JnA REDACTED.pdf

MCINCR RCO – RA General J&A Template – Strategic Branch

Fiscal Year 2024_Ver.1

Requiring Activity (RA) Justification and Approval (J&A) for Sole Source or Brand Name

I. AGENCY NAME: Marine Barracks 8th and I/ E

II. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE:

1. Commercial description: Event production services at the Washington Hilton, to include audiovisual (A/V), lighting, sound, video projection, and stage support for the Marine Barracks Washington Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

2. Intended use: This service is required to support the Marine Barracks Washington (MBW) Marine Corps Birthday Ball hosted at the Washington Hilton. Encore is the in-house and exclusive A/V provider for the venue and is responsible for all production, technical setup, and support required to execute large-scale events in the Hilton’s grand ballroom. Their equipment and staff are integrated into the hotel’s infrastructure and are the only authorized providers permitted to operate in-house systems.

3. Source or Brand Name: Washington Hilton (Dupont Hotel Project Owner, LLC)

5. The requested period of performance/license coverage period or delivery date is 21 November 2026.

III. THE DETERMINATION FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION IS

BASED ON THE FOLLOWING:

A. ☒ ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE

1. ☐ RESTRICTIVE RIGHTS. The source has established proprietary rights, limited rights in data, patent rights, copyrights, or secret processes in the item or service required.

2. ☒ EXCLUSIVE LICENSING AGREEMENTS. The item or service is only available from the

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or there is only one authorized distributor or technical representative for the OEM.

1. Dupont Hotel Project Owner, LLC

2. The Washington Hilton maintains an exclusive contract with Encore Global as its sole authorized in-house audiovisual and production provider. This exclusivity covers the use of all hotel-installed A/V infrastructure, including cabling, rigging points, power sources, and projection systems. External vendors are not permitted to interface with or operate within this system without Encore oversight due to liability, safety, and operational policies established by the hotel. However, Encore Global requires advance payment before it will accept a contract, so the contract must be done through the Washington Hilton rather than directly with Encore Global.

3. Market research conducted included direct correspondence with the Washington Hilton events department, which confirmed Encore Global’s exclusive rights to provide A/V services within the facility. Additional research verified that Encore Global is listed as the official in-house partner on the Hilton’s corporate event services webpage.

3. ☐ OTHER REASONS.

B. ☐ BRAND NAME. Item required must be a brand name, product, or feature of a product, particular to one manufacturer.

IV. ACTIONS TAKEN TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS

1. Research included review of multiple third-party A/V vendors but all were unable to perform services at the Washington Hilton due to the venue’s in-house contract with Encore.

2. The Washington Hilton confirmed that Encore is the only authorized provider with access to the hotel’s technical infrastructure. Any external vendors would be required to subcontract through Encore, resulting in additional cost and logistical complexity.

3. For future events at other venues, the Marine Barracks Washington will conduct market research to identify competitive providers to ensure best value and open competition whenever venue restrictions do not apply.

4. The Government will continue to conduct venue assessments and market research prior to contracting event production services to determine if other providers are available or if venue policies allow alternative vendors.

V. CERTIFICATIONS

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