Coursera JOFOC - FINAL.pdf

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition

“Source Selection Information – see FAR 2.101 and 3.104”

1. Identification of the agency and contracting activity

a. Federal agency and contracting activity

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Insitutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (HHS/NIH/NLM)

b. Sponsoring organization National Library of Medicine, Office of the Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives (NLM/OD/OSI)

c. Project Officer Lisa Federer, Ph.D., MLIS, NLM Data Science and Open Science Librarian National Institutes of Health, Building 38, Room 2S-18 Email: lisa.federer@nih.gov Telephone: 301-827-4399

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

a. Acquisition purpose and objectives. Licenses for NIH staff to access the Coursera learning platform. This platform provides training through individual courses and multi-course specializations in topics including data science, computer science, and health informatics.

These licenses will enable NIH staff to complete self-paced training using the platform. The platform also includes a backend system that allows the NIH project team to view aggregate usage data.

b. Project background. As the largest biomedical library in the world, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) is committed to meeting the evolving needs of the research and clinical communities and to serving the public at large. As an institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NLM will bring its research focus in information science, informatics, and data science to meet the challenges of this rapidly changing biomedical space.

The NLM Strategic Plan envisions NLM as a platform for biomedical discovery and data-powered health, integrating streams of complex and interconnected research outputs that can be readily translated into scientific insights, clinical care, public health practices, and personal wellness. NLM’s products must keep pace with the increasing volume and variety of data generated by the scientific community to meet the demand for immediate access to the right information. By increasing the speed at which information is organized, disseminated, and accessed, NLM will accelerate the speed and precision of discovery.

The basis for this JOFOC is to justify the purchase of licenses from Coursera, Inc. to utilize their presently available platform that already includes the specificity of course content required to build a workforce for data-driven research and health.

Period of Performance:

Base: August 3, 2020 – August 2, 2021 Option 1: August 3, 2021 – August 2, 2022

Total Contract Value: $300,000.00

3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

a. Project title. Coursera Data Science Training

b. Project description. Statement of Work (SOW) attached

Requirement type.

Research & development (R&D) R & D support services Support services (non-R&D) Supplies/equipment Information technology (IT) Construction Architect-engineer (A & E) services Design-build Other (specify): ____________________

Type of action.

New requirement Follow-on Other (specify): ______________________

Proposed contract/order type.

Firm-fixed-price Other fixed-price (specify, e.g., fixed-price award-fee, fixed-price incentive-fee): __________ Cost-plus-fixed-fee Other cost reimbursement (specify, e.g., cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee): ___________ Time and materials Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity, or requirements): ___________

Other (specify): ___________ Completion Form Term form

Acquisition identification number.

Requisiton number: Not available Solicitation Number: 75N97020Q00036 Purchase Order Number: 75N97020P00164

c. Total estimated dollar value and performance/delivery period.

Period of Performance:

Base: August 3, 2020 – August 2, 2021 Option 1: August 3, 2021 – August 2, 2022

Total Contract Value: $300,000.00 Base: $150,000.00 Option 1: $150,00.00

4. Identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 United

States Code (U.S.C.) 3304(a)(1) as set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302- 1.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of section

4202 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 (41 U.S.C. 428a).

5. Demonstration that the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

a. Name and address of the proposed contractor(s).

Coursera, Inc.

381 E. Evelyn Ave., Mountain View, CA 94041

Contact: Brian Green Telephone: 202-262-0242 Email: bgreen@coursera.org

b. Nature of the acquisition and proposed unique qualifications of the contractor(s). Coursera is the developer and exclusive provider of the Coursera platform. Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors who wanted to share their knowledge and skills with the world. Professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng put their courses online for anyone to take – and taught more learners in a few months than they could have in an entire lifetime in the classroom. They have built a platform where anyone, anywhere can learn and earn credentials from the world’s top universities and education providers. The experience includes Mobile learning, Academic and technical support, Sharable Course and Specialization Certificates, An inclusive experience, Arts and Humanities, Business, Computer Science, Data Science, Life Sciences, Math and Logic, Personal Development, Physical Science and, Engineering, Social Sciences, Language Learning. The vendor is the only company authorized to sell, host or provide technical support for the Coursera platform and licenses, per the authority cited in Section 4.

6. Description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable. Indicate whether a FedBizOpps notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies.

The solicitation will be made available to the public via Government Point of Entry (GPE) FedBizOps (FBO). The notice of intent to award will include the sole source justification in accordance with FAR 6.305.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost/price to the Government will be fair and reasonable. Coursera’s standard annual rate for less than 500 licenses is $400.00 per license. Coursera is offering a discounted annual rate for 400 licenses at $375.00 per license for a total of $150,000.00 per year. The discount results in an annual savings of $10,000.00 and a total savings of $20,000.00 for the base plus option year.

The CO will determine the fairness and reasonableness of the cost/price of the contract/order prior to its award by comparison to cost and pricing data of software licenses similar in nature, with significant consideration of the limitations based on availability of similar platforms and the discounts provided by the contractor. The type of cost or pricing information that will be obtained from the proposed contractor will be firm-fixed price based on cost per unit (license). It will not be certified and an audit will not be performed.

8. Description of the market research conducted (see FAR Part 10) and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted. The program office conducted market research and determined that, compared to similar providers, the Coursera platform offers the most relevant courses and the largest number of courses for the price of the licenses. The Coursera platform also offers two unique benefits not available on other platforms: the aggregated data on use and the Coursera Labs/Rhyme platform that will also allow NIH staff to create custom, tailored content.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition. The partnership with Coursera will provide unprecedented access to a vast library of courses geared to the professional development of NIH employees. The Coursera Labs/Rhyme platform will also allow NIH trainers to create custom training content in a professional platform that can be distributed to NIH staff.

Since this requirement can only be satisfied by one responsible source there would be unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements and an exponential increase in cost if the procurement were competed. A full and open competition would most likely result in a complete software build, rather than purchase of a commercial off the shelf item.

10. Listing of sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

None to date.

11. Statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the required supplies or services.

No subsequent acquisitions are anticipated.

12. Program office certification.

This is to certify that the portions of this justification that have been developed by the undersigned program office personnel, including supporting information and/or data verifying the Government’s minimum needs, schedule requirements and other rationale for other than full and open competition, are accurate and complete.

Official Name & Title Electronic Signature

Project Officer Lisa Federer, Lisa Federer, Ph.D., MLIS, NLM Data Science and Open Science Librarian

Project Officer’s

Immediate Supervisor

Michael F. Huerta, PhD, Director, OSI

Head of the Sponsoring

Program Office

Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, Director, National Library of Medicine

13. Contracting Officer certification. (NOTE: The CO’s signed certification may serve as approval of a JOFOC over $100,000 but not exceeding $550,000.)

This is to certify that the justification for the proposed acquisition has been reviewed and that to the best of my knowledge and belief the information and/or data provided to support the rationale and recommendation for approval is accurate and complete.

Lisa M.

Federer -S

Digitally signed by Lisa M. Federer -S Date: 2020.07.28 12:36:27 -04'00'

Official Name & Title Electronic Signature

Contracting Officer

Vinton Grant, Branch Chief