P42 Harvard Justification.pdf

www.hud.gov espanol.hud.gov

Control Number: 24-52

1. Requiring Agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of the Chief Procurement Officer

Contracting Agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, HQ

451 7th Street, SW Washington, DC 20410

Requesting Office: Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, HQ

2. Nature and/or description of action being approved:

OCPO identified an individual who is to be sent to the Harvard Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) course. As this course is provided by Harvard as an accredited course under their standard course catalog, Harvard has been identified as the only provider of this course.

3. Comprehensive description of services required to meet agency’s needs (including the estimate).

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD" or "Agency"), Office of the

Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) seeks the services of a vendor that can offer off-the-shelf, in-residence 4-week leadership training program designed to strengthen executive core qualifications. This training needs to enhance the Federal employee executive competencies and increase an understanding of the wide range of Government programs and issues beyond an individual agency and profession. OCPO is seeking to secure one training slot. The proposed contract action is for the Senior Executive Fellows a professional development program for executives who want to sharpen their leadership and managerial skills. It is designed for senior leader federal employees and their corporate sector, international, non-profit, multi-lateral, and military counterparts. An immersive four-week, residential executive leadership skills program will provide attendees with a framework for problem solving, conditioning to ask the right questions and find the most strategic approach to challenges. Explore issues such as cooperative versus competitive interactions with governmental agencies, political appointees, the media, as well as private sector organizations and individuals. Through analysis of the experience and interactive discussions about the critical choices made by key players along the way, gain valuable insights, training, and practice in making challenging leadership decisions about actual situations in real time.

The Senior Executive Fellows curriculum will help to identify and analyze the challenges and opportunities facing the organization—and master them both politically and technically;

develop strategic plans of action using communication, negotiation and coalition-building skills;

manage the tensions between long-term policy goals and short-term political pressures; and create an organizational environment that is responsive to change, but also true to its purpose and tradition.

The estimated cost is $25,800.00.

4. Identification of authority permitting other than full and open competition.

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b)(1) in accordance with 41 U.S.C.1901.

Soliciting from a single source.

5. Demonstration that proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires use of authority cited.

Harvard Kennedy Business School Senior Fellows Program that offers a “case method” unique training methodology. The case method pioneered at Harvard is at the heart of this program’s curriculum. Cases are based on specific, real-world problems, including those submitted by both current faculty and former participants. Through analysis of the experience, role playing activities, group and team building exercises, and interactive discussions about the critical choices made by key players along the way, this pedagogy enables students to gain valuable insights, training, and practice in making decisions about real situations in real time.

The curriculum also explores ways for leaders to become more effective in problem solving, strategic analysis, persuasion, and negotiations. SEF’s competency-based instruction incorporates the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for selection to, assessment of, and continued assignment within the Senior Executive Service

(SES). It is the program of choice for participants in SES Candidate Development Programs

(SES-CDP).

The Senior Executive Fellows curriculum will help to identify and analyze the challenges and opportunities facing the organization—and master them both politically and technically;

develop strategic plans of action using communication, negotiation and coalition-building skills;

manage the tensions between long-term policy goals and short-term political pressures; and create an organizational environment that is responsive to change, but also true to its purpose and tradition.

The core curriculum of the Senior Executive Fellows program is the ECQs and expands the professional networks, enabling improved inter-organizational collaboration and problem-solving and broadens an understanding of the U.S. Constitution as the foundation for federal public service. The Office of Personnel Management’s policy revisions to the Training (5 CFR

410) and Supervisory, Management and Executive Development (5 CFR 412) states that:

201. Management succession - The head of each agency, in consultation with OPM, must develop a comprehensive management succession program, based on the agency's workforce succession plans, to fill agency supervisory and managerial positions. These programs must be supported by employee training and development programs. The focus of the program should be to develop managers as well as strengthen organizational capability, and to ensure an adequate number of well-prepared and qualified candidates for leadership positions.

6. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a public notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Section 13.501(a)(1).

Market research was performed through website searches, online venue search engines and directly contacting 34 potential venues in the Washington, DC metro area. Factors for consideration included commercial off-the-shelf program, onsite residential, required dates of availability. A notice will be publicized as required by FAR Section 13.105.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable.

Prior to the issuance of any contract award, the Contracting Officer will conduct a price analysis to sufficiently determine that the overall price represents a fair and reasonable price to meet the Government's needs. This determination will be based on a comparison of current contract pricing, past proposal submissions (if available), other information made available, and an Independent Government Cost Estimate.

8. Description of market research efforts conducted and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Internet searches and previous history were the methods used to arrive at the market research findings. Based on market research conducted, there is a limited number of vendors capable of meeting the agency’s requirement. Market research did not result in any small businesses to support a set-aside. Harvard Kennedy School is the only vendor capable of providing an available slot and meets the required four-week in-house residency program. The agency has had success with this program in the past which resulted in candidates transitioning to the executive services.

9. Other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition (and if a follow-on, an estimate of the cost to the government that would be duplicated and how the cost was derived.

None.

10. Listing of the sources, if any, that expressed interest in the acquisition.

None.

11. Statement of actions to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisitions.

For all future requirement, OCPO will continue to survey the market to identify potential offerors to capabilities to meet this requirement. In the event other qualified vendors can fulfill the requirement, they will be afforded the opportunity to participant in the competitive requirement.