QEMS Sole Justification release.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN & METADATA (QDM) ENHANCEMENTS AND

MAINTENANCE SERVICES (QEMS) CONTRACT

1. Requiring Activity: U.S. Census Bureau (USCB), Associate Director Economic Program

(ADEP) Division Contracting Activity: USCB, Acquisition Division

2. Nature or description of the action:

This Justification and Approval sets forth the facts and approval for the award of a sole-source contract to Amgraf, Inc. for services to provide software licensing and maintenance support to the existing Government off-the-shelf product, Amgraf/One Form Designer Plus (OFDP) interface software application, and four (4) consecutive option years for maintenance and support. The objective of this procurement is to improve the quality of Census Bureau data while also reducing the burden to respondents.

This is a noncompetitive, Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract with Amgraf, Inc. for a one-year base period and four (4) 12-month option periods. The total estimated contract value is $2,215,000.00.

3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs:

This procurement is to obtain a form rendering system for the USCB, ADEP, Data Ingest and Collection for the Enterprise (DICE) program’s next generation metadata repository.

The contract includes the enterprise software licenses needed to operate the USCB QDM system within the DICE IT environment. In addition, in support of the DICE program, the selected vendor will provide technical solutions to USCB ADEP subject matter experts to encompass new methodology for on-going quality data products associated with IT software licenses and maintenance support by utilizing a vendor that can demonstrate the following program requirements: customize paper forms with nonstandard sizing, display nonstandard electronic forms, translate into 90 or more customized languages, and adaptive coding.

In addition, the product must be able to integrate with customized ADEP systems IBEAM, QDM, and MOJO in order to process responses and incorporate them into the Enterprise Data Lake (EDL). The EDL is a major Census initiative to centralize data management and processing, to enable more efficient access and use of data. As a result, these system integrations are key to make use of survey responses in USCB products.

The solution must also be backwards-compatible with Amgraf’s OFPD platform. Past and current surveys were developed and sent using this system. Backwards compatibility is necessary for these responses to remain readable and accessible to ADEP, and to ensure response field consistency throughout the questionnaire process starting from questionnaire content creation through processing and tabulation.

The QEMS contract shall provide a form rendering system, and paper/electronic forms solution interface for use with the QDM repository system. The developed solutions will ensure response field consistency throughout the questionnaire process starting from questionnaire content creation through processing and tabulation.

This procurement will provide the Enterprise software license and maintenance support needed to assist mission needs related to survey operations across the USCB. The vendor will also provide technical solutions to USCB Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to encompass new methodology and IT Governance processes for ongoing quality data products.

The USCB requires the following features:

• a fully automated XML-based rendering engine.

• a Windows PC-compatible interactive Graphical User Interface (GUI) application “forms designer” composition software.

• the GUI application “forms designer” composition software with a master

XML schema.

• a master XML schema that will allow Census personnel to typographically layout and model Question-Response XML Content into formatted blocks of printable Content to be imaged or printed in Surveys and Questionnaires.

• a Batch composition and pagination Engine

• print output options

• pixel-by-pixel comparison for proofing assurance

There is also a requirement to incorporate the User Experience (UX) in all applications and web development to ensure usability and accessibility to keep users engaged. There are several reasons to require incorporation of UX: 1) it serves as an industry best practice, 2) the applications being developed directly impact users/respondents of our surveys, and 3) it is mandated by OMB and White House Executive Order, M-23-22: Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience (whitehouse.gov).

This procurement will acquire contractor technical support services to enable the USCB Federal staff to build on to the existing QDM application platform and be adaptable to the Enterprise-wide IT solutions to meet the following objectives:

Improve respondent experience - Ensuring a better experience for respondents. This includes ease of access to the surveys, usability of tools, clarity of forms and communication, as well as other avenues that ensure a respondent is minimally inconvenienced and can provide a high-quality response.

Improve products - Improving the data products produced by the Decennial, Demographic, and Economic Censuses. Improved quality includes improved accuracy of the data products, a more relevant data product mix, and the right content in each data product.

Accelerate the release of data products – Increasing the speed of availability of data products to data users.

Increase organizational flexibility - Improving the enterprise's ability to respond to a changing environment. This includes changing data requirements, user’s data needs, and response channels, and reducing the number of mission critical applications needed to process the Decennial, Demographic, and Economic Censuses.

Reduce cost - Decreasing the overall costs of operating the censuses and surveys at USCB. This includes costs associated with planning, preparing, and executing the Decennial, Demographic, and Economic Censuses. These costs can be direct, indirect, Full Time Employees (FTEs) or equivalents, expense dollars, capital dollars.

4. Statutory Authority:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.501(a) in accordance with 41 U.S.C.1901:

41 U.S.C. 253 (c)(1) – Only One Responsible Source. The supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

This sole source justification is further in accordance with Commerce Acquisition Manual

1306.70 Competition Requirements.

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

Market research was conducted by reviewing the websites for potential provider/vendors to better understand the capabilities in the industry. Nine (9) products were found and investigated. Of these, only four (4) products were found that provided a software platform which provided translation into additional languages, which is a key element of the requirements: Amgraf, Canva, Zoho, and Jotform. Amgraf and Canva both exceed 90 languages. Zoho supports translation into 70 languages, which fails to reach the high-water threshold the USCB has needed, in some instances of 90 or more. This is also a manual process for Zoho, which is prohibitively cumbersome. Jotform translates into 16 languages, which does not meet routine survey translation.

Moreover, two core concerns of this requirement are that the form rendering system must be backwards compatible with prior and current surveys issued using Amgraf’s OFPD platform, and the form rendering system must integrate with systems developed in house for ADEP, specifically IBEAM, QDM, and MOJO.

For backwards compatibility, as explained above, past and current surveys were developed and sent using Amgraf’s OFPD system. Backwards compatibility is necessary for these responses to remain readable and accessible to ADEP, and to ensure response field consistency throughout the questionnaire process starting from questionnaire content creation through processing and tabulation. As a result, any solution that is not native to Amgraf would require significant remediation and require coordination and cooperation with Amgraf.

For ADEP system integration, IBEAM, QDM, and MOJO are all developed within the USCB specifically for ADEP. As explained above, these integrations are necessary to process responses and incorporate them into the Enterprise Data Lake (EDL). The EDL is a major Census initiative to centralize data management and processing, to enable more efficient access and use of data. As a result, these system integrations are key to make use of survey responses in USCB products. The current Amgraf OFPD solution has been updated and customized for ADEP to integrate with these systems since IBEAM was initially implemented with OFPD for the 2010 Decennial Census. These integrations are extremely complex.

Because backwards compatibility and ADEP system integration with Amgraf is so complex, an analysis was performed on the level of effort required to migrate to another commercial solution or to reengineer a solution in house. It was determined that the level of effort to develop an in-house solution or to migrate to another solution would in both cases take approximately two (2) to three (3) years to complete. As a result of the similarity of time and effort, if this solution cannot be met by Amgraf, the next best solution for the ADEP to meet this requirement would be to develop an in-house solution.

Market Research was conducted for an in-house solution alternative. The Government estimates the two (2) to three (3) year period as the time for the upfront learning curve covering technical and operational proficiencies, and for the senior computer scientists to master the software requirements and the actual software development.

The Market Research Team contacted Amgraf to determine if the vendor had any potential resellers which the Census Bureau could conduct competition among. Amgraf, Inc. does not have any authorized resellers for their software products. All software sales are coordinated directly with Amgraf’s employees. Amgraf, Inc. does not allow other vendors to provide maintenance to Amgraf’s software products.

For these reasons, services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

6. Efforts Made to Ensure offers are solicited from as many potential Sources as is Practicable, including publication under Subpart 5.2

This requirement was published under the PRISM forecasting module under Advanced Acquisition Planning Number 25-0430.

The solicitation will be publicized in the government point of entry using combined synopsis/solicitation procedures per FAR 5.203 and 12.603.

7. The Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable prior to award of the Order.

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. The Contracting Officer has made this determination by establishing that the price proposal will be analyzed through a variety of methods, including comparison with prices of similar services in a related industry, previous contracts, a cost estimate to develop an analogous system internally, and an Independent Government Cost Estimate.

8. A description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted:

Consistent with FAR Part 10, market research has been conducted for this procurement. The Market Research team used a variety of techniques including a review of historical information on past acquisitions, contact with other program representatives, review of government databases for mandatory sources, exploring the possibility of developing an in-house solution, and research on potential commercial alternatives.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None.

10. A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition:

One vendor (SONA Networks, LLC) reached out regarding this contract based on publicized PRISM requirement APP number information. The MRT reviewed the capabilities, which showed the company is focused on IT Infrastructure solutions and do not have a commercial form rendering software platform. IT infrastructure solutions are outside of the scope of this requirement.

11. Actions to remove or overcome future barriers to competition:

USCB requires the ability to develop, design, and maintain survey questionnaires to meet its business requirements/mission. USCB’s mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about the American people and economy. The Economic Directorate Programs are continually involved and engaged with the market research industry through trade associations, data users and providers, as well as ongoing research projects to further expand upon the quality and timeliness of data that USCB surveys provide. The USCB will continue to research new vendors as they enter the market to improve the quality of available vendors and the efficiencies of getting the best provider of software and maintenance support services in a timely manner through the competitive acquisition process/procedures.

The USCB will seek funding for a proof-of-concept program to establish an open-source solution alternative to these systems following the 2030 Decennial Census.

APPROVAL PAGE

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

I certify that the narrative justification is accurate as provided by the program management office and verifies the Government’s minimum needs or schedule requirements and any rationale used to justify other than full and open procedures and the data / information forming the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Thomas M. Wandeloski Date Contracting Officer Representative

As Contracting Officer, I hereby certify that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Jason Winings Date Contracting Officer

7/30/2025

07/30/2025

THOMAS

WANDELOSKI

Digitally signed by

THOMAS WANDELOSKI

Date: 2025.07.30 08:52:08 -04'00'

JASON

WININGS

Digitally signed by JASON

WININGS

Date: 2025.07.30 11:32:36 -04'00'

Based on the above justification, I hereby approve accomplishment of this acquisition by means of sole source procedures in accordance with FAR 13.5.

Samantha Brady Date Operating Unit Competition Advocate U.S. Census Bureau

SAMANTHA

BRADY

Digitally signed by

SAMANTHA BRADY

Date: 2025.07.30 14:28:06 -04'00'