Final JA 111820_Redacted.pdf

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL (J&A) FOR FEDERAL ACQUISITION

REGULATION (FAR) SUBPART 16.5 ACQUISITIONS

EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Multiple Award Schedule/Multiple Award Contract (MAC)

Orders under MAC/ Fair Opportunity – FAR 16.505, Department of Defense FAR Supplement

(DFARS) 216.505-70, Procedures, Guidance and Information (PGI) 216.505-70

Purchase Request Number: 822014056

Contract Number: GS00Q17NSD3000

Task Order (TO) Number: To be determined

Procurement Title: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) / Department of Defense

(DoD) 365 Session Border Controller (SBC) Procurement

Estimated Value:

Statutory and Regulatory Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2304c(b) and FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B)

JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Number: JA21-010

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Head of Contracting Activity, hereby approve this exception to fair opportunity pursuant to the Statutory Authority of 10 U.S.C.

2304c(b) and Regulatory Authority of FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B).

1. REQUIRING AGENCY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE:

Requesting Agency:

DISA

Services Directorate/Defense Enterprise Office Solutions (DEOS) Program Management

Office (PMO)

6910 Cooper Avenue

Fort Meade, Maryland 20755-7090

Contracting Activity:

DISA/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO)

PL8214

2300 East Drive Bldg 3600

Scott AFB, IL 62225-5406

2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S): The purpose of this J&A is to award a Fixed

Price Economic Price Adjustment TO off General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) Enterprise

Infrastructure Services (EIS) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract vehicle to AT&T, a large business. The TO will provide Microsoft Teams telephone dial in capabilities, from both

Government and public phone networks, in a DoD365 Impact Level (IL) 5 environment.

Currently these voice applications are not available in a government cloud IL 5 setting.

Microsoft Teams dial in services for the DoD are available in the IL 2 environment also called

Commercial Virtual Remote (CVR). CVR enables DoD telework-based collaborative services to its users. These services for DoD in the IL2 environment are temporary and will end in June

2021. To continue our overall mission of supporting the Warfighter during the COVID-19 pandemic, all DoD users need these essential telephone services available to them. The period

EIS DISA Microsoft Teams – JA21-010 of performance will be for one 12-month base period, and two 1-year option periods through

October 31, 2023. Operations and Maintenance funds will be used to fund this effort.

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES:

(a) The objective of this TO is to establish Microsoft Teams telephone dial in capabilities and support in a DoD365 IL5 environment. Microsoft DoD365 with Teams was competitively selected as the DoD-wide enterprise collaboration and communication solution. It is part of the DEOS program and is already being implemented across the

DoD. The DISA/DoD365 SBC support would include Managed Services with

Managed Security Services, and CS to support a Software as a Service solution for established Microsoft Teams Voice applications. The required network data services are available via the GSA EIS Contract.

(b) In order to provide Microsoft Teams voice applications in an IL5 environment, it must interface to the Government Voice Cloud Access Point (VCAP). Service must be provided via a SBC that meets both the Joint Interoperability Test Command

(JITC)/DoD Approved Products List and the Microsoft Direct-Routing certifications.

SBC provides a security function by providing a firewall for telephone/dial in traffic.

Microsoft Teams dial in services is a critical part of telework-based collaboration tools provided through Microsoft Teams. DISA/DoD365 SBC is the program through which these unified collaboration tools will be established and available to all 3.1 million DoD users. To support DoD at an enterprise level, voice/dial in services must be provided in a secure JITC/DoD environment.

(c) The estimated lifecycle value of this procurement, including a 40% Surge line item and consideration for FAR 52.217-8 (Option to Extend Services), is

Period Period of Performance Independent Government Cost Estimate

(IGCE)

Base: Dec 15, 2020 – Dec 14, 2021

Option 1: Dec 15, 2021 – Dec 14, 2022

Option 2: Dec 15, 2022 – Dec 14, 2023

40% Surge Dec 15, 2020 – Dec 14, 2023

52.217-8 Dec 15, 2020 – Jun 14, 2024

Lifecycle

4. SUPPORTING RATIONALE, INCLUDING A DEMONSTRATION THAT THE

PROPOSED CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE OF THE

ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY:

(a) Exception to Fair Opportunity.

The exception as outlined in FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B) does apply in this acquisition:

Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized.

(b) Description of the Justification.

DISA is responsible for establishing a secure IL5 environment for all DoD users. A key component of the capability is voice/dial in services. To provide this significant component, DoD365 must interface to a Government VCAP. In order to successfully and securely interface with VCAP, DISA must acquire and install a JITC and Microsoft

Direct-Routing certified SBC within the IL5 environment, thereby creating the connection to the public switch network. The DISA/DoD365 SBC procurement is the mechanism to do so.

(c) Justification.

(1) Minimum Government requirements.

The DISA/DoD365 SBC procurement will satisfy a very unique and specialized mission directed by the DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) to establish Microsoft

Teams (CVR) in an IL5 environment. Voice/dial services, a vital collaboration tool for DISA, is currently not available in an IL5 setting. Voice/Dial in services and management support are necessary to successfully conduct day-to-day operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This connectivity and services must be operational and maintained 24x7 for mission success.

(2) Proposed sole source contractor.

The proposed sole source contractor is AT&T, 3033 Chain Bridge Rd, Oakton, VA 22185.

(3) Discussion regarding cause of the sole source situation.

DISA, Army, and other Combatant Commands/Services/Agencies are required to provide traditional telephone dial in capability to DoD365 users. Through TO’s issued on the competitive Networx contract, the Army Program Executive Office Enterprise

Information Systems (PEO-EIS) and AT&T stood up a SBC secure cloud capability to serve Army O365 users in August 2020. The process took approximately 6-8 months to establish and accredit the service. AT&T is the only contractor currently with the

SBC as a Service capability that has been approved for use by both Microsoft and

DoD. Thus, the DISA/DoD365 SBC procurement will use this same cloud offering to align to the DoD’s cloud adoption mandate and to provide the dial in capability needed by DoD365 users. AT&T solely owns and operates the Internet Protocol and

Telephony infrastructure, network components, circuits and demarcation. Being the sole owners and operators of the telecommunication equipment and infrastructure facilities further supports the fact that AT&T is the only contractor that can provide the required telecommunication services for the DISA/DoD365 SBC procurement at this time.

(4) Demonstration of unique source.

Currently, AT&T is the only contractor supporting DoD with Softswitch backbone integration mandated by DISA Risk Management Executive to enable traditional voice capabilities to O365 cloud environments.

(5) Procurement discussion.

DISA must transition CVR from an IL2 to an IL5 environment. The IL5 environment must provide all of the current collaboration tools to include voice/dial in services. AT&T, via its work with DoD-Army, is the only service provider that is capable of meeting the Government’s immediate need.

(6) Impact.

If the DISA/DoD365 SBC requirement is not procured sole source through AT&T, the result will be a lack of key resources to continue day-to–day communications and operational support of all DoD telework users. Inadequate resources reduce productivity, duplicate costs caused by inadequacies, fails to meet the DoD CIO’s directive, and could potentially cause mission failure. AT&T is the only vendor that has provided SBC service to the DoD, as they are the only vendor with an Authority to Operate (ATO). It would take another vendor a minimum of 180 days to obtain an

ATO, if one is able to be obtained at all. Thus, there is no alternative to provide and maintain dial in services and support to Microsoft Teams on a 24/7 basis at this time.

5. COST/PRICE FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION:

A determination that the price is fair and reasonable will be based on a comparison of

AT&T’s proposal to the IGCE and publicized labor rates and categories necessary to perform the support, as well as other historical pricing for similar services. The contracting officer will also review and compare the labor rates to the EIS contract rates, which were previously found to be fair and reasonable in a competitive environment. In addition, AT&T may be asked to provide documentation to support their prices, including showing quotes for any equipment or construction, and/or providing copies of invoices for similar contracts.

6. MARKET RESEARCH: Market research was conducted from August 2020 – October

2020 through discussions with knowledgeable persons, vendor website reviews, internet searches, reviews of DoD Approved Products List (APL), the Unified Capabilities

Requirements document 2013, and reviews of DoD Enterprise Software Initiative .

Discussions were held with system engineers during information and decision briefs.

Information was obtained on voice integration, dial in telephony services, and Microsoft

Teams dial in services.

Market research found that in order to interface to the Government VCAP, the contractor will need to provide a SBC that meets both the JITC/DoD APL and the Microsoft Direct-

Routing certifications. Currently, the only known provider who can deliver this service to meet the Government’s immediate need is AT&T. AT&T is also currently providing an identical solution to the PEO-EIS. Therefore, AT&T is uniquely positioned, with the background, knowledge, and experience to provide these services to meet the urgent DISA

COVID-19 support requirements.

7. ACTIONS THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS

THAT LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY:

(a) Procurement History

No procurement history, this is a new requirement.

(b) With the need for telecommunications expanding globally, coupled with the rapid advancements in technology, the DEOS PMO will continue to survey the marketplace for additional telecommunication contractors that are be able to support their unique requirement. If in the future additional contractors are found, the Government will pursue a competitive requirement as applicable; however, at this time, the Command has no other resources to duplicate the existing secure network.