J A VAHO Shelving Executed.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of Construction & Facilities Management

Washington DC 20001

FAR Subpart 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products Justification and Approval (J&A)

For Other than Full and Open Competition under $750,000.00

1. Contracting Activity:

This justification and approval for other Than Full and Open Competition is executed by the AE &Construction Contracting Policy Service, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Washington, DC 20001.

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed:

The VA History Office (VAHO) was established on April 10, 2020, at the direction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. VAHO’s mission includes the establishment of a VA history program which includes the National VA History Center (NVAHC) under development on the Dayton VA campus. This contract supports VAHO, NVAHC Archives (NVAHCA) and NVAHC Museum (NVAHCM). The scope of this contract is to provide NVAHC with industry-specific high density mobile Archival/Museum Storage System as well as static archival shelving.

The action is a non-competitive award (sole source) to Martin AIJS, LLC for Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM), Office of Facilities Acquisition (OFA) Strategic Planning Support.

This is a new requirement for a firm-fixed price contract to be negotiated with and awarded to a responsible, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) construction contractor; on a sole source basis under the statutory authority granted to the VA in 38 U.S.C. 8127 (c) (better known as Public Law 109- 461 or the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006)

3. Description of Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs:

Requirements include:

1 Static wide span shelving: 60x30 cabinets - 14 2 Static archival shelving: 42x16 cabinets -12 3 Mobile Archival Storage Shelving: 42x32 cabinets - 228 4 Decking and Floor Rails (combined) - 4 5 Installation - 1 6 Freight and Handling - 1

The units needed are not static library shelving units, nor office shelving units. They are specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of archival materials, as

Washington DC 20001 defined by the National Archives and Records Administration Directive 1571.

Directive 1571 sets forth many requirements, including specifications for storage, and approved materials for storage among other directives regarding the handling and storing of archival records.

The total cost is estimated to be approximately $612,000.00.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition:

38 U.S.C 8127 and 8128 (better known as Public Law 109-461 or the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006), implemented at Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) Subsection 819.7007(c).

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority):

38 U.S.C 8127(c) permits a Contracting Officer (CO) to award a contract to a verified SDVOSB using other than competition if:

1) Such concerns are determined to be a responsible source with respect to performance of such contract opportunity;

2) The anticipated threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41), but will not exceed $5,000,000; and

3) In the estimation of the Contracting Officer, the contract award can be made at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States.

The proposed action meets all three of the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 8127(c). First, Martin AIJS, LLC has been certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a Service-Disabled Veteran Small Business concern (SDVOSB) as of 9/23/2024.

Second, the anticipated threshold will not exceed $5,000,000.00. Finally, it is the estimation of the CO that an award can be made at a fair and reasonable price.

Martin AIJS’s core business is archival and other industry-specialized shelving. They have a proven track record of providing high-quality specialized solutions to VA.

Under contract 36C10F22C0018, Martin AIJS was contracted to provide a high-quality art storage rack system for the Dayton, Ohio VA Campus. According to the Program Office that procured the storage rack, Martin provided professional service and installation of the art rack. It was also stated that the Government received a quality system at a good value to the Government and that they would not hesitate to use Martin again.

Washington DC 20001

Martin also provided a very specialized storage solution to the Department of Veteran Affairs NCO 6 in Hampton, Virginia, under contract 36C24622P1444.

Through 2022, Martin provided shelving and service for all of the shelving systems installed in the Supply Chain Management storage spaces at the Western North Carolina VA Healthcare System (WNC VA HCS). Martin received exemplary evaluations at the conclusion of all work performed for the WNC VA HCS.

By utilizing a local SDVOSB concern such as Martin, the Government may realize a cost savings in terms of shipping, transportation, installation, and long-term maintenance costs. Martin does not subcontract much of their installation and maintenance, as again, archival, and other industry-specialized shelving is their core business. The Government estimates that this shelving when properly cared for, can last up to 80 years. Typically, maintenance for this type of shelving is done on an annual basis. As a SDVOSB concern in this business arena, this uniquely qualifies Martin as a vendor who not only has a history of providing similar work at a high level but may do so with a cost savings to the Government.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable:

In accordance with VAAR 819.7008(b), the determination to make a sole source award to an SDVOSB is a business decision wholly within the discretion of the Contracting Officer; therefore, the requirement to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practical is not applicable to this procurement. In addition, 819.7008(c) further authorizes the Contracting Officer to make the award without first determining that only one SDVOSB source can meet the requirement.

A notice of the proposed action was synopsized via the Government Point of Entry (GPE) on August 16, 2024, in accordance with the FAR Section 5.201, and the agency will make publicly available the justification required by 6.305(a) with 14 days after the contract award.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the

Government will be Fair and Reasonable:

The Contracting Officer will conduct a price analysis by comparing prices with the government estimate. Depending on the CO’s analysis of the proposed price, the CO can negotiate the proposed price.

Washington DC 20001

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted:

Market research included the SBA Small Business Database, internal IDIQ contracts, pervious procurements of a similar nature, GSA e-Library, and participation in the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) and American Association of Museums (AMM). The Contracting Officer and Program Office also solicited information from other VA offices regarding the work Martin AIJS has done for them. Upon completion of the market research stated above, Martin AIJS is the only SDVOSB company in Ohio whose core business is archival and other industry-specialized shelving.

Martin is an SBA certified (VETCert) SDVOSB as of 9/23/2024.

Martin is registered in the System for Award Management System (SAM) as a small business under the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. As such, Martin is determined to be a responsible source with respect to performance of this opportunity.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition:

None.

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition:

None.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required:

The VA will continue to conduct market research and will consider competing similar future requirements to ensure the best interests of the Government.

Washington DC 20001

12. Requirements Certification:

I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Prepared by:

Robyn Rodgers Date Senior Archivist VA History Office

13. Approved IAW FAR 13.501(a)(2)(ii) by:

Kevin Armillotti Date Contracting Officer AE & Construction Contracting Policy Service http://vaww.pclo.infoshare.va.gov/PMWeb/Vol6Chapter6.aspx