JA_IHR Compliance_Redacted 09042020.pdf

Defense Threat Reduction Agency

8725 John J. Kingman Road, Stop 6201

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Nature and/or Description of Action

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) contracting activity proposes to execute a sole source follow-on contract without using full and open competition on behalf of the Cooperative

Threat Reduction (CTR) program’s Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP). This effort will create tools and build capacity for implementation of the International Health Regulations

(IHR) 2005 in Iraq. The proposed follow-on contract will have a 36 month Period of

Performance (PoP) and an estimated dollar value of $3.3 Million.

2. Description of the Supplies/Services Required

DTRA requires a series of IHR compliance workshops in Iraq as a follow-on to the workshops previously conducted by Georgetown University under HDTRA1-16-C-0058, “Creating Tools and

Building Capacity for Global Implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).”

This project focused on supporting several partner countries in the Middle East region, including

Iraq, with IHR compliance and was co-funded by the United Kingdom Defence Science and

Technology Laboratory (DSTL). This contract implemented workshops and facilitated work plans to help these partner countries develop adequate disease surveillance governance and regulatory frameworks in order to achieve IHR compliance. Although progress was made in Iraq, the March

2019 Iraq Joint External Evaluation (JEE) identified remaining gaps in IHR compliance.

Therefore, DTRA CTR BTRP plans to issue a follow-on contract for IHR compliance in Iraq.

This follow-on contract will provide additional IHR compliance workshops and facilitate the completion of the existing IHR work plans. It will support Iraq with development of an adequate framework to support the detection, assessment, and reporting of disease events, regardless of origin, consistent with the obligations of IHR. The contract will coordinate implementation of IHR core capacities throughout Iraq by linking IHR focal points within relevant ministries to the existing inter-ministerial IHR Technical Committee. Outcomes of this project help Iraq meet its

IHR commitments by developing tools for sustainable IHR engagement across the Kurdish

Regional Government (KRG) and Federal Government in Iraq. Ultimately, the project will increase public health information sharing and cooperation between the KRG and Federal

Government in Iraq, which will improve detection and response to World Health Organization mandatory reportable disease outbreaks.

3. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this non-competitive action is:

10 United States Code (U.S.C.) 2304(c)(l) or 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), as implemented by FAR

Subpart 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source.

4. Applicability of Authority

The applicability of this authority is based upon Georgetown’s unique experience in conducting

IHR compliance workshops in Iraq and its proprietary IHR costing tool. Dr. Rebecca Katz and her team at the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security have unique experience and knowledge of the 2005 IHR, as well as required legislative instruments to implement the regulations in a resource-constrained environment. Dr. Katz and her team implemented three IHR compliance workshops for Iraqis during fiscal years 2018 and 2019.

Through these workshops, Dr. Katz’s team at Georgetown, developed work plans with the Iraqi stakeholders and provided subject matter expertise to help implement these plans. Throughout this process, they have gained a unique understanding of Iraq’s needs in IHR compliance and built relationships with key Iraqi stakeholders. Dr. Katz’s team at Georgetown has a unique skillset in promoting IHR compliance since they work with the World Health Organization

(WHO) and actively research and write publications on IHR compliance. Due to their experience, expertise, and relationships in Iraq, Georgetown University is uniquely positioned to help Iraq finalize and complete their IHR work plans.

Dr. Katz’s team at Georgetown also maintains a proprietary tool for Ministries of Health to use to accurately assess costs of IHR implementation in each of the core capacities in their respective country, using their own set of inputs. This ensures that the countries have sufficient national level legislation for disease surveillance and response, and can meet their national obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention and United Nations Security Council (UNSCR) 1540.

This costing tool is a key aspect of the planned IHR compliance workshops in Iraq.

The experience that Dr. Katz and colleagues gained in developing the costing tool and conducting IHR workshops in Iraq and other developing nations in the region makes them uniquely qualified to execute the planned workshops. These workshops require partner country consent and a collaborative relationship with key government stakeholders. Dr. Katz’s team at

Georgetown has existing relationships with Iraqi and international IHR stakeholders and the experience required to navigate the complex requirements of the Government of Iraq (GoI) bureaucracy to gain buy-in for the execution of the workshops and acceptance of the recommendations for legislative changes. These relationships have allowed Dr. Katz’s team to glen unique insights from Iraqi counterparts. For example, KRG participants notified Dr. Katz’s team of weaknesses in the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) process recently conducted by WHO.

This information allowed Dr. Katz’s team at Georgetown to create more informed IHR work plans that Iraq will finalize and, eventually, implement. If a new contract were initiated for IHR compliance workshops in Iraq, the new implementer would have to spend significant time and money to deploy, build relationships, gain buy-in from the GoI, and tailor existing work plans or develop new work plans. The new implementer would also have to develop their own costing tool, which would cause a schedule delay and increase cost. Issuing a new competitive contract would lead to significant duplication of effort, which would lead to an increased cost of approximately $400,000 to the Government and schedule delays of at least 4 months. Additional details on these cost and schedule delays are listed in section 8, “Other Facts.”

5. Effort to Solicit Potential Sources

The Contracting Specialist posted a sources sought on Federal Business Opportunities on

October 22, 2019. This notice was open for 30 days and specifically sought performers with the following capabilities: expertise in supporting IHR implementation, experience working in Iraq, knowledge of Iraqi IHR stakeholders, and IHR resource allocation management expertise.

The Government received three capability statements from Georgetown University, Rubix and

Critical Mass LLC. The proposed Contracting Officer Representative reviewed the provided capability statements and stated that Rubix and Critical Mass LLC did not address some of the required elements. Furthermore, they did not describe their ability to address some of the critical capabilities required in the statement of work. Specifically, they did not demonstrate any expertise in IHR, experience in conducting IHR compliance training, or expertise in IHR resource allocation management. These critical deficiencies would lead to an increase in the cost of this contract and delay in schedule. On account of this, the Government has determined that

Georgetown University is the only responsible source for this effort.

6. Fair and Reasonable Costs

The anticipated cost/price of this contract action to the Government will be determined to be fair and reasonable based on historical data, the Independent Government Estimate and input/evaluation from the project office. Georgetown University has been a performing contractor, or grantee, under DTRA contracts/grants since April 2017. DTRA has a long standing working relationship with Georgetown which has allowed for us to work together to make sure that the Government receives the best value for its efforts. Georgetown has demonstrated that it is able to effectively manage relatively detailed cost volumes resulting in good value to the USG. This value is compounded by the fact that Georgetown University is an educational institution and applies minimal overhead charges to their direct charge. The

Contracting Officer (CO) has preliminarily concluded that contract negotiations will lead to a fear and reasonable price. The CO’s signature on the resultant document will constitute the determination required by FAR Subpart 6.303-2(b)(7).

7. Market Research

In accordance with FAR Part 10, market research has been conducted for this acquisition. The research sources consisted of prior acquisition information and a review of internet resources as identified below:

a. Historical acquisition: Reviewed the results of recent market research undertaken to meet similar or identical requirements in the DTRA Market Research Repository. This review included the previous Georgetown contract for IHR compliance workshops in the

CENTCOM region (HDTRA1-16-C0058). The only qualified provider identified was

Dr. Katz’s team at Georgetown University.

b. Government and/or Commercial Databases: DTRA reviewed General Services

Administration’s (GSA) services and contracts databases and found that there were no contracts that encompassed all the activities under this statement of work. The GSA eLibrary is a comprehensive source of the latest GSA contract award information and lists the qualified vendors under each contract. No additional qualified performers were identified.

i. GSA eLibrary: http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/home.do

ii. GSA One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Small Business (OASIS-

SB) multiple award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ):

http://www.gsaelibrary.gsa.gov/ElibMain/home.do http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/161367

c. Knowledgeable people: Contacted knowledgeable individuals in Government and industry, including Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs) and implementers from other Iraq work, regarding market capabilities to meet requirements. The only qualified provider identified was Dr. Katz’s team at Georgetown University.

d. Government wide databases: Queried database of contracts and other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies available at https://www.contractdirectory.gov/contractdirectory/ and other Government and commercial databases that provide information relevant to agency acquisitions. No additional qualified performers were identified.

e. Catalogs and literature: Reviewed relevant literature published by the World Health

Organization and academic sources. The only qualified provider identified was Dr.

Katz’s team at Georgetown University. Some specific sources reviewed were:

i. Tools and Workshops to Build Capacity for IHR Implementation in Iraq:

https://ghss.georgetown.edu/work/ihrimplementation#

ii. First International Global Health Security Conference (GHS 2019):

https://ghss.georgetown.edu/work/ghs2019#

iii. The International Health Regulations 10 Years On: The Governing Framework for Global Health Security: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/1532/

iv. Strengthening health security by implementing the International Health

Regulations (2005): https://www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241580496/en/

This research found no sources were capable of meeting this requirement other than Dr. Katz and her team at Georgetown University.

8. Other Facts

Awarding this effort to a different contractor would result in a duplication of costs in the amount of approximately $400,000 to the Government and would delay the schedule for project implementation by at least 4 months while initial work plans are drafted, Iraqi stakeholders are identified, and contractor staff is deployed. The cost to the government is based upon the cost for another performer to establish relationships with Iraqi stakeholders and catch up on the work plan (two workshops - $150,000 each) and the cost to develop an IHR costing tool similar to

Georgetown’s existing tool ($100,000). These cost estimates are derived from actual past contract execution.

9. Interested Sources

The Government received three capability statements from Georgetown University, Rubix and

Critical Mass LLC; however, upon further review only Georgetown University was considered capable of completing all of the tasks as identified in the SOW. Georgetown submitted a response to the Sources Sought, and as detailed above, it was able to demonstrate an ability to meet all necessary capabilities.

10. Subsequent Actions

No follow-on activities are currently contemplated by DTRA for this, or related efforts. In the http://www.contractdirectory.gov/contractdirectory/ https://ghss.georgetown.edu/work/ihrimplementation https://ghss.georgetown.edu/work/ghs2019 https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/1532/ https://www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241580496/en/ event that additional requirements arise, DTRA will independently evaluate them at that time.

Georgetown gives its partner countries free access to their IHR costing tool in perpetuity.

Therefore, Iraq will have free access to the tool after the completion of the PoP.

E.J.1229146510

Technical Certification

I certify that the data and information forming the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

KLUCHKO.LUK

Digitally signed by

KLUCHKO.LUKE.J.122914651

Program Manager Date

Date: 2020.01.27 12:17:53

Contracting Officer Certification -05'00'

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Digitally signed by

LEVAC.GAGE.N.1019304104

Date: 2020.01.27 16:35:24 -05'00'

Contracting Officer Date

General Counsel Coordination

This justification is/is not legally sufficient.

Attorney Date

Approval

Based on the above justification, I hereby approve accomplishment of this acquisition by means other than using full and open competition.

Competition Advocate ($700 thousand to $13.5 million) Date