ES-A 23-4041 LSJ.7.20.23_SAM.pdf

Limited Sources Justification Enterprise Services Office of Acquisition

1401 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20230

SSL-FY24-07

(1) Identification of the agency and the contracting activity:

Program Office: Department of Commerce

Office of the Secretary, Office of Chief Information Officer

1401 Constitution Ave, NW

Contracting Activity: Department of Commerce

Enterprise Services – Acquisition

1401 Constitution Ave, NW

(2) Nature and/or description of the action being approved:

Limited Sources Justification pursuant to the authority of FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B), which provides that competition may be limited when there is only one source capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.

The action being approved is a Limited Sources Justification leading to a single award

Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) estimated at $8,224,342.13 against GSA Multiple

Award Schedule Contract No. 47QTCA18D001C.

(3) A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs:

The Department of Commerce (DOC) must gather industry-recognized research from multiple objective sources to inform its Information Technology (IT) planning and decision-making activities. The two leading firms providing the content and unique intellectual property required to perform this research are Gartner and Forrester.

Each firm captures a different view of the market and industry trends which are not duplicated or resold by any other firms. A strategic sourcing initiative (SSI) ordering vehicle currently exists for DOC Gartner research. This new procurement action will create SSI for DOC Forrester Research. The Department requires the following functionality to be available under the SSI:

The DOC requires access to comprehensive IT marketplace research artifacts coupled with subject matter expertise (SME) and ancillary multi-tiered subscription services to support informed decision making and analysis in various functional areas. The required services may include (at the order level):

• Access to engagements facilitated by research analysts that can be customized for hourly, half-day, or full-day advisory sessions. Analysts will assist customers using varied engagement techniques that will align with the level of complexity and need desired.

• Research artifacts and products that span across various leadership roles, objectives, and method including Functional Areas such as Customer Experience, Customer

Insights, Digital Business Strategy, Chief Information Officer, Application

Development & Delivery, Enterprise Architecture, etc.; Playbooks, Market

Overviews; Trends and Predictions; and Advisory Services; dedicated Account

Managers; Client Relations Specialists; and ad hoc research requests.

• Research and data to assist leadership and end users with canned research artifacts such as planning guides, predictions, market forecasts, and customer data and insights.

• Access to industry-proven Tools and Frameworks including the Forrester Wave™ that include plug and play templates, key performance indicators (KPI), peer benchmarks, maturity assessments, strategic models, frameworks tools, and templates, and access to data aligned with industry certification courses.

• Access to customer working sessions to support operational objectives and decision making to include analyst sessions, customized research requests, document reviews, webinars, and industry-events.

• Consulting support providing research artifacts in various functional topics such as

Customer Experience, Customer Insights, Digital Business Strategy, Chief

Information Officer, Application Development & Delivery, Enterprise Architecture, etc.

• Research professionals at various levels including VIP, Leaders, Team Members, and

Users based on a specified subscription level.

• Decision sessions that integrate various datasets that include custom and directed research, customer insights, market forecasts, predictions, planning guides, technology, and service provider landscape research reports; KPIs, strategic models, tools, and templates; and analyst sessions that could include webinars, facilitated discussions with research specialists, and online courses.

• On-demand library of research artifacts that will accompany more customized research obtained through the research license subscriptions.

• Peer groups, events, analysts, advisors, etc. to enable collaboration and information sharing.

• Coaching and skill development via sessions with SMEs, executives, and strategy sessions

• Access to Forrester Zero Trust™ cyber security training sessions and materials.

• Develop digital graphics and reports based on resources that include interactive data dashboards and charts, digital, mobile, social, financial, and retail templates, SMES, and reports.

The total estimated value of this Award is $$8,224,342.13 over a five-year period of performance.

(4) An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

Citation: 41 U.S.C 3304(a)(1). This action is being conducted under the authority of

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B). Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Forrester Research

Inc.’s products are unique and highly specialized, which are essential to the

Government’s requirements.

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

Recent market research indicates that Forrester is the only source capable of providing the required functionality. Forrester provides exhaustive research and proprietary tools focused on business trends and developments in the United States and abroad. This level of expertise and service is necessary for effective and targeted agency wide program initiatives. The Forrester-specific products required by the U.S. Department of

Commerce (DOC) fall under FAR provision 8.405-6 (b)(a)(1)(i)(B), which provides that competition may be limited when there is only one source capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.

The DOC requires Forrester’s trademarked research capabilities including the

Forrester Wave™ to inform its business decisions. Forrester provides a cost-effective Enterprise Agreement for Electronic Commerce Research and IT

Subscription Services which includes value added network services, e-mail services, Internet access services, electronic subscription services, data transmission services, and emerging electronic commerce technologies.

The Department of Commerce including the headquarters and 12 bureaus requires quick unlimited access to highly specialized IT research related to private industry trends, marketing and strategy research, and technology industry research. This IT research must include forward-looking, actionable guidance aligned to Commerce key initiatives and those of its target clients, competitive intelligence, and one-on-one time with Forrester Research analytical experts. Commerce requires Forrester’s

Playbook™ framework which uses a four phase, step-by-step approach — discover, plan, act, and optimize. Each playbook includes an Executive Overview plus 12 additional reports spanning the four phases. Forrester’s Customer Experience (CX) content that is aligned with DOC’s desire to create a seamless experience.

Furthermore, Forrester provides key unique and specialized research and analyst services specific to the DOC’s needs, such as Zero Trust™ to address internal and external threats. Lastly, Forrester’s Total Economic Impact (TEI)™ model provides evidence and data to aid in DOC’s technology products and services acquisitions.

Forrester Research Inc. provides highly objective and rigorous research which is the foundation of all their offerings and directly focuses on providing customers with the most valuable, relevant research to match agency needs.

Hence, this action is a stand-alone vehicle for Forrester licensed products and services.

(6) A determination that the order represents a best value consistent with FAR

8.404(d):

The contracting officer determines that the anticipated price(s) will be fair and reasonable based on a comparison with historical pricing information that exists for the current BPA.

The Government will continue to evaluate the total proposed price to determine if the

Forrester Research prices are consistent with the GSA Schedule contract #

47QTCA18D001C. The GSA Schedule pricing has been evaluated and determined fair and reasonable in accordance with FAR 8.404(d).

(7) A description of the market research conducted among Schedule holders and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted:

The market research was conducted on June 9, 2022. Sources included both formal and informal mechanisms commensurate with the complexity, dollar value and experience acquiring this and similar items. A Sources Sought notice was published on SAM.gov on

April 4, 2023, requesting IT and Advisory Services and it closed on April 17, ,2023. A total of seven (7) capability statements were received and submitted to the technical reviewer on May 3, 2023, and a response was received via email on May 5, 2023. No sources were identified which were capable of providing Forrester’s Trademarked consulting services and subscriptions. Complete market research information is available in the market research report in the contract file.

(8) Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition, such as:

Forrester Research offers mission critical services to the Department of Commerce in support of program development, market research, a subscription service database, in addition to their proprietary methodologies. Forrester Research specifically offers proprietary research content related to business Customer Experience data, indexing, and business methods. These services are frequently referenced and utilized by our agencies to quickly and efficiently collect and plan future initiatives. Forrester's Information

Security Maturity Model with Zero Trust is a highly valued proprietary cybersecurity methodology that DOC government agencies rely upon for policy recommendations to keep pace with evolving technology threats. Without the information from this engagement, DOC will not be able to accurately plan and budget for the improvements necessary in the future. Lastly, Forrester is the only vendor that provides Zero Trust

Certification courses. These courses will likely be utilized by multiple agencies in the future. Having a BPA in place will allow agencies to efficiently access courses to quickly improve competencies and address potential cybersecurity threats to the Department of

Commerce.

Forrester currently has a Blanket Purchase Agreement with NOAA that will expire in

August 2023. It is in the best interest of the government to make a direct award to

Forrester Research for a single award BPA. A BPA will support a continuity of service for existing projects, allow for projects currently in the FY 23 pipeline to proceed and offer efficient access to services needed for future development opportunities in support of the Department of Commerce mission goals.

(9) 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 supplier or services required:

The agency will continue to intermittently conduct market research to identify any new or emerging products and services that may complement and meet the requirements, provide small businesses with information, and explore alternative acquisition strategies conducive to small business participation and enhanced competition at the prime contracting level.

(10) Program Official’s and Contracting Officer’s Certification that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the Contracting Officer’s knowledge and belief:

The Contracting Officer hereby certifies that the information provided in support of this justification for other than full and open competition is accurate and complete to the best of their knowledge and belief.

Roger Clark Date

Program Official

Katherine Vultaggio Date

Deputy Director of Acquisition Services, Enterprise Services

Contracting Officer

(11) Pursuant to FAR 8.405-6(d) and CAM 1306.70 Section 2.5(g), approval by the

Competition Advocate is required for any actions over $750,000, but not exceeding

$15M.:

APPROVAL/ DISAPPROVAL

Christopher Wallis Date

Director of Acquisition Services, Enterprise Services

Operating Unit Competition Advocate