J_A 21-076 - GHSI-III Extension and Ceiling IncreaseSAM.gov.pdf

March 18, 2022

ACTION MEMO FOR THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR, BUREAU FOR GLOBAL

HEALTH

FROM: Julie Wallace, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, A-DAA/GH

SUBJECT: Request to Approve Justification and Approval for Other than Full and Open

Competition for Extension of the Global Health Support Initiative III (GHSI-III), AID-OAA-C-16-00031

Recommendation

That you approve the extension from July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, and a

$31,439,050 increase in the total estimated cost from $284,390,502 to $315,829,552 of the

GHSI-III contract, AID-OAA-C-16-00031.

Approve Disapprove _

Background

GHSI-III is a nonpersonal services contract or institutional support contract for Agency-wide global health and COVID-19 programming priorities. GHSI-III accounts for approximately

40 percent of the workforce for the Bureau for Global Health (GH), encompassing approximately

300 professional advisory and administrative personnel. GHSI-III also provides institutional support to over 15 other Agency Bureaus/Independent Offices and USAID missions. An extension would allow for continued Agency-wide staff support services for both Washington, D.C. offices and overseas field missions.

GHSI-III had an initial period of performance from December 10, 2016, to December 9, 2021. A modification in September 30, 2021, warranted a previous justification and approval because it increased the original Total Estimated Cost of $259,457,580 by $24,932,922 and a 6-month extension to the Period of Performance from December 9, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

GH currently receives institutional support services from onsite contractors and training and professional and organizational development from offsite contractors from multiple awards:

the Global Health Support Initiative III (GHSI-III) contract, Global Health Professional and Organizational Development II (GHPOD-II) contract, Global Health Technical Professionals (GHTP) contract, and through certain elements of the Global Health Sustaining Technical and Analytic Resources (STAR) award. Given overwhelming feedback from staff at all levels and feedback from numerous internal and external Agency and industry stakeholders, GH has been approved to have one Institutional Support Contract (ISC) that will capture all onsite professional advisory and administrative services under the Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support Services Contract (GHTASC). Once GHTASC is awarded, all categorical institutional support requirements will be met under this new award, phasing out multiple historic institutional support mechanisms.

The Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support Contract (GHTASC) was awarded September 28, 2021, but was unable to begin implementation because the award was protested on October 18, 2021. Given the size and complexity of GHSI-III, at least three months are required to close out GHSI-III services such that an extension through December 31, 2022, is required. GHTASC is anticipated to begin performance by September 30, 2022, at which time

ISC positions will begin to be advertised and filled under GHTASC. There will be three months needed to transition services and recruit contractor employees under the new award, and therefore an extension through December 31, 2022 is required. The options for expedited transition of services from GHSI-III to GHTASC are not practical. Significant time and effort will be required to define position descriptions, post advertisements, process recruitments, and ultimately fill over 300 positions under the GHTASC contract. An extension of at approximately six months is estimated to be the minimum required to allow a three-month overlap to ensure an orderly and effective transition of continuous services from predecessor contract to successor.

Resource Implications

After the March 2022 modification, total obligations under GHSI-III will be approximately $282,339,064 or 99 percent of the current ceiling of $284,390,502 with less than four months remaining on the contract. An additional $31,439,050 (10%) in predominantly program funds is required to fund the extension from its current contract expiration date of June

30, 2022, to the proposed extension date of December 31, 2022.

Attachments:

Tab 1 Determinations and Findings (AIDAR 706.302-70)

Tab 2 Justification and Approval for Other Than Full and Open Competition

CLEARANCE PAGE FOR ACTION MEMO for Extension of the Global Health Support

Initiative III (GHSI-III) contact, AID-OAA-C-16-00031

Clearances Clearance Status Date

A-DAA/GH: Julie Wallace clear 03/18/2022

GH/PDMS: Antanya Moses clear 03/16/2022

GH/P3/PIBM: CBoswell clear w/edits 03/18/2022 GH/P3: Megan Rhodes clear 03/18/2022

Drafter: GH/PDMS: Kaleb Johnson: 202-916-4225

DETERMINATION AND FINDINGS

TO: Atul Gawande, Assistant Administrator, AA/GH

THRU: Deborah Broderick, Agency Competition Advocate, M/OAA/OD

FROM: Julie Wallace, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, A-DAA/GH

SUBJECT: DETERMINATION AND FINDINGS for a six-month extension and an increase in Total Estimated Cost (TEC) of $31,439,050 for Global Health Support

Initiative III (GHSI-III) contract, AID-OAA-C-16-00031, resulting in a new ceiling of $315,829,552.

(a) Identification of the agency and of the contracting activity and specific identification of

This determination and findings document presents the facts justifying the use of other than full and open competition, in accordance with AIDAR 706.302-70(b)(3)(i), which sets forth circumstances that permit contracts without full and open competition. This document was

OAA-C-16-00031, Global Health Support Initiative III, hereafter GHSI-III.

(b) Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

This request seeks the approval for a six-month extension from July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, and an increase in the total estimated cost (TEC) for the GHSI-III contract (AID-OAA-C-

16-00031) to result in a new TEC of $315,829,552. The GHSI-III contract is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-

Fee (CPFF) contract that was awarded to Social Solutions International, Incorporated (hereafter

SSI).

(c) Citation of the appropriate statute and/or regulation upon which the D&F is based.

Pursuant to AIDAR 706.302-70(b)(3)(i), full and open competition need not be obtained for an award for which the Assistant Administrator responsible for the project or program makes a formal written determination, with supporting findings, that compliance with full and open competition procedures would impair foreign assistance objectives, and would be inconsistent with the fulfillment of the foreign assistance program.

(d) Findings that detail the particular circumstances, facts, or reasoning essential to support the determination. Necessary supporting documentation shall be obtained from appropriate requirements and technical personnel.

GHSI-III helps the Agency fill critical skills gaps. With approximately 300 contractor staff

(approximately 40% of GH Bureau workforce) providing technical, professional, operational and administrative support, GHSI-III is a staff support mechanism that is essential to Agency-wide global health and COVID-19 programming priorities. This contract provides operating expense and program-funded contractor staff and technical development support personnel in 15 USAID

Washington offices and seven Missions.

GH currently receives institutional support services from onsite contractors and training and professional and organizational development from offsite contractors from multiple awards: the Global Health Support Initiative III (GHSI-III) contract, Global Health Professional and

Organizational Development II (GHPOD-II) contract, Global Health Technical Professionals (GHTP) contract, and through certain elements of the Global Health Sustaining Technical and Analytic Resources (STAR) award. Given overwhelming feedback from staff at all levels and feedback from numerous internal and external Agency and industry stakeholders, GH has been approved to have one Institutional Support Contract (ISC) that will capture all onsite professional advisory and administrative services under the Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support Services Contract (GHTASC). Once GHTASC is awarded, all categorical institutional support requirements will be met under this new award, phasing out multiple historic institutional support mechanisms.

The Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support Contract (GHTASC) was awarded

September 28, 2021, but was unable to begin implementation because the award was protested on October 18, 2021. Given the size and complexity of GHSI-III, at least three months are required to close out GHSI-III services such that an extension through December 31, 2022, is required. GHTASC performance is anticipated by September 30, 2022, at which time ISC positions will begin to be advertised and filled under GHTASC. Therefore, there will be three months needed to transition services and recruit contractor employees under the new award.

Significant time and effort will be required to define position descriptions, post advertisements, process recruitments, and ultimately fill over 300 positions under the GHTASC contract. An extension of at approximately six months is required to allow GHTASC to begin performance and to allow for approximately three months of orderly and effective transition of continuous services from predecessor contract to successor.

Extending GHSI-III will ensure stakeholder Bureaus, offices, and Missions can continue to maintain the technical expertise necessary to perform essential core functions in support of established Bureau for Global Health -

Tuberculosis, the

Tropical Diseases, Health Systems Strengthening, Accelerating Innovation and Impact, eHealth/mHealth, and Family Planning and Reproductive Health, and most importantly, the impact of the recent COVID -19 pandemic. Failure to retain this technical expertise and staffing would clearly impair GH foreign assistance objectives.

After the March 2022 modification, obligations under GHSI-III will be approximately

$282,339,064 or 99 percent of the current ceiling of $284,390,502 with less than four months remaining on the contract.

Agency Bureaus and Offices Expected to Continue to Use GHSI-III Support Services

LPA PPL GH/OCS

GC GH/AA GH/OHA

AFR GH/AA (CAII) GH/PDMS

ASIA GH/ID GH/PRH

BHA GH/MCHN GH/PPP

LAC GH/OHS

Missions Expected to Continue to Use GHSI-III Support

Services

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Eswantini

Madagascar

Mali

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Due to the unique nature of existing requirements and the potentially detrimental impact to

-month extension from July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, and a $31,439,050 ceiling increase is the event course of action. In order to ensure continuity of services while awaiting orderly and systematic recruitment of over 300 contract positions, an additional $31,439,050 in predominantly program funds will be required to fund the extension from its current contract expiration date of June 30, 2022, to a proposed extension expiration date December 31, 2022. A six-month extension will also allow for sufficient time for the efficient onboarding of over 300 staff, including security clearance and re-badging of newly hired staff with minimal disruption to global continuity of operations.

(e) Standardized Occupational Classification (SOC) Labor Categories

Under the new GHTASC contract, a Standardized Occupational Classification (SOC) labor category system will be utilized instead of the General Schedule (GS) equivalent pay scale which will be more compatible with the private sector in compensation practices. It is necessary to consider ample time to map all current positions existing under the GS equivalent pay scale under the new SOC labor category matrix. A contract that cannot guarantee compatible salary and benefits, and the requisite institutional capacity to smoothly administer over 300 new staff in all potential labor categories under the new award creates an unnecessary risk of substantial staff attrition at a critical time for GH. The risk of losing crucial technical staff would jeopardize the o implement key Presidential

Malaria Initiative (PMI), and Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths, Combating

Infectious Diseases, and battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The existing contract with GHTP cannot accommodate additional staff due to ceiling limitations.

Allowing the GHSI-III contract to end without ample time for the new mechanism to finalize the labor categories, post vacancies, recruit and hire appropriate candidates for over 300 positions would result in the loss of over 40 percent of the staff within the GH Bureau which includes nearly 25 percent of the Office of HIV/AIDS staff and staff recently hired to address the

COVID-19 pandemic. Loss of these staff would cause immeasurable damage to ongoing programs and activities and support to the field. Overseas, controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic activities and activities addressing COVID-19 and Global Health Security would be adversely impacted. There are no practical alternatives for the provision of these support services, which could only be alternatively obtained through Personal Services Contracts or Term Appointments, both requiring competitive processes, NSDD-38, and would result in significant gaps in critical services until they could be obtained.

(f) A determination based on the findings, that the proposed action is justified under the applicable statute or regulation.

Based upon the foregoing justification, I hereby determine that a six-month extension and

$31,439,050 ceiling increase of the GHSI-III contract is justified under AIDAR 706.302-

70(b)(3)(i).

(g) Expiration date of the D&F, if required (see FAR 1.706)

This is an individual D&F, not a class D&F. No expiration date is required.

(h) The signature of the official authorized to sign the D&F (see 1.707) and the date signed

April 22, 2022

Atul Gawande, Assistant Administrator, AA/GH Date

Prior Consultation with the Agency Competition Advocate

As provided in AIDAR 706.302-70(c)(3), prior consultation with the Agency Competition

Advocate is required before executing the written determination and finding.

The undersigned Agency Competition Advocate certifies that prior consultation took place and all comments have been included.

Deborah Broderick, M/OAA Date

Agency Competition Advocate

JUSTIFICATION & APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL & OPEN COMPETITION

TO: Luis A. Rivera, Head of the Contracting Activity, M/OAA/OD

THRU: Deborah Broderick, Agency Competition Advocate, M/OAA/OD

FROM: Alisa Dunn, Supervisory Contracting Officer, M/OAA/GH

SUBJECT: JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION, AID-OAA-C-16-00031

1. This document sets forth the facts and rationale justifying the use of other than full and open competition, in accordance with AIDAR 706.302-70(b)(3)(i), which sets forth circumstances that permit contracts without full and open competition. This document was prepared by the Bureau for Global Health for AID-OAA-C-16-00031 (Global Health

Support Initiative III, hereafter GHSI-III).

2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This is a two-part request to approve 1) a 6-month extension of the GHSI-III contract (AID-

OAA-C-16-00031) and 2) an increase in the total estimated cost (TEC). The requested TEC increase of $31,439,050 will result in a new ceiling of $315,829,552 permitting the GHSI-III contract continuity of services from its current contract expiration date of June 30, 2022, until

December 31, 2022. This request is being submitted to allow time for GHSTAC to begin performance and to allow at least three months of overlap to ensure strategic and systematic transition between contracts and to maintain the continuity of services. In order to create a bridge allowing for time to transition professional service requirements and the effective recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of over 300 contractor employees with minimal disruption to global health continuity of operations.

The GHSI-III contract is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) contract awarded on December 10, 2016, to Social Solutions International, Incorporated (hereafter SSI), through small business competition for a period of five (5) years, ending on December 9, 2021. A prior modification completed in September, 2021, relying on AIDAR 706.302-70(b)(3)(i), increased the original

TEC of $259,457,580 by $24,932,922 and included a 6-month extension to June 30, 2022.

This action is requested under the authority of AIDAR 706.302-70(b)(3)(i), which provides an exception to competition where compliance with full and open competition would impair foreign assistance objectives and would be inconsistent with the fulfillment of the foreign assistance program.

GHSI-III helps the Agency fill critical skills gaps pursuant to guidance to use program-funded alternatives to meet workforce needs resulting from sequestration, advent of new priorities, highly specialized skill set requirements, and attrition of staff at various levels. With over 300 contractor employees (over 40% of GH Bureau support staffing) providing technical, professional, operational, and administrative support, GHSI-III is a staffing support mechanism that is a cornerstone for Agency-wide global health priorities. Under the GHSI-III contract, SSI provides staffing and technical assistance support personnel in 15 USAID Washington

Bureaus/Independent Offices and missions.

Due to the unique nature of existing requirements and the potentially detrimental impact to initiatives, an extension and ceiling increase is imperative.

3. A description of the supplies or servi estimated value):

Under GHSI-III, technical advisory and administrative support services are demand driven reflecting the needs of USAID Bureaus, Offices, and Missions. These services, which constitute a total of 300 contract staff, assist 15 USAID Washington Bureaus/Independent Offices and missions in meeting their needs for technical, professional, operational, and administrative support staff.

The current GHSI-III contract was competitively awarded to Social Solutions International (SSI) as a small-business set-aside. The current ceiling increase request accounts for costs associated with continuing services of GHSI-III staff until the new contract recruits and hires contractor employees under the successor contract, the Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support

Contract (GHTASC).

This contract is needed to avoid impairment of foreign assistance objectives in the global health area and provide comprehensive support services to the USAID offices during the protest period and transition to the new suite of contracts and capacity development cooperative agreement.

Extending GHSI-III will ensure stakeholder Bureaus, Offices, and Missions can continue to maintain the technical expertise necessary to perform essential core functions in support of established Bureau for Global Health initiatives and program areas such as Controlling the

HIV/AIDS Epidemic, Ending Preventable Maternal and Child Deaths, and Combating Infectious

Diseases, Health Systems Strengthening, Accelerating Innovation and Impact, eHealth/mHealth, and combating the COVID-19 pandemic, among others.

Bureaus and Offices Expected to Continue to Use Support Services

LPA

GC

AFR

ASIA

BHA

LAC

PPL

AA/GH

AA/GH (CII)

GH/ID

GH/OHS

GH/OCS

GH/OHA

GH/PDMS

GH/PRH

GH/MCHN

GH/PPP

Missions Expected to Continue to Use Support Services

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Eswantini

Madagascar

Mali

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

4. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

This action is requested under the authority of AIDAR 706.302-award for which the Assistant Administrator responsible for the project or program makes a formal written determination, with supporting findings, that compliance with full and open competition procedures would impair foreign assistance objectives, and would be inconsistent authority provided in FAR

6.302 or AIDAR 706.302 is suitable.

the acquisition that requires use of the authority cited:

The procurement process for the new contract, GHTASC has been ongoing since January 2020.

SSI has been the prime contractor on GHSI-III since its inception in 2016. SSI has been providing staff for these positions for Global Health and the Agency for five years.

This contract is needed to avoid impairment of foreign assistance objectives in the global health area and provide comprehensive support services to the USAID offices during the protest period and transition to GHTASC contract. Extending GHSI-III will ensure stakeholder Bureaus, Offices, and Missions can continue to maintain the technical expertise necessary to perform essential core functions in support of established Bureau for Global Health initiatives and program areas such as such as Creating an AIDS-Free Generation, Ending Preventable Maternal

Emerging Threats, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Health Systems Strengthening, Accelerating

Innovation and Impact, eHealth/mHealth, Family Planning and Reproductive Health, and combating the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, among others. There are no practical alternatives for the provision of these functions, which could only be alternatively obtained through U.S. Personal Services (PSC) Contracts, Term Appointments, or another ISC contract.

None of those are viable options because both PSCs and Term Appointments both require competitive processes, NSDD-38 for overseas, and would result in significant gaps in critical services until they could be obtained. The current 52 institutional support contracts at USAID, of which approximately 25 have insufficient ceiling and another 15 have single-digit labor categories; the remaining awards are monitoring and evaluation activities or limited scopes of work. None of these would not adequately meet GH requirements.

A direct award to a local contractor was not considered as this award is a D.C.-based award. The majority of the personnel on the contract are based in the Washington, D.C., area.

6. Description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized:

Per AIDAR 705.202(b), advance notice is not appropriate or reasonable and offers were not solicited as this is an action proposing an extension and TEC increase of an existing contract.

7. A determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The proposed ceiling increase of $31,439,050 accounts for costs associated with current GHSI-III staff. The $315,829,552 ceiling reflects the current burn rate of $5,239,842/month and will allow for existing GHSI-III services needed to meet Agency priorities that cannot otherwise be fully implemented.

Cost estimating for staffing support mechanisms is straightforward with a high confidence level.

Cost control is also straightforward in that new recruitments and travel will be curtailed. The

Contractor performance to date is successful. .

8. A description of the market research conducted, and the results or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted:

Market research was not conducted given that this is an extension of an existing award and because USAID conducted a broad range of market research, including a review of historical data on previous contracts and comparable awards, GSA schedules, and industry research for the successor contract under protest, GHTASC.

due to the potential inability to implement

9. Other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

Allowing the GHSI-III contract to end before the replacement mechanism (GHTASC) is in place will result in the loss of approximately 40 percent of the staff within the GH Bureau which includes nearly 25 percent of the Office of HIV/AIDS staff and staff recently hired to address the

COVID-19 pandemic would be lost. Controlling the HIV/AIDS Epidemic and COVID-19

Pandemic Response activities would be adversely impacted in multiple countries if GHSI-III were to end now.

Another USAID institutional support contract or short-term bridge contract with a new vendor would not be able to guarantee the requisite institutional capacity to smoothly administer 300 contractor employees in all technical and professional areas under the current award which creates an unnecessary risk of substantial attrition at a critical time for the Bureau for Global

Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths, Combating Infectious Diseases, and the COVID-19 response.

10. Sources, if any, that expressed an interest, in writing, in the acquisition:

As stated in Section 6, no other offers were solicited as this is an action proposing an extension and TEC increase of an existing contract.

11. The actions the Agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

We do not anticipate any further non-competitive extensions of this contract because the Global

Health Bureau intends to start transitioning services to the GHTASC contract on or before

September 30, 2022.