CRP-Limited_Sources_Justification.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Limited Sources Justification

The following Limited Sources Justification has been developed in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(C)

(1) IDENTIFICATION OF THE AGENCY AND THE CONTRACTING ACTIVITY:

This Limited Source Justification was prepared by the United States (U.S.) Department of Education’s (Department) Contracts and Acquisitions Management (CAM) office. The Contracting Officer responsible for this contract is Sabrina Phillips.

(2) NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED:

The Department intends to issue a modification to an existing order to expand the scope of services provided under contract number ED-IES-14-O-5001, which was originally awarded to CRP, Incorporated. We are currently in Option Year 1. The performance would occur during the remainder of Option Year 1 (fiscal year (FY) 2015 period), and continue through fiscal year (FY) 2018.

(3) DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY'S NEEDS

(INCLUDING THE ESTIMATED VALUE)

The additional work included in the revised Performance Work Statement (PWS) under tasks 2.6, 3, 4, and 5 are within scope of this contract. This additional work will consist of expanding current activities under the abovementioned tasks to the Assessment Division of NCES; Statistical Standards & Data Confidentiality; Annual Reports & Information; Sample Surveys; Administrative Data Review Divisions; as well as the Office of the Commissioner of NCES.

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Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104

Estimated Value The value of this change order is summarized in the table below. The total contract value will increase from $15,850,677.00 by $3,596,337.00 to $19,447,014.00, with the execution of the proposed modification.

Redacted

Total Contract Value at Award: $15,850,677.00 (If all options are exercised)

Total Contract Value After Execution of Mod. 0004: $19,447,014.00. (If all options are exercised)

(4.) THE AUTHORITY AND SUPPORTING RATIONAL AND, IF APPLICABLE, A DEMONSTRATION OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACTOR'S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED SUPPLY OR SERVICE:

FAR 8.405-6 requires an ordering activity to justify its actions when restricting consideration of schedule contractors to fewer than required in FAR 8.405-1 or 8.405-2. The specific circumstance that justifies restriction for this acquisition is FAR) 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(C), which states:

In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-on to an original Federal Supply Schedule order provided that the original order was placed in accordance with the applicable Federal Supply Schedule ordering procedures.

The original order or BPA must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures.

The purpose of this contract is to obtain logistics and program support services to facilitate planning, reporting and tracking of publications; coordinating support for program and policy issues related to NAEP; securing external experts to address specific issues; and managing standing and ad hoc experts needed to support the next generation of NAEP assessments

The contract was originally awarded to CRP, Incorporated with the scope of work consisting of the following five (5) tasks:

1. Task 1 Project Management Support

2. Task 2 Plan and Execute Meetings

3. Task 3 Organizational Management Support

4. Task 4 Securing consultant and meeting support for quick-turnaround r quests

5. Task 5 Materials and Publications Services

Under the proposed modification, the Department will expand contract coverage to provide an umbrella of support in assisting the other divisions within NCES with similar programmatic support to allow for a singular voice from NCES for the full range of NCES activities and publications. Thus, no new work is being implemented; instead the current work is being expanded to provide the same services to other divisions. The work that will be provided under this modification will be within scope and thus a logical follow-on to the original order that was issued.

(5) DEMONSTRATION THAT THE PROPOSED CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS

OR THE NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED:

As the incumbent, CRP, Inc. is uniquely qualified to perform the additional work given the aggressive timelines established by the Department. CRP has had the opportunity to work closely with NCES and has performed the required activities since the inception of the contract. In addition, the new work is simply an expansion of the current activities that CRP is already performing for NCES, which will now be provided to other divisions.

As a result, the contractor would meet the Department’s regulatory deadline for providing the current activities to other divisions, which otherwise would not be feasible should another contractor start the project from scratch.

In addition, the Contracting Officer will conduct an evaluation of the proposed level of effort and mix of labor to determine price reasonableness, as part of the best value determination.

(6) DESCRIPTION OF EFFORTS MADE TO ENSURE OFFERS ARE

SOLICITED FROM AS MANY POTENTIAL SOURCES AS PRACTICABLE:

Given the time constraints and the nature of the required services, it would not be it would not be in the government’s interest to have another contractor step in and provide the required services, which could result in delays; thus, adversely impacting the work required under the contract. In accordance with FAR 8.405-6 (a)(2), the Limited Sources Justification will be published on the Federal Business Opportunities website (https://www.fbo.gov) within 14 days after the modification is executed.

(7) DETERMINATION BY CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE ANTICIPATED

COST/PRICE TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE:

The Contracting Officer will conduct cost/price analysis to determine if the anticipated costs for the additional services are fair and reasonable by using the: (1) negotiated cost and pricing information available in the current contract; (2) historical data in the independent government cost estimate formulated by the COR; and (3) other than certified cost and pricing data.

(8) DESCRIPTION OF MARKET SURVEY AND RESULTS, OR STATEMENT

WHY MARKET SURVEY WAS NOT CONDUCTED:

The Department did not conduct market research, as the work to be performed under the proposed modification is similar to current on-going work, and the immediate need to obtain Logistics support would not be met in a timely manner by a re-competition for the work under a new and separate contract.

Furthermore, the PWS changes are within scope and are continuations of the original PWS scope which was previously made available to the public at the time of the contract’s initial solicitation. Therefore, it would not be beneficial to the Government to split the requirement into two separate contracts because it would cause duplicative work, and significant disruption to the overall studies. The Department might also incur substantially higher costs if required to separate the new work within scope from the existing requirement.

(9) OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION:

No additional facts are available.

(10) SOURCES, IF ANY, WHICH HAVE EXPRESSED, IN WRITING, AN INTEREST

https://www.fbo.gov/

IN THE ACQUISITION:

No additional sources have expressed interest in this requirement.

(11) STATEMENT OF ACTIONS, IF ANY, TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME

BARRIERS TO COMPETITION BEFORE ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION

FOR THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES:

The Department will continue to identify potential sources in preparation for the follow on award at the conclusion of this contract.

(12) CONTRACTING OFFICER (CO) CERTIFICATION THAT THE JUSTIFICATION IS

ACCURATE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF THE CO'S KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF:

I hereby recommend that this justification be approved, and that the Department proceed with the award of the proposed change order modification in order to increase the level of effort of the contract. I certify that this justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Program Office Certification:

This is to certify that the data supporting this justification is the responsibility of the program office personnel, including verifying the Government's minimum needs or schedule requirements or other rationale for limited sources (pursuant to 8.405-6) or for other than full and open competition justification (pursuant to 6.303-2(b)) which form a basis for this justification, and that such data and rationale are accurate and complete.

Mike Moles Date Contracting Officer Representative

Program Manager Date

Contracting Officer Certification:

This is to certify that the data supporting this justification is the responsibility of the undersigned program office personnel, including verifying the Government's minimum needs or schedule requirements or other rationale for limited sources (pursuant to 8.405-6) or for other than full and open competition justification (pursuant to 6.303-2(b)) which form a basis for this justification, and that such data and rationale are accurate and complete.

Sabrina Phillips Contracting Officer Date

Approved:

Cindy Duncan Competition Advocate Date