Sole_Source_Justification_FAR_13_5_Redacted_1.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

INTERIOR BUSINESS CENTER

Washington, DC 20240

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS

AUTHORITY: FAR 13.501(a), 41 U.S.C. 1901

Solicitation #: 140D0425Q0417

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Sole Source Justification.”

This document is a sole source justification for the Department of the Interior (DOI), Interior Business Center (IBC), Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD), Division II, Branch II, on behalf of the Department of the Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Leadership Training Program.

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

This sole source justification is to make a short-term (12-month) sole source bridge contract award to LDSS, Inc. (LDSS), who has provided these specific services under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to APG CECOM since 2019. The 12-month bridge contract will provide continuity of services to APG CECOM since the current call orders written off the LDSS BPA can no longer be incrementally funded. The bridge contract will provide the required training services for the APG Senior Leadership Cohort (SLC) 17 while a contract for these services is competed.

3. A description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

The Contractor must prepare for and facilitate the APG SLC 17 program. In support of the SLC 17 program requirements, the Contractor must provide a facilitation team that consists of a Cohort Program Director, Program Facilitators and Executive Coaches to deliver and facilitate the APG Senior Leadership program in a Department of Defense (DoD) community; this team must have performed together on like or similar projects.

Overall Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of the core curriculum, participants will be able to:

• Identify and reflect on the characteristics of what makes a great leader

• Understand the shifts required at different levels of leadership

• Be able to discern expectations for accepting leadership roles

• Understand and identify the factors that impact communication

• Learn and apply the Ladder of Inference framework to track how interactions move from concrete data to assumptions and identify behaviors based on those assumptions

• Engage in skillful communication balancing advocacy and inquiry and how it effects communication

• Identify and gain an awareness into one’s personal orientation to conflict management

• Learn the difference between power and influence and how to get results without formal authority

• Discover the personal dynamics around change

• Use the Change Style Indicator instrument to learn their preferred style towards change and how it affects others

• Explore what is resiliency and why resiliency is important to leadership

• Learn the components of high performing teams

The APG SLC 17 is scheduled for June 23, 2025, through February 12, 2026. The period of performance will be June 20, 2025, through June 19, 2026. No option periods will be included. The Independent Government Estimate for this requirement is

4. An identification of the statutory authority permitting sole source acquisition.

This is an acquisition conducted under the authority of the Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The statutory authority permitting sole source acquisition is 41 U.S.C 1901 as implemented by FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii).

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

Services required by APG CECOM have historically been provided by LDSS via call orders that were awarded off the LDSS BPA current at the time of procurement.

However, AQD is no longer issuing call orders against LDSS’ BPA or incrementally funding active LDSS call orders. To minimize disruptions, and provide the same, consistent training that APG CECOM has received for years, a sole source purchase order awarded to LDSS is required.

These services are still needed, and the requiring agency has determined them to be essential to provide critical leadership training. This training is one element of APG CECOM’s support to DoD and Army transformation implementation. Succession planning will be essential to ensure that strong leadership candidates are available to fill critical technical and staff roles as the DoD and Army’s business model is transformed.

APG CECOM’s overarching goal is supporting the Army warrior mission, and having a strong leader and potential leader cadre enables doing so.

SLC is the only leadership program of its kind in the entire Army, and its success is tied very closely to the support LDSS provides. LDSS is uniquely qualified for this sole source purchase order because they have provided this exact training to APG CECOM for the last 6 years, during which time, LDSS contributed to the SLC program development and fine tuning. LDSS uses their institutional SLC and APG program knowledge to develop highly qualified sources capable of providing training subject matter experts (SME’s) across a range of leadership themes, concepts and techniques.

These SMEs understand the program requirements and require no learning curve to offer the SLC curriculum training modules.

LDSS is also a highly qualified sole source provider because their previous long term program support gives them the experience and ability to provide these essential training elements in sufficient time to meet the requiring activity’s June 2025 SLC start date.

Furthermore, LDSS’ wealth of knowledge and experience in delivering the APG SLC program allows them to identify any potential cost savings to the Government. As the DoD and Army react to funding/resource reductions and reallocation efficiencies, realizing potential cost savings becomes more critical. Not awarding this purchase order to LDSS, will likely result in a direct negative impact on training quality and effectiveness, and program cost increases.

6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies.

A Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted to SAM.gov on May 15, 2025, with a closing date of May 20, 2025. Two responses were received. The results are discussed in item 10 below.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the

Government will be fair and reasonable.

DOI has access to historical pricing information and current price lists, catalogs and advertisements. The cost/price analysis may use the historical pricing and/or price lists in accordance with FAR 13.106-3(a)(2)(ii) and/or (iii).

Based on the above, the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

8. A description of the market research conducted (see Part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Market research included a review of mandatory sources, acquisition history and Government databases, a review of the Small Business Association (SBA) Dynamic Small Business Search Tool, and a Notice of Intent to Sole Source posted to SAM.gov.

The Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted on May 15, 2025 with a closing date of May 20, 2025, receiving two responses from O’Ready and AFC Power Pro. O’Ready, a

11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required.

Any future requirements will be evaluated on their own merit and to the maximum extent practicable shall be competed without limiting competition.

12. Contracting officer certification that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the contracting officer’s knowledge and belief.

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Rachael Davis (Contracting Officer) Date

13. Requirements personnel certification.

I certify that the technical data which forms a basis for this justification is complete and accurate and meets the Government’s minimum needs.

Pamela Hanas (Program Office) Date

5/28/2025

05/28/2025

RACHAEL

DAVIS

Digitally signed by

RACHAEL DAVIS

Date: 2025.05.28 09:14:06 -06'00'

HANAS.PAMELA

.S.1282614576

Digitally signed by

HANAS.PAMELA.S.1282614576

Date: 2025.05.28 10:57:09 -04'00'