SCI 6-Month Bridge GSA-Limited-Source-Justification_REDACTED.pdf

Limited Source Justification

“Source Selection Information – see FAR 2.101 and 3.104”

1. Identification of the agency and contracting activity.

a. Federal agency and contracting activity.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Institutes of Health (NIH)

b. Sponsoring organization.

National Library of Medicine (NLM) Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS)

c. Project Officer information.

Wei Ma 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 Ph: 301 496-1351 Email: wei.ma@nih.gov

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

a. Acquisition purpose and objectives.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), one of the 27 institutes, centers and offices that form the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of information innovation since its founding in 1836. The Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS) operates the NLM Data Center, the network backbone, and core infrastructure to support the several divisions and functions of the Library.

OCCS responsibilities include: (a) to design, develop, implement and manage automated systems for the collection, storage, retrieval, analysis and dissemination of information in support of the NLM mission, particularly on medical terminologies, data standards, and consumer health; (b) manage the NLM Data Center (Tier 2 Green) and support the transition to cloud-based solutions, (c) design, manage and secure the NLM’s internet backbone and internet connectivity, and (d) provide operational support for electronic and information technology (EIT) use across the NLM in coordination with the business, IT and IT Security functions across the National Institutes of Health.

The NLM envisions a future in which data and information transform and accelerate biomedical discovery and improve health and health care.

Achieving this vision will require the NLM to focus and enhance its research, development, training, and information services to make more biomedical data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (the FAIR principles), to invent the tools and services to turn data and information into knowledge and insight, and to develop the workforce capable of doing so. It will require new forms of partnership and engagement with stakeholders in the public and private sectors, including researchers, librarians, health professionals, entrepreneurs and innovators, underserved communities, and the public.

The purpose of this requirement is to acquire complex Information Technology (IT) services to support OCCS in the development, programming, and maintenance of OCCS projects and initiatives. The objective of this requirement is to acquire software development, system and database administration, application security and network security, subject matter expertise, and other related continuing and recurring complex IT support services. Contractor support is required for the continued growth and evolution of the OCCS activities in application development, medical vocabularies control processing, information systems, infrastructure support, security, and information dissemination.

b. Project background.

The Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS) provides efficient, cost-effective computing and networking services, application development, technical advice, and collaboration in informational sciences to support NLM’s research and management programs. OCCS develops and provides the NLM backbone computer networking facilities and assists other NLM components in local area networking. The organization provides professional programming services, and computational and data processing to meet NLM program needs; operates and maintains the NLM Computer Center; develops software; and provides extensive customer support, training courses, and documentation for computer and network users.

The prior task order award was with Software Consultants, Inc. It was competed through General Services Administration (GSA) 8(a) STARS II.

The award consisted of a base year and four, option years for software development, operations, maintenance, and other related continuing and recurring tasks in support of the NLM mission.

Period Period of Performance Amount

Base Year 9/20/2019 – 9/19/2020 $4,927,801.50

Option Year 1 9/20/2020 – 9/19/2021 $5,251,773.44

Option Year 2 9/20/2021 – 9/19/2022 $5,967,461.00

Option Year 3 9/20/2022 – 9/19/2023 $7,403,072.00

Option Year 4 9/20/2023 – 9/19/2024 $8,602,048.40

TOTAL ALL YEARS $32,152,156.34

Other contractual history consisted of another competed procurement through GSA 8(a) STARS II. Contract/task order number: GS06F0723Z / HHSN276201600140U awarded to Software Consultants, Inc. with a base year and 4, option years in a total amount of $9,016,658.21.

The NLM Office of Acquisitions received a Government Accountability Office (GAO) preaward protest, which halted the recompete procurement process. The protest was dismissed on September 11, 2024 based on NIH’s proposed corrective action. Specifically, NIH advised that it would cancel the solicitation and coordinate with the Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding its requirements and will reissue the solicitation based on the SBA’s determination. NIH also advised that it may correct any additional errors or deficiencies, if any, in the procurement process/record that are discovered during the agency’s implementation of the corrective action. As a result, the Request for Quote was canceled. Due to the nature of the protest and corrective actions necessary, along with the end of the GSA 8(a) STARS II vehicle, there was not sufficient time to address all corrective actions, coordinate with the SBA, and go through the competition process before the end of the prior task order performance period. A 6-month bridge award is needed from 9/20/2024 - 3/19/2025 to allow the services to continue until all corrective actions are taken.

This requirement includes Cloud Architecture, DevOps and DevTools, Digital Data Analysis, etc. services to the NLM business and if this short-term award could not take place, several risks and potential downtimes could arise. Some NLM applications might experience disruptions in critical IT services, leading to operational inefficiencies and delays. Key system maintenance, security updates, or troubleshooting tasks could be postponed, increasing vulnerability to cyber threats and system failures.

Additionally, projects reliant on cloud architects could stall, negatively affecting productivity and timelines. Prolonged downtime might also lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and a decreased ability to meet users' and public service expectations. Moreover, the lack of critical IT support could impede the OCCS's capacity to implement new technologies or adapt to evolving digital needs, further exacerbating the risks.

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

(including the estimated value).

a. Project title. Software Development, Automation, and Maintenance to Support Health Care, Biomedical Vocabularies, and Standards for the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Office of Computer and Communications Systems

b. Project description. See attached Statement of Work (Attachment 1).

Requirement type.

Support services (non-research & development) Supplies/equipment Information technology (IT) Other (specify): ____________________

Type of action.

New requirement Follow-on Other (specify): ______________________

Proposed contract/order type.

Firm-fixed-price Time and materials Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity, or requirements): ___________ Other (specify): ___________

Acquisition identification number.

47QTCA23D00BQ / 75N97024F00088

c. Total estimated dollar value and performance/delivery period.

Period Period of Performance Amount

6-Month Base 9/20/2024 – 3/19/2025 $3,942,876.16

4. Identification of the justification rationale [see 8.405-6(a) and (b)] and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

a. Acquisition authority.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple

Award Schedule Program. Consideration of schedule contractors will be restricted to fewer than the number required by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 8.405-6(a)(1) (i.e., fewer than three FSS contractors).

(A) An urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays;

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule Program. Consideration of schedule contractors will be restricted only to the item peculiar to one manufacturer as provided in FAR 8.405-6(a)(2).

b. Demonstration of the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

Name and address of the proposed contractor(s).

Software Consultants, Inc.

8245 Boone Boulevard Suite 630 Vienna, VA 22182-3894

Nature of the acquisition and proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications.

Software Consultants, Inc, (SCI) is uniquely qualified to provide services to the National Library of Medicine from qualified and experienced personnel that support the system administration, programming and maintenance of NLM projects and initiatives.

Personnel includes but is not limited to Software Developers and System Administrators. The nature of the tasks demands specialized skills, new tools, expertise, and agile processes that align with current market trends. Additionally, NLM works closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), and other agencies to ensure NLM efforts are aligned with the goals of the President and HHS Secretary for the nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology infrastructure to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. Therefore, the personnel supporting OCCS require advanced and specific domain knowledge and Subject Matter Expertise in Medical Terminology/Standards/Health Information Technology and Health Data Standards and products. Developing and maintaining Medical terminology and health care-related systems/applications require a multidisciplinary collaborative IT team with expertise with a broad range of expertise. This team should include software engineers proficient in developing scalable and secure applications with a good understanding of terminology and coding systems used in healthcare, database administrators who manage and optimize the storage of complex health data, and systems analysts who understand the specific requirements of healthcare environments and user experience (UX) design to ensure that the systems are intuitive and accessible for diverse users. SCI has strong NLM biomedical content experience. SCI has staff readily available who have demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the area of data management and relational database design.

It is necessary to put in place a short-term award for continuity of services for NLM critical and mission-critical applications, while the contracting office works on a re-procurement for these services. The re-procurement is a result of a protest and subsequent voluntary corrective action.

5. Determination by the ordering activity Contracting Officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR 8.404(d).

GSA has already determined the prices of supplies and fixed-price services, and rates for services offered at hourly rates, under schedule contracts to be fair and reasonable. The Contracting Officer also reviewed the quoted price and historical pricing to determine that the price represents the best value to the government.

6. Description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Prior to the release of the canceled Request for Quote, two separate market research actions were performed. The Contracting Officer’s Representative posted a Sources Sought SS-117482-SB, with a draft of the Statement of Work (SOW) for market research under the NIH Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC)’s Chief Information Officer – Solutions and Partners 3 (CIO-SP3) Small Business (SB) on June 13, 2024. It reached 159 small business companies. On June 18, 2024, the Contract Specialist coordinated with GSA utilizing the Market Research As a Service (MRAS) for 5 days to solicit feedback. One hundred and six (106) capability statements were received. Based on the market research results, considering historical sourcing for this acquisition type, and other vendors currently providing similar services to other offices and divisions within the organization it was determined that potential sources included small businesses under the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). Seven small businesses and one 8(a) small business were deemed to have complete capability to address the subject requirement.

Only the incumbent, SCI, was contacted for the bridge award as it has the unique qualifications necessary and can meet the urgent and compelling need of continued services. SBA approval to award a bridge to SCI was received on September 16, 2024. This bridge contract to the incumbent ensures there will be no interruption in critical services while the procurement process is finalized, and it allows sufficient time for proper coordination and competition under a GSA vehicle.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

Since the requirement was accepted by the SBA under the 8(a) program, as a result of prior procurements being competed under the GSA 8(a) STARS II vehicle, it must remain in the 8(a) program unless the SBA agrees to its release IAW 13 CFR 124.504. Therefore, even though there are a number of small businesses having capability to meet the agency’s needs, this bridge award is necessary to allow coordination with the Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding the requirements and issuance of a solicitation based on the SBA’s determination.

Given the time constraints, it is impossible to complete all corrective actions, coordinate with the SBA, solicit, evaluate, and make a competitive award without a break in critical services. Any other vendor, other than the incumbent, SCI, would face significant challenges in providing skilled, qualified, and experienced personnel to adequately perform the software development, operations, maintenance, and other continuing services. Following standard procedures would lead to unacceptable delays and a service disruption, posing operational risks to NLM as detailed in section 2b.

8. Statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

a. Removal of barriers to competition.

NLM is currently working on corrective actions in the procurement process and plans to compete the requirement as a set aside based on prior market research results and SBA recommendations. It is anticipated that the six months, amount of time that the SBA approved for a bridge, should be sufficient to complete the process as the presolicitation documentation should only need minor updates and the contracting office plans to use a GSA vehicle, which can assist in streamlining the procurement process.

The specific vehicle used will be confirmed after coordination with the

SBA.

b. Listing of sources, if any, that expressed an interest, in writing, in the acquisition.

As stated under paragraph 6, there were interested small businesses that responded to the market research conducted. Seven small businesses and one 8(a) small business were deemed to have complete capability to address the subject requirement. Please see the attached listing of sources that expressed interest (Attachment 2).

9. Program office certification. This is to certify that the portions of this justification that have been developed by the undersigned program office personnel, including supporting information and/or data verifying the Government’s minimum needs or requirements, or other rationale for limited sources, are accurate and complete.

Official Name & Title Signature Date

Project Officer Wei Ma, Acting Director NLM, Acting Director Information Systems, Acting Chief Information Officer

Head of the Sponsoring Program

Office

(Same as Project Officer)

10. Contracting Officer certification.

This is to certify that the justification for the proposed acquisition has been reviewed and that to the best of my knowledge and belief the information and/or data provided to support the rationale and recommendation for approval is accurate and complete.

Official Name & Title Signature Date

Contracting Officer

April Merriwether, Contracting Officer

11. Chief of the Contracting Office and Head of the Contracting Activity signature(s).

Official Name & Title Signature Date

Chief of the Contracting

Office

Daniel J. Hartinger, Director, OA, NLM

Head of the Contracting

Activity

Phillip D. Osborne Acting Director, OALM, OD and Head of the Contracting Activity

Wei Ma - S

Digitally signed by Wei Ma -S Date: 2024.09.26 16:40:52 -04'00'

Wei Ma -S Digitally signed by Wei Ma -S Date: 2024.09.26 16:41:44 -04'00'

Digitally signed by April N.

Merriwether -S Date: 2024.09.26 16:53:15 -04'00'

Digitally signed by Daniel J. Hartinger -S Date: 2024.09.26 17:07:29 -04'00' for

12. Competition Advocate signature.

Official Name & Title Signature Date

Competition Advocate

Dr. Kathryn Partin, OD, OIR

13. HHS Senior Procurement Executive signature.

Official Name & Title Signature Date

HHS Senior Procurement

Executive

N/A