Limited Sources Justification (LSJ) - GRB_Redacted.pdf

Rev.:5/2024

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

IT Procurement Office (ITPO)

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

For GRB Platform, 1 Year Base Period plus 4 Option Years

This is a Limited-Sources Justification (LSJ) prepared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) IT Procurement Office (ITPO).

This acquisition will be conducted under the Multiple-Award Schedule (MAS) Program (Title 41 U.S.C. 152(3)). This action is for a sole source firm-fixed price delivery order for GRB Platform, 1 Year Base Period plus 4 Option Years.

It is anticipated that award will be made to Government Retirement & Benefits, Inc (GRB) under General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) GS-02F-0087S.

The total estimated price of the proposed order is . The estimated period of performance is Base Year: 02/15/2025 - 02/14/2026, Option Year 1: 02/15/2026 - 02/14/2027, Option Year 2: 02/15/2027 - 02/14/2028, Option Year 3: 02/15/2028 - 02/14/2029, Option Year 4: 02/15/2029 - 02/14/2030.

Authority Cited and Rationale:

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(A). An urgent and compelling need exists, and following normal procedures would result in unacceptable delays.

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(B). Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(C). In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-on to an original GSA FSS order provided that the original order was placed in accordance with the applicable GSA FSS ordering procedures. The original order or BPA must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures.

FAR 8.405-6(b), Items Peculiar to One Manufacturer. An item peculiar to one manufacturer can be a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer. A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer.

Part # Description Qty N/A GRB Platform

Subscription Period - 1 Year; Base Year Subscribing Population: 15,000 - 20,000

POP: 02/15/2025 - 02/14/2026

N/A GRB Platform Subscription Period - 1 Year; Option Year 1 Subscribing Population: 15,000 - 20,000

POP: 02/15/2026 - 02/14/2027

N/A GRB Platform Subscription Period - 1 Year; Option Year 2 Subscribing Population: 15,000 - 20,000

POP: 02/15/2027 - 02/14/2028

N/A GRB Platform Subscription Period - 1 Year; Option Year 3 Subscribing Population: 15,000 - 20,000

POP: 02/15/2028 - 02/14/2029

N/A GRB Platform Subscription Period - 1 Year; Option Year 4 Subscribing Population: 15,000 - 20,000

POP: 02/15/2029 - 02/14/2030

Rationale:

GRB is the only company providing comprehensive end-to-end retirement services that are compatible with NASA’s retirement system. GRB Platform allows users to view personalized benefit statements and use a “what-if” retirement calculator to perform “what-if” scenarios.

Additionally, GRB Platform offers access to a comprehensive reference library and informational seminars on topics related to benefits, retirement, and financial planning.

The GRB Platform is a complete Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud-based Federal Retirement and Benefits Administration solution that meets the goals and objectives of the Human Resources (HR) Line of Business (HRLoB). Offered on a subscription basis for unlimited use and developed specifically for the Federal sector, the GRB Platform combines tools and capabilities for human resource specialists, managers, and employees into a common system.

The GRB Platform contains a flexible bi-directional interface used to communicate with an Agency’s payroll/HRIS system, third party benefits providers, and any outside parties as necessary.

GRB is the manufacturer of the GRB Platform and the sole provider of this software service, with no authorized resellers. Use of any other software would not be compatible with the system currently in place at NSSC.

Selecting a software other than the GRB Platform, would adversely impact NASA’s ability to meet various Human Resources requirements and would impede Human Resources’ ability to perform accurate retirement calculations for all NASA civil servants. In addition, a significant investment has already been made into the GRB Platform and NASA must ensure continuity of operations.

The consequences of implementing an alternative software service would negatively impact the Agency’s Human Resources programs. Previous purchase orders for GRB Platform, includes

80NSSC18F0519, 80NSSC19F0505, 80NSSC20F0439, 80NSSC21F0538, 80NSSC22FA108,

80NSSC23FA195, and 80NSSC24FA316 totaling approximately . Changing software would result in delayed services to NASA personnel, a loss of approximately in existing services in the environment, and would require additional funding for integration and training on the new software.

Determination by the contracting officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 8.404(d):

GSA has already determined the fixed-price supplies and services under schedule contracts to be fair and reasonable. Therefore, ordering activities are not required to make a separate determination of fair and reasonable pricing. By placing an order against a schedule contract using the procedures in 8.405, the ordering activity has concluded that the order represents the best value and results in the lowest overall cost alternative to meet the Government’s needs.

Market Research:

Market research was conducted on SEWP, GSA, and the open market to determine the availability of a cloud-based retirement and benefits Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that is compatible with NASA’s current system and is capable of meeting NASA’s retirement needs.

While other vendors provide some Human Resource capability, only the GRB Platform provides the unique capability required by NASA as the software combines tools and capabilities for human resource specialists, managers, and employees into a common system. In addition, only the GRB Platform contains a flexible bi-directional interface used to communicate with an Agency’s payroll/HRIS system, third party benefits providers, and any outside parties as necessary.

Other Facts:

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 is made:

The Agency will continue to monitor SEWP, GSA, and the open market to review the capabilities of existing service providers. In addition, the Agency will continue to survey the market to identify new entrants in the Human Resource sector to determine if other small business vendors can provide the unique services required by NASA.

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