Limited Source JustificationStudRetRedacted.pdf

United States Department Of Education

Office of Finance and Operations

Contracts and Acquisitions Management

LIMITED SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

1) IDENTIFICATION:

Agency: U. S. Department of Education

Contracting Activity: Contracts and Acquisitions Management

2) NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED:

BACKGROUND: To address the high rate of student attrition in many adult educational programs, OCTAE is providing technical assistance to a group of adult education programs in implementing low-cost, technology-based student coaching strategies to increase student persistence and outcomes. This proposed modification is to add additional information in the final report and supports strategic objective 2.1 in the Department’s Strategic Plan—

Support educational institutions, students, parents, and communities to increase access and completion of college, lifelong learning and career, technical and adult education. It also reflects the Secretary’s

Supplemental Priority number 9, Supporting Economic Opportunity, by “Creating or expanding partnerships with community-based organizations to provide supports and services to students and families.”

In August 2019, the Department awarded the Increasing Student Retention Through Technology-Based Coaching contract to ABT Associates (Abt) under a task order award contained in the Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

ED-ESE-15-A-0005/91990019F0357.

3) DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY'S NEEDS:

Project Title: Increasing Student Retention Through Technology-Based Coaching

Description of supplies or services:

The contractor assists in identifying and recruiting local adult education programs, design and delivering technical assistance, develop and disseminating a “Lessons Learned” toolkit and providing a final report.

The two year fully funded contract plan and activities have been moving along as proposed.

Under Task 5: Produce and Disseminate a Final Report via LINCS, additional funds will support enhancements to the final report that includes the project’s guiding theory of change, strategies used to recruit AE programs, results from the planning process used with adult education programs to specify the target group of adult education learners for the TBCAE project, lessons from the implementation of text messaging in the project, and the results from the use of the project’s tool to document learner immediate and near-term outcomes. As a result of the enhancement of the project’s activities the final report will include the following additional sections of information:

(1) description of project learners’ background characteristics and outcomes,

(2) description of the categories of text messages exchanged between program staff and learners and rate of learners’ responses to text messages, and

(3) results from the analysis of learners’ outcomes and their relationship to text messages that they received., and

(4) conclusions based on descriptive data about the utility of the use of text messaging with adult education learners.”

The estimated price is as follows: 1) Task 5: Deliverable 5.1 – Final Report - Additional sections 1,2, 3, & 4 -

$96,000.00. The Acquisition Plan tracking number for this modification is TAEP210053BT.

4) STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING LIMITED SOURCES JUSTIFICATION: The authority is

8.405-6 (a) (1) (C): In the interest of economy and efficiency, the additional work is a logical follow-on to this task order on the BPA.

5) THE NEW WORK IS A LOGICAL FOLLOW-ON TO the BPA task order: This additional work is a logical follow-on to original task order where ABT is the current contractor and is developing the final report for the project. The additional information required in the final report includes the project’s guiding theory of change, strategies used to recruit AE programs, results from the planning process used with adult education programs to specify the target group of adult education learners for the TBCAE project, lessons from the implementation of text messaging in the project, and the results from the use of the project’s tool to document learner immediate and near-term outcomes. The proposed work will enhance the report with additional sections of information: (1) description of project learners’ background characteristics and outcomes, (2) description of the categories of text messages exchanged between program staff and learners and rate of learners’ responses to text messages, and (3) results from the analysis of learners’ outcomes and their relationship to text messages that they received., and (4) conclusions based on descriptive data about the utility of the use of text messaging with adult education learners.

6) DESCRIPTION OF EFFORTS MADE TO ENSURE OFFERS ARE SOLICITED FROM AS MANY

POTENTIAL SOURCES AS PRACTICABLE: Vendors were not solicited, since Abt was originally awarded this task order through a competitive process. In addition, this work is a logical follow-on to the work already being completed under this task order. Abt is currently writing the final report; It is not in the best interest of the government to procure this work as a new contract.

7) DETERMINATION BY CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE ANTICIPATED COST TO THE

GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE It is anticipated that this modification will be firm fixed price. DAEL supplied the Contracting Officer (CO) with an Independent Government Cost

Estimate (IGCE) to assist in determining whether the price is fair and reasonable. The CO and Contract

Specialist will conduct a price analysis of the vendor’s proposal before award to determine whether the price is fair and reasonable.

8) DESCRIPTION OF MARKET SURVEY AND RESULTS, OR STATEMENT WHY MARKET SURVEY

WAS NOT CONDUCTED: The Department of Education has decided not to conduct a market survey since the current contractor has shown proven results in this task order. The current contractor has been drafting the final report, and the quality is excellent; the Department simply requires the final report to be enhanced and expanded. It is not in the Government’s best interest to conduct these enhancements by a third party. It is most beneficial to complete this additional work as a modification.

9) OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN LIMITED SOURCES JUSTIFICATION:

NA

10) SOURCES, IF ANY, WHICH HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE ACQUISITION IN WRITING:

No sources expressed an interest. As previously stated, these enhancements are a logical follow along to the current final report. It is not efficient from a cost or technical perspective to have a third party complete this work. If a third party were to complete these additional enhancements additional time and effort would be spent to ensure continuity and seamless transitions between the various sections of the report.

11) STATEMENT OF ACTIONS, IF ANY, TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME BARRIERS TO

COMPETITION BEFORE ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION FOR THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES:

DAEL understands the serious nature of modifications and will work to limit their occurrence.

12) CONTRACTING OFFICER (CO) CERTIFICATION THAT THE JUSTIFICATION IS ACCURATE

AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF THE CO'S KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF, AND THIS

PROCUREMENT IS NOT A RESULT OF A LACK OF PLANNING OR EXPIRATION OF FUNDS:

The CO certifies that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of their knowledge and the procurement is not a result of planning or expiration of funds.

Program Office Certification:

This is to certify that the data supporting this justification is the responsibility of the program office personnel, including verifying the Government's minimum needs or schedule requirements or other rationale for limited sources (pursuant to 8.405-6) or for other than full and open competition justification (pursuant to 6.303-2(b)) which form a basis for this justification, and that such data and rationale are accurate and complete.

Travis Combs Date

Program Manager

Melody Andrews Date

COR

Contracting Officer Certification:

This is to certify that the data supporting this justification is the responsibility of the undersigned program office personnel, including verifying the Government's minimum needs or schedule requirements or other rationale for limited sources (pursuant to 8.405-6) or for other than full and open competition justification (pursuant to 6.303-

2(b)) which form a basis for this justification, and that such data and rationale are accurate and complete.

Pamela W. Bone

Contracting Officer Date

Approved:

Christopher Rosier

Contracting Activity Competition Advocate Date