Justification - Redacted2.pdf

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition – FAR Part 13 Acquisitions under the SAT

V 1.3 (28 June 2018)

MEMORANDUM TO THE FILE

Subj: JUSTIFICATION FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

FOR A FAR PART 13 ACQUISITION UNDER THE SIMPLIFIED

ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

I. BACKGROUND:

1. FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) states for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting Officers may solicit from one source if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization).

2. As required by FAR 13.106-3(b)(3)(i), this memorandum explains the absence of competition for this acquisition, as only one source will be solicited for this requirement (or for a portion of the requirement) and the requirement (or portion of the requirement to be sole-sourced) is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

II. DESCRIPTION OF ITEM OR SERVICE:

This request is for access to a web-based platform, accessible via the Marine Corps Enterprise Network or commercial internet provider, that allows CD personnel to collect, track, assess, and generate reports about traditional and social media coverage and commentary about the Marine Corps. There will be no software loaded onto any Marine Corps information technology devices. Data collected through this platform will allow CD to accurately and quantitatively assess the effectiveness of communication campaigns, identify and address emergent issues, and more effectively advise senior leaders on courses of action that directly affect the reputation, funding, and long-term success of the institution.

This requirement is for subscription services to access software that is capable of:

Identifying, analyzing, and quantifying traditional and social networking content including the reach and spread of a news item or social media posts. Additionally, the platform/service should be able to identify trends in coverage, with the ability to draw out key themes, personalities, and issues.

Integrate with comparable database of traditional print, television, and radio sources; should include access to offline print and broadcast data. Users should be able to search these databases via the platform interface rather than a third party website.

Tracking and mapping the progress a story or issue as it makes its way through both social and traditional reporting.

Customizable reporting options, including the ability to download or send links to web-hosted materials.

Ability to identify the sentiment with which audiences are engaging with posts/coverage.

Additional context and clarity beyond “positive/neutral/negative” is preferred.

The service should support both image and text search across multiple platforms to include traditional and social media.

The platform should have a single, common interface for assessing both traditional and social media content and coverage.

The platform should be able to scan non-English news and social media sources and be able to translate results back into English, to include sentiment analysis, for reporting purposes.

Real-time monitoring and alerts.

The platform should provide customizable dashboards that can be manipulated/customized by the users.

Analyzing text from content in .csv or similar formats already possessed by the users.

Integrating with organizational social media platforms, to include Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, Snapchat, Flickr, and others.

The platform should use Boolean logic to narrow down search terms.

Ability to identify and graphically depict major themes in coverage through natural language processing.

Ability to identify and track inputs from key influencers on Marine Corps issues in the information environment. Network analysis should break down those influencers that create content themselves, and those that amplify content from other sources.

Provide demographic data on users who engage with Marine Corps related content without providing specific personally identifiable information. Demographics should include but not be limited to: age, gender, geographic location, and occupation.

Provide at least 2 years of historic data

Ability to export data and graphs into Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other formats

Social media analysis should include coverage of at least Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, The subscription should include 24/7 access for up to 10 personnel, minimum of 5, with initial training on the use of the system, and access to additional online support materials and support personnel.

Manufacturer Name and Description Quantity Talkwalker Package Enterprise + for Talkwalker Analytics Project U.S. Marine Corps - Print & TV;

- includes a balance of 3 million monthly results

- 3 projects

- unlimited users, search queries, dashboards, reports & alerts

- dedicated Customer Success Manager

- 2 years unlimited Historical Data License

- AI Engine

- image recognition

- Analytics API

Talkwalker Additional data source: Broadcast (via TVEyes)

- up to 5 users

Talkwalker Additional data source: Broadcast (via TVEyes)

- up to 10 users

Talkwalker Additional data source: Print (via LexisNexis)

- up to 5 users

Talkwalker Additional data source: Print (via LexisNexis)

- up to 10 users

Talkwalker Scoring Engine: 1 custom score 2 Talkwalker AI Engine ( 20 Models) 2 Talkwalker Quick Search - 1 Seat 2

Period of Performance: From 29 September 2020 through 28 September 2021.

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

COMPETITION IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING (select all that apply):

A. _X__ ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE (select all that apply):

Talkwalker Inc.

485 Lexington Avenue, 26th floor New York, NY, 10017

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.

3. __X_ OTHER REASONS.

Currently , the Media Operations - HQMC Communication Directorate uses a web-based platform, to collect, track, assess, and generate reports about traditional and social media coverage and commentary about the Marine Corps.

This platform establishes access to a website that provides access to databases of news and social media posts and crawls the internet for relevant content, along with the organic ability to analyze and graphically depict underlying themes, sentiment, and metrics related to that content. This is a critical and important capability for this department.

This request is for a follow on effort for continuity to the current contract which expires on 28 September 2020. Without this capability, offered by Talkwalker, HQMC Communication Directorate will be unable to fulfil their mission to fully understand the information environment leading to misallocated resources, improper guidance to adjacent and subordinate commands, and faulty advice to senior leadership; with attendant negative impacts on overall organizational performance. HQMC is responsible for understanding and engaging with news media and the public via social media, this is a mission essential capability.

B. ___ BRAND NAME

C. ___URGENT AND COMPELLING. The supplies or services are of such unusual and compelling urgency that the Government would be seriously injured unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals. Urgent requirements are supplies or services that will result in a work stoppage, or are mission critical and the routine processing time would result in injury to the Government. The determination that the procurement for the above item/service is an urgent and compelling requirement is based on the following:

1. Date on which the requirement was first identified:

2. Required delivery date/period of performance:

3. Explanation of why delivery/commencement of services by the date mentioned above is required:

V. CERTIFICATIONS:

A. Technical / Requirements Certification: I certify that the facts and representation under my cognizance which are included in this justification are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

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