V3211011_SSJ_for_Posting_081916.pdf

V220T.12 (01/15)

Procurement Request No. V3211011

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

VOLPE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CENTER (VOLPE CENTER)

OFFICE OF POLICY, PLANNING, AND ENVIRONMENT

SOLE SOURCE SAP JUSTIFICATION

A. Description of Supplies/Services.

The Volpe Center requires services of Mr. Ronald Mauri Subject Matter Expert (SME) in passenger rail cost accounting.

The SME will assist Volpe in responding to a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) request to document the Amtrak Performance Tracking (APT) system developed jointly between the Volpe Center, FRA, and Amtrak. The SME will also assist Volpe in reviewing published materials, interviewing stakeholders, drafting a summary report and defining a process to produce annual supplements and document any further changes to the APT methodology. As part of this requirement the Volpe Center needs the SME to be authorized access to Amtrak’s cost accounting system which Mr.

Ronald Mauri already has.

B. Market Research.

Market research was conducted by David Hyde during July 2016. Based on the market research Mr. Ronald Mauri is the only contractor with the required expertise and access to the Amtrak’s cost accounting system which is part of this requirement. Mr. Mauri, served as the Volpe project manager for the APT Development Project that is the foundation for the Volpe Center’s ongoing APT reporting work prior to his retirement. During the course of that work, Mr. Mauri was granted direct access to Amtrak’s confidential and proprietary systems, access that is required to complete this work.

Amtrak will not grant third-party access to its confidential and proprietary financial systems but has allowed Mr. Mauri to maintain his access upon retirement.

C. Supporting Rationale. Complete one of the following three sections and annotate the two non-applicable sections with an “N/A.”

(1) Sole Source: Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

(i) Explain why a particular expertise or level of expertise is critical to the requirement.

The statement of work requires direct access to and specific expertise in Amtrak’s cost accounting system, its methodology mandated by Congress, and its underlying information technology systems is critical to effectively carry out the tasks required. The existing reports to be summarized comprise over 300 pages of technical information including detailed descriptions of accounting codes, statistics, and Amtrak’s internal organizational structure.

Experience in Amtrak’s specific implementation of this cost accounting system, and not cost accounting in general, is critical given the need to summarize and clarify the technical documentation. Expertise in accessing and navigating Amtrak’s systems is required to query data, validate methodological changes, and to update reported figures.

(ii) Provide evidence that this contractor is the only source that has the required expertise, referencing the market research outcome.

Regarding direct systems access, the proposed sole contractor, Mr. Ronald Mauri, is uniquely qualified as he presently possesses direct access to Amtrak’s confidential and proprietary financial systems including APT, access that Amtrak will not provide to a third party.

Regarding technical experience, Mr. Mauri possesses the required subject matter expertise from his former experience as an Operations Research Analyst in the Volpe Center’s Economic Analysis Division. Mr. Mauri has over 35 years of experience with economic analysis of passenger rail. In particular, he was one of the lead developers of APT’s cost methodology and a primary author of both the initial FRA Report to Congress in 2009 as well as the subsequent update published in April 2016.

V220T.12 (01/15)

Mr. Mauri has unique expertise to summarize the existing documentation and define a process for future updates to APT documentation. As a primary author of the prior two reports, Mr. Mauri is best positioned to quickly pare down the most critical information from the report as well as transform it into a more accessible form. Mr. Mauri presently has direct access to APT with experience navigating the system and can investigate methodology and document changes. It is infeasible to educate another contractor in the required expertise because, while a contractor may learn the details of the APT system over time, that individual cannot replicate the experience of Mr. Mauri with regard to usage of technical terms and methodical background needed to accurately summarize the existing documentation.

(iii) Define the impact in terms of feasibility, time, and cost of educating another contractor to obtain that expertise.

As a trusted partner working with Amtrak for over ten years, Mr. Mauri already has remote access to APT with experience navigating the system. Amtrak will not easily grant third party access to its confidential and proprietary financial systems. Amtrak requires its own employees to take a three-day training course to access its financial systems, a course Mr. Mauri completed in 2011. Upon completing the course, Amtrak must complete a security screening in order to receive a secure remote access token required for systems access. That process can take several months and is ultimately up to Amtrak to grant. Mr. Mauri has full systems access and can commence work immediately upon contract award.

From a technical perspective, it would be infeasible to educate another contractor to obtain the required expertise in order to meet the FRA’s deadline. A new contractor would have to read and analyze the existing materials to understand the system prior to any writing. Volpe staff would be required to provide the background context needed to summarize the existing information. To compensate, the remaining Volpe Center project staff will be required to reallocate resources among FRA deliverables or bring on additional staff unfamiliar with APT. It is expected that the government time spent on the matter would grow and would represent a net increase in government cost and deliverable deadlines may not be met.

(2) Brand Name: A specific brand that is available from multiple vendors.

N/A

(3) Unusual and Compelling Urgency.

N/A