GS-35F-237GA-003.pdf

VHAPM Part 819.7007/7008 Sole Source Awards to a Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business/Veteran-owned Small Business

Request for SDVOSB/VOSB Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

VHAPM Part 819.7007/7008 Page 1 of 4 Original Date: 08/30/2017 Revision 02 Eff Date: 10/24/2018

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification and Approval (J&A) For

Other Than Full and Open Competition (>SAT)

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C776-20-AP-0381

Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC), 6150 Oak Tree Blvd., Suite 300, independence, OH 44131. Purchase Request: 776-20-2-3250-0002

Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Approved: The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Health Informatics (OHI), Health Information and Governance (HIG), Data Quality Program (DQP) is to provide benefits and services to Veterans of the United States. In meeting these goals, the OHI HIG DQP is responsible for providing a framework to monitor and improve the quality of the health and supporting information within Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and encompasses activities related to identity management for healthcare, business product management, data management, data stewardship, and clinical data quality efforts as well as other areas related to data quality.

The Business Requirements and Data Analysis Group (BDAG) operates within the DQP. The BDAG’s primary role is to serve as a liaison between business stakeholder groups, technical communities and the individual Programs within the Data Quality Program (DQP) on issues related to data quality as well as issues related to Healthcare Identity Management (HC IdM). The BDAG ensures that business stakeholder’s data quality requirements and rules are identified and subsequently developed. As data quality requirements and business rules are developed and published, the BDAG is responsible for ensuring that all internal and external stakeholders understand and adhere to the data quality requirements and business rules that are applicable to clinical, administrative, and identity management data quality. In order to ensure adherence to Data Quality Standards, the BDAG evaluates, reviews, and tests products throughout the software development lifecycle.

Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs: The Contractor shall provide support services to the Business Requirements and Data Analysis Group (BDAG) Program, and in turn the Data Quality Program that include reviewing business and technical project documents for proper incorporation of defined requirements to implement data quality and identity management; developing, and refining enterprise requirements, use cases, and business rules used to implement and support data quality; planning and executing test plans for user acceptance testing (UAT) of software products; providing business and technical expertise in the areas of data quality and identity management; and performing data quality analysis and reporting in support of implementations and updates to the matching algorithm and other software. The total estimated value (including four option years) is $4,256,309.36. Base period of performance: April 25, 2020 – January 24, 2021.

Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition: 41 USC §3304(a)(5), 38 U.S.

Code § 8127(c), as implemented by FAR . COs may use the non-competitive (sole source)

Request for SDVOSB/VOSB Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

VHAPM Part 819.7007/7008 Page 2 of 4 Original Date: 08/30/2017 Revision 02 Eff Date: 10/24/2018 procedures authorized in VAAR 819.7007 or 819.7008 up to $5,000,000. Check the specific VAAR clause used below:

( X ) 819.7007 Sole source awards to a verified service-disabled veteran-owned small business;

or ( ) 819.7008 Sole source awards to a verified veteran-owned small business

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications and/or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): Fulcrum Vets, LLC. is VIP verified and is currently performing this work under a previous contract, Data Quality Analysis, awarded in 2015 as a Firm-Fixed Price Stand Alone Contract, VA701-15-C-0020 from Solicitation, VA701-16-R-0131.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by subpart

5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies: A sources sought was issued under RFI 36C77620Q0022 to Contract Opportunities (beta.sam.gov) on November 22, 2019, for 11 days, which invited all potential source to submit a capability statement with sufficient information for substantiate reasonable capability of performing the work. This publication stated, while not an official solicitation, that any responsible source that could meet the requirement defined in the PWS should submit a capability statement to the government point of contact.

Per the Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) 810.002 and Veterans First Contracting Program (VFCP 2016) deviation, the Vendor Information Page (VIP.gov) was queried November 22, 2019 to locate verified SDVOSB and VOSB concerns utilizing NAICS code 541611. The search resulted in a list of 3,897 organizations. An email blast was sent to the 3,897 VIP query matches with a link to the Contract Opportunities posting requesting responses be submitted in accordance with the notice instructions.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: The contracting officer will determine the price is fair and reasonable by comparing the proposed pricing to prices on previously awarded contract VA701-15-C-0020 per FAR Sub Part 13.106-3(a)(2) to ensure that the price is determined to be fair and reasonable before the award is made.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: Pursuant to FAR Part 10, the Class Deviation – Implementation of the Veterans First Contracting Program as a Result of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision (Class Deviation – Veterans First Contracting Program (VFCP 2016), VHAPM Part 810.001.

the results of the market research conducted found (1) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, capable of performing the requirements. Fulcrum Vets, LLC meets the eligibility criteria outlined in VAAR 819.7003, they are verified in VIP and the action is below the $5M threshold.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: None per the authority under 38 USC 8127(c).

Request for SDVOSB/VOSB Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

VHAPM Part 819.7007/7008 Page 3 of 4 Original Date: 08/30/2017 Revision 02 Eff Date: 10/24/2018

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition:

Fulcrum Vets, LLC Veteran Energy Pacific, LLC.

Ancilla Technologies and Services, Inc. Strategic Endeavor LLC Global Accounting, LLC Sprezzatura Management Consulting, LLC ITSQANOW, LLC Management and Legal Associates, LLC Nunely Consulting Group, LLC JALEN Technologies, Inc Mettle Ops G1 Systems Efroh Corporation Precision Actuarial Inc.

Matrix-SL, LLC E Cyber7 Technologies, LLC Laredo Technical Services, Inc. Stonewall Analytics, LLC Suelzer Operations Service LLC HIT Consulting (HIT) Crislyn Networks Trumbull Unmanned, LLC Lambert Financial, LLC Maude Consulting Company, LLC JRC Management Consulting Inc. (JRC) Principal Audit and Consulting Services LLC (PACS) JAISON Solutions, LLC DSoft Technology, Engineering & Analysis, Inc.

Advanced Systems, Inc. Konnect Engineering Solutions, LLC Menya Communications Ltd valteQ, LLC

BSI Solutions Technical Assent, LLC

The sources which expressed an interest in the requirement are deemed not reasonably capable because they demonstrated a limited understanding, or no understanding of the identity management services required. They lacked the services related to formal and informal data quality activities. The tasks submitted did not directly align with requirements for this contract and provided no evidence of clinical data quality analytics or formal data quality tool use. They possessed no real demonstration of clinical data quality analysis, no formal data quality expertise, and limited business analysis skill sets.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: VA will continue to perform market research in attempts to find other sources before exercising options and or soliciting new awards for the same or similar future acquisitions of the services being acquired.

A sole source effort is required for the planned time duration.

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and 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.

Request for SDVOSB/VOSB Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

VHAPM Part 819.7007/7008 Page 4 of 4 Original Date: 08/30/2017 Revision 02 Eff Date: 10/24/2018

Sara Temlitz Date Director, Data Quality Program Health Information Governance

13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP:

a. Contracting Officer or Designee’s Certification (required): I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Nicholas Sparks Date Contracting Officer Program Contracting Activity Central

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer (Required over SAT but not exceeding $700K): I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

Richard Dahmen Date Director of Contracting Program Contracting Activity Central

c. VHA SAO HCA Review and Approval: I have reviewed the foregoing justification and find it to be complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief and approve ($700K to $68 million) for other than full and open competition.

Terry L. Spitzmiller Date Executive Director VHA Regional Procurement Office Central

Sara Temlitz 593188

Digitally signed by Sara Temlitz 593188 Date: 2020.04.07 12:39:04 -05'00'

Nicholas W. Sparks 452466 Digitally signed by Nicholas W. Sparks 452466 Date: 2020.04.07 14:21:31 -04'00'

Richard C. Dahmen 199197 Digitally signed by Richard C. Dahmen 199197 Date: 2020.04.09 17:34:20 -04'00'

04/14/2020

TERRY L.

SPITZMILLER

394683

Digitally signed by TERRY L.

SPITZMILLER 394683

Date: 2020.04.14 16:05:31 -05'00'