LFLDP - SSJ Redacted.pdf

Date of Award – January 31, 2027 (Curriculum completion, LMS asset delivery, pilot testing, and core train-the-trainer certification to meet the mandatory January 2027 enterprise launch).

February 1, 2027 – July 31, 2027 (Post-launch sustainment coaching, longitudinal evaluation analytics, and final transition-out knowledge transfer).

4. Statutory Authority Cited and Rationale:

a. This sole source acquisition is being conducted under RFO FAR 12.201-1 simplified procedures for covered actions pursuant to .

The Contracting Officer has determined that only one source is reasonably available based on the following rationale:

The active Lead Forward framework is 80% to 85% complete and built upon proprietary intellectual property owned exclusively by DevelopUs Worldwide. The firm has not licensed, certified, or authorized third-party vendors to access, modify, or deliver these instructional assets. Consequently, DevelopUs Worldwide is the only commercial source with the legal rights, native source files, and specialized technical expertise required to finalize the curriculum without IP infringement. Awarding to any other vendor would require stripping out the embedded proprietary frameworks and redesigning the curriculum from scratch. This would forfeit approximately in prior Government investment, resulting in substantial duplication of cost not expected to be recovered through competition (41 U.S.C. 3304(b)(2)(A)). Reengineering unacceptable programmatic delay (41 U.S.C. 3304(b)(2)(B)) that directly breaches ACF’s non-negotiable January 1, 2027 operational deployment milestone.

5. Special Considerations for Certain Contract Extensions or Bridge Contracts:

Not Applicable. This is a new commercial contract action to complete and transition an enterprise curriculum previously initiated via direct training obligations under the Government Employees Training Act (5 U.S.C. Chapter 41).

6. Actions to Increase Competition:

a. A Synopsis Was Published: In accordance with RFO FAR Subpart 5.1 - 5.2, public notices of the Government's intent to award a sole-source contract were published across two federal portals:

Combined Sources Sought and Notice of Intent was published on GSA eBuy (RFI1830566) from August 14, 2026 to August 21, 2026.

A subsequent Combined Presolicitation and Notice of Intent on SAM.gov under Notice ID 202600082 from August 26, 2026 to September 2, 2026.

b. Responses Were Received: A total of twelve (12) written capability statements were inquiry to the incumbent (DevelopUs Worldwide, LLC).

c. Sources Expressing Interest: Submissions from the eleven (11) non-incumbent sources were evaluated against the Performance Work Statement (PWS) thresholds and rejected as follows:

Capstone Pacific Information Solutions, Inc. (CPIS): Core capabilities are restricted to federal retirement (FERS/CSRS) and financial benefits counseling;

demonstrated no relevant capability in instructional systems design or federal leadership framework architecture.

Renie Consulting, LLC: Capabilities focus on general defense advisory, logistics, and program management; demonstrated no specialized enterprise leadership curriculum development experience.

Valens Global, LLC: Proposed replacing the existing baseline with an alternative curriculum utilizing third-party tools (CliftonStrengths®, 5 Voices®). Lacks authorization to access incumbent IP; forfeits spend and

–12 months redevelopment.

Metanoia Consultants, LLC & Closed Gap Solutions (CGS): Proposed reverse-engineering and rebuilding proprietary components from scratch. Incurs substantial cost duplication and introduces a 4 to 6 month delay, missing the January 2027 launch.

WATT Global, LLC: Proposed delivering only government-furnished content without a viable mechanism to access or recreate proprietary diagnostic tools and courseware.

PACE Consulting, LLC, Clear Thoughts, LLC, C3PT Executive Solutions, Walking With Others, and AI Workforce Alliance: Each proposed substituting the core curriculum with alternative, proprietary, or generic commercial models. Each alternative constitutes a full project redesign, invalidating prior deliverables and failing the agency's requirement for framework continuity.

d. Actions to Foster Competition for Future, Similar Requirements:

This acquisition is structured specifically to eliminate future vendor lock-in. The contract terms enforce three concrete transition mechanisms:

Government-Purpose Data Rights: Perpetual, unrestricted rights to all customized curriculum deliverables, facilitator manuals, and assessment tools (PWS Section 2.5).

Editable Technical Data Package (TDP): Mandatory delivery of all raw, editable digital source files (e.g. native presentation decks, authoring files, and graphics) suitable for maintenance by any third party (PWS Task 4).

Internalized Facilitation Capability: Structured "Train-the-Trainer" certifications for ACF University personnel to internalize instructional delivery (PWS Task 4).

Upon contract completion, the barrier to competition will be fully resolved. Subsequent procurement actions (e.g., recurring cohort facilitation, evaluation support, and logistics) will be solicited on a competitive small business set-aside basis.

7. Market Research:

Market research was conducted in accordance with FAR Part 10 utilizing GSA eBuy (RFI1830566), SAM.gov (Notice ID: 202600082), direct market inquiries, and historical GSA MAS Schedule reviews (SIN 611430).

Vendor Category Total Count

Proprietary IP Authorization Demonstrated Capability Summary Technical Finding

DevelopUs Worldwide, LLC 1 Yes Yes

Possesses baseline IP rights, source files, and specialized expertise to meet the launch date without cost duplication while delivering complete transition assets.

Metanoia, CGS, WATT, Valens, PACE, Clear Thoughts, C3PT, Walking With Others, AI Workforce No No

Introduces unacceptable cost and schedule risk.

Propose reverse-engineering or full curriculum replacement. Either approach discards spend and causes 4–12 months in delays.

Capstone Pacific (CPIS), Renie Consulting 2 No No

Non-responsive and capabilities limited to unrelated fields (e.g. retirement benefits, defense logistics). The vendors lack instructional systems design capabilities.

While commercial capabilities exist for general leadership consulting, no competitive market exists for completing and transitioning the established proprietary framework. DevelopUs Worldwide is the only source that satisfies agency requirements.

8. Procurement history:

Contractor: DevelopUs Worldwide, LLC

Contract or Order Number: Not applicable. (Funded via Government Employees Training Act direct obligations) Award Date and Period of Performance: FY2023 - FY2025 Value (including all options): $276,000 Competitive Status: Non-competitive (Training Act direct obligations) Authority formerly relied upon if Not Competed: Government Employees Training Act (5 U.S.C. Chapter 41)

9. Additional Information or Other Facts: None.

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

11. Fair and Reasonable Price Determination: As the contracting officer, I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable in accordance with RFO FAR 12.204, based upon the following:

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