JA CAA IT Services and Security Bridge - Redacted.pdf

FAR Part 6 Justification and Approval for Other than Full and Open Competition

1. Requiring Activity: Center for Army Analysis (CAA)

2. Contracting Activity: Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA)

Description of Action:

ACC-DTA, on behalf of CAA, requests approval to execute a sole-source interim bridge contract with the incumbent contractor, This bridge is required due to a necessary change in acquisition strategy. ACC-DTA initially pursued a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) to transition this requirement;

however, it was later determined that the AoI should have been issued as an 8(a) set-aside. Because the requirement remains assigned to the 8(a) program, the current CSO cannot be used, and no award can be made to any of the CSO offerors—including the incumbent—since none are 8(a) vendors. To remain compliant with SBA requirements, ACC-DTA must now conduct a full 8(a) competitive procurement.

Based on the expected duration of the competitive 8(a) set‑aside procurement, an 11‑month bridge base period, with an additional 1‑month option period, is required to ensure uninterrupted performance.

The following timeline assumptions drive the length and structure of this bridge:

• Finalizing the Follow-On Requirement Package: 1–2 months.

Time needed to complete the acquisition strategy, finalize the solicitation documents, and coordinate approvals.

• Solicitation to Award (PALT): ~7.5 months (220 days) This represents the average Procurement Administrative Lead Time (PALT) for a standalone competitive contract, including solicitation posting, Q&A, proposal submission, evaluations, discussions (if needed), and award.

• Phase-In Period: 1–2 months Required for onboarding new contractor personnel, clearance processing, technical environment integration, and continuity of operations.

These phases collectively require approximately 11 months of performance. To provide the Government flexibility to precisely align the completion of bridge services with the follow‑on contract award and transition, the bridge is structured with an 11‑month base period and a 1‑month option period. The 1‑month option will be used only if the competitive procurement extends slightly beyond projected timelines, ensuring there is no lapse in critical IT and Security support.

Moreover, RFO FAR 52.217‑8 is an unpriced extension that adds performance beyond the evaluated period and cannot be added or invoked once the incumbent is no longer an eligible 8(a) participant.

c. Impact if not approved: Disapproval of this action would trigger an immediate and detrimental impact on CAA's operational readiness. Without continuous IT and Security support, CAA's critical infrastructure, spanning its four separate computer networks ( and its secured facilities, would lack essential administration, sustainment, and physical management. Critical activities, including network monitoring, mandatory cybersecurity patching, daily helpdesk operations, monitoring, and visitor access request processing, would immediately halt. Ultimately, disapproving this justification forces an unacceptable delay in fulfilling critical agency requirements, jeopardizing the continuous command and control functions, data processing, and network and physical security for approximately 200 CAA personnel.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: ACC-DTA publicized the competitive follow-on acquisition under CSO W912CH-25-S-C001, Area of Interest (AoI) A003 and A011, respectively for the IT and Safety and security admin support. The AoIs were widely publicized on the Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE), SAM.gov, to ensure that all interested and capable sources had a full and fair opportunity to compete for the follow-on contract.

a. Effective competition: No competition is being sought for this interim bridge contract. This action is a sole-source award to the incumbent contractor, justified by the need to ensure uninterrupted continuity of critical services and prevent unacceptable mission delays. However, effective competition is fully anticipated for the long‑term requirement. ACC‑DTA has determined that the only viable path forward is to competitively award the follow‑on contract among eligible 8(a) vendors to ensure the requirement remains within the 8(a) program. Market research confirms that the 8(a) program provides access to a robust pool of capable firms, ensuring a competitive environment that will deliver the best value to the Government.

b. Subcontracting competition: Although has graduated from the 8(a) program (10 January 2026), it remains a small business under SBA size standards.

Therefore, a small business subcontracting plan is not required per RFO FAR 19.109(b)(1). The FFP nature of the bridge contract incentivizes the contractor to obtain competitive pricing for any subcontracted work.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The current contract was awarded as a direct 8(a) task order under the legacy authority of FAR 19.804‑6(c)(2), which did not require a J&A. As a result, there are no prior competition‑related actions to reconcile.