C_Forbes_-_Sole__Source_Justification_-_Distinguished_Service_Awards.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice

Justice Management Division

Procurement Services Staff

Washington. ]JC. 2o530

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

FOR

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITIONS UNDER FAR PART 13

(NOT EXCEEDING $150,000)

1. Agency/Contracting Activity: Department of Justice (DOJ), Justice Management Division (JMD), Procurement Services Staff (PSS).

2. Description of Action: The Department of Justice, Justice Management Division , Human Resources, has a requirement to procure 125 Customized Distinguished Service Awards for the upcoming 62°d Annual Attorney General Award Ceremony which will be held on Wednesday, October 15, 2014.

The Department of Just ice plans to award a Sole Source, Firm-Fixed Price Purchase Order to C. Forbes, Inc. , which is located at 12830 West Creek Parkway, Suite G, Richmond, VA 23238. The Total Estimated Dollar Value of the proposed action is $51 ,250.00.

3. Authority Cited:

41 U .S.C. 253 ( c )(I) - Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements; and

FAR Subpart 13 .106-l(b)- Soliciting from a Single Source ( l) For purchases not exceeding the si mplified acquisition threshold, contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency , exclusive licensing agreements, brand name or industrial mobilization).

4. Demonstration that the proposed contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires use of the cited authority:

The Department of Justice will hold the 62nd Annual Attorney General Award Ceremony on October 15, 2014. During the ceremony the Attorney General will present Distinguished Service Awards to recipients recommended by the Combined Incentive Awards Board/John Marshall Panel and approved by the Attorney General.

The Distinguished Service Award is the second highest award granted by the DOJ Attorney General and the recipients of the award must meet at least one of the following criteria:

a) The accomplishment of assigned duties in such an outstanding manner as to be clearly noteworthy among all those who have performed similar duties, or performance of assigned tasks in such an exemplary manner as to set a record of achievement that will inspire others to improve the quality and/or quantity of their work;

b) The exercise of unusual courage or competence in an emergency while on official duty;

c) The rendering of professional service of a unique or distinctive character worthy of significant recognition; and

d) Distinguished conduct in the performance of duties over a period of years in a position of responsibility that involves exercise of authority and judgment in matters of marked significance.

The JMD Human Resources received approval to proceed with plans for the award ceremony in an email from the Assistant Attorney General for Administration on May 23, 2014. Subsequently, JMD Human Resources submitted a funding document (l 86) to PSS to procure the Distinguished Service Awards on July 1, 2014.

C. Forbes, Inc. is a company that develops unique awards, gifts, collectibles, and commemorative events for Federal, State, and Local Governments, and corporate and non-profit organizations. The Department of Justice has procured the Attorney General Award devices from C. Forbes, Inc. since 1999. The most recent orders were issued in FY 12 (DJ.I12FTPER0397) and in FY 13 (DJJ l 3PWPER0445). The Attorney General Distinguished Service Award includes a 3" brass medallion on a black marble base with an engraved personalized plate on a pedestal base with a card insert and it is assembled and delivered in a two piece blue gift box. The blue gift box is made from I 00% recycled paper to help prevent movement of the award during the shipping process and it provides recipients with a safe method to transport the awards home since many of them travel from out of town .

C. Forbes, Inc. is the preferred contractor for this requirement. They have 14 years of experience and the knowledge necessary to quickly produce the awards based on a desi gn that has remained consistent throughout the years and was reviewed and approved by the JMD Senior Leadership. C. Forbes, lnc. also owns the approved die cast used for the production o f the awards. The 62nd Annual Attorney General A wards Ceremony will be held in three months which strongly impacts the DOJ's ability to compete the award , select and meet with a new vendor, request samples of the award, receive senior leadership approval of the samples, and still allow enough time for the contractor to produce and ship the awards prior to the ceremony. Any delays would adversely impact the Attorney General ' s ability to present the awards at the ceremony on October 15 , 201 4.

C . Forbes, Inc. provides exceptional customer service and always delivers the awards within the required delivery schedule and in good condition . The Contractor has also fixed awards broken by the recipient or awards that contained spelling errors at no additional cost to the Government.

5. Efforts to Obtain Competition:

The Government intends to limit competition for this requirement to C. Forbes, Inc. as no other Contractor currently has the requisite experience, knowledge, and approved design necessary to produce and deliver the Distinguished Service Awards within a timely and cost effective manner.

The requirement will not be posted in the Federal Business Opportunities prior to award because of the following circumstances:

The JMD Human Resources contacted C. Forbes, [nc. to determine their production schedule for delivery of the awards to the Department of Justice by an October 8. 2014 deadline . C. Forbes, Inc. informed Human Resources that they have to purchase the marble base of the award from an overseas vendor and in order to allow enough time for production (which includes cutting and transporting the marble and adhering lo customs rul es and regulations, and final assembly of the awards once the marble reaches the contractor 's domestic warehouse destination) DOJ would have to issue an award by no later than mid-week or July 9, 2014 (reference C. Forbes, Inc . email dated July 1, 2014).

Posting the requirement for a minimum of 15 days (in accordance with FAR Subpan 5.203(a)) after rece iving funding approval from JMD Human Resources on Jul y 1, 2014 would significantly delay PSS's award of the purchase order and effectively eliminate the contractor 's ability to deliver the awards by the requested deadline.

6. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost:

The Contracting Officer will utilize historical information from previous procurements, including orders placed in FY 12 and FY 13 for the same type of awards and other available pricing information to determine that lhe final price is fair and reasonable.

7. Market Research:

Market research was not conducted since no other sources are considered capable of meeting the Government' s requirement at this time .

8. Interested Sources:

No other sources were solicited due to the Contractor's unique qualifications and past experience which are necessary to fulfill the Government's requirement.

9. Proposed Actions to Overcome Barriers to Competition:

The DOJ will cond uct market research to determine if any new sources are available for competition before an y subsequent acquis itions fo r new Distinguished Service A wards.

10. Technical and Requirem ents Certification: I certi fy that the support ing data under my cognizance , which are included in this Sole Source Justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and be lief.

Name Signature

I l. Contractin g Officer Certification: I. certi fy that th is so le source ,i usti fication is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and be li ef.

--"'--+~-~~~ REGINA WILLIAMS

fJ /3hf Name

CONTRACTING OFFICER

Title Date