JA DoDLInvestment Financial Ratings Literacy Basics- Redacted.pdf

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE

March 2023 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 2 of 5

I. Contracting Activity.

773 Enterprise Source Squadron 1517 Billy Mitchell Blvd, Bldg 954 San Antonio, TX 78236-1865

II. Nature and/or description of the action being processed.

AFSVC/VCL requests authority to purchase access to the Weiss Financial Ratings Online Database for the DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics subscription using Other Than Full and Open Competition as prescribed by FAR 13.106-1(b)(soliciting from a single source), and 13.501(a)(Sole source acquisitions). This individual action will result in the award of a new Firm Fixed Price Contract. This sole source requirement will be acquired from the following organization: Grey House Publishing, Inc.

The mission of DoD Libraries is outlined in DoDI 1015.10 stating DoD Libraries will provide information resources and services required to accomplish the mission. The DoD libraries support military personnel assigned to contingency operations, remote sites, and military missions IAW DoDI 1015.10, Military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs. The program provides professional military and voluntary education programs materials and services. Libraries also provide facilities, resources, and services to enhance the quality of life, regeneration, and resiliency for authorized customers. These resources relate to various overarching goals of the DoD such as recreation, physical wellness, emotional resiliency, and educational pursuits.

To meet these needs, the DoD libraries must procure resources that can be accessed globally, including in areas with low or no internet access, and provide the below stated requirements. These resources need to include access to quality of life resources. The DoD Library Program has a requirement for the Weiss Financial Ratings Online Database from Grey House Publishing. Weiss ratings provide independent, unbiased ratings of over 63,000 stocks, funds, insurers and financial institutions. This service not only provides the financial strength ratings and financial planning tools for insurance, banks, mutual funds, and stocks but also covers information and ratings on insurance companies including those that supply Medicare Supplemental Insurance. Grey House Publishing, Inc.

also provides early financial literacy starting from the basics of financial management. Weiss Financial Ratings and Weiss Financial Literacy Basics from Grey House Publishing offers an online resource of carefully compiled and researched Financial Ratings Series providing a single source for financial strength ratings and financial planning tools covering insurance, banks, mutual funds, and stocks. Weiss Ratings, began in 1971, as an independent rating service for approximately 900 life and annuity insurers, 2,700 property and casualty insurers, and 600 health insurers and HMO's plus 8,000 banks and S&Ls. The U.S. General Accounting Office validated Weiss' accuracy in its Insurance Ratings study. Weiss also distributes independent ratings on shares of thousands of publicly traded companies, mutual funds, closed-end funds, and ETFs.

Grey House Publishing is the only provider of Weiss Ratings. Without this sole source acquisition, the DoD Library's mission to provide all DoDL users with reliable financial information support would be seriously harmed or delayed without the latest, up-to-the-minute information available from this subscription.

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs.

The proposed effort covered by this individual J&A is for a 60-month subscription (1 Base Year + 4 Option Years) for the Weiss Financial Ratings Online Database from Grey House Publishing, Inc. for DoD Libraries. The requirement is for a subscription database that provides financial ratings information that support professional, education and enhances quality of life for DoD personnel. This system must be able to interface with the DODL database platform. Security between the Website and server must be Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3. Must be able to supply or allow retrieval of database usage statistics by Branch of Service (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Military OneSource/Other, Navy, and Space Force). Must have HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) with long

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

March 2023 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 3 of 5 duration deployed on the servers to mitigate/prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Website certificates must be RSA 2048-bits (SHA256withRSA). Must be able to provide a login system for customers that meets the needs of active duty users and their dependents as well as retirees.

The current contract ends on 29 Sept 2024. The new contract action will have a Period of Performance of one

(1) Base year + four (4) 12 month option years: 30 Sept 2024 - 29 Sept 2029 with an estimated contract value of

Base Period: CLIN 0001 - DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics: 30 Sep 2024 - 29 Sep 2025, OY 1 : CLIN 1001 - DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics: 30 Sep 2025 - 29 Sep 2026, OY 2: CLIN 2001 - DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics: 30 Sep 2026 - 29 Sep 2027, OY 3: CLIN 3001 - DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics: 30 Sep 2027 - 29 Sep 2028, OY 4: CLIN 4001 - DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics: 30 Sep 2028 - 29 Sep 2029, IV. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

DAFFARS 5313.501 - 10 U.S.C. 3572, Implementation of Simplified Acquisition Procedures (41 U.F.C. 1901)

V. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above (applicability of authority).

The Weiss Financial Ratings Online Database for the DoDL Investment Financial Ratings & Literacy Basics subscription offers an all-encompassing collection and services that provide high quality resources that can be accessible in all locations. The depth and breadth of Grey House Publishing, Inc. make it the only feasible supplier that can meet the DOD libraries' needs and provide customers with an all-inclusive database. There are no other comparable services that would cover all of these aspects in one place with the same functionality and access. Without this acquisition, the DOD Libraries' mission to provide timely and instantly accessible digital information that can be streamed or downloaded would be seriously harmed or delayed without the latest, up-to-the minute information and full service capabilities available from this subscription.

Greyhouse Publishing, Inc. has exclusive legal copyright to its content collection and is a "must order direct" company. The Weiss Financial Ratings Online Database cannot be accessed through a third party. Greyhouse Publishing, Inc. is the only known source capable of providing the item described above for the Department of Defense to accomplish the libraries' mission. The collection provides financial ratings.

VI. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable.

The Government published a Sources Sought Notice on SAM.gov, Notice ID FA8052PRE0758 on 30 May 2024 with a response due date/time of 4:00 PM CST on 14 June 2024. The notice identified NAICS 519210- Libraries and Archives. Additionally, the posting outlined the minimum characteristics that a similar service would have to meet to fulfill the requirement and requested that any interested firms submit a capabilities package indicating their interest and capacity to fulfill the requirement. Two vendors responded to the notice stating their interest.

The solicitation was posted as Full and Open on SAM.gov on 04 September 2024 with a closing date of 18 September 2024. Competition was indicated because two vendors responded to the sources sought posting.

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

March 2023 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 4 of 5

One offer was received in response to the solicitation (the incumbent). After several attempts, communication with the non-responsive vendor was unsuccessful on 18 September 2023.

Due to only receiving one solicitation response, the acquisition strategy was changed to Sole Source by recommendation of the CO.

Market research confirms that Greyhouse Publishing, Inc. is the only known source that can satisfy the Government's requirements and is intended to support the DoD Libraries Program.

VII. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The CO determination that the price will be fair and reasonable is based on a review of historical data and will be reviewed against the Independent Government Estimate (IGE) to determine reasonableness.

VIII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

In accordance with FAR Part 10, market research was conducted by 773 ESS via Sources Sought notice to canvass potential vendors. See Section VI. Moreover, the AFSVC/VCL and the DoD Library Forum continually surveys the library commercial market in order to determine if competition is available. Library staff reviewed relevant professional journals and publications to acquire information on the capabilities available in the market.

The products of other service providers were also compared and reviewed annually at library technology conferences. The libraries are in constant contact with other agency librarians to assess the competitive environment for this supply.

The Government published a Sources Sought Notice on SAM.gov, Notice ID FA8052PRE0758 on 30 May 2024 with a response due date/time of 4:00 PM CST on 14 June 2024. The notice identified NAICS 519210- Libraries and Archives. Additionally, the posting outlined the minimum characteristics that a similar service would have to meet to fulfill the requirement and requested that any interested firms submit a capabilities package indicating their interest and capacity to fulfill the requirement. Two vendors responded to the notice stating their interest.

The solicitation was posted as Full and Open on SAM.gov on 04 September 2024 with a closing date of 18 September 2024. Competition was indicated because two vendors responded to the sources sought posting.

One offer was received in response to the solicitation (the incumbent). After several attempts, communication with the non-responsive vendor was unsuccessful on 18 September 2023.

Due to only receiving one solicitation response, the acquisition strategy was changed to Sole Source by recommendation of the CO.

IX. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

Based on extensive market research, Grey House Publishing, Inc. is the only known vendor capable of performing this requirement.

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

March 2023 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 5 of 5

X. List of any sources that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

Grey House Publishing, Inc 4919 Route 22 Amenia, NY 12501-5585

XI. 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.

Moving forward the Contracting Office intends to hold an Industry Day to attract potential vendors.

Additionally, the Contracting Office will attend the annual library/educational conference to monitor and evaluate potential sources of supply. They will also post Sources Sought notices to survey the market to determine if there are any viable vendors capable of fulfilling this requirement. The results of the market research will dictate the acquisition strategy.

AFSVC/VCL will continue to survey the market for vendors to obtain competition through publishers' advertisements, annual professional conferences, vendor demonstrations, customer suggestions and new publication reviews in conducting its surveys.

XII. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I have determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

XIII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my signature above, I certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my responsibility, is both accurate and complete.