Limited_Source_Justification_-_GS-21F-020CA_-_EP-G18C-00758.docx

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION FOR FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE PROGRAM

Upon the basis of the following justification, prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6(c), I, as Contracting Officer, hereby approve the use of sources limited to fewer than those required in FAR 8.405-1, FAR 8.405-2, and FAR 8.405-3 pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C. 251 as implemented by FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B).

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“Agency”),Sustainable and Transportation Solutions Branch (STSB) located within the Office of Administration and Resources Management, Office of Administration, Safety and Sustainability Division (SSD).

Office of Administration and Resources Management, Office of Acquisition Management, Cincinnati Procurement Operations Division

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

The anticipated task order is a follow-on one (1) year bridge contract to an existing Interagency Agreement with the Department of Commerce (DOC) National Technical Information Service (NTIS) task order NTIS-2333-1, “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Advanced Metering Project”, with Schneider Electric USA, Inc. which was acquired through a joint venture partnership agreement between the DOC NTIS and Schneider Electric USA, Inc.

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

The contractor shall provide the EPA, the web based Schneider Electric ION EEM software to monitor the agency utility level advanced utility meters. The system shall include the Standard Edition, including Dashboards, Trend Analysis Reporting, Data Quality, and Administrator modules.

The contractor shall provide the support to have EPA host the EPA EEMIS system. The contractor will provide all the personnel, facilities, tools, and supplies necessary for performing the services. The contractor shall provide the necessary security services, expertise, methodology framework, functional, technical, integration, and management services, and deliverables, to host the EPA EEMIS system.

The contractor shall be responsible for monitoring the operation and performance of the systems and the network infrastructure that support the EEMIS system. The contractor shall install, upgrade, and maintain hardware, operating systems, software, service packs and patches as necessary. The contractor shall manage files and volumes on the servers and monitors and tracks system resources such as memory, CPU utilization, and server load levels.

The contractor shall monitor the website update process and provide other configuration changes and file changes as required. Provide routine maintenance and administration for the site. The contractors’ team members shall be available during regular business hours to make updates to the site and resolve issues.

The estimated value of this requirement is $300,000.00 for the one-year period of performance.

4. An identification of the statutory authority and supporting rationale to provide the required supply or service.

FAR 8.405-6 (a)(1)(i) (B) – Only one source is capable of responding due to the unique or specialized nature of the work.

This is an interim order for utility metering monitoring IT services to the current vendor supporting STSB to ensure already existing software and technical support functions are performed without a long lapse in service, while a long-term task order for a new customized utility metering monitoring IT system is developed and put in its place. The existing interagency agreement period of performance ended on December 15, 2017.

The STSB was notified in mid-2017 that the existing interagency agreement contracting vehicle established in 2011 is no longer available due to a determination by DOC NTIS to discontinue nonessential services of the DOC. The existing system provided by Schneider Electric USA, Inc was uniquely configured for the Agency to meet IT data delivery security requirements through the servers of the DOC to the Agency. The same unique configuration for the Agency will need to be continued to be provided by Schneider Electric USA, Inc for the interim order’s one year period.

The STSB is conducting market research on COTS/GOTS systems that will require some level of customization and communication reconfiguration to meet its needs. The potential is that a new system is more efficient and cost effective and will more effectively meet the Agency’s data and security needs. In addition, presently when acquiring utility meter data, it takes a day to receive the information with the current system. Whereas, new functionality can be implemented with a new system in much shorter timeframes, i.e., minutes or hours, and without developer involvement. However, twelve (12) months will be needed to: (1) complete the writing of the business case and gathering customized requirements, (2) support system development, (3) support system testing, (4) implementation and (5) production.

Due to the complexity of a new utility metering monitoring IT system, as well as the competition and evaluation for a requirement, it has been determined that an interim order is required (one (1) year bridge order) with the current vendor until a new contract vehicle is in place.

At this time, the current vendor is the only responsible source and no other utility metering monitoring IT system and support staff will satisfy the Agency’s immediate requirements.

The current vendor assists the STSB with the existing Schneider Electric USA, Inc.’s proprietary ION EEM IT system, which performs essential and statutory nationwide functions including advanced utility metering data acquisition for reporting of EPA facilities, analyzing the validity of the data, determining the proper functioning of the advanced utility meters, providing data reporting metrics and providing knowledge and expertise to the STSB and other Programs/clients, where appropriate.

The current vendor also holds knowledge and expertise of the STSB system that makes them uniquely qualified to support the Agency’s utility meters’ operations and functionality. The current vendor holds an exclusive thorough knowledge of federal advanced utility metering federal protocols, utility meter configurations, and customize meter to server communication for the Agency (Schneider Electric USA’s proprietary Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).

A new vendor could not support the current system, as it is proprietary to Schneider Electric USA. Without contractor support the Agency would not be able to adhere to EPAct 2005, EISA 2007, Executive Order 13693 and provide the data acquisition of the Agency’s utility metering daily/ weekly/monthly data acquisition of Department of Energy reporting facilities. The acquisition of mandated information could be compromised and/or lost if advanced utility data is delayed or halted altogether.

The existing system was developed and customized using the current vendor. No other vendor has access to the detailed proprietary software functions for the existing STSB system. Without the continuity of knowledge in place for the existing system, key skills, tacit knowledge and experience would be lost if the contractor personnel were to leave the EPA, leaving the STSB and new vendors ineffective and unable to perform at the same levels. This could result in huge backlogs putting the EPA mission and regulatory matters at risk.

If the existing contract is not awarded as a one (1) year bridge contract and a long lapse in service occurs, it would place a huge risk on the Agency’s ability to carry out its mission. Failure to award a one (1) year bridge to the existing contract using the current vendor also creates a potential issue for the Agency. The Agency would lose the IT system support services data acquisition of the Agency’s utility metering required by Executive Order 13693. The Agency would not be able to adhere and keep pace with OMB and DOE requirements. This would undoubtedly create concerns regarding STSB’s ability to support sustainability as well as energy/water conservation and management to comply with annual federal energy and water reduction targets.

Until a new system is put in place, the existing system provided by Schneider Electric USA and it’s technical support is critical to the success of the Agency’s continuity of operations in data acquisition of the Agency’s utility metering daily/ weekly/monthly data acquisition of Department of Energy reporting facilities. Information in the existing system is relied upon by a variety of functions within the Agency in order to analyze, identify and develop strategic and operational opportunities.

It is in the best interest of the government and the criticality of the agency’s mission to award a one (1) year bridge order to the current vendor of the Interagency Agreement between DOC and the Agency, Schneider’s Electric USA.

5. A determination by the contracting officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR Subpart 8.404(d) This order is scheduled as a limited-source one (1) year bridge award to the existing vendor. A determination has been made by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. The existing vendor has continued to perform satisfactorily or better. The existing vendor continues to have an active GSA contract, with prices already determined to be fair and reasonable. Thus, this follow-on limited-source one (1) year bridge order represents the best value.

6. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results of a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Further market research was conducted for this procurement. Personnel from the DOC and other agencies were questioned in regards to the current requirement and existing GSA Schedules were researched to determine that for this interim one-year period, is the best and only option for the agency in order to continue mission critical services.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification:

N/A

8. A statement of the actions, if any, the Agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services made.

There will not be another limited sources order placed for this requirement. Only full and open competition will be utilized in the future to support the STSB system.

9. The ordering activity Contracting Officer’s certification that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the Contracting Officer’s knowledge and belief and evidence that the supporting data that form a basis for the justification have been certified as complete and accurate by technical/program personnel.

Certification Contracting Officer’s Representative:

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance, which are included in this justification and which form a basis for this justification, are complete and accurate.

Contracting Officer:

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Approval of Limited Source Justification (One-Level Above Contracting Officer):