JA - Exception To Fair Opportunity Justification Sales Force _Redacted.pdf

DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY

8725 JOHN J. KINGM AN ROAD, STOP 6201

FORT BELVOIR, VA 22060-6201

7AUG24

EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY JUSTIFICATION

1. Nature and/or Description of Action

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency contracting activity proposes to restrict consideration of contractors to fewer than required in FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B) to procure follow-on subscription services to renew the current platform of the SalesForce (Software as a Service (SaaS)), Client Relationship Management (CRM) System. This system serves as a critical platform for enabling DTRA’s Office of Small Business Programs to stay on top of the latest CRM technology by emerging, tracking and increasing relationships across the entire DTRA customer lifecycle. DTRA’s Office of Small Business Programs (DTRA OSBP) implemented the proprietary SalesForce software in 2019, through customization of the Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) software to create an Industry Outreach Tool that would allow DTRA OSBP to track outreach efforts in support of maintaining a vetted vendor database. This proprietary software will allow DTRA’s Office of Small Business Programs staff to continue to monitor work plan progress and provide expert programmatic guidance while managing relationships, data and information associated with them. SalesForce software licenses are available from SalesForce and SalesForce authorized resellers.

2. Description of the Supplies/Services Required

This acquisition is a follow on for DTRA’s current Industry Outreach Tool using SalesForce Software as a Service (SaaS). The software services consist of ITIL2 level Cloud hosting on GovCloud which gives flexibility to architect solutions that are in compliance with the Department of Defense (DoD) Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG) Levels 2, 4 and 5, FISMA and FedRAMP High Baseline, CJIS, ITAR and HIPAA. As well as DTRA’s level Service Support, Security, and internal licenses for DTRA acquisition professionals to use the tool for market research, Systems Administrator Licenses, and external licenses for “vetted” vendors to maintain their company profiles in DTRA’s acquisition database. In addition, the software will provide functionality to compile, update, and search a vendor database; plan outreach events, including registration, communication, and check-in; conduct strategic communication to specific socioeconomic categories of vendors to conduct focused outreach; to conduct outreach follow up surveys in order to track outreach results, and to compile various management reports to assess outreach results.

The estimated dollar amount of this requirement is (if all options are exercised).

The period of performance shall be for one 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods from September 2024 through September 2029 (anticipated).

Approved: 16 October 2008

Modified: 26 May 2023

3. Exception to Fair Opportunity

FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized.

4. Justification Rationale:

In 2019, DTRA invested for a developer, to customize the COTS software to create DTRAs currently used Industry Connect Industry Outreach Tool. In addition, in 2024, DTRA invested an additional with developer for additional functional enhancement, which included additional mandatory fields indicating citizenship when registering for events, creating interactive forms to more easily facilitate collecting business development survey data to track outreach results, data base enhancements that facilitate easier reporting to determine return on investment on outreach results, and revising the dashboard to provide tasks due, and a quick view of the types of vendors in our database.

In May 2024, market research revealed that DTRA would need to invest an estimated for a developer to use open architecture software (Angular) to design a new Industry Outreach tool to fulfil DTRAs current software needs. This development would not account for the additional estimated cost for a service agreement which is estimated to add an additional annually. The circumstances listed above justify the following:

This acquisition is conducted under the statutory authority of FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), only one manufacturer is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized. Only one source is capable of responding due to the unique or specialized nature of the work; as a result, DTRA plans to restrict competition to authorized approved resellers of SalesForce in an attempt to maintain access to DTRA OSBP’s Industry Outreach Tool.

Additionally, if DTRA does not renew the current SalesForce SaaS license platform, DTRA would lose critical outreach data within the system that supports the current “vetted” vendor database. Maintaining an Industry Outreach tool that provides labor savings for contracting professionals by eliminating the need to keep manual outreach event registration will continue to support the streamlining of the acquisition process.

5. Market Research

Market research was conducted between March 21st and August 15th, 2024. DTRA evaluated our historical use of our various SalesForce licenses to determine the quantity needed for the next 5 years. DTRA searched NASA SEWP and GSA schedules for authorized approved suppliers and or resellers of SalesForce software to develop the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE). DTRA conducted further market research on NASA SEWP initiating a Request for Information, request number 319735, to identify additional resellers of the SalesForce Lightening Platform, on 7 August 2024. There are currently 114 authorized approved resellers on NASA SEWP and 92 are Small Businesses. The RFI is scheduled to close on 15 August 2024. Review of GSA schedules identified one seller, SalesForce.

6. Other Supporting Facts 2

• The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has unique information protection requirements that extend beyond the common set of requirements established by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) program. Using FedRAMP requirements as a foundation, the U.S. DoD specifically defined additional cloud computing security and compliance requirements in their DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG). Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) supporting U.S.

DoD customers are required to comply with these requirements.

• Salesforce Government Cloud and Government Cloud Plus has been granted a Provisional Authorization (PA) for Impact Level 2 (IL2) and IL4 from Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) leveraging Salesforce's FedRAMP Moderate and High ATOs. IL2 is for non-Controlled Unclassified Information (non-CUI), which includes all data cleared for public release, as well as some DoD private unclassified information not designated as CUI or critical mission data that requires some minimal level of access control. DTRA’s data is IL2.

• SalesForce is a proprietary software and only available from SalesForce and authorized approved resellers of SalesForce.

7. Subsequent Actions

Future procurements in support of DTRAs OSBP needs will be reviewed annually in an attempt to provide more purchasing flexibility when conducting planned software replacements.

Technical Certification

I certify that the data and information forming the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

7AUG24

Program Manager/Project Officer Date

Contracting Officer Certification and Determination

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Additionally, I determine that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR Subpart 8.404(d).

14 Aug 2024 Date

Contracting Officer

General Counsel Coordination

This justification is/is not legally sufficient.

Attorney Date