ID03190019___LSJ_Final_.pdf

Limited-Sources Justification

For The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear

Defense

(JPEO-CBRND)

Specialized Support Services (S3)

GSA ITSS Order Number: ID03190019; ASSIST Acquisition ID Number:

47QFMA19K0022

Note: This document is prepared in accordance with the requirements of FAR 8.405-6(c)(2).

This acquisition will be conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule Program.

(c)(2)(i) Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Limited-Sources Justification.”

The requiring activity is for The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), Gunpowder, MD 21010

The contracting activity is GSA/FAS, Mid-Atlantic Region, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

This document is hereby identified as a Limited-Sources Justification.

(c)(2)(ii) Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

The action being approved is a Time and Materials, Bridge Task Order consisting of a 12-month period of performance. The 12-month estimate is $10,043,270.63. The Government will issue a Task Order to the current incumbent, Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER)., utilizing the Professional Services Schedule (PSS), SIN 874 1 (Integrated Consulting Services), Contract Number.: GS-00F- 095CA. Currently, this mission is being supported by ANSER, which was awarded and administered by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Program Support Center (PSC).

The current order is due to expire 31 December 2019; however, HHS stopped accepting funding despite active period of performance. As a result funding will expire by the end of September 2019. This Bridge Task Order will cover all of the requirements of the existing Task Order.

(c)(2)(iii) A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value)

This Bridge Task Order will continue to provide the necessary subject matter expertise to the JPEO CBRND in the areas of National Security Strategies, Compliance, Advisement, Analysis;

https://was.itss.gsa.gov/rba_modernization/xhtml/search.seam?orderId=1110000000222572

Strategic Planning; Strategic Communications; Acquisition Planning; Program Management and Integration; Engineering Management; and Acquisition Milestone Decision Preparation.

(c)(2)(iv) The authority and supporting rationale (see 8.405(a)(1)(i) and (b)(1)) and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule program. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is Section 201 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 501), as implemented by FAR 8.405-6.

In accordance with FAR 8.405-6 (a) (1) (i) (B) - Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.

This bridge replaces services provided under the current task order which was awarded and being administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Program Support Center (PSC). On 04 June 2019, PSC leadership has directed that all assisted acquisitions activities cease. As a result, JPEO-CBRND would not be able to process MIPRs, release solicitations, exercise options, or execute contract modifications and awards through PSC. JPEO-CBRND is not able to fund the PSC contract through 31 December 2019 nor exercise Option Year 2, which would provide service through 31 December 2020. The inability to apply incremental funding and to exercise Option Year 2 of the current Task Order has created an urgent need for a Bridge Task Order for the continuation of the S3 requirements beyond 15 September 2019. Without a Bridge Task Order, the National Command Authority, Department of Defense (DoD), Joint Staff, the United States Army, and its sister services will risk mission failure of defending against Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) will be impeded.

Due to HHS’s abrupt halt in providing assisted acquisition services to JPEO-CBRND, the following organizations within the CBRND community that rely on the S3 contract have been affected.

• Program Executive Office for Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA).

ACWA is a Major Defense Acquisition Category 1 program mandated and written into law by Congress that requires the complete destruction of chemical stockpiles at various depots by 31 December 2023. A critical element to the execution, completion, and success of this Congressional mandate is the set-up of a Situation Room. JPEO was in the process of extending this requirement to accomplish this important element when the HHS mandate when into effect. Without the Situation Room, the program will not operate efficiently and the program objectives will be at significant risk. The PEO deems the establishment of the Situation Room as a mission critical element because it will allow the Government to simulate the effects of CBRN weapon strikes and incidents.

The Bridge Task Order will provide additional time for the ACWA move to be complete and for ANSER to complete the Situation Room.

• The Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center whose mission is to provide life-cycle scientific, engineering, and operational solutions to counter CBRN threats to U.S. forces and the nation, has depended on ANSER to assist in the facilitation of the advancement of technologies at the CCDC Chemical Biological Center (CBC) and the transfer of relevant technologies to industry for further development. The CBC Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) office requires contract support with specialized experience in the unique requirements of technology transfer, delivered under the current contract. The sudden loss of this support will be severely detrimental to the technology transfer program and collaborating ability with critical industry and academia partners critical to the CBRN mission will be severely slowed. This could result in mission failure since the center's customers rely on us to make these partnerships viable for their own programs of record.

• JPEO-CBRND’s mission is to manage USA’s investments in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense equipment. BioWatch is another such program predicated upon the strategic partnership between the JPEO CBRN community and the Department of Homeland Security. This collaborative relationship exists to prevent a bioterrorist attack by leveraging the task between the two communities to build a defensive posture. BioWatch involves the ability to provide early detection and warning of bioterrorist attack against our nation. Failure to award a bridge contract to other than ANSER will impede the CBRN community and its partner’s ability to detect and prepare a coordinated response to a bioterrorism attack.

Based upon the above, ANSER is the only capable source that can provide the current services required at the level of quality, and in the timeframe required. Not awarding a bridge contract to ANSER will cause significant harm to the programs of the various members of the CBRND community that ANSER has successfully provided Specialized Support Service. It would be impossible for another contractor to perform this requirement at such a short notice. This is especially true since the personnel required to perform the required tasks must possess executive level experience within the CBRN community. ANSER has acquired the personnel who possess both the CBRN expertise and experience and are currently performing the requirement.

Adequate lead time does not exist to properly conduct a competitive acquisition and to provide the necessary transition and knowledge transfer activities prior to 15 September 2019.

(c)(2)(v) A determination by the ordering activity contracting officer that the order represents the best value consistent with 8.404(d).

The assigned GSA IT-Manager (ITM) will complete a technical evaluation on the contractor’s technical submission to ensure the labor mix and hours are appropriate for the work to be performed. A price analysis will be performed including the verification of rates as well as a comparison to prices paid under the existing task order. It is anticipated that the rates proposed for the Bridge Task Order will reflect either a close similarity or the same rates as currently being paid to ANSER, under the existing HHS Task Order. Quoted labor rates will be verified to ensure that they are reflected in the contractor’s current Professional Services Schedule (PSS). The Government will seek discounts in accordance with FAR 8.405-2. The GSA/FAS Contracting Officer will determine that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 8.404(d).

(c)(2)(vi) A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Market Research was conducted in accordance with FAR 10. A review of GSA Advantage and other sources of information for the required services showed that other firms can provide this type of service; however, as stated above, the expertise of this contractor will ensure that there is no lapse in the support requirements.

(c)(2)(vii) Any other facts supporting the justification.

ANSER has successfully fulfilled the Specialized Support Service requirement since 30 December 2015 via task order HHSP23337001T against HHS’s IDIQ contract HHSP233201500154I. The original task order as well as the current task order was competed amongst 125 IDIQ awardees of which 61 were small businesses and 64 large businesses. However, ANSER was in 2015 and again in 2017 and the only contractor to respond to the S3 solicitation.

(c)(2)(viii) A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barrier that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

The Government will solicit only ANSER., under the Professional Services Schedule (PSS), SIN 874 1 (Integrated Consulting Services), Contract Number.: GS-00F-095CA. No other firm can provide the necessary services at requisite level of expertise within the timeframe required;

however, the Government is concurrently seeking a fully competitive award to be in place upon expiration of this temporary bridge task order.