JA - PTSD Repository Socrata 2025_Redacted.pdf

Control Number VA-25-00064819

JUSTIFICATION

FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics

Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown, NJ 07724

2. Description of Action: This proposed action is for a Firm-Fixed-Price delivery order to be issued under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for brand-name Socrata Open Data Platform Access Subscription and Socrata Consultant support for the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Repository database.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services: The proposed action is to provide access to the Socrata hosting platform and Socrata Consultant support for the PTSD Repository database (https://ptsd-va.data.socrata.com). The Socrata Consultant (i.e., a program manager and data analyst) will work with the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) staff to reformat new data from the current Microsoft Excel format (.xls) to an easy to use online version. Additionally, there are several variables in the Excel database where a single cell contains two separate elements and contractor support will be necessary to separate these two elements into distinct variables within their own respective cells.

This will include configuring an updated schema for breaking the data into useable tables, cleaning and formatting data so that it can be incorporated into the current platform and validating the entire dataset.

The Socrata Consultant will also assist with creating an abstraction template within the platform which will consist of the following: combining the new data with the current data in the PTSD-Repository and updating the application with the most recent version of the database; creating a PTSD Repository specific user resource; creating auto notification of errors in the database; creating live links to bibliographic records of publications that are referenced in the database; establishing an online tool to monitor the use of the site;

creating data stories; and enabling the system to register users to create and save visualizations and filtered data.

The contractor shall ensure the Repository is in conformance with all VA defined architecture requirements for the PTSD Repository as listed in the Product Description.

The Period of Performance for this effort will be a 12-month Base Period with four (4) 12-Month Option Periods as we anticipate use of the repository for the next five years at a minimum. The total estimated value of the proposed action is

4. Statutory Authority: Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 16.505(a)(4), the following brand-name requirement is being justified and approved as an exception to fair opportunity under the statutory authority of Section 41 U.S.C.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Repository Control Number VA-25-00064819

4106(c)(2) as implemented by FAR Subpart 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), entitled “Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized.”

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: In 2019, the NCPTSD competitively awarded a contract for a new PTSD Repository. After reviewing several proposed solutions, the Socrata platform from Tyler Technologies was selected. The Socrata platform is a proprietary solution that was selected for several reasons including but not limited to: 1) the availability of a built in Application Programming Interface (API) and API documentation that allow users to access and utilize data in various formats according to user needs off platform; 2) use of the Open Data Protocol (O-Data) that ensures interoperability with other applications to pull the data and work with it using external tools; 3) the ability of the platform to allow the data to be downloaded in a variety of formats to further facilitate using off platform tools to work with the data; 4) the ability to view, sort, and create visualizations within the platform to better understand the data; 5) the ability to log in and save the visualizations; and 6) the ability to create and share data stories that allow NCPTSD to communicate the findings to the public.

Four years ago, the VA worked with Tyler Technologies’ Socrata Consultants to reconfigure VA’s Socrata-based PTSD Repository to abstract data from over 300 studies to create an interactive database capable of producing visualizations and stories that make the data understandable and usable by Veterans, researchers, and clinicians.

This was necessary because the data which was appropriate for a systematic review was not in the optimal format for public use. This took considerable effort from both the Contractor and VA to determine how best to translate and transform the data for use from multiple audiences. Based on this and the interoperability concerns discussed below, only Socrata can provide the necessary subscriptions required to keep VA’s repository operational. Additionally, as the Socrata platform is based on its proprietary source code, only consultants from Socrata have the requisite skill sets, knowledge of Socrata, understanding of VA’s PTSD Repository configuration, and access to the underlying proprietary code base to provide the necessary consultation services in support of the requirements listed in Section 3 above.

Since the website went live, the data has been made available to the public and the VA has actively marketed the site. Based on data pulled in February, we estimate that over the past year there were approximately 176,004 views and 17,124 data downloads.

Also, the data is interoperable with Metapsy.org where it has been shared an additional 1,448 times over the past year. To preserve the important work – which includes over 300 data elements from over 500 studies, 41 visualizations, 17 data tables, 3 geospatial maps, and 26 data stories – if the VA transitions to an entirely new platform, the new platform will need to be recompeted, configured, and released into production, all while maintaining the current site resulting in a significant duplication of cost and effort.

Recompeting the effort to obtain a new platform would require developing and configuring a new system, including obtaining VA required security checks and securing an Authority to Operate. This process would cost an amount unlikely to be recouped through competition in addition to an operation delay of 9 to 12 months.

Additionally, if VA were to transition to a different product instead of Socrata, many capabilities – such as stories and visualizations developed over several months – would cease to function. These assets would need to be rebuilt in the new platform, introducing added complexity and risk. Furthermore, the visualizations extend beyond the PTSD Repository and are used in other NCPTSD online products, which would fail to download properly due to their reliance on the current Socrata platform configuration.

Another advantage of the current platform is its ability to be shared with other VA open data groups that use the same system. While each site maintains its autonomy, meta-data can be transferred seamlessly between the sites. Furthermore, transitioning to a different platform would require a steep learning curve in understanding the current database and data schemas. This would significantly impact government personnel, who would need to invest time to learn a new system and to integrate the data to the new platform, as well as affect the many researchers who rely on the data provided by the repository. The Socrata platform is essential to the Government’s requirements.

Market research indicates other similar products that do not meet or cannot be modified to meet the agency’s needs given the aforementioned interoperability concerns due to a lack of modernized data infrastructure with queries and statistical functions.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in paragraph 8 of this justification. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government’s requirements. It was determined, however, that limited competition is viable among resellers for these brand-name items. In accordance with FAR 5.301 and 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D), the award notice for this action will be synopsized on Contract Opportunities and this justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award of the order.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed.

8. Market Research: NCPTSD Subject Matter Experts regularly reviewed industry trade publications and conducted internet searches between February 2025 to March 2025 to ascertain if any other products were available in the marketplace that had similar capabilities to the Socrata Platform and Consultant support. NCPTSD Subject Matter Experts reviewed several other commercial database software platforms with similar functionality including: Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN) (https://ckan.org/) DKAN (https://getdkan.org/) and Esri ArcGIS. None of them are fully interoperable with Socrata and as such would require the duplication of costs and delays as outlined in Section 5. Based on all of these market research efforts, the Government’s technical experts have determined that only Socrata brand-name software can meet all of VA’s needs.

Additional market research was conducted by the Program Manager and Contract Specialist in March 2025 via a search on the NASA SEWP V GWAC Provider Lookup Tool which yielded several resellers of Tyler Technology brand-name products. Additionally, a Request for Information (RFI), RFI #838000, was posted through the NASA SWEP Marketing Research Tool to identify SDVOSB Groups B, C, D resellers and received two responses. It was determined that these two responses from two contractors would meet the requirements of this solicitation. Furthermore, NASA SEWP V GWAC has a dynamic catalog where line items can be added based on customer requests; therefore, as long as the required item or service is within scope of the NASA SEWP V contracts, items and services can be added to the catalog.

9. Other Facts: None.

10. Technical and Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

11. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based on

12. Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.