A02 - JA Other than Full and Open Competition - Bridge Redation_Redacted.pdf

This is a Justification and Approval (J&A) document for other than full and open competition under FAR 6.103-1(b), authorizing a sole-source bridge contract.

The Defense Health Agency (DHA), through its Contracting Activity (DHACA) Research & Development Division, is awarding a new Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee bridge contract to the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) for 12 months of surveillance and research services. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) requires continuation of infectious disease surveillance and assessment services across the African continent, specifically in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda. The contract scope includes conducting disease surveillance under approved human subject protocols, collecting clinical and environmental samples, transporting and storing samples at testing laboratories, implementing detection and diagnostic methods, and analyzing data with appropriate confidentiality protections. The performance period consists of a 9-month base period from 09/29/2026 to 06/28/2027, with one optional 3-month period from 06/29/2027 to 09/28/2027. The justification cites FAR RFO 6.103-1(b) authority, establishing that only one responsible source can provide the required services without an unacceptable break in operations. A Request for Information was posted in February 2025 to the DHA OMNIBUS IV Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle, which identified multiple capable sources; however, a Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted on SAM.gov on 21 August 2026 with a response deadline of 02 September 2026. Only one unacceptable proposal was received from Project Cues, Inc., which addressed machine learning pathogen forecasting unrelated to the actual requirements. No other sources responded, confirming the sole-source determination. The government determined that fair and reasonable pricing will be established using historical price and cost analysis, with certified cost or pricing data required from the contractor.