FSS SSJ_GMG Follow-on task order_SSS 27APR2026_final_Redacted.pdf
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- Attached to
- Scholarship Support Services, FSS Sole Source
- Solicitation number
- 1305M426F0042
About this file
This is a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Sole Source Justification for an Order Exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, issued by the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Education.
The document justifies a sole source bridge task order to GMG Management Consulting (GMG) for scholarship support services under the NOAA Federal Supply Schedule contract GS-00F-117CA. The requirement supports two mandated scholarship programs: the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program (EFH USP) Class of 2026 and the Educational Partnership Program Graduate Fellows Program (EPP GFP) Class of 2026. The task order will consist of three Contract Line Item Numbers covering labor (financial and administrative services), stipend payments, and travel expenses with other direct costs. The performance period spans May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027 (base year), with an optional period from May 2027 through April 2028. Services include timely scholarship disbursements, internship housing allowances, travel reimbursements, student travel coordination to NOAA facilities, event logistics, supply and printing materials, and record-keeping.
The justification cites GSAM/R 538.7104-3(b)(1)(iii) as authority for the sole source award, emphasizing that GMG represents the most economical and efficient approach as a logical follow-on to the previously competed BPA (1305M423ANAAA0004/1305M424F0047) that expired October 18, 2025 during a government shutdown. The original BPA was competitively awarded September 21, 2023 for a base year plus four one-year options. The Government plans a full and open competition for long-term requirements; this bridge action provides continuity during that procurement process. The justification emphasizes that transitioning to a new contractor would result in substantial duplication costs, operational inefficiencies, and additional government oversight hours, while GMG already possesses institutional knowledge of program-specific distinctions, established financial controls, and approximately eight years of performance experience with nearly 300 concurrent scholars requiring complex, interrelated services.
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Requisition Number: 140100-26-0020/ Requirements Workspace: REQUIREMENTS-26-1963 follow-on to a previously awarded FSS BPA Order, 1305M423ANAAA0004/1305M424F0047, which expires April 30, 2026.
Awarding this bridge action to the incumbent contractor represents the most economical and efficient approach because the required services are unchanged from those previously competed under the BPA and transitioning performance to a new contractor at this time would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government and operational inefficiencies that would not be recovered through competition. The original BPA was placed in accordance with applicable FSS ordering procedures and was not issued under sole source procedures.
BPA 1305M423ANAAA0004 was awarded on a competitive basis on September 21, 2023. The BPA included a period of performance consisting of one (1) base year and four (4) one-year option periods; the BPA was scheduled to expire on September 20, 2028, assuming timely award of all option periods.
The Contracting Officer issued a modification on September 18th, 2025, tailoring the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clause 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract, prior to the BPA’s expiration on September 20, 2026. The Contracting Officer provided written notice to the contractor that the period for the option exercise was modified and extended through October 18, 2025 to allow time for its required political approval.
The BPA expired on October 18, 2025, which occurred during the Government shutdown between October 1, 2025 through November 12, 2025.
As a result of the BPA’s expiration, the Government was unable to place subsequent orders necessary to support the second year of the EFH USP Class of 2025 and EPP GFP Class of 2026. Accordingly, a sole-source bridge action is required as a logical follow-on to the previously competed BPA to ensure continuity of services. The Government is currently planning a full and open competitive acquisition for the long-term requirement, and this bridge action will provide the limited period of performance necessary to complete that competition and transition to the resulting contract.
Execution of these programs by OEd is statutorily mandated (The EFH USP is authorized by Section 214 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005; The EPP awards are authorized under the America COMPETES Act Public Law 110–69) and funding is currently available;
therefore, suspension or delay of program delivery would constitute an unacceptable disruption of mandated services. The two programs require similar broad categories of contractor services (e.g.
periodic scholarship disbursements, approved travel expense reimbursement, logistical coordination of scholar travel and lodging, logistical coordination of introductory program orientation and program-concluding “Symposium” activities); however, efficient execution depends on a detailed understanding of important program-specific distinctions within each of these service areas.
Scholarship disbursement schedules differ significantly: EPP GFP requires biweekly disbursements throughout the year, while EFH USP requires bi-semester disbursements during the academic year and biweekly disbursements during the summer months. The different
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