Summary: Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition

This document is a Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (J&A) for a sole-source bridge contract with the incumbent contractor, Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Contracting Activity and Services: The U.S. Department of State's Acquisitions Management office seeks to award a bridge contract to HumRRO to provide continued test development and administration services for Foreign Service Officer screening examinations. Services include development, maintenance, evaluation, and validation of legally and professionally validated written examinations used to select qualified candidates for Foreign Service employment, including Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Specialists. The contractor shall ensure compliance with professional and regulatory standards under the Foreign Service Act of 1980. The existing contract was modified on November 11, 2025 (Modification P00033), extending performance through May 31, 2026. The bridge period represents the final authority extension under the current contract. The anticipated contract type is hybrid firm-fixed-price with other direct costs for travel.

Justification for Sole Source: The solicitation is justified under 41 USC 3304 via FAR 6.103-2 (Unusual and Compelling Urgency). HumRRO is deemed uniquely qualified due to extensive specialized expertise in Foreign Service testing systems (FSOT, FSOA, CFPT, OMST, FSSAS, DTOT), demonstrated exceptional performance under the current contract, established coordination with the Board of Examiners, and compliance with professional standards including the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. Transitioning to a new contractor during the bridge period would create significant operational and security risks, including disruption to testing schedules, loss of continuity in candidate assessment, potential compromise of test security, and delays in recreating or transferring psychometric and validation data. The incumbent contractor can alone satisfy the Government's urgent requirement within the required timeframe without substantial disruption to Foreign Service hiring operations. No other source could reasonably assume performance within the limited timeframe without unacceptable mission continuity risk.

Market Research and Competition: A Request for Information (RFI) was posted on SAM.gov (19AQMM-26-RFI-1002) to identify potentially capable contractors for Foreign Service Officer Test services. Following Program Office analysis of capability statements, the Government determined to solicit the requirement under NAICS 611710 (Educational Support Services). Market research for the long-term requirement is ongoing in accordance with FAR Parts 10. The Government is actively pursuing full and open competition for the permanent follow-on requirement, including development of acquisition strategy, market research, and preparation of solicitation documentation. The estimated award date for the recompete acquisition is May 31, 2027. The bridge contract is one-time and limited in duration to maintain continuity of services while the competitive follow-on procurement is completed, and does not replace or delay competition.

Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition: The Government is taking the following actions to ensure full and open competition for the follow-on requirement: finalizing acquisition planning and strategy; completing market research; preparing a competitive solicitation; and establishing realistic timelines to prevent future bridge actions.