A short-term bridge contract is needed to maintain continuity of services for the multiple offices that this contract supports while the Government resolves the matter involving the protested contract that provides the long-term contract. A bridge contract is the most logical and cost-effective solution to the Government, as a break in support is unacceptable and would cause detrimental mission failure to DA&M and across the DoD.

ANSER’s contractor personnel assist the Government in providing critical support to the daily operations of DA&M and its subordinate directorates. The ANSER contract team are embedded within DA&M staff and have special and current knowledge about Defense Intelligence Enterprise initiatives happening across the DoD. Awarding a short-term bridge contract to ANSER avoids unacceptable delays in fulfilling the technical, analytical, and administrative objectives of DA&M’s and adverse impact on OUSD(I&S) SASP initiatives.

In addition, DA&M and its directorates rely heavily on a multisector workforce comprised of Government civilian and Contractor personnel. Disrupting current support services poses a significant risk to DA&M's mission effectiveness. Onboarding new contractor personnel takes an average of six weeks to reach full productivity, not including the time required to explore and potentially modify existing contracts, which may not even cover the necessary scope of work. Such a delay creates a substantial gap in essential support. The expert functional and historical knowledge of the current contractor personnel are key to DA&M being able to continue to perform its mission while the Government works to resolve the protest matter.

Furthermore, DA&M is responsible for providing timely data, responses, or solutions in a prescribed method by set deadlines to the SecDef and Congress. Positively affecting defense policies, intelligence planning and manpower management, in a consistent manner, becomes strained when DA&M is not able to provide responses to congressional inquiries and implement policies timely. This, in turn, leads to delays in approving plans and concepts which ultimately impacts DoD Components’ ability to execute its assigned missions. The current contractor team has a depth and breadth of knowledge that cannot be easily replaced or duplicated without a significant gap in services if a short-term bridge contract under the current contract is not executed. Continued specialized support of contractor personnel is necessary to continue DA&M’s ability to meet requirements across the DoD. The potential for losing this expert contractor support for any protracted period, while awaiting the follow-on contract award, poses a serious and significant risk to DA&M, affecting its mission, as well as the numerous directorates and program offices that this requirement supports.

5. BEST VALUE DETERMINATION: The Contracting Officer (CO) determines that the anticipated prices will be fair and reasonable by using the techniques identified at FAR 15.404-1 “Proposal Analysis Techniques,” specifically FAR 15.404-1(b)(2)(v) to ensure award will be at fair and reasonable prices. The Government will compare proposed prices set forth by ANSER to historical prices paid by the Government under the current task order contract, HQ0034-25-F- 0126, as well as compare estimated prices within the Independent Government Cost Estimate prepared for the six-month short term bridge contract.

6. MARKET RESEARCH: Even with the urgent need to avoid a lapse in contractor support, the

Government posted a Notice of Intent (NOI), on SAM.GOV, to notify industry of its intent to award a short-term contract, to the incumbent, for continued support on April 24, 2025. The posted NOI did not receive any responses.

7. OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS: To prevent irreparable harm to the DA&M mission resulting from a potential service gap, a short-term contract will be negotiated with ANSER.

The purpose of a short-term contract to maintain continuity of critical support until the protest process is resolved. The short-term contract will be issued as the most logical and cost-effective solution to the Government. This strategy avoids duplication of costs and unacceptable delays in critical agency requirements and prevents a potentially damaging gap in essential services while the protest is resolved.

8. ACTION TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS THAT LEAD TO THE

RESTRICTED CONSIDERATION BEFORE ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION

FOR THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES IS MADE: This requirement was initially competed with fair opportunity to the vendors deemed capable via the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) under NAICS 541611. However, due to the protest being filed after contract award, the Government must restrict award consideration and implement short-term bridge contract while the Government works to address the protest allegations. Soliciting a full and open competition for a bridge contract for these services will take at least 180 days, which would cause a gap in services. A lapse in service, to compete a follow-on contract, during the protest resolution, would cause a mission failure for DA&M could cause irreparable damage to and a loss of the work already completed.

9. If this acquisition is for new work as a logical follow-on to on original Federal Supply

Schedule (FSS), was the original order was placed under the FSS ordering procedures?

☐ Yes. A copy of the previous justification is attached. The actions to remove any barriers to competition cited on the previous justification were were not completed.

No. The original acquisition was conducted on a competitive basis.

☐ Not Applicable. This is a new requirement.

CERTIFICATION

I, hereby, certify that the supporting data under my cognizance included in this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.