Final Justification Approval_LiveU Services_Fully Approved.pdf

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Sole Source Determination

For actions above the micro-purchase threshold but not exceeding the SAT

Date: April 27, 2021 PR Number: 20126422

1. Nature and/or description of the item/service being procured and anticipated cost:

Pursuant to FAR 13.106-1(b), this justification and approval for other than full and open competition is for the brand name purchase of LiveU bonded cellular transmitter service. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Public Affairs (OPA) Visual Communications Division (VisComms) is responsible for obtaining, producing, editing, distributing, and archiving media footage in support of the agency. VisComms obtains a variety of audio/visual content from the field and operates an in-house television studio. VisComms has a compelling need to capture and distribute live video from locations around the United States for internal and external communications and documentation. These locations are often remote and have no internet connectivity or other means for sending a video stream back to our facility in Washington DC. Bonded cellular increases the availability, reliability, and bandwidth of cellular video streams and is superior to other methods of transmission. In FY 2019, Digital Video Group (DVG) was contracted to provide LiveU equipment and services to achieve this goal under contract 70B06C19F00001047. OPA has added several more LiveU units over the past two years, including under Purchase Order 70B06C20P00000476 with DVG. CBP has a significant investment in LiveU and it is determined that it is in the best interest of the Government to develop a contract for LiveU support and data services.

These transmitters will not be used on the CBP network. The Government anticipates the cost of this procurement to be $36,250.00 in services for the base year, and the total contract value (for base plus 4 option years) to be approximately $185,500.00.

2. Sole Source Determination Rationale in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) and (ii).

The media cycle and demand for live video and immediate multimedia (imagery and graphics) taken and edited in the field has increased the importance of an imagery specialist to be able to operate as a “one-man-band” for imagery acquisition, editing, distribution, and archive directly from the field. LiveU is the only bonded cellular provider that uses a hardware-based High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) codec and CBP already owns several LiveU encoders and decoders deployed to various locations in the United States. Through market research, VisComms determined that LiveU was the only system that can accommodate concurrent HD streaming within a unified management platform that allows the user, not just the vendor, full control and monitoring of the provider’s entire cloud ecosystem and content via any modern browser, from anywhere around the world including:

• Management of unit streaming settings: mode, delay, channel selection and start/stop streaming

• Viewing and management of each unit’s network interfaces, Ethernet ports, WiFi & modems including bandwidth capping capabilities

• Management of IP streaming to social media or CDNs – one click streaming

• File Management – preview files, play to SDI or download

• Management of metadata before and after streaming

• Group & user management

• Least-cost bonding – prioritize between different interfaces (e.g. use cellular data before satellite)

• Service management: Smart Plan, Cloud Graphics, DataBridge and MultiPoint

• The assignment of unique account permissions for each user in the organization

(read only, regular, administrator) enabling the management and control of a specific group of devices and channels. Multi-tiered management system.

Finally, LiveU systems can be added to the ecosystem of any media outlet with LiveU access by either CBP or the outlet as needed to achieve satellite media interviews from the field without the involvement of the manufacturer. The manufacturer’s tiered-management ecosystem is unique to the manufacturer and the most commonly deployed bonded cellular system in the industry.

Because bonded cellular requires an encoder and a decoder, the industry-wide proliferation of LiveU in media outlets requires CBP to be able to transmit to those receivers exclusively.

3. The anticipated price will be determined fair and reasonable based on one or more of the price analysis techniques described below in accordance with FAR Part 13.106-3(a)(2).

___X_____ Market Research.

___X_____ Comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases.

_________ Current price List.

_________ Comparison with similar items in a related industry.

_________ Comparison to IGCE.

_________ Contracting Officer’s personal knowledge.

_________ Other. Explain:

Market Research was conducted by the Chief Broadcast Engineer and the Director of Visual Communications. VisComms looked at other manufacturers at various commercial trade shows including the National Association of Broadcasters convention, and with on-site demonstrations/vendor meetings during the current fiscal year to develop an independent government cost estimate (IGCE).

Additionally, the Government will be able to compare any proposed pricing found reasonable on previous purchases against the pricing quoted for this effort. Purchase Order 70B06C20P00000476 awarded in September 2020 was awarded after a competitive acquisition process through Unison. The Government expects quoted pricing for this effort to be similar.

Finally, this is a competitive, brand name acquisition amongst authorized resellers of the LiveU products and services. The Government should be able to obtain adequate price competition between the two authorized distributors of LiveU products, Digital Video Group and Washington Professional Systems, Inc.

4. Technical/Requirements Personnel Certification:

I certify that this requirement meets the Government’s minimum need and that the supporting data, which forms a basis for the Sole Source Determination, is accurate and complete.

Kimberly Heindl Contracting Officer’s Representative Office of Public Affairs U.S. Customs and Border Protection

5. Contracting Officer Certification/Approval:

I hereby determine that the circumstances described herein exist and that the information is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge:

Jared A. Tritle Contracting Officer Procurement Directorate U.S. Customs and Border Protection