JA_MFR_10747278--r.docx

Memo For Record Subject: TX Text Control Subscription Renewal Funding No: 10747278

The following paragraphs, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13.106(b)(1)(i), are provided to support the limited source justification for proposed orders exceeding the micro-purchase threshold but not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

US Army’s Counterintelligence Human Intelligence Automated Reporting and Collections System (CHARCS) program is requesting a firm-fixed price purchase order for the renewal of TX Text Control Subscription software. The period of performance is from date of award, estimated as September 10, 2015, through 1-year, with three, 1-year option periods. Fiscal Year 2015 operations and maintenance funding is provided for the base year of the procurement under number 10747278. North American Industrial Classification System Code 511210, Software Publishers, with sales size standard of $38.5 million will apply to this acquisition.

CHARCS provides individual Counterintelligence (CI) and Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collectors the ability to perform the mission of collecting, analyzing, reporting, managing, and visualizing intelligence information using an automated system that is interoperable with the Distributed Common Ground System – Army analytical system. A key component to CHARCS is the software reporting system which provides the CI and HUMINT soldier community intuitive interfaces to Defense Human Intelligence Manual-compliant reports.

Comprehensive report writing and transmittal software enables the CI and HUMINT collectors to report time-sensitive intelligence from point of collection.

TX Text Control is an essential software utility library used to build mission-essential word processing capabilities into the CHARCS application. CHARCS uses TX Text Control to control the Graphical User Interface within Microsoft Windows forms, to control report editing for CHARCS’ 58 CI / HUMINT reports, to control document rendering within CHARCS, and to generate Microsoft Rich Text Format documents. CHARCS software cannot run without it. TX Text Control software also allows the development team to focus on software issues inherent in CHARCS rather than recreating TX Text Control’s capabilities from scratch using very low-level Windows programing.

Not maintaining these TX Text Control licenses would result in not receiving the critical updates, upgrades, patches, and fixes, which could render the TX Text Control licenses unusable. The software development team would be required to recreate the TX Text Control capabilities from scratch which would result in current staff having to spend significant time in professional development to gain expertise to perform such programming. It is estimated that the software development team would require three staff-years of effort to replicate the capability of TX Text Control. The cost of such an effort would be approximately $660,000.

TX Text Control has been in use in the CHARCS architecture since 2014 and $12,000 has been invested in the software. To procure an alternative solution would result not only in a

Page of loss of that initial investment, but would also result in substantial duplication of costs and time. It is estimated that an alternative solution would cost at least $660,000, which does include the costs to integrate and implement the new software solution. Users of the alternative solution would need to be trained on the new solution which is estimated to take three staff-years, spread over one calendar year. In addition to the duplication of cost and time, the risk of failure would be high for an alternative solution due to the complicated nature of word processing software.

Market research has confirmed there are no other products currently on the market that will meet the government’s requirements. The TX Text Control software is proprietary and is only available through Text Control, the original equipment manufacturer, and its authorized resellers. The Department of Defense Enterprise Software Initiative Blanket Purchase Agreements and National Aeronautic and Space Administration Solutions for Enterprise Wide Procurement were researched, and it was determined there are no authorized resellers available on either of these contracting vehicles. Market research has revealed the products are available through one authorized reseller, Component Source, a small business, on the General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedules. The OEM, Text Control, and Component Source are both also able to provide the TX Text Control Software on the Open Market. As such, since there are two or more small business authorized resellers, this requirement will be posted as a small business set aside on the open market via FedBizOpps (FBO).

Based on the justification provided by the US Army, a determination has been made to solicit the above brand name requirement through FBO as a small business set aside procurement.

Prepared by:

Jenna Frey Contract Specialist

Concur

Kimberly M. Hampel Contracting Officer