Attachment 1 FAR 13.5 Sole Source Justification - Over SAT prnt.pdf

VHAPG Part 813.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items Attachment 1: Request for Sole Source Justification Template >SAT-$7.5M under FAR13.5

Effective Date: 02/01/2022 Page 1 of 5

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION UNDER SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR

CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.5

Acquisition Plan Action ID:______ 523-24-2-3801-0033____________

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN1, RPO East, NCO 1

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed:

-Surgical Nursing Orientation: A one-year, VISN-

Orientation is a component of the Mosby line of high-quality instructional courses.

ExpertPath/ImmunoQuery pathology resource: A one year subscription to ExpertPath /

Behaviour Research and Therapy journal: A one-year digital subscription to Behaviour Research and Therapy, a journal exclusively published through Elsevier and available through distributer WT Cox.

Cognitive and Behavioral Practice journal: A one-year subscription to Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, a journal exclusively published through Elsevier and available through distributor WT Cox.

3. Description of Supplies/Services :

Medical Surgical Nursing Orientation from Elsevier due to the demand for more staff nurses with training in medical surgical nursing. This is an existing off the shelf, web-based nursing competency and skills education program for nurses throughout VISN1.

Performance Period:

Base: 03/30/2024 through 03/29/2025

Option 1: 03/30/2025 through 03/29/2026

Option 2: 03/30/2026 through 03/29/2027

Option 3: 03/30/2027 through 03/29/2028

Option 4: 03/30/2027 through 03/29/2029

ExpertPath - ImmunoQuery pathology clinical decision tool and database used by VISN1 pathologists.

Performance Period:

Base: 03/30/2024 through 03/29/2025

Effective Date: 02/01/2022 Page 2 of 5

Option 1: 03/30/2025 through 03/29/2026

Option 2: 03/30/2026 through 03/29/2027

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Base: 03/30/2024 through 03/29/2025

Option 1: 03/30/2025 through 03/29/2026

Option 2: 03/30/2026 through 03/29/2027

Cognitive and Behavioral Practice

Base: 03/30/2024 through 03/29/2025

Option 1: 03/30/2025 through 03/29/2026

Option 2: 03/30/2026 through 03/29/2027

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Restricted Competition:

FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The statutory authority for applying the Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items of FAR 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 and is implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) for restricting competition on this procurement. Competition is restricted on this procurement for the reason below:

(X) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements

( ) Unusual and Compelling Urgency ( ) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert

Services ( ) International Agreement ( ) Authorized or Required by Statute

Effective Date: 02/01/2022 Page 3 of 5

( ) National Security ( ) Public Interest

5. Demonstration that the C Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition

Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority):

course is the only platform that includes medical-surgical nursing competencies, a critical requirement for VISN1 nursing staff.

Nursing competency refers to standardized skills, capabilities and professionalism of a specific practice of nursing. Nursing competencies are tested routinely to ensure best practice of care against a set of standards. The learning content is valuable to ensure standardized nursing care in the Med-Surg environment across the practice. VISN1 nursing staff are familiar with Mos less time will be spent on orienting all nurses, education and library staff to a new learning platform design and navigation.

Furthermore, because VISN1 Knowledge Information Systems provides several Mosby modules on the VISN1 Knowledge Information Service (KIS) website, the VISN1 IT network currently hosts IP address authentication, which would not require specialty provisions to allow KIS to implement the platform on to the library website. IT setup is a challenge and since it is already established with this vendor, it removes an obstacle to granting access to In order to continue contuinity amongst the VISN 1 Journal databases it is required that the VA procures Nursing Orientation. Approving another branded journal would hinder the nursing skills and competencies amongst the VA nurses at all Veteran Affairs facilities.

ExpertPath/ImmunoQuery is a pathology clinical decision tool and pathology database combination that VISN1 has subscribed to since 2022. This resource differs from the other pathology resources in that it is a clinical decision tool coupled with a database. Similar resources are paired with laboratory services, which is not needed for the requirement.

ExpertPath is an evidence-based pathology decision support resource used to analyze complex and or unusual cases. ImmunoQuery is a pathology database that integrates with the ExpertPath decision support tool. ExpertPath occupies a niche in clinical research and practice: a decision support resource that can integrate physiological data, laboratory test results and other clinical information to guide diagnosis and treatment decisions, thereby supporting the direct patient care of the Veteran patients. ExpertPath works hand-in-glove with the ImmunoQuery database. It can track biobank specimens, perform data analysis across a large record base of similar samples and biopsy results. In researching this type of resource for the pathology staff we found that other resources were aimed at the database side of storing and managing pathology results and specimen images, rather than utilizing data that uploads the immediate patient results of a biopsy and other individual physiological data to narrow the diagnosis. At this time no other journal similar to ExpertPath / ImmunoQuery exists that would be able to intergrate within the existing VA journal database.

Behaviour Research and Therapy and Cognitive and Behavioral Practice are digital journals used by VISN1 mental health professionals and are exclusively published by Elsevier and available through their authorized distributor, Cox Communications Inc. These publications supply valuable and current research information for mental health staff. The importance of developing staff and providing the latest research and is important for staff development and retention, and best serves the Veteran population with the most recent techniques. Furthermore, usage was tracked by Library staff and the usage numbers support a renewal of the journals. Authorizing substitute branded journals would require the VA personnel to request extensive partition driven research which would require months of training courses in order to approve the prospective journal substitute.

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6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable:

Market research yielded only one vendor capable of providing the required Elsevier journals. The Contract Specialist has issued an Intent to Sole Source on Contract Opportunities permitting the public to respond with capability statements. At this time only one authorized vendor is an authorized distributor of Elsiver, Cox Communications, Inc.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and

Reasonable:

The Contracting Officer expects to perform price reasonableness in accordance with FAR 13.106-3(b).

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons

Market Research Was Not Conducted:

1) market research work for this type of nursing teaching resource. Key components were the inclusion mo

Surgical Nursing course was a significant cost-effective resource that meets the critical requirements laid down by the nursing education staff without the -scale nursing education resource suite that meets many of the requirements; however, the Nursing Reference Center would duplicate the nursing resources available through the VA Library National Office, the Clinical Key for Nursing Clinical Key suite as both are Mosby resources.

2) ExpertPath/ImmunoQuery resource package: VISN1 library has subscribed to ExpertPath/ImmunoQuery since FY2022 and has been popular with the pathologists in VISN1.

ExpertPath is an evidence-based pathology decision support resource used to analyze complex and or unusual cases. ImmunoQuery is a pathology database that integrates with the ExpertPath decision support tool. ExpertPath occupies a niche in clinical research and practice which as a decision support resource it can integrate physiological data, laboratory test results and other clinical information to guide diagnosis and treatment decisions, thereby supporting the direct patient care of the Veteran patients. ExpertPath works hand-in-glove with the ImmunoQuery database part which can track biobank specimens, perform data analysis across a large record base of similar samples and biopsy results. In researching this type of resource for the pathology staff we found that other resources were more aimed at the database side of storing and managing pathology results and specimen images than on the tool that pulls in that information with the immediate patient results of a biopsy and other individual physiological data to narrow down the diagnosis. This publication has no equal in the marketplace.

3) The two journal digital subscriptions- Behaviour Research and Therapy and Cognitive and Behavioral Practice are both titles exclusively available through Elsevier. The library staff reviewed past usage statistics regarding access and those results justify the renewal of these two resource subscriptions.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition:

None

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10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition:

Cox Communications, Inc.

Graham Advisory Network

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required:

For future requirements to come, the Department of Veteran Affairs will perform market research to assess and identify existing and any new potential sources of supply/services in accordance with FAR part 10.002.

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and 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.

Program Manager Date

13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP:

a. Contracting Officer or Certification (required): I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer Date

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer (Required over SAT but not exceeding $750K): I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

Branch Chief Date