easton Approved LSJ - Redacted.pdf

Contemplated contract type:

_X__ Firm fixed-price ____ Time and materials/labor hour ____ Combination

We seek approval of an LSJ to obtain the following:

____ Expansion of mainframe software licensing required for compliance with our license agreement, due to agency mainframe hardware capacity increases.

Since commercial mainframe software companies commonly license software based on the capacity of the mainframe hardware on which we install the software, we are responsible for expanding our mainframe software licenses commensurate to the hardware capacity each time we upgrade mainframe hardware.

_X__ Maintenance subscription for Unison PRISM Web software and license subscription to Unison FedConnect software and Unison SSO-SAML Authentication Module software add-on, published by Unison Software, Inc.

We will solicit a quotation from and award a single firm-fixed-price award to Unison Software, Inc. under their General Services Administration (GSA) contract for a base year (12-months), four 12-month option periods, and one six-month option period in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.217-8, “Option to Extend Services.”

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET AGENCY

NEEDS AND ESTIMATED VALUE

Estimated Value:

(Base Year) 4/1/2024 – 3/31/2025:

• $831,240: continued maintenance renewal

• $44,894: purchase of new licensing

(Option Year 1) 4/1/2025 – 3/31/2026:

• continued maintenance renewal

(Option Year 2) 4/1/2026 – 3/31/2027:

• continued maintenance renewal

(Option Year 3) 4/1/2027 – 3/31/2028:

• continued maintenance renewal

(Option Year 4) 4/1/2028 – 3/31/2029:

• continued maintenance renewal

(Six-Month Option in accordance with FAR 52.217-8) 4/01/2029 – 9/30/2029:

SSA has a continued requirement for a maintenance subscription to Unison PRISM Web software and license subscription to Unison FedConnect software. Additionally, SSA has a new requirement for a license subscription to the Unison SSO-SAML Authentication

Module software add-on. The aforementioned software is manufactured by Unison Software, Inc.

Unison PRISM Web (PRISM) is the software that runs SSA’s Streamlined Acquisition System (SSASy), the agency’s acquisition management system and is used by SSA’s Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAG). As OAG no longer maintains paper contract files, PRISM is the repository for the agency’s contracts. PRISM interfaces with the agency’s financial systems, uploading acquisition commitments and obligations. PRISM provides a daily list of contracts to the agency’s asset management system. PRISM uploads active contract data to the agency’s system that maintains a list of software and hardware for maintenance renewals. PRISM interfaces with the Government Point of Entry (GPE), the System for Award Management (SAM), for all acquisition solicitations, special notices, and award notifications.

Continued maintenance for Unison PRISM Web software will ensure that the software:

• Continues to adhere to the FAR;

• Remains compatible with operating system and database management systems upgrades; and

• Improves functionality with market trends and technology updates.

Without PRISM software, SSA would be required to revert to a completely paper acquisition environment, including the requisition process. Requisitions would have to be created on paper, passed around for approvals, then hand-delivered to OAG. The solicitations and responses to the solicitation would all have to be handled and stored in paper format, requiring additional storage. Additionally, OAG would no longer be able to electronically interface with acquisition portals such as SAM, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP), and GSA e-Buy, thus, requiring OAG to post solicitations in public places for contractors to view and respond to. This would add time to the acquisition process and potentially discourage Contractors from doing business with SSA due to the added complexity and time it would potentially take to have a contract awarded.

Unison FedConnect software serves as an online venue for the Federal Government and Contractors, desiring to do business with the Federal Government, to communicate with each other regarding solicitations, bids, and procurement issues. PRISM uploads solicitations to FedConnect, for either public access or directly to specific contractors.

Contractors then respond to the solicitations through FedConnect, and PRISM imports the bids and responses directly into PRISM (SSASy). Vendors can direct questions to the contracting officer through FedConnect, maintaining continuity and easy traceability to these exchanges. FedConnect is essential, as it allows communication between SSA, using SSASy, and the vendor and grants community. Unison FedConnect software requires continued maintenance for usability, support, and alignment with all updates to Federal Acquisition Regulations.

Without Unison FedConnect software, SSA would not be able to receive solicitation responses, quotes, and inquiries from contractors and have them attach automatically to the solicitation in SSASy. This would require OAG staff to manually associate vendor responses and emails to solicitations in SSASy. Complex solicitations can have hundreds of responses, causing this to be an almost impossible task to adequately track vendor responses and would greatly slow the acquisition process.

SSA requires purchase of the Unison SSO-SAML Authentication Module add-on to comply with Executive Order (EO) 14028, “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” This EO mandates civilian agencies of the Federal Government to base their enterprise security architecture on zero trust principles. Only this software will integrate with the agency’s existing SSASy application, which is built on proprietary Unison PRISM software, and bring SSA into compliance with EO 14028. No other software add-on will integrate with SSASy to achieve this desired result.

Without the Unison SSO-SAML Authentication Module, SSASy will be unable to support multi-factor authentication (MFA), as mandated by EO 14028.

The maintenance subscription for Unison PRISM Web, FedConnect, and SSO-SAML Authentication Module software includes updates, fixes and patches, as well as online and telephone technical support. Maintenance allows access to the latest changes and security patches, as well as allowing the software to continue to operate in a changing environment.

The following table of software products are being procured as part of this requirement:

Product Quantity Licensing Type or Maintenance

Base Year: Unison PRISM Web

See “Unison PRISM Web Items” attachment for items and quantities

Maintenance Subscription

Base Year: Unison FedConnect 12 License Subscription

Base Year: Unison

SSO-SAML

Authentication Module

License Subscription

Option Year 1: Unison PRISM Web

See “Unison PRISM Web Items” attachment for items and quantities

Maintenance Subscription

Option Year 1: Unison FedConnect 12 License Subscription

Option Year 1: Unison

SSO-SAML 1

Authentication

Option Year 2: Unison PRISM Web

See “Unison PRISM Web Items” attachment for items and quantities

Maintenance Subscription

Option Year 2: Unison FedConnect 12 License Subscription

Option Year 2: Unison

SSO-SAML

Authentication

Option Year 3: Unison PRISM Web

See “Unison PRISM Web Items” attachment for items and quantities

Maintenance Subscription

Option Year 3: Unison FedConnect 12 License Subscription

Option Year 3: Unison

SSO-SAML

Authentication

Option Year 4: Unison PRISM Web

See “Unison PRISM Web Items” attachment for items and quantities

Maintenance Subscription

Option Year 4: Unison FedConnect 12 License Subscription

Option Year 4: Unison

SSO-SAML

Authentication

Six-Month Option:

Unison PRISM Web

See “Unison PRISM Web Items” attachment for items and quantities

Maintenance Subscription

Six-Month Option:

Unison FedConnect 12 License Subscription

Six-Month Option:

Unison SSO-SAML Authentication

*Note: A license subscription to the above software products includes maintenance as part of the subscription.

4. IDENTIFICATION OF LIMITING SOURCES AND SUPPORTING RATIONALE

The circumstance listed in this document justify limiting sources, per Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 8.405 “Ordering procedures for Federal Supply Schedules – Limiting sources” as follows:

____ FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(A) – An urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays

____ FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(B) – Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized

____ FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(C) – 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 procedure

_X _ FAR 8.405-6(b) – Items peculiar to one manufacturer. An item peculiar to one manufacturer can be a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer. A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer

Please note:

_X__ Unison Software, Inc. is the sole GSA authorized provider of Unison Software, Inc.

licenses and maintenance subscription.

Continued maintenance of these products is essential. Access to upgrades, updates, and fixes and patches ensures software continues to be compatible with the operating system and is in good working order. Without maintenance, there is potential for disruption in procurements and acquisitions of all kinds for SSA, ultimately negatively impacting service to the public.

5. DETERMINATION BY CO THAT ORDER REPRESENTS BEST VALUE

As provided in FAR 8.404(d), GSA has already determined the prices offered for supplies and fixed-price services and rates for services offered at hourly rates, under schedule contracts, to be fair and reasonable. By placing an order against a schedule contract using the procedures in FAR 8.405, the CO has concluded that the order represents the best value and results in the lowest overall cost alternative to meet the Government’s needs. In addition, the CO will seek a price reduction for prices offered by Unison Software, Inc. consistent with FAR 8.405-4.

Additionally, before making any award, the CO will verify that all items proposed are currently available on the GSA schedule and offered at or below the current approved GSA prices.

6. DESCRIPTION OF MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED AMONG SCHEDULE

HOLDERS OR STATEMENT WHY MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT

CONDUCTED

Unison PRISM Web, Unison FedConnect, and Unison SSO-SAML Authentication Module software products are proprietary products. Market research demonstrated these are proprietary software products licensed exclusively by Unison Software, Inc., and only available from Unison Software Inc.

In accordance with FAR 8.405-6(b)(3), SSA will post the justification, along with the RFQ, to e-Buy (http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov).

Additionally, __X__ We used market research conducted within 12 months of the anticipated award date. Therefore, we consider the information still current, accurate, and relevant.

• Confirmed with software publisher, Unison Software, Inc., via email that they are the sole provider of Unison Software, Inc. software license and maintenance subscriptions. They do not work with resellers.

____ When examining whether this is a requirement for commercial vs non-commercial items, market research helped determine that this requirement involves:

____ A) Items of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace;

____ B) Items of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace with modifications; or ____ C) Items used exclusively for governmental purposes (i.e., not commercially available).

____ Market research helped determine:

____ Customary practices regarding customizing, modifying, or tailoring of items to meet customer needs and associated costs;

____ Customary practices, including warranty, buyer financing, discounts, contract type considering the nature and risk associated with the requirement, etc., under which commercial sales of the products or services are made;

____ Requirements of any laws and regulations unique to the item needed;

____ Availability of items that contain recovered materials and items that are energy efficient;

____ Distribution and support capabilities of potential suppliers, including alternative arrangements and cost estimates; and

____ Size and status of potential sources (see FAR Part 19).

____ Techniques for conducting market research include any or all of the following:

____ (i) Contacting knowledgeable individuals in government and industry regarding market capabilities to meet requirements.

____ (ii) Reviewing the results of recent market research undertaken to meet similar or identical requirements.

____ (iii) Publishing formal requests for information in appropriate technical or scientific journals or business publications.

____ (iv) Querying the government-wide database of contracts and other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies available at https://www.contractdirectory.gov/contractdirectory/ and other government and commercial databases that provide information relevant to agency acquisitions.

____ (v) Participating in interactive, on-line communication among industry, acquisition personnel, and customers.

____ (vi) Obtaining source lists of similar items from other contracting activities or agencies, trade associations, or other sources.

____ (vii) Reviewing catalogs and other generally available product literature published by manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or available on-line.

____ (viii) Conducting interchange meetings or holding presolicitation conferences to involve potential offerors early in the acquisition process.

____ Additional information, sources, comments

7. ANY OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS

GSA completed a determination of responsibility at the schedules contract level and maintains that ordering agencies are not required to conduct it at the order level.

Presently the most efficient and effective approach known to the government is to continue to use Unison Prism Web and FedConnect as a software solution and renew maintenance, as replacing our current suite of software products with other software products

• may be technically impossible in some instances;

• will require running dual programs and applications that may interfere with integrated network management and data exchange;

• will take time, we estimate up to several years, to replace currently installed software effectively, which will of necessity require not just installation of the software, but also extensive re-training of staff

While the agency has not ruled out replacing the software at some point in the future, the time, expense, and performance risk to the agency of implementing a replacement must be factored into our long-term IT modernization plans. Therefore, it is determined to be in the best interest of the government not to pursue such a replacement undertaking at this time.

Even so, before making the award, in accordance with FAR 4.1102 and 9.401, the CO will examine the System for Award Management to make an affirmative determination of the contractor’s responsibility.

8. ACTIONS AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS TO

COMPETITION BEFORE SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION IS REQUIRED

SSA shall post the basis for restricting consideration, along with the Request for Quote, to GSA e-Buy (http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov) in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(i)(C).

We will continue to survey the market place by synopsizing our requirement and reviewing product literature and capability statements submitted by the vendor community.

CONTRACTING OFFICER’S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE

(COTR) AND PROGRAM OFFICIALS’ RECOMMENDATION

AND CERTIFICATION

The COTR and other program officials hereby certify that the information provided in support of the justification for an exception to fair opportunity, and which forms the basis for this justification, is accurate and complete.

RECOMMEND: 12/19/2023

Date

COTR

Information Technology Contracts Branch (ITCB) Division of Resource Management and Acquisition (DRMA)

Office of Systems Operations and Hardware Engineering (OSOHE) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)

12/28/2023

CONCUR: _________ _______________

Date Chief

ITCB, DRMA, OSOHE, OCIO

CONCUR: 1/2/2024

Date Director

DRMA, OSOHE, OCIO

1/10/2024

CONCUR: ________________

Date Associate Commissioner

OSOHE, OCIO

CONCUR: 01/16/2024

CIO Approval Date