FAR 13 Brand Name Justification Less Than SAT_ds_Redacted.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Brand Name Justification

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

Requesting Agency:

USDA APHIS VS

4700 River Rd Riverdale, MD 20737

Contracting Activity:

USDA MRP APHIS AAMD

250 Marquette Ave Minneapolis, MN 55401

2. Description of supply or service required to meet the agency’s needs.

The }getAbstract system tailors their specific learning solutions to align with VS’s existing learning processes:

Create solutions that meet USDA’s strategic objectives Map content to fit USDA’s learning initiatives and priority competencies Establish reading lists and knowledge packs for designated VS groups Integrate solutions into stand-alone portals and/or VS’s intranet site per request Provide customer service and consulting support from a team of learning consultants Provide mobile download capability for on-the-go learning Provide resources for supervisors and team leads to guide discussion chats for groups Pre-register key employees and leaders and identify profile types for further alignment to job functions and interests Create customized communication templates to garner interest and encourage registration Complete LMS and intranet integration of individual }getAbstract portals, if required Unlimited access to the business summary library of more than 20,000 titles Allow availability on all formats: iPad, iPhone, Android, Kindle, Nook, PDF, MP3 Click-and-open summaries - no downloading necessary More than 3,300 audio summaries (all streamable) Access to the device-friendly website (mobile.getabstract.com) Easy self-registration process Delivery of personalized weekly summary to all registered users Constant fresh content: 100+ new summaries added every month Practical search and sort functions: by title/author, date or rating Complete consulting and technical implementation support Full access to live statistics (usage rates, downloads, etc.) for administrators Provide the ability for the VS point of contact or designated representatives to run reports on }getAbstract regarding usage and resources accessed

Access to identical content in additional languages upon request

Book Summaries Video Talk Summaries Compressed Articles

“Actionables” (15-minute micro courses) “Meeting in a Box” Podcast Summaries Sketch Notes

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

}getAbstract is an integral part of the current USDA APHIS-VS professional development intranet through its USDA APHIS-VS specific content and data driven designed APHIS-VS team resources.

}getAbstract provides curated company specific content aligned with the objectives and needs of APHIS-VS. Media such as book summaries, articles, podcasts, and webinars provide relevant APHIS- VS content that keeps the workforce actively engaged and abreast of current VS industry knowledge and trends. Data derived from the platform regarding registered users, content consumption, and areas of engagement drive the decisions for continued enhancements and further integration into the APHIS-VS professional development intranet, focusing on career and professional growth topics. Additionally, }getAbstract is the largest online library (25,000+) of compressed knowledge in the world and allows a significant level of personalization at the enterprise level via partnerships with }getAbstract representatives. VS is best served by }getAbstract’s PC base as VS employees spend more time on PC and VS is gearing down the distribution of work cell phones.

4. A description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Market research was conducted to find available learning management services (LMS) that rates and summarizes business-relevant knowledge and turn it into easy-to-digest formats. Out of the five vendors researched, Blinkist and }getAbstract were the only vendors that offer the products and services VS is seeking.

Blinkist – Met with Blinkist sales representative on April 22, 2024.

Blinkist hosts the capabilities and structure that VS is seeking. After meeting with a Blinkist sales representative and reviewing the information internally, it was decided that while Blinkist seems like an extremely impressive platform, multiple aspects of Blinkist made it the inferior choice when compared to }getAbstract for the program’s needs.

6,500+ pieces of content including books (fiction and non-fiction), guides, collections and shortcasts focusing on personal, mental, and spiritual health

Blinkist is a mobile app focused product.

Coursera – Reviewed online resources and brochures.

This platform is very similar to LinkedIn Learning and unfortunately does not meet the needs of what we are looking for in an LMS. Coursera would be a good candidate to supplement the current Aglearn offerings for those staff who are required to maintain continuous learning credits.

Wide Range of Subjects: With Coursera Plus, you can explore topics across domains such as data science, business, computer science, health, personal development, humanities, and more.

Unlimited Learning: Learn at your own pace and dive into any interest or trending topic. Whether you want to acquire new skills, advance your career, or simply satisfy your curiosity.

Flexible Learning: Move between multiple courses, switch to different subjects, and earn certificates for completed programs—all without any extra charges.

Docebo – Reviewed online resources and brochures.

Docebo is much like Coursera and LinkedIn Learning however Docebo is differentiated by hyper personalized content powered by a proprietary AI system that ensures learners are presented with the learning they are interested in. Again, this unfortunately did not meet our criteria for an LMS.

AI-powered, cloud-based, and mobile-ready learning platform that brings together an award-winning Learning Management System (LMS) and a social learning ecosystem.

Focuses on delivering scalable, hyper-personalized learning that has a measurable business impact.

Udemy Business – Reviewed online resources and brochures.

An enormous number of courses and programs across tech, business, and leadership. Courses are long form and structured like LinkedIn learning with videos multiple hours in length. This is another tool that could be a great source of continued learning credits but does not meet the structure requirements we are seeking.

Unlimited access to 25,000+ fresh courses across tech, business, leadership, and wellness.

Robust platform features offering on-demand, immersive, and cohort-based learning for your team.

Personalized learning and actionable learner insights to drive high usage and course completion rates.

5. Estimated price, including all options, if applicable.

}getAbstract = historical annual price for entire enterprise of nearly 2,000 employees.

6. Recommended source(s).

NASA SEWP vendor(s) offering }getAbstract products