Justification and Approval_ SS4MF 47QFCA23R0050_June2023.pdf

CUI//SP-SSEL

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 1 Version 08/25/2022

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Solicitation 47QFCA23R0050

Sesame Street for Military Families in support of:

Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD)

Military Community and Family Policy

(MC&FP)

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service

Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) 1800 F Street, NW (QF0B) Washington, D.C. 20405

Interagency Agreement Number 47QFCA23S0092

Controlled by: GSA FEDSIM contact.fedsim@gsa.gov

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 2 Version 08/25/2022

The General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) makes this Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other Than Full and Open Competition orders pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302.

1. Identification of Agency and Contracting Activity:

Agency:

GSA FEDSIM acting in support of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP) Contracting Activity:

GSA FEDSIM Contracting Office (QF0B) 1800 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20405

2. Nature and/or Description of Action Being Approved:

This is a justification to award a new Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract to Sesame Workshop for Sesame Street for Military Families (SS4MF) program support. Currently, MC&FP has an open market contract (47QFCA22C0024) with Sesame Workshop for these services, with performance ending September 29, 2023. This new acquisition for continued services includes continued use of Sesame Street characters for brand recognition, expanding web and mobile app content, executing an annual promotional campaign for the SS4MF program product portfolio, technical support (e.g., maintenance, upgrades) and sustainment of the existing mobile app(s) mobile gateway and website, and the implementation of an outcome study or needs assessment.

The estimated value of the contract is $4,968,665 for a one-year Base Period and four, one year Option Periods.

3. A Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet Agency’s Need (Including the Estimated Value):

The SS4MF program has been developing resources to improve parent-child communication and showing this as an effective strategy for improving family functioning. Experts in the field of childhood trauma suggest that it is critical to enhance protective factors such as communication, emotional regulation, and positive coping so those families at risk have a better chance of positive outcomes.

In support of this information, the overarching objectives of this contract are to:

• Augment existing content and develop additional content (e.g., videos, printables, interactive web tools) in topic areas most relevant to improving the well-being of military parents/caregivers and their young children.

• Provide website hosting, maintenance, and upgrade services to the SS4MF website.

• Provide maintenance and upgrade services to The Big Moving Adventure mobile app and SS4MF gateway.

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 3 Version 08/25/2022

• Provide promotional and marketing services for the SS4MF program’s product portfolio to ensure wide-spread dissemination to the target population.

• Conduct outcome evaluation tasks to analyze effectiveness and usefulness of SS4MF, using past and current indicators to inform development of new content.

The specific tasks are shown below:

TASKS

Task 1 – Project Management Task 2 – Provide Website Hosting Task 3 – Provide Mobile Application Services Task 4 – Marketing and Promotional Services Task 5 – Outcome Evaluation / Needs Assessment Plan Task 6 – Expanded Content / Delivery Systems for Website and Mobile Apps Task 7 – Partnerships and Implementations Task 8 - Program Evaluation (Optional in Option Periods)

4. An Identification of the Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition:

This Sole Source contract will be awarded pursuant to the authority of 41 United States Code (U.S.C.) 3304 as implemented by FAR 6.302-1.

a. FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

5. A Demonstration that the Proposed Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or the Nature of the Acquisition Requires Use of the Authority Cited:

Parents and caregivers in challenging situations can affect child development in multiple ways, including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Studies link parental stress to obesity in children, and studies based on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have demonstrated that exposure to trauma over long periods of time during early childhood can lead to permanent changes in brain development.

Unfortunately, military families are not immune to these stressors faced by their civilian counterparts. The Department of Defense (DoD) has documented a framework in Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 6400.05, New Parent Support Program (NPSP) for providing services to mitigate the effects of ACEs on military parents and their children.

This framework is consistent with the growing body of research that indicates the importance of family engagement in supporting young children’s overall development, and corresponding research indicating that a range of protective factors serve as key components in mitigating the potential long-term impact of ACEs. The protective factors include increasing knowledge of parenting and child development, supporting the social and emotional competence of children, as well as building nurturing attachments and positive interactions in families. Military families can benefit from using these kinds of simple nurturing strategies in the early childhood years to build children’s age-

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 4 Version 08/25/2022 appropriate language, literacy, and math skills, healthy physical development, and social-emotional development and to mitigate the effects of economic distress and trauma.

Many of these strategies can be realized through simple interactions with caring adults during everyday moments. However, incorporating these behaviors into everyday practice can seem like a low priority compared with the day-to-day demands placed on a military family with an active-duty parent. Parents and caregivers need relevant, timely, and convenient support to adopt and sustain these essential habits. Additionally, there is a critical need for engaging, high-quality educational resources and messaging that can be shared between formal or informal learning settings and parents or other family caregivers. These resources can help to build a home-school connection and bolster family engagement in children’s learning from an early age.

The Government has utilized Sesame Workshop from 2008 to present. They bring a unique knowledge and experience of military family efforts related to child development, integrating Sesame Street characters in this support. Utilizing any other contractor would cost the Government substantial resources and effort while losing the vast experience that Sesame Workshop provides. Also, using another contractor would not allow continued use of the Sesame Street characters which provides credibility and recognition to military family’s children. As will be described later in the document, the familiarity of the characters for military family’s children is the main reason for its successful use in this program. There have been several studies of metrics that show the positive impact on children using the characters to help them relate to military family situations. Sesame Workshop outcome studies conducted from 2008 to 2022 demonstrate that the SS4MF program specifically benefits military families. Competitors either do not target the military family demographic or cannot demonstrate effective outcomes of their programs if they do engage the military community. Some of the competitors are The Walt Disney Company, Fred Rogers Company, Nickelodeon, and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Kids. These companies offer children learning programs, discounted tickets to theme parks, and children’s television programs. While these offer avenues for helping children, none offer the specific programs that are geared towards the military family environment. Also, as studies have shown, the use of Sesame Street characters provides a strong connection with military children. There is research evidence suggesting that the use of the characters as a trusted source can result in behavior change for children and their parents. Only Sesame Workshop combines both psychoeducation and entertainment to educate young children with the Sesame Street characters. All other competitors are primarily entertainment-focused and do not have the rights to use Sesame Street characters, which is an essential part of the program.

The success and impact of the Sesame Workshop SS4MF program to date clearly supports a sole source justification. Continuing work with this contract provides the opportunity to maintain and improve the valuable resources that have been developed using the unique Sesame Street characters and resources. No other contractor can provide support to maintain the material contained in this program, since the characters in the program are only available from Sesame Workshop. As in prior initiatives, the proposed contractor retains all rights, title, and interest (including copyright) to Sesame Workshop concepts, characters, and themes. It is due to the existence of these limited data rights that

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 5 Version 08/25/2022 the services of the proposed contractor are essential. Sesame is a copyrighted name and there are no authorized resellers of their trademark name or materials.

6. A Description of Efforts Made to Ensure that Offers are Solicited From as Many Potential Sources as Practicable:

In accordance with FAR Part 5.203(a)(2), the Contracting Officer will use the combined synopsis and solicitation procedures identified in FAR Part 12.603. The solicitation will be published via SAM.gov stating the Government’s plan to award this acquisition as a Sole Source effort to Sesame Workshop.

7. A Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable:

Based on the data gathered, the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. The expectation of reaching a fair and reasonable price was determined through market research in order to determine best value for MC&FP. The total amount of funding required for the total estimated period of a one-year Base Period and four, one year Option Periods is approximately $4,968,665.

8. A Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results or a Statement of the Reason Market Research was not Conducted:

Market research was conducted by FEDSIM and MC&FP and included internet searches for children’s programs for military families in March 2023. The internet search terms included military, children, preschoolers, parents, deployment, media, education, well-being and entertainment and Sesame Street competitors. The efforts to obtain competition identified potential competitors: The Walt Disney Company, Fred Rogers Company, Nickelodeon, and PBS Kids.

The mission statements and products of the identified competitors were compared with those of Sesame Street. Based on the comparison, these potential competitors did create media content, websites, and mobile applications for preschoolers. Each of these had branded characters as part of their product portfolio. The mission statements for the Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon, and PBS Kids emphasized their commitment to providing high quality entertainment content to children but not explicitly to improve the wellbeing of children and not specifically for the military community. The Fred Rogers company mission also included the intention to improve open and honest communication with children but the products and content they have developed are not psychologically focused and throughout its history have not focused on the unique needs of a population like military children. Rather, their content is generalized to meet all children ages 2 to 17.

In all four companies, there was no identified research that indicated the effectiveness of any psychological media or products related to the unique needs of military children.

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 6 Version 08/25/2022

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other Than Full and Open Competition:

The SS4MF program has achieved a high rate of success in assisting military families, especially young children, with adverse family situations during enlistments. Below is information describing the success of the SS4MF program in the military community, and how the program has made a significant difference:

The SS4MF website has made a big difference in military family scenarios and is readily accessible. Usage metrics of the SS4MF website show from the launch date of September 15, 2015 to the end of 2021 that 622,305 new and returning family users visited the site, 853,069 family users have used one of the sessions on the site, and total page views of the site are 1,465,044. Additionally, the SS4MF mobile apps (e.g., The Big Moving Adventure and the Sesame Street for Military Families app) metrics total over 1.25 million downloads since development.

A 2018 randomized controlled trial, conducted by the University of Minnesota, evaluating the Sesame Street multimedia program for families transitioning out of military resulted in the following findings:

● Caregivers who received the Sesame program reported increased self-efficacy in helping their child cope with the transition compared to those assigned to the control condition.

● Caregivers in the intervention condition reported fewer overall child emotional and behavioral problems and a significant reduction in levels of hyperactivity/inattention in their children.

A provider’s track was added to the SS4MF website to assist pediatricians with serving military families by having a better understanding of military life experiences. A 2019 evaluation of the providers web page resulted in the following findings:

● Nearly all providers (97%) believe that using the Sesame Street for Military

Families providers webpage had a positive impact on the way they serve military families, including half (53%) who believe it had a very positive impact.

● Statistically significant (p <.05) increases were seen in providers knowledge of military families including:

o Knowing what questions to ask related to their experience as a military family.

o Knowing what advice to give military families experiencing a homecoming of a family member.

o Knowing how to assist military families with relocation.

o Knowing what advice to give military families experiencing transition to civilian life.

o Knowing how to help families with an injured military member.

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 7 Version 08/25/2022

● In a three-month period using the resources, providers increased their discussions of military-related topics with military families in their care related to military challenges and coping strategies.

An outcome study conducted in 2020 found that parents who used the “Transitions in Health Care” materials prior to a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) were more confident in preparing and talking to their child before a doctor’s visit and knowing how to help their child express their feelings during a visit.

In 2022, Sesame Workshop conducted a formative research study on how military families describe and define “social isolation,” “community,” and “community building” and “what the critical needs and challenges as it relates to social isolation (including the unique needs of reserve and National Guard members)”. Research findings were used to determine ways SS4MF resources can help military families cope with social isolation and build community.

The information provided above shows the importance of the SS4MF program in overall military family support. The program provides unique support towards adverse situations for military families, especially children. Usage metrics show that the SS4MF program is being used by significant numbers of military families, and family feedback shows significant assistance to families in overcoming challenges in the everyday life of the military family. As stated earlier, this unique support utilizing Sesame Street characters and military-specific focus provides a strong connection with military children and is the only source to continue this current support.

10. A Listing of the Sources, if any, That Expressed, In Writing, An Interest in the Acquisition:

To date, the Contracting Officer has not received any statements of interest regarding the proposed Sole Source effort, except for the incumbent provided, Sesame Workshop.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if Any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome Any Barriers to Competition Before Any Subsequent Acquisition for the Supplies or Services Required:

While the SS4MF program provides unique capabilities to MC&FP in supporting military families, all available sources will continue to be reviewed to ensure that requirements for future acquisitions will be addressed according to MC&FP and GSA directives and acquisition guidelines.

12. Contracting Officer Certification that the Justification is Accurate and Complete to the Best of the Contracting Officer’s Knowledge and Belief:

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and I determine on the basis of the findings above that an other than full and open competition approach is in accordance with the requirements and is in the best interest of the Government.

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

FEDSIM is a Client Support Center housed within GSA, FAS, AAS Page 8 Version 08/25/2022

Joseph M. Flanigan Date Contracting Officer FEDSIM Acquisition, DOD

Technical and Requirements Personnel Assertion:

The Technical and Requirements Personnel assertion is provided as an Attachment.

Final Approval:

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and I determine on the basis of the findings above that an other than full and open competition approach is in accordance with the requirements and is in the best interest of the Government.

Pete Burr Date Competition Advocate

DocuSign Envelope ID: AF6C0E69-8C20-4367-A68A-44CC22609DD3

6/21/2023

DocuSign Envelope ID: D71E537E-1044-4E35-A861-0FA9E5966BD3

6/27/2023