JA_redacted_1.pdf

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL (J&A) FOR FEDERAL ACQUISITION

REGULATION (FAR) SUBPART 16.5 ACQUISITIONS

EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Multiple Award Schedule/Multiple Award Contract (MAC) Orders under MAC/ Fair Opportunity – FAR 16.505, Department of Defense FAR Supplement

(DFARS) 216.505-70, Procedures, Guidance and Information (PGI) 216.505-70

Purchase Request Number: To Be Determined Contract Number: HC1028-08-D-2010 Task Order Number: VC20 Procurement Title: DISA Joint Planning and Execution Services (JPES) Framework (JFW) Development & Sustainment Support Contracting Office: DITCO-NCR Estimated Value:

Authority: FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C)

JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Number: JA16-112

Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Procuring Activity Competition Advocate, hereby approve this exception to fair opportunity pursuant to the authority of FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C).

1. REQUIRING AGENCY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE:

Requesting Agency:

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Services Development Directorate (SD) Joint Planning and Execution Services (JPES) P.O. Box 549 Ft. Meade, MD 20755-0549

Contracting Activity:

DISA/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO)/PL62

P.O. Box 549 Ft. Meade, MD 20755-0549

2. NATURE/DESCRIPTION OF ACTION(S):

The purpose of this action is to modify the hybrid Firm Fixed Price (FFP) / Cost Plus Fixed Fee Task Order HC1028-08-D-2010/VC20 for the Joint Planning and Execution Services (JPES) Framework (JFW) by increasing the level of effort and purchasing system administration tools to enable system monitoring of system status, performance and expose vulnerabilities and deficiencies; the analysis and extraction of X-bridge business rules, which will eliminate systems’ dependency on the Joint Operational Planning and Execution System (JOPES) database

DISA JPES Framework Development & Sustainment Support-JA16-112

Page 2 of 7 Pages schema and embedded Information Technology business rules; and on-site system administrator support, which will enhance synchronization, communication and responsiveness. The contractor is Pragmatics, Inc. This modification will utilize Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, 2017 and 2018 Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E) and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funding. The modification impacts Option Years 1 – 3 of the Task Order, which have a period of performance of 26 September 2015 – 25 September 2018, if all options are exercised.

The total cost of the task order will increase by

3. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES:

This J&A is requesting an increase in level of effort and the purchase of software for the following technical requirements:

• Analysis and implementation of system administration tools to enable system monitoring of system status and performance. Analysis of JFW shall be conducted to recommend a set of system administration tools to be implemented within the JFW environment(s).

These tools shall be utilized during the performance of operations and maintenance of

JFW;

• Analysis and extraction of X-bridge business rules, which will eliminate systems’ dependency on the JOPES database, schema and embedded IT business rules. Analysis of the X-bridge business rules contained within the JOPES database shall be reverse engineered and incorporated into the design of JFW. Development and implementation of the extracted business rules shall be part of the core capabilities of JFW;

• On-site system administrator support, which will enhance synchronization, communication and responsiveness. On-site System Administrator support shall assist the operation, maintenance, test and deployment of JFW. This support also includes implementation and execution through the software development lifecycle, operational support and technical services necessary to, integrate, test, certify and accredit, deploy, sustain/synchronize and maintain JFW and its external interfaces.

All work will be performed in the context of supporting the JFW requirement until the end of the Task Order in FY18.

4. SUPPORTING RATIONALE, INCLUDING A DEMONSTRATION THAT THE

PROPOSED CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE OF THE

ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY: FAR

16.505(b)(2)(i)(C)

(a) Exception to Fair Opportunity. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C) - The order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency because it is a logical follow-on to an order already issued under the contract, and all awardees were given a fair opportunity to be considered for the original order.

(b) Description of the Justification. In support of the Joint Planning and Execution Community (JPEC) mission, the JOPES IT System is being replaced by a modernized JOPES IT System which is comprised of JFW and its interface to the JPES Solution.

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These two components are critical in providing Combatant Command and Service military planners with an integrated command and control system to conduct joint planning and execution over the full range of joint military operations. The JOPES IT System is being modernized with a deadline to be fully operational by 3rd quarter FY18. Due to stringent schedule and fiscal constraints (i.e., 4 QTR FY18 JOPES IT System must sunset and DOD budget cuts) and stakeholder pressure for a new modernized system, the JPES PMO is requesting to modify the Task Order to include the following new requirements.

1. Add system administration tools that enhance monitoring of system status and performance;

2. Add on-site system administrator support that enables a proactive, rather than a reactive approach to synchronization, communication and system responsiveness; and,

3. Add analysis and extraction of X-bridge business rules.

Pragmatics, Inc., as the incumbent for JFW, has the requisite knowledge, skills and capabilities to satisfy the technical update. Further, they possess significant knowledge of both the JOPES IT and JFW systems and how the JFW system will provide the infrastructure for JOPES Modernization.

(c) Justification.

(1) Minimum Government Requirements. There are three requirements.1) the analysis and implementation of system administration tools, 2) on-site system administrator support, and 3) the analysis, extraction and implementation of X-bridge business rules from the JOPES database into the core capabilities of JFW.

(2) Proposed Sole Source Contractor. The proposed contractor is Pragmatics, Inc., 1761 Business Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190. The contractor's performance on the existing task order has been satisfactory in all areas. Deliverables have been provided on schedule. Contractor management has addressed and resolved the issues or potential issues in an expedient manner. Pragmatics, Inc., has been the primary developer for both systems since the inception of each; over 20 years for JOPES; and 5 years for JFW. As the sole contract developer for these systems, Pragmatics, Inc.

has developed a deep and unique understanding of the functional and technical requirements of these systems as well as the unique requirements of the interfacing JPEC systems. They have the infrastructure in place to provide expertise and system knowledge of the JOPES and JFW systems to support the critical joint planning and execution mission. Pragmatics, Inc. has been able to provide 24x7 support to the JPEC without interruption of service to the community. Award of this effort to another contractor will result in duplicate costs to the Government of approximately for program management, analysis and design, development, certification and accreditation, test, evaluation and deployment operations and maintenance. There will also be a time delay in the cutover and modernization of JOPES of approximately of 18-24 months which consists of a procurement acquisition lead time of 14-18 months and an additional 4-6 months of time for new development

Page 4 of 7 Pages team to become familiar enough with the JOPES and JFW systems to execute this requirement. This delay is not tenable given the JOPES sunset date and the timeframe for deployment of JOPES Modernization (FY18).

(3) Discussion Regarding Cause of the Sole Source Situation. The JOPES IT System is in the process of being modernized technically and functionally by Pragmatics, Inc.

This effort is known as JOPES Modernization and is necessary to successfully sunset the existing JOPES IT system. FY18 will see both the sunset of the current JOPES system and the deployment of the JOPES Modernization system. In order to meet this schedule, JFW requires a stable infrastructure, which will be enabled by the system administration tools and system administrator. Moreover, JFW’s dependency on the JOPES database schema and IT business rules has to be resolved and be completely independent prior to the cutover and modernization of JOPES. As indicated in paragraph 4(c)(2) above, re-competing would introduce a schedule delay of 18-24 months, long lead time to overcome the learning curve and interruption of service to the community. The JPES PMO continues to document the lessons learned and will incorporate said lessons into the formulation of future requirements and procurements.

(4) Demonstration of Unique Source. As already indicated in paragraph 4(c)(2) above, Pragmatics’ possesses extensive and specialized experience and skill in developing and maintaining the existing JOPES IT and JFW, and no other competitor has nearly 20 years of experience developing these systems.

(5) Procurement Discussion. Originally, the JOPES IT system was to sunset by FY17 as required by The Under Secretary for Defense, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (USD AT&L). Due to unforeseen circumstances this date has been delayed until FY18. Considering the mission critical nature of the JPEC mission, an 18-24 month delay in providing a modernized JOPES and common infrastructure is not viable.

Pragmatics, Inc. is the only source with the system knowledge, skills, and experience to ensure that development and delivery is on-time/within schedule. Moreover, it is anticipated that a re-competition would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that would not be recovered through competition. The time required to bring another contractor up to full qualification (4-6 months) would adversely impact the JPES PMO and JPEC mission.

(6) Impact. Failure to execute this requirement in a timely manner will disrupt critical access to joint planning and execution data for external systems not able to transition from JOPES to the JOPES modernization system and a sustainable, flexible solution composed of net-centric services that leverage shared DOD infrastructure.

If DISA competed this action, it would create substantial schedule delays and additional cost to the Government due to the time it would take to develop the documentation, solicit and award a new contract, as well as time for the new contractor to become familiarized enough with the JFW and JOPES IT system. It is anticipated that the schedule delay would be approximately 14-18 months which would not allow the contractor enough time to staff, analyze, extract and implement

Page 5 of 7 Pages before the JOPES legacy IT system is sunset and the modernized system is integrated with JFW in FY18. Providing analysis and implementation of system administration tools, on-site system administrator support and the analysis, extraction and implementation of X-bridge business rule from the JOPES database into the core capabilities of JFW under another contract would also incur additional and duplicative costs to the Government for program management, analysis and design, development, certification and accreditation, test, evaluation and deployment, and operation and maintenance totaling approximately

5. COST/PRICE FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION:

The Contracting Officer will obtain certified cost or pricing data, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.403-4 and will use this information to determine fair and reasonableness. After completion of negotiations, a Certificate of Current Cost or pricing Data will be obtained.

6. MARKET RESEARCH:

The JPES PMO reviewed the original Market Research Report that was conducted 16 December 2013 for the re-compete of JFW effort, which was subsequently awarded 26 September 2014, which found that the sample of companies lacked general experience with Command and Control (C2) systems, and specific experience with the JPES C2 systems; the Joint Operations Planning and Execution System (JOPES), the JPES Framework (JFW), the Joint Capabilities Requirements Manager (JCRM), the Preferred Forces Generator (PFG), and the JOPES Modernization. For the analysis and implementation of system administration tools, on-site system administrator support and the analysis, extraction and implementation of X-bridge business rule from the JOPES database into the core capabilities of JFW, these companies were again reviewed by the JPES PMO from 27 - 29 July 2016 for the purpose of ensuring that no significant change had occurred since the original Market Research Report was issued.

The original Market research also included a review of GSA Contract Awarded Labor Category (CALC), which indicated that the contractor's pricing was fair and reasonable and is in the best interest and most cost effective for the Government. This was also reviewed for the analysis and implementation of system administration tools, on-site system administrator support and the analysis, extraction and implementation of X-bridge business rule from the JOPES database into the core capabilities of JFW and remains current.

7. ANY OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS: Not applicable

8. ACTIONS THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS

THAT LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY:

(a) Procurement History. Since 1990, this effort has been competed as Fair Opportunity in accordance with FAR 16.505. Pragmatics, Inc. was awarded the Task Order during the initial award and has won every subsequent re-competition effort via full and open competition under ENCORE II. Procurement history over the last 5 years is listed for

Page 6 of 7 Pages review; currently this effort is under Task Order HC1028-08-D-2010/VC20, awarded to Pragmatics, Inc., with a period of performance to include a base plus three option years.

The period of performance commenced on 26 September 2014. The total lifecycle cost of the Task Order is

The current Task Order has had three previous increases to the contract value as delineated below.

Prior to this current effort, the task order was under Task Order HC1028-08-D- 2010/VC14, awarded to Pragmatics, Inc., with a period of performance of 3 September 2010 – 2 September 2011 with three option years. The total lifecycle cost of the Task Order was Task Order HC1028-08-D-2010/VC14 provided requirements analysis, software engineering, development, integration, testing, certification, fielding and maintenance support with respect to the continued refinement and sustainment of the JPES Framework (JFW).

(b) The current Task Order was competed using Fair Opportunity procedures in 2010 under the DISA ENCORE II multiple-award ID/IQ contract. There were three proposals received from Booz Allen Hamilton, Science Applications International Corporation and Pragmatics respectively. Pragmatics was determined to be the best value to the Government. At the time, under ENCORE II, Pragmatics was still listed as a small business until May 2013; however, this effort was not competed as a small business set aside. The PMO along with PSD issued a Sources Sought via FedBizOpps in November 2013 to determine the availability and technical capability of small businesses to provide the required products and/or services. JPES PMO continues to review and improve the way we develop and define requirements. Based on the lessons identified during the analysis and improvement process of requirements definition, JPES PMO plans to incorporate the refined requirements definition process in all future procurement efforts.

(c) In accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D) the J&A will be made publicly available at the Government Point of Entry (GPE) http://www.fedbizopps.gov within 14 days after contract award. The justification will remain posted for a minimum of 30 days.

9. REFERENCE TO THE APPROVED ACQUISITION PLAN (AP): This modification will increase the task order ceiling amount to a new total of The new ceiling amount is below the Streamlined Acquisition Plan ceiling amount of which was approved on 18 March 2014.

http://farsite.hill.af.mil/reghtml/regs/far2afmcfars/fardfars/far/16.htm#P464_78757 http://www.fedbizopps.gov/