H.13 FAR 13 Justification for Use of Items Peculiar to One Manufacturer (V1.2 04-28 2023) - Microsoft 365 Education - Redacted.pdf

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO

3250 CATLIN AVENUE

QUANTICO VIRGINIA 22134 5001

MEMORANDUM TO THE FILE

Subj: DETERMINATION THAT ONLY ONE SOURCE IS REASONABLY AVAILABLE FOR

A FAR PART 13 ACQUISITION UNDER THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

I. BACKGROUND:

1. FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) states for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting Officers may solicit from one source if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization).

2. As required by FAR 13.106-3(b)(3)(i), this memorandum explains the absence of competition for this acquisition, as only one source will be solicited for this requirement (or for a portion of the requirement) and the requirement (or portion of the requirement to be sole-sourced) is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

II. DESCRIPTION OF ITEM OR SERVICE:

The Marine Corps University has a requirement for one-thousand two-hundred fifty (1,250) Microsoft 365 A5 Faulty License, twenty (20) Microsoft Planner, Project Plan 3, thirty (30) Visio Plan 2, twenty-five (25) Defender for Business License, sixty (60) Microsoft Power Automate Premium annual licensing and fity-thousand (50,000) Microsoft 365 Student Use License. Microsoft 365 A5 is a suite of office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher and Access. Microsoft 365 A5 also includes Services such as Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Planner, Sway, Forms, Stream, and Flow. Microsoft 365 A5 will provide the MCU with seamless, integrated capabilities that can be accessed on multiple devices while providing security and protection from advanced threats for both students and faculty.

The Government intends to issue a single Firm Fixed Price (FFP) order with fixed-price award. The required base delivery/performance start date is within 60 days date of award.

The Government intends to issue a single Firm Fixed Price (FFP) order with FFP CLIN’s against an Open Market contract vehicle. Estimated cost for this procurement is $XXX. Marine Corps Operations and Maintenance (O&M) appropriations will be used to fund the one (1) twelve-month period of performance as outlined in the table below:

FY25 Total Period O&M

Base Period

Brand Name / Manufacturer

Item Name / Description Manufacturer Part Number

Quantity Unit Price Extended Price

Microsoft Microsoft 365 A5 (Education Faculty Pricing)

CFQ7TTC0LHPJ:0015 1,250

Determination that Only One Source is Reasonably Available – FAR Part 13 Acquisitions under the SAT

V 1.6 (20 December 2023)

Microsoft Microsoft 365 A5 Student use benefit (Education Student Pricing)

CFQ7TTC0LHP8:0005 50,000

Microsoft Planner and Project Plan 3 for Faculty (Education Faculty Pricing)

CFQ7TTC0HDB0:000X 20

Microsoft Visio Plan 2 (Education Faculty Pricing)

CFQ7TTC0HD32:0012 30

Microsoft M365 Defender for Business CFQ7TTC0HX56:0002 25 Microsoft M365 Power Automate Premium CFQ7TTC0LSGZ:0001 60

TOTAL

III. THE DETERMINATION FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING (select all that apply):

A. ___ ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE (select all that apply):

1. ___ RESTRICTIVE RIGHTS. The source has established proprietary rights, limited rights in data, patent rights, copyrights or secret processes in the item or service required.

2. ___ EXCLUSIVE LICENSING AGREEMENTS. The item or service is only available from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or there is only one authorized distributor or technical representative for the OEM.

3. _____ OTHER REASONS.

B. X BRAND NAME

The Marine Corps University has a brand name requirement for one-thousand two-hundred fifty (1,250) Microsoft 365 A5 Faulty License, twenty (20) Microsoft Planner, Project Plan 3, thirty

(30) Visio Plan 2, twenty-five (25) Defender for Business License, sixty (60) Microsoft Power Automate Premium annual licensing and fity-thousand (50,000) Microsoft 365 Student Use License. Microsoft 365 A5 is the most comprehensive plan in the Microsoft 365 Education lineup. It includes everything in the A3 plan, plus advanced security, analytics, and unified communications tools. Some key features of A5 include:

• Advanced Security: A5 includes Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, and Microsoft Sentinel, ensuring top-tier protection for sensitive government and military data.

• Enterprise Compliance: Meets FEDRAMP certification and aligns with Marine Corps Enterprise Integration efforts.

• Analytics & Insights: Includes Power BI Pro and My Analytics, helping MCU analyze data and improve decision-mkaking.

• Unified Communications: Provides Phone System and Audio Conferencing, essential for global communication.

• Seamless Integration: Works across the Marine Corps Network and supports worldwide web access.

• Management Tools: Microsoft Intune and Entra ID.

• Global Accessibility: Provides secure worldwide access to web services.

• Dedicated Engineering Support: Assistance and technical expertise are exclusively offered by Microsoft.

Ensuring future consistency across the Marine Corps requires a standardized and reliable solution. Microsoft Office 365 is the only platform that guarantees complete compatibility, making it the essential choice. In addition, Microsoft 365 A5 is designed for educational institutions that need top-tier security, compliance, and collaboration tools.

Market research indicates that there are multiple office productivity suites on the market, the below table compares other products and their features to Microsoft 365:

Feature Microsoft 365 Google Workspace LibreOffice Apple iWork Zoho Office

Collaboration

Strong real-time collaboration with Teams & SharePoint

Excellent real-time editing in Docs, Sheets, Slides

Limited cloud collaboration

Apple ecosystem collaboration

Cloud-based collaboration tools

Security & Compliance

Enterprise-level security, FEDRAMP-certified

Good security, but lacks some enterprise standards

Open-source, security depends on user setup

Secure, but Apple-focused

Secure, but lacks enterprise-level certifications

Integration

Seamless integration across Windows, Mac, and mobile

Well-integrated in Google ecosystem

Works with various platforms but lacks deep integrations

Best for Apple users

Cloud-based but fewer enterprise integrations

Advanced Features

AI-powered tools, Excel macros, Power BI, automation

Basic productivity features, fewer advanced tools

Strong document editing but lacks business intelligence tools

Elegant design-focused tools, but limited features

Good for small businesses, lacks enterprise functionality

Updates & Support

Regular updates, professional support

Frequent updates, basic support

Community-driven support, slower updates

Apple-supported updates, limited customization

Affordable but may lack extensive customer support

Given these critical features, Microsoft Office 365 is essential for meeting the government requirements. Extensive research confirms that no other products possess the necessary capabilities or the ability to integrate rapidly into existing environments, its reliability, security, and extensive capabilities.

C. ___URGENT AND COMPELLING. The supplies or services are of such unusual and compelling urgency that the Government would be seriously injured unless the agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals. Urgent requirements are supplies or services that will result in a work stoppage or are mission critical and the routine processing time would result in injury to the Government. The determination that the procurement for the above item/service is an urgent and compelling requirement is based on the following:

1. Date on which the requirement was first identified:

2. Required delivery date/period of performance:

3. Explanation of why delivery/commencement of services by the date mentioned above is required: