JA for urgent and compelling_Chatham SCS signed_Redacted.pdf

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION-

Unusual and Compelling Urgency

Supply: Lodging, Meals, and Laundry for COVID-19 Response

Authority:10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(2) as implemented by FAR Part 6.302-2 Unusual and compelling urgency.

Amount:

1. Contracting Activity: Illinois Army National Guard United States Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO), 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd, Springfield, IL 62702.

2. Description of the Action: A single Firm Fixed Price (FFP) purchase order is anticipated to be awarded to the business concern through the procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. This new firm fixed priced purchase order will be solicited as other than full and open competition. The lodging will be procured using FY20 Operational and Maintenance funding.

3. Description of Supplies/Services: Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) has been tasked to assist with the COVID-19 response efforts and is required to provide lodging, meals and laundry to its Soldiers. Illinois has been deeply impacted by COVID-19 with nearly 40,000 positive tests and 2,215 deaths. The initial response effort had our Soldiers on State Active Duty (SAD) and State funds were used to procure lodging and meals. On 13 March, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency under The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (The Stafford Act). This has enabled the ILARNG to use federal funding for COVID-19 response efforts. The first Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers transitioned from SAD to T32 502(f) on 3 April 2020.

4. Authority Cited: 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(2) as implemented by FAR Part 6.302-2 - Unusual and compelling urgency.

5. Reason for Authority Cited: On March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump invoked The Stafford Act to combat the novel coronavirus COVID-19. As described in FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and compelling urgency - and approved in accordance with FAR 6.303 and 6.304.

The Government currently have a contract in place (W91SMC-20-P-0028) awarded on 29 May 2020 to support the COVID-19 operation at the Chatham test site. The contract included an option period of 01 July 2020 through 31 July 2020. The Government anticipates on exercising the option to continue the COVID-19 operation support.

The original COVID-19 operation mission date was through 24 June 2020. Leadership revised the end date again on 22 May 2020 to continue the mission through 21 August 2020.

In order to prevent the displacement of Soldiers and disrupt the continuity of operations, the determination was made to keep the Soldiers in place at their current lodging location. As such, the Government must now continue to procure the lodging and meals for this requirement through 21 August 2020. IAW FAR Subpart 18.104, Agencies may limit the number of sources and full and open competition need not be provided for contracting actions involving urgent requirements.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: An internet search was conducted to locate hotels within 5 miles of zip code 60620. While there are multiple hotels in the area, it was determined that leaving the Soldiers in their current hotel would have less impact on mission execution.

Social distancing requires a minimum of 6ft spacing between people. Maintaining social distancing while trying to relocate would be very time consuming and put an unnecessary delay in the mission. Relocating would require multiple trips to and from each hotel to ensure that social distancing is being implemented. In addition to the safety risks due to social distancing, relocating would also cause a disruption of services which would have an impact on COVID-19 Response mission execution.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: Due to the nature of the emergency, and the circumstance of current Soldier placement, no additional action was taken to increase competition. The intent is to expedite the time it takes to put a contract in place due to the urgency of the requirement and the subsequent transition of authorities from the state contracting office to the federal contracting office.

8. Market Research: Market Research was conducted by calling the hotel the Soldiers are staying at and requesting an estimate of the current prices as well as an internet search to locate nearby hotels. The hotel has also been determined to be in close proximity to the mission site.

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10. Other Facts: None