NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

OFFICE OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (OCFO)

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

GSA ORDERS OR BPAS

FOR TIP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ANALYTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT (SEATS) CONTRACT/ GS-

00F-010CA)

programmatic and communications support under Task Order 49100426F0026. The contractor assists NSF personnel with program planning, post-award management, program portfolio support, community outreach, stakeholder engagement, workshops and meetings, development of communications materials, program reporting, and related activities.

The contractor's activities augment the TIP workforce and do not replace the inherently governmental responsibilities of NSF Program Officers or other NSF personnel. The existing SOW includes support for program planning, review management, program management, award management, and post-award oversight.

The proposed modification does not materially change the scope of services currently being performed. Rather, it provides for continued performance of the existing requirement for up to six additional months while NSF completes the competitive acquisition and transition of the follow-on requirement.

The existing task order was awarded at a value of for six months of performance. The proposed modification will increase the value of the order by a maximum of inclusive of the initial three-month extension and all three one-month options, resulting in a revised maximum task order value of .

Continuation of these services is necessary to avoid a lapse in programmatic and communications support while NSF completes the acquisition and transition of these services to the competitive follow-on vehicle.

4. The authority and supporting rationale and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications to provide the supply or services.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of GSAR 538.7104-3(b)(1)(iii) because the administrative cost and burden associated with conducting a separate competition for this temporary interim requirement would not be justified in light of the limited duration and value of the proposed extension.

Task Order 49100426F0026 was awarded to ICF Incorporated, L.L.C. as a six-month sole-source bridge to provide uninterrupted support while NSF completed the acquisition process for the competitive follow-on requirement. The current task order began February 28, 2026 and expires August 27, 2026. The original bridge was necessary because the predecessor task order could not be extended and NSF anticipated completing the competitive follow-on acquisition during the bridge period.

NSF intended to transition these services to a new ordering vehicle following award of a competitively established Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). However, award of the BPA was protested. The protest delayed NSF's ability to proceed with the acquisition and award of the follow-on call order(s) necessary to continue these services.

Resolution of the BPA protest does not immediately eliminate the need for bridge services. Once the BPA becomes available for use, NSF must complete the acquisition process for the applicable call

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

GSA ORDERS OR BPAS

FOR TIP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ANALYTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT (SEATS) CONTRACT/ GS-

00F-010CA)

order(s). This process includes development and issuance of the call order requirements, receipt and evaluation of contractor pricing, completion of funding and acquisition approvals, issuance of the new call order(s), and transition to the selected contractor. NSF anticipates that these activities may require approximately 30 to 45 days following availability of the BPA.

The acquisition schedule must also account for the possibility of additional protest-related delays, including the possibility of a protest following subsequent award action. For acquisition planning purposes, NSF must account for approximately 100 days for resolution of a potential protest, as well as any time necessary to implement corrective action if required. The possibility of such additional delay creates uncertainty regarding the precise date on which the competitive follow-on services will be available.

NSF therefore requires sufficient contractual coverage to maintain continuity of services while the competitive acquisition is completed. Allowing the current task order to expire before follow-on performance is available would create a lapse in required support.

Conducting a separate competition for another temporary interim requirement would not adequately address the immediate continuity need. Such an approach would require NSF to conduct an additional acquisition, transition the work from ICF to a temporary contractor, and subsequently transition the same requirement from the temporary contractor to the contractor selected through the competitive follow-on acquisition. This would introduce additional acquisition and transition time, duplicate transition effort, and increase the risk of interruption to ongoing services.

ICF is currently performing the requirement and has qualified personnel in place with knowledge of NSF's programs, processes, systems, and ongoing activities. The existing SOW recognizes the importance of minimizing interruptions during contractor transition and requires phase-out planning, knowledge transfer, and a nominal 30-day overlap with incoming contractor personnel.

Accordingly, NSF proposes to increase the value and extend the period of performance of Task Order 49100426F0026 to acquire up to six additional months of the existing services. The modification will add an initial three-month period of performance followed by three separately exercisable one-month options.

The initial three-month period represents NSF's current estimate of the additional period necessary to maintain continuity while NSF proceeds with the competitive acquisition. The three one-month options provide additional schedule contingency associated with protest resolution, potential corrective action, completion of the competitive call order acquisition, possible subsequent protest activity, and contractor transition.

The options may be exercised individually based upon the status of the competitive acquisition, thereby limiting both the duration and value of sole-source performance to the amount actually necessary. If the competitive follow-on services become available before all options are required, NSF does not intend to exercise the remaining options.

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

GSA ORDERS OR BPAS

FOR TIP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ANALYTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT (SEATS) CONTRACT/ GS-

00F-010CA)

Based on these circumstances, continuation of the existing services with ICF is necessary to prevent an unacceptable interruption in required services while NSF completes the competitive acquisition and transition process.

5. Determination by the ordering activity Contracting Officer that the order represents the best value consistent with GSAR 538.71.

The Contracting Officer will evaluate ICF's proposed pricing for the initial three-month extension and each of the three one-month options prior to execution of the modification.

Obtaining and evaluating pricing for the entire potential six-month extension at the time of modification will permit NSF to evaluate the maximum potential value of the action in advance and establish the fairness and reasonableness of the prices that may subsequently be paid if exercise of one or more options becomes necessary.

The Contracting Officer will determine price reasonableness based on a price analysis following receipt of proposal from the contractor.

The Contracting Officer will also evaluate any changes in labor categories, labor rates, level of effort, or other pricing elements from the current task order.

The prior bridge acquisition similarly evaluated anticipated pricing using historical pricing under the predecessor requirement, an Independent Government Cost Estimate, and comparison of the proposed labor categories and rates to ICF's GSA contract.

Based upon the completed price analysis, the Contracting Officer will determine whether the proposed prices are fair and reasonable and whether continuation of services with ICF represents the best value to the Government considering price, acquisition lead time, transition costs and risks, administrative costs, and the need to avoid interruption of required services.

6. Description of market research conducted.

NSF conducted market research for the bridge requirement from January 29 through January 30, 2026.

The research included a search of GSA sources and consideration of three contractors: ICF, Leidos, and Analex Corporation.

The market research determined that ICF could meet NSF's existing requirements. It also identified Leidos and Analex Corporation as contractors that appeared to possess capabilities that could potentially fulfill the requirement.

The market research concluded, however, that transitioning the requirement to another contractor for a short interim period would not be in the Government's best interest because of the time required to conduct an acquisition, onboard personnel, address applicable security requirements, and transition performance. The research therefore recommended a limited-source acquisition with ICF to maintain continuity of services.

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

GSA ORDERS OR BPAS

FOR TIP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ANALYTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT (SEATS) CONTRACT/ GS-

00F-010CA)

The January 2026 market research remains relevant to the proposed modification because the underlying requirement has not materially changed and the research was conducted within the preceding 12 months. The current NSF LSJ template specifies that supporting market research should have been conducted within the past 12 months.

Current acquisition circumstances further support the prior findings. NSF has pursued competition for the long-term acquisition vehicle; however, the BPA intended to support the follow-on requirement was protested. As a result, NSF has been unable to proceed with the follow-on call order acquisition on the originally anticipated schedule.

The Contracting Officer therefore determines that the existing market research, considered together with the current status of the competitive BPA and follow-on acquisition, provides an adequate basis for the proposed limited-source modification.

7. Any other facts supporting the Justification.

The proposed structure of the modification is intended to minimize the duration and value of additional noncompetitive performance while providing sufficient contractual coverage for reasonably foreseeable acquisition delays.

Although this justification supports the acquisition of up to six additional months of services, NSF does not intend to commit to six months of additional performance at the outset. The modification will establish an initial three-month extension followed by three separately exercisable one-month options.

This structure allows NSF to reassess the status of the competitive follow-on acquisition before exercising each additional option and to transition from the sole-source task order as soon as the competitive follow-on requirement is available for performance.

The maximum six-month period provides acquisition schedule contingency to address resolution of the BPA protest, potential corrective action, completion of the follow-on call order acquisition process, possible additional protest activity, and contractor transition.

Pricing for the full potential six-month period will be obtained and evaluated prior to execution of the modification. This provides an established pricing basis for the entire potential extension and avoids the need to establish new pricing if one or more of the one-month options become necessary.

Accordingly, while this justification supports the full potential value of six additional months of services, the use of one-month options following the initial three-month extension limits the Government's commitment and permits NSF to minimize the amount of additional sole-source performance actually ordered.

8. 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 supplies or services required.

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

GSA ORDERS OR BPAS

FOR TIP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ANALYTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT (SEATS) CONTRACT/ GS-

00F-010CA)

NSF has already taken affirmative steps to overcome the circumstances requiring this limited-source extension. NSF pursued and awarded a competitive BPA intended to serve as the vehicle for acquiring these services. Award of that BPA was subsequently protested, delaying NSF's ability to proceed with the follow-on call order acquisition.

Following resolution of the protest and completion of any necessary corrective action, NSF intends to proceed with the competitive acquisition of the follow-on services through the BPA.

NSF will develop and issue the applicable call order requirement(s), obtain and evaluate contractor submissions and pricing, complete required acquisition and funding approvals, make the resulting award(s), and transition performance from the bridge task order to the competitive follow-on arrangement.

The proposed modification to Task Order 49100426F0026 is therefore a temporary measure intended to maintain continuity during completion of an acquisition strategy that provides for competition.

The initial three-month extension and three one-month options are specifically structured to permit NSF to discontinue the sole-source arrangement as soon as the competitive follow-on acquisition and contractor transition are completed. NSF does not intend to exercise an option period if continued performance under the bridge task order is no longer necessary.

NSF does not intend to use this extension as a substitute for completion of a competitive acquisition.

Version 1: 03/2026 Page 3 of 3

TIP Comms Bridge (49100426F0026)

LIMITED SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

SIGNATURE PAGE

Technical Representative: I certify that the facts presented in this justification are accurate and complete.

Brittany Sickler, Senior Advisor Technical Representative Title/ TIP

Contracting Officer: I hereby certify that the above justification is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Benjamin Patterson Contracting Officer

Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)/Branch Name