GRA JA Sole Source USM_Final_Redacted.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity: The United States Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) is the procuring activity for this action.

2. Description of Action: ACC-DTA is proposing to solicit and award, on a sole source basis, a follow-on five-year Firm Fixed-Price (FFP) contract, consisting of a base year and four option years, to University of Southern Mississippi (USM), to provide the services of one Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) in support of the U.S.

Army Center of Military History (CMH). The proposed contractor information is below.

University of Southern Mississippi CAGE Code: 1M9B6 Unique Entity ID: M1K8LJAET5R1 Address:

Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401

3. Description of Services: This procurement is to support the U.S. Army Center of Miltiary History’s GRA program. Through this program, established in 2017, CMH contracts with multiple universities to provide one graduate student each per year to work full time at CMH in support of a civil service author working on a major book. Each university is uniquely qualified to fill one of the program’s niche requirements. The program has three purposes. First, the GRA performs archival research or other basic tasks to support an Army history project at much lower cost than the time of the civil service author, thus speeding completion of the book. Second, this program promotes the study of military history in major American research institutions by raising awareness of Army history in the academic community and expanding opportunities for doctoral candidates. Finally, for the GRAs who participate in the program, it is an invaluable mentorship opportunity. It provides them a critical boost while they are still working on their dissertations; it prepares them to compete for positions as Army historians in the future; and, it provides CMH an opportunity for close evaluation of the GRA’s abilities and potential long before the hiring process begins. The GRA program is an investment in the future of Army history through its support of military history in graduate history departments and its development of diversity and professional experience in candidates for future openings in Army history. In essence, the GRA program is CMH’s farm team for identifying and developing talent.

4. Authority Cited: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for this action is 41 U.S.C. 1901 as implemented by FAR 13.501 (a), Sole Source Acquisitions.

5. Reason for Authority Cited: Based on the market research described in Section 8 of this document, USM is a highly specialized research university. Home to the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, the History Department’s faculty and graduate students include a vast array of historical fields which include social, cultural, gender, international relations, and traditional military history. The Dale Center’s emphasis on the social and cultural consequences of war is consistent with the Center of Military History’s commitment to expanding our understanding of the cultural impact of military operations on society as a whole. USM currently has twenty-two graduate students pursuing both masters and doctorate degrees under eight faculty fellows whose research spans from the American Revolution to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In recent years, the center has started projects such as “War Stories: National Guard” which seeks to gather the oral histories of both serving and veteran Mississippi National Guard members. USM’s military history faculty members include:

i. , Vietnam: A View from the Front Lines (2013); Boys of ’67: Charlie Company’s War in Vietnam and Vietnam’s Forgotten Army (2012); and, Vietnam’s Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN (2007).

ii. , Saigon at War: South Vietnam and the Global Sixties (2020), The U.S. Military and Civil Rights Since World War II (2019); and Beyond Combat: Women and Gender in the Vietnam War Era (2011).

iii. , The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army (2006), Don’t Hurry Me Down to Hades: The Civil War in the Words of Those Who Lived It (2013); and, Hood’s Texas Brigade: The Soldiers and Families of the Confederacy’s Most Celebrated Unit (2017).

iv. , A Rabble in Arms: Massachusetts Towns and Militiamen during King Philip’s War (2009).

v. , A Dragon’s Head and a Serpent’s Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592-1598 (2016); and, On the Trail of the Yellow Tiger: War, Trauma, and Social Dislocation in Southwest China During the Ming-Qing Transition (2018).

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition:

a. Effective Competition: The Government does not intend to solicit additional sources for this effort for the reasons described in Paragraph 5 above.

b. Subcontracting competition: This action does not lend itself to subcontracting. The graduate research assistant will be a direct employee of the contracted university, which is the most efficient and cost-effective arrangement.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: No actions to increase future competition are contemplated at this time, as USM meets CMH’s needs.

8. Market Research: Pursuant to FAR 10.002 (Procedures), conducted market research from January to March 2022 to determine the ability of all potential vendors to provide GRA support services to CMH. This research began with a list of 30 MA/PhD granting institutions compiled by the Society of Military History (https://www.smh-hq.org/grad/gradguide/degree.html) to compare research universities that specialized in military history. Dr. Story eliminated foreign universities from the list because one critical purpose of the program is to promote military history in American universities, and he eliminated private universities due to their expense and to prioritize public institutions. Other institutions were eliminated because their programs are too small to meet CMH’s requirements or because we are already pursuing separate contracts with those institutions. That leaves USM as the only remaining institution with a robust graduate military history program and the talented graduate students needed to fulfill CMH’s GRA requirements, and USM’s focus on the social and cultural consequences of war is consistent with the Center of Military History’s commitment to expanding our understanding of the cultural impact of military operations on society as a whole. Only a contract with USM would meet this requirement.

9. Interested Sources: To date, no other sources have written to express an interest.

The notices required by FAR 5.201 will be published and any proposals received will be considered.

10. Other Facts: None

11. Technical Certification:

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Dr. William S. Story Date: 12 April 2022

Title: Chief, General Histories Div Signature: //wss//William S. Story

12. Requirements Certification:

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Typed Name: Dr. William S. Story Date: 12 April 2022

Title: Chief, General Histories Div Signature: //wss//William S. Story

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based on the Independent Government Estimate and past procurement history. The contractor will not be required to submit certified cost and pricing data because the proposed action will be a commercial procurement IAW FAR 15.403-1(b)(3).

Typed Name: Elida Kellezi Date: 26 April 2022 Title: Contracting Officer Signature: //EK//

14. Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief:

Typed Name: Elida Kellezi Date: 26 April 2022 Title: Contracting Officer Signature: //EK//