CAOCL_10_Month_Draft_JA_Sole_Final.pdf

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO

3250 CATLIN AVENUE

QUANTICO VIRGINIA 22134 5001

IN REPLY REFER TO:

C-21

RCO-JA-15037

2 Sep 15

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF

OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity.

Marine Corps Installation National Capital Region (MCINCR) Regional Contracting Office (RCO) 2010 Henderson Road Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico, VA, 22134

2. Description of Action Being Approved.

This justification authorizes approval for a sole source firm-fixed price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery /

Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) bridge contract with Professional Solutions 1, LLC, to maintain critical cultural and language support services to The Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning

(CAOCL).

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

CAOCL requires operational, technical, and programmatic support. Principal support areas under this effort include the pre-deployment in-class training, cultural advising, additional course development and updating which may be required for a critical or emerging cultural topic.

Critical, highly specialized capabilities within this effort include: providing professional foreign

Language, Regional Expertise and Culture (LREC) training and education programs and services that improve the cross-cultural effectiveness of Marines; providing language instruction and operational culture at each of the three (3) Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) I MEF Camp Pendleton, CA, II MEF

Camp Lejeune, NC, III MEF Okinawa, Japan, 29 Palms, CA, and other subordinate commands at various locations around the world; and providing senior level experts in regionally oriented, ethnically relevant culture to serve as cultural advisors to operational unit commanders, normally in a forward deployed environment. Additional highly specialized capabilities include subject matter experts in operationally relevant culture general concepts and skilled in social and behavioral science (with sufficient knowledge of military missions) who can integrate culture general in CAOCL’s education and training materials.

The bridge contract period of performance will be for a ten (10) month period of performance from 27

September 2015 to 26 July 2016.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. Section 2304

(c) (1), as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1(2) (iii) (B), Only

One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

This action is intended as an interim solution; the current contract expires on 26 September 2015. Follow on efforts will not result in a competitive contract award before July of 2016. This is a follow-on bridge contract for the continued provision if highly specialized services, and the award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Marine Corps’ requirements.

As the contractor currently providing support, Professional Solutions1 is an experienced and qualified company providing highly specialized culture advising, language training, culture training, policy analysis, education support services, translational research, and information technology. Professional

Solutions1 is uniquely qualified to provide these services given their involvement with the research, development, and continuing improvements of pre-deployment culture and language training and computer based training modules there will not be a requirement to train or vet a new company on these requirements. Professional Solutions1 has the original design intent and the most recent design changes to the pre-deployment culture and language training and computer based training modules readily available to them.

The services associated with this requirement are determined highly specialized due to the qualitative learning curve associated with the tasks outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). Past

Performance of the current contractor, Professional Soultions1 demonstrates its sound process efficiencies, personal skillset development and quality of support gained and/or demonstrated through repetition and familiarity with task execution. This includes that they have a full understanding of the overall mission of CAOCL.

As the contractor currently providing support, Professional Solutions1 is the only contractor who can perform these services within the time frame and the language and culture skills needed by Marines who deploy are a critical part of the mission. Without these skills, Marines are much more likely to make decisions that could have critical implications on mission accomplishment and have negative repercussions not only on the Marine Corps, but the United States as a whole. Conversely, Marines that understand a culture are more likely to have better interaction with a foreign culture and these positive contacts not only avoid national incidents, but also help facilitate successful mission accomplishment.

The loss of contractor support for the ten (10) month period will also remove all in class course availability to the MEFs and will leave officers in Theater without the cultural advising support they need to successfully complete their missions. This would impact the Marine’s language and cultural pre-deployment requirements and course offerings during the ten (10) month transition for the new contract to be implemented. Additionally, it will have lasting implications that stretch into the future as classes that are in the process of being developed will be delayed.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Possible

A Sources Sought Notice was released to industry via FEDBIZOPS on 8 July 2015 with a closing date of 10 July 2015. Three contractors submitted capabilities statements. Of these contractors, one (1) is an 8(a) certified small business (Chi Chack), one (1) is a service disabled veteran owned small business, and one

(1) is a foreign business. The program office reviewed the capabilities statements and determined that all three of them were considered weak. Some of the reasons stated included, a lack of global focus, unrelated historical performance, a lack of cultural knowledge, and outdated descriptions of similar services.

Each company that submitted capability statemens will have the opportunity to propose on the larger follow-on Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract if they meet the small business size standard determined for that requirement.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost

The Contracting Officer will determine the anticipated cost to the Government of the supplies/services covered by this J&A to be fair and reasonable.

The fair and reasonableness of the cost/price will be based on an analysis of the contractor’s cost/price proposal, including backup information supporting the cost/price with the prior contract, N00178-05-D- 4508-MUT3 as well as an evaluation of cost reasonableness through cost analysis methods in accordance with 15.404-1(a)(3). It is anticipated this analysis will be conducted using a contract specialist, contracting officer and cost and price analyst.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

A follow-on contract action using full and open competitive procedures has begun in parallel to the current bridge contract. Milestones will be established and the MCI-NCR anticipates a competitive award by 26 April 2016. In the future, efforts will be made to ensure that a procurement package is received by MCI-RCO in sufficient time to facilitate a re-compete before the contract expires.