Sole_Source_Justification_EOP_VSOM_redacted.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS

AUTHORITY: FAR 13.501(a), 41 U.S.C. 1901

Solicitation # D16PS00362

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Sole Source Justification.”

This document is a sole source justification for the Department of the Interior, Interior Business Center, Acquisition Services Directorate.

Requiring Agency: Executive Office of the President Office of Administration

1650 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW EEOB, Room 019/LL Washington, D.C. 20503

Contracting Activity: Department of the Interior

Interior Business Center/Acquisition Services Directorate Division II, Branch III

381 Elden Street, Suite 4000 Herndon, VA 20170

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

This action is for approval of a sole source purchase order with AT&T Technical Services Company, Inc.

(AT&T-TSCO) using Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. This action is a follow-on purchase order for a 3-month Base Period and three (3) 3-month Option Periods.

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

The services provided under this purchase order are for continued Voice Systems Operations and Maintenance (VSOM) telecommunications services in support of the Executive Office of the President (EOP). Continuation of this critical service is necessary until the new, competitively awarded Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system is operational.

A description of the services required is as follows:

1. Technical expertise to acquire, administer, maintain, and manage the voice systems and associated cable plant for the EOP and its entities located at the EOP in a secure, closed environment. The materials under this purchase order shall include: station equipment and consoles; switch and routing equipment and software; horizontal and vertical wiring; and peripherals. Additionally, the EOP requires continued support to provide the appropriate staffing to perform all in-scope telecommunications services and assist in achieving stated strategic objectives by providing telecommunications support services to all EOP entities, offices and operating locations.

2. Operation and maintenance of the EOP telecommunications network by maintaining an accurate inventory of all equipment and spare parts in a “Storefront” environment.

3. Copper cabling termination services and labor for Category 5e & 6 terminations in preparation for VoIP implementations.

4. Change Management to aid in the evolution and adaptation of the EOP’s changing telecommunications environment, to include modifying the current EOP’s voice systems with new and beneficial technology as required.

For the services described above, it is anticipated that the 3-month Base Period and three (3) 3-month Option Periods, if exercised, will be for a total estimated amount of $xxxxxxxxx.

4. An identification of the statutory authority permitting sole source acquisition.

This is a sole source commercial acquisition purchase order utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures for the Government’s continuing need for VSOM support to the EOP. The acquisition will be conducted under FAR Subpart 13.5 - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, in conjunction with FAR 12. The statutory authority permitting sole source acquisition is 41 U.S.C.

1901 as implemented by FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii).

5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

FAR Subpart 13.5 authorizes the use of simplified procedures for the acquisition of supplies and services in amounts greater than the simplified acquisition threshold but not exceeding $7 million, including options, if the contracting officer reasonably expects, based on the nature of the supplies or services sought, and on market research, that offers will include only commercial items.

The telecommunications services and related equipment required under this purchase order are commercial items in accordance with FAR Part 12, and the definition of commercial item found in FAR 2.101, in that:

1. The equipment is of a type customarily used by the general public or by non-governmental entities for other than governmental purposes and has been sold, leased or licensed to the general public but for with minor modifications to meet Federal Government requirements;

2. The installation, maintenance, training, repair and other services are being procured in support of the equipment discussed above; and

3. Similar services are provided contemporaneously to the general public under terms and conditions similar to those offered to the general public.

Further, the task order currently providing the required services was also awarded in accordance with FAR Part 12.

Continuity of this critical service supporting the EOP’s legacy telecommunications network without disruption is necessary until the VoIP implementation is complete. To provide continuity without disruption, a contractor must have in-depth knowledge of the current complex telecommunication architecture, and must have personnel with the required security clearances.

AT&T-TSCO is uniquely qualified in having the necessary knowledge and in-depth experience for this highly extensive and complex requirement as they have been providing the VSOM support to the EOP over the last thirteen (13) years. Only AT&T-TSCO has the detailed working knowledge of the VSOM System in the areas of programmatic structure, interfaces with other equipment, hardware designs, and interactions of these designs.

Given the nature of the requirement supporting the Executive Office of the President inclusive of the White House Office, the Office of the Vice President to the White House Situation Support Staff as well as the Office of Management and Budget, National Security Staff and many other entities under EOP, extensive security measures are required to protect this critical infrastructure . Thus, even to compete the original acquisition, interested parties were required to submit names and clearances to the EOP Security Office to be able to review background information supporting the requirement in a reading room at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

In addition to a reading room to view documents, conducting a competition for this requirement would involve the interested parties to visit locations in the EOP to obtain the layout and obtain system data. These locations and information are, as well, secured and for vendors to gain access it would require security clearances ranging from interim (temporary) Secret clearance to Top Secret clearances with the background investigations conducted by the EOP. The time and cost required for EOP to conduct the background investigations would be extensive and unlikely to be recovered through competition for such a short term requirement.

AT&T-TSCO has a record of excellent past performance in the thirteen (13) years of their performance under contracts supporting this requirement and their Key Personnel for this purchase order will remain the same. AT&T-TSCO is uniquely qualified to provide the services until the VoIP implementation is completed because of their extensive historical technical knowledge of the VSOM requirement, and the proven skills, abilities and qualifications of their personnel, as evidenced above.

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

In accordance with Subpart 5.2 – Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, a notice of intent was posted on Federal Business Opportunities. No other sources expressed interest in this acquisition.

Given the requirements of this acquisition, and the fact that no other sources expressed interest after publication of the synopsis, no other sources were solicited.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The AQD Contracting Officer will determine the price is fair and reasonable via the use of the price analysis techniques described in FAR 15.401-1(b)(2), to include, but not limited to, a comparison of proposed prices to historical prices paid, comparison with competitive published price lists, comparison of proposed prices with independent Government cost estimates, and/or comparison of proposed prices with prices obtained through market research for the same or similar items.

8. A description of the market research conducted (see Part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

In accordance with Subpart 5.2 – Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, a notice of intent was posted on Federal Business Opportunities. No other sources expressed interest in this acquisition.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

The EOP’s projected timeline for the implementation of the new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has experienced significant delays causing a slippage in the execution of the VoIP pilot/rollout.

Contributing factors to the delay of the rollout include infrastructure upgrades and uncertainty of the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) on whether any Avaya Legacy System (ALS) nodes will remain past November 2016 or if they will be integrated into the ALS network. In addition, the Cisco VoIP phone selected for install in EOP specific areas has been approved and certified by the National Telecommunications Security Work Group, but will not be available for install until August 2016.

These delays to implementation of the next generation telecommunications system are the reason for the need to contract for continued VSOM support for the EOP’s legacy telecommunications network.

Through work under the current Contract, AT&T-TSCO has gained a working knowledge of the VSOM requirement and continues to bring the necessary combination of expertise, relevant experience, tools and key personnel that makes AT&T-TSCO distinctively and uniquely qualified to meeting the particular needs of the EOP. Awarding to a Contractor other than AT&T-TSCO would result in a high risk to the Government and substantial learning curve for a new Contractor, thus increasing costs to the Government and potentially causing unacceptable delays to EOP. These costs would not be expected to be recovered through competition. Any potential break in service would directly affect the Office of the President. The Government is minimizing the risk of a break in service by utilizing the most efficient solution to continue services from the expiration of the current Purchase Order until EOP’s implementation of VoIP.

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

In accordance with Subpart 5.2 – Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, a notice of intent was posted on Federal Business Opportunities. No sources have expressed interest in this acquisition.

11. 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.

This short-term Purchase Order is only to continue support for the EOP’s legacy telecommunications network in order to allow sufficient time for EOP to implement the competitively-awarded VoIP system. After VoIP implementation, there is not expected to be a continued need for this support.

Therefore, no action was taken toward fostering competition for future support to the legacy system.

12. 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.

//S// Chiharu Bullock Date Contracting Officer

13. Requirements personnel certification.

I certify that the technical data which forms a basis for this justification is complete and accurate and meets the Government’s minimum needs.

Patricia Parker Date Contracting Officer’s Representative

14. Reviews and Approvals

Concur

Nancy J. Mahoney Date Chief, Acquisition Management Division II, Branch III

Concur

Heidi Herron Date Chief, Acquisition Management Division II

Approve

Bethany K. Petrofsky Date Bureau Competition Advocate