Limited-Source Justification_VAO_Approved_Redacted.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Technology Procurement Section

Washington, D.C. 20534

Subpart 8.4 - Federal Supply Schedules Limited-Sources Justification

Upon the basis of the following justification, prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6(c), this Limited-Sources Justification is provided for approval of the use of sources limited to fewer than those required in FAR 8.405-

1. This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program (41 U.S. Code (USC) 152(3) (Competitive Procedures) and 40 USC 501 (Services for Executive Agencies)).

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity.

U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau), Central Office, Administration Division, Acquisitions Branch, Technology Procurement Section.

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

This action will be a sole-source firm-fixed-price delivery order for Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO) commercial term software licenses, that does not require a Statement of Work, and are to be acquired against Unison Virtual Acquisition Office, LLC’s General Services Administration’s (GSA) MAS contract GS-35F-131GA, Special Item Number (SIN) 511210 Term Software Licenses. These software licenses were originally procured under the previous delivery order 15BPCC22F00000028.

3. Description of the supplies/services required to meet the agency’s needs, including the estimated value.

The Bureau requires 127 Passwords and four Inquiry Point of Contacts for the VAO web-based subscription term software licenses designed to keep acquisition professionals apprised of changes in legislation, policies, regulations, protests, and oversight reports, along with an analysis of the impact on acquisition and program management environments.

The estimated value of this award is not expected to exceed and is inclusive of a 12-month base period and two individually exercisable 12-month option periods.

4. Identification of the LSJ rationale and, if applicable, demonstration of the contractor’s unique qualifications 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.

Unison Virtual Acquisition Office, LLC is the proprietary provider of the VAO online subscription system which is currently being utilized throughout the Department of Justice.

VAO is a Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)compliant Learning Management System (LMS) that provides the Bureau with user analytics capability to monitor individual utilization. Additionally, VAO provides a virtual gateway for agency Contracting Officers to stay abreast of daily acquisition news while providing the opportunity for continued workforce development via a catalog of publications, training webinars, and protest case studies. These offerings provide users with the ability to gain Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) in support of the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) federal acquisition certifications (FACs) as well as agency annual training requirements.

5. Determination by the ordering activity contracting officer (CO/KO) that the order represents the best value, consistent with FAR 8.404(d).

This delivery order will be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the referenced GSA MAS, for which the GSA Contracting Officer has already determined the price to be fair and reasonable, pursuant to FAR 8.404(d). A separate determination is not required. Additionally, Unison provided a discount ( savings) on their current schedule pricing for the base year. The option years are projected at a escalation rate which will be evaluated on the option renewal against the current VAO GSA rate. Therefore, the Bureau’s Contracting Officer has determined that the utilization of the GSA MAS represents the best value to the government.

6. Description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results, or a statement why market research was not conducted.

Market research was conducted through GSA Advantage to determine the number of authorized contractors eligible to provide the required licenses, or similar virtual training platforms. No additional sources were identified that could meet the Government’s requirements, and Unison Virtual Acquisition Office LLC is the sole proprietor of the VAO online subscription system. There is no competition available for this acquisition.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

N/A

8. Statement of actions, if any, the agency will take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for supplies/services is made.

For the reasons stated previously, no actions are available to the Bureau which could remove competition barriers before subsequent acquisition of the required licenses. The Bureau intends to periodically evaluate market sources to determine if there are other solutions that will meet the Bureau’s needs. In addition, the Contracting Office will publish the Limited-Source Justification within 14 days of the delivery order award on the SAM website, www.sam.gov, in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(a)(2)(i).

9. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S CERTIFICATION

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

Mason Lacy, Contracting Officer Date Technology Procurement Section

09/22/2025 Digitally signed by MASON LACY Date: 2025.09.22 13:57:19 -04'00'