Limited_Sources_Justification_-_FOIAXpress.pdf

United States Department of Education Office of the Chief Financial Officer Contracts and Acquisitions Management

Limited Sources Justification

FOIAXpress Implementation – EDEMCM16F0008

FAR 8.405-6

1. Background

The Department of Education (the Department), Office of Management, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer (OM/OCPO) proposes to enter into a contract on a basis of other than full and open competition for the FOIA Service Center (FSC). The FSC has been designated as the program lead for the implementation of FOIAXpress hosted version in support of the FSC processing.

The Department currently utilizes the Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) product FOIAXpress to automate our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request processing. FOIAXpress provides the FSC with a centralized system to handle and track request/appeal submissions, electronically redact responsive documents, and compute and output statistics for the FOIA Annual Report as required by the Department of Justice. FOIAXpress is currently installed onsite at the Department. To remove the infrastructure burden from the agency, and to realize the many efficiencies provided by a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, The Department now has a requirement to migrate the FOIAXpress solution to the cloud. FOIAXpress as a SaaS solution will realize the following benefits:

• Lower infrastructure and other IT costs for hardware and software maintenance

• More timely application of patches and software updates

• Alignment with ‘Cloud First’ Federal Computing Strategy

• More timely upgrade to latest version of the FOIAXpress software to maintain compliance with FOIA reporting requirements

• Reduce annual C&A cost

• Reduce overall IT burden on the agency

The Department has been utilizing FOIAXpress for over a decade.

Under the “Cloud First” policy, agencies are expected to identify and begin migrating at least three “must move” services to the cloud. As the Department is looking to align with the “Cloud First” policy, FOIAXpress as an ideal candidate for transition to, or adoption as, a cloud solution.

FOIAXpress is the leading Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request tracking and management software in the U.S., with over 150 federal government implementations.

FOIA processing is a vital business for federal government agencies and the volume of FOIA requests only continues to grow, creating a need for FOIA offices to be more efficient with their resources, especially in the current budget-restricted environment. FOIAXpress already streamlines and automates the FOIA request process for improved operational efficiency; as a hosted solution, FOIAXpress can provide the further benefits of increased flexibility, scalability and cost-savings.

2. Notice of Contract Award

This is a notice that a new, sole-source, firm fixed price contract has been awarded to AINS, Inc., a minority owned small business whose headquarters is located at 806 West Diamond Avenue, #400, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 for FOIAXpress hosted version under contract number EDEMCM16F0008. The contractor, AINS, contains the FOIAXpress Hosted cloud services that meet the Department’s requirements.

3. Services to be Provided

AINS provides hosting services for its customers via its NIST-compliant datacenter that meets NIST 800-53 security control and FDCC requirements with Authority to Operate (ATO) granted by USDA, HUD and VA. AINS hosting services enable us to easily perform version upgrades, patches and more without requiring access to the client computing devices. AINS hosting service includes all maintenance including a test environment for new software releases.

AINS hosting services offer comprehensive network and web security features, including:

• SSL encryption support

• Data files encrypted using 128bit NIST-compliant AES encryption algorithm

• Servers protected with latest anti-virus and anti-spyware software

• 24/7/365 monitoring

• High-end switches, and interconnections with multiple firewall layers

• Network monitoring software for immediate notification of downtime

• TS cleared facility

• Standard tools such as AppScan for security and compliance testing

• 99% uptime

Security at AINS hosting center is administered by a designated security officer and monitored with 24/7 video surveillance. All personnel with access to the data center maintain DOD Secret clearances and access is gained through a keypad provided by Data Watch.

Back-up and disaster recovery features include:

• Power redundancy, including battery back-up and natural gas-powered back-up generator

• Multiple internet service providers

• Redundant servers with automatic fail-over

• Redundant cooling with first and secondary cooling systems to ensure optimal temperature

• Daily, weekly, and monthly data back-ups

• Gas fire suppression eliminating need for water or chemical treatment

• Disaster Recovery with back-up tapes sent to an off-site facility

Backed by AINS hosting services, the Department can be assured of a secure hosting environment for FOIAXpress, with eliminated IT environment issues and reduced infrastructure costs.

4. Statutory Authority for Sole-Source Award

The statutory authority permitting this limited sources justification is 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(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.”

5. Justification for Sole-Source Award

The Department has been utilizing FOIAXpress for over a decade and AINS, Inc. is offering a hosted version. By upgrading to a hosted version of FOIAXpress, this will allow a smooth transition of uninterrupted services by the users.

6. PROGRAM OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF ACCURACY AND COMPETENESS

This is to certify that the portions of this justification developed by the undersigned program office personnel, including supporting documentation and data verifying the Government’s minimum needs, schedule requirements and other rationale for other open than full and open competition, are accurate and complete.