P03_JA_OVER_SAT signed.pdf

Part 806.3 Other Than Full and Open Competition (OFOC) Request for Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

Rev: 13 Effective Date: 02/01/22 Page 1 of 6

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification and Approval (J&A) For

Other Than Full and Open Competition (>SAT)

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C24E-22-AP-0240

1. Contracting Activity:

Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Service Area Office (SAO) – East 323 North Shore Drive, Suite 500 Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Requiring Activity:

Department of Veterans Affairs Boston VAMC Research and Development Service’s (HSR&D)

2237 Number: 523-22-4-9172-0010

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: This contract request is for a follow-on IDIQ contract to implement a symposia and workshops on important health services and research topics with Academy Health located at 1666 K St NW STE 1100, Washington, DC 20006. The proposed sole source IDIQ contract vehicle is for a base year firm-fixed price (FFP) effort with four option years.

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs:

The proposed action is to provide collaborating, planning, drafting, publication distribution, convening, symposia, training, fellowships, coordinating center management, and dissemination and implementation of health services research activities for VA HSR&D.

• Developing and implementing symposia at their conferences on important health services research topics that will bring together key health systems thinkers and VA health services researchers for discussion and debate.

• Consultation on other healthcare dissemination and implementation activities that will provide

VA access to a national group of experts.

• Developing curricula and holding training courses for HSR&D fellows under the expert guidance of advisors and researchers, and by coordinating a center with a training platform for healthcare investigators.

• Collaborating with VA health services research to plan and produce a publication that targets topics of critical importance to VA and translates complex health services research findings and information into appropriate language and formats for VA policy makers and managers.

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• Vendor shall utilize newsletters (job postings, new research resources, publications, etc.) to ensure that VA information reaches a wider audience. Vendor shall make available job services to advance recruitment of staff to VA, including access to job boards and posting of positions.

Vendor shall make available at no additional cost meeting space in Washington, DC during each of the signature events.

• Vendor shall develop and hold training courses for HSR&D fellows under the expert guidance of vendor’s highly trained advisors and researchers. The Delivery System Science Fellowship (DSSF) shall be utilized allowing VA trainees to gain additional concentrated training in dissemination science. One or more fellows will be supported to participate in this dedicated training program.

• Vendor shall provide organizational membership with discounts for exhibit booths, registrations, and other meeting activities.

• In accordance with VHA priorities and timelines, vendor will provide VA access to a national group of experts via vendor’s unique organization to develop topical whitepapers and related small panel discussions (@ 20-persons) related to topics identified by HSR&D.

Period of Performance and Total Yearly Contract Price:

Base Year: 07/01/2022–06/30/2023: $725,000 Option Year 1: 07/01/2023– 06/30/2024: $725,000 Option Year 2: 07/01/2024–06/30/2025: $725,000 Option Year 3: 07/01/2025–06/30/2026: $725,000 Option Year 4: 07/01/2026-06/30/2027: $725,000

The total estimated value of the proposed action is $3,625,000.00 (inclusive of options).

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition:

(X) (1) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements per 41 USC §3304(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1;

( ) (2) Unusual and Compelling Urgency per 41 USC §3304(a)(2) as implemented by FAR 6.302-2;

( ) (3) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert Services per 41 USC §3304(a)(3) as implemented by FAR 6.302-3;

( ) (4) International Agreement per 41 USC §3304(a)(4) as implemented by FAR 6.302-4 ( ) (5) Authorized or Required by Statute per 41 USC §3304(a)(5) as implemented by FAR 6.302-5;

( ) (6) National Security per 41 USC §3304(a)(6) as implemented by FAR 6.302-6;

( ) (7) Public Interest per 41 USC §3304(a)(7) as implemented by FAR 6.302-7.

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): AcademyHealth is highly specialized and uniquely qualified to provide the needed services because of its substantive knowledge of health services research and translation of evidence into clinical practice, its dissemination expertise, its capacity to coordinate national audiences and stakeholders needed for VA research to effectively collaborate. AcademyHealth is the only non-profit, national health services research membership organization in the country devoted to the promotion of health service research and translation of research findings into practice along with creating linkages between health services researchers, managers, and policymakers. AcademyHealth is devoted to

Effective Date: 02/01/22 Page 3 of 6 the promotion of health services research and has the mission to strengthen the link between the operational users and producers of health services research. AcademyHealth has 163 organizational members, reflecting its deep knowledge of and capacity to convene the public and private sectors in health policy, clinical, and academic organizations. AcademyHealth’s constituency is uniquely comprised of the types of non-VA health policy and medical effectiveness who together with VA policy, clinicians, and researchers, are the targeted audiences for this collaborative work.

The dissemination activities and consultation services are aimed at spreading VA’s research and experience to a broad cross-section of health service researchers and healthcare providers to maximize knowledge sharing and improve healthcare. It requires a specific expertise and professional network that AcademyHealth is uniquely qualified to provide. AcademyHealth has more than 5,000 individual members whose expertise encompasses the field of health services and medical effectiveness research, translation to practice, and health policy. This extensive membership provides AcademyHealth with the unique ability to reach the health services research community through organizational and personal memberships.

AcademyHealth is the only national membership organization that is devoted to the promotion of the field of health services research. Without access to AcademyHealth’s organization and expertise, VA/HSR&D will be unable to fully meet its dissemination requirements and will lose out on vital scientific collaborations that will advance the science that leads to improved healthcare for Veterans.

Only AcademyHealth has the competency, capacity, and experience to convene health service researchers, healthcare stakeholders, and the available experts devoted to health services research with experience in collaborating, coordinating, and performing activities. No other entity provides these unique capabilities. Were it even possible for another entity to be developed with this clientele and similar leadership, this would result in costly delay in servicing VA needs as another entity tries to duplicate the creation of such an audience. In addition, as this contract involves follow on activities from the existing contract, costly delay and dislocation would be entailed. Accordingly, AcademyHealth is the only firm capable of providing the supplies and services described in Section III above without the Veteran’s Health Administration experiencing costly and unacceptable delays in fulfilling its requirements.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: A VIP was searched was conducted using the vendor information page database to locate SDVOSBs and VOSBs using NAICs code 813920, PSC code AN11, and keyword symposia, which resulted in zero organizations found. An SBA search was also conducted using NAICS code 813920 and keyword Symposium, which resulted in zero small businesses found or available to meet this requirement. A sources sought notice was also posted under ID: 36C24E22Q0133 on 4/28/2022 and closed on 5/5/2022 to locate other vendors capable and interested in this requirement. The sources sought included the title of the project:

Collaborating, planning, drafting, publication distribution, convening, symposia, training, fellowships, coordinating center management, and dissemination and implementation of health services research activities for VA HSR&D, along with the complete scope of work as listed in the performance work statement. One response was received from RV Global Solutions Inc. a small business.

Their capability statement was reviewed to determine if they were qualified to meet this requirement. The company’s expertise showed IT consulting solutions and Infrastructure & logistics. Their response noted they have experience in facilities support services, design, development, process improvement, testing, and roll-out of enterprise discovery, asset management and its associated IT Service Management functions. They did not show any experience in the field of health services research. A pre-solicitatin notice with intent to sole source will also be posted on FBO.

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7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and

Reasonable: AcademyHealth is a not-for-profit organization. The CO will determine the price fair and reasonable by comparing the proposed pricing to the IGCE, along with the VA CIDER estimated rates for 2023 – 2027. The CO will complete a comparison of proposed prices using the previously awarded contracts 36C241-17-D-0070 and VA241-15-C-0038. These previous contracts have demonstrated that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. The Contracting Officer anticipates the price noted in #3 above to be fair and reasonable, however, price negotiations may be conducted if the CO determines this is necessary.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: As described in Section 6 above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, was conducted by synopsis of the proposed acquisition, advising industry of the pending acquisition and soliciting inquiries from interested parties.

The Government’s technical experts conducted market research by reviewing other research companies and universities that hold conferences, workshops, and symposiums. The search concluded that other agencies do not specialize in the required healthcare topics needed and they also do not have the existing research organizational clientele appropriate to draw from. No other agency has the individual membership program to reach the health services research community.

A VIP was searched was conducted using the vendor information page database to locate SDVOSBs and VOSBs using NAICs code 813920, PSC code AN11, and keyword symposia, which resulted in zero organizations found. An SBA search was also conducted using NAICS code 813920 and keyword Symposium, which resulted in zero small businesses found or available to meet this requirement. A sources sought notice was also posted on 4/28/2022 and closed on 5/5/2022 to locate other vendors capable and interested in this requirement and no responses were received.

A google search was conducted to see if there are other research engagement companies available to support this requirement. There were several universities and educational departments found in the search. The search concluded that most were based in a specific area like IT and other research engagement opportunities but not specific to health. University-based and VA-based researchers have over time needed to collaborate to further the success of health services research for the benefit of health systems locally and within the nation as a whole. AcademyHealth provides the capacity to convene multiple stakeholders to identify solutions to health services research needs and the research expertise, training, and dissemination capacity to target healthcare issues that would benefit from health services research and promote solutions. Past performance in this regard is also a unique qualifying factor.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: VHA is the country’s largest integrated health care system and as such, it embraces close ties with affiliates and certain organizations by partnering on common research interests to leverage resources and expand the impact of federal research investments to assist our nations Veterans. AcademyHealth has demonstrated itself to be uniquely positioned to identify and target priority needs of the nation’s healthcare system for which collaboration among health services research experts can make major contributions. Without access to AcademyHealth’s organization and expertise,VA/HSR&D will be unable to fully meet its dissemination requirements and will lose

Rev: 13 Effective Date: 02/01/22 Page 5 of 6 out on vital scientific collaborations that will advance the science that leads to improved healthcare for Veterans.

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: RV Global Solutions, Inc. a small business with experience in IT and logistics.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed.

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Gerald O’Keefe Date Director, CIDER VA Boston Healthcare System, JP

13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP:

a. Contracting Officer or Designee’s Certification (required): I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Ann Marie Stewart Date Contracting Officer Regional Procurement Office-East R&D

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer (Required over SAT but not exceeding $750K): I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

Brent Goe Date Deputy Director Regional Procurement Office - East

5/23/22

05/23/2022 https://dvagov.sharepoint.com/sites/VHAProcurement/VHAPM/VHAPM_Part_806.3.aspx

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c. VHA RPO HCA Review and Approval: I have reviewed the foregoing justification and find it to be complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief and recommend approval (if over $75 million) or approve ($750K to $75 million) for other than full and open competition.

Joseph P. Maletta Date Executive Director Regional Procurement Office – East (RPO-E)