Sole Source Justification Health of Vietnam Era Women Study.pdf

VHAPG Part 813.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items Attachment 1: Request for Sole Source Justification Template >SAT-SAP under FAR13.5

Effective Date: 12/30/2025 Page 1 of 4 Revision: 02 Acquisition ID#: 36C261-26-AP-2847

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION UNDER SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL

ITEMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.5

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C261-26-AP-2847 JOFOC Tracker: FY26 - NCO 21 - 1636

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 21, Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 21, on behalf of VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS), 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94025.

VA 2237: 640-26-2-984-0048

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: This procurement is to provide the Health ViEWS follow-up survey of the Vietnam Women’s Health Study. This follow-up survey will use a life-course epidemiology framework to examine how warzone service and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) onset and duration contribute to cumulative physiological burden and long-term health trajectories. This procurement is for a Firm-Fixed-Price contract in accordance with FAR

12.102 Restricting Competition for the Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, where acquisitions conducted are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6, but still requires a justification using the format of FAR 6.104-1.

VAPAHCS proposes to enter a new contract on the basis of other than Full and Open Competition with Westat, Inc. The address for Westat, Inc. is 7501 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814.

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs: The requested follow-up survey includes contacting over 4,000 Veterans using non-public databases and commercial tracing resources such as Experian and Lexis-Nexis and conducting telephone interviews using a secure Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) Platform. This contract will consist of a 12-month base year, with a possibility of a option year to provide statistical support if funding is available.

Services under this contract will be performed from 9/01/2026 through 8/31/2028.

Base Year: September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027.

Option Year 1: September 1, 2027 – August 31, 2028.

The estimated value of proposed action is as follows:

Base Year:

Option Year 1:

The Government will include the option to extend the effective period of performance utilizing FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services under this contract for a period not to exceed six (6) months.

VHAPG Part 813.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items Attachment 1: Request for Sole Source Justification Template >SAT-SAP under FAR13.5

Effective Date: 12/30/2025 Page 2 of 4 Revision: 02 Acquisition ID#: 36C261-26-AP-2847

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Restricted Competition:

FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The statutory authority for applying the Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items of FAR 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 and is implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) for restricting competition on this procurement. Competition is restricted on this procurement for the reason below:

(X) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements

( ) Unusual and Compelling Urgency ( ) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert

Services ( ) International Agreement ( ) Authorized or Required by Statute ( ) National Security ( ) Public Interest

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): The procurement will be awarded on a sole source basis to to Westat, Inc. There are no other sources of supply/service that will satisfy agency requirements.

Westat, Inc. conducted the original Health ViEWS Survey of the Vietnam Women’s Health Study and is the only vendor explicitly named in the VA Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved consent form, which informed participants that “Only approved VA and Westat staff will know your identity.

Information that could identify you will be removed from all data before it is shared with study researchers.” Introduction of a new vendor would breach this representation. A different vendor is not authorized by the VA IRB to contact the Veteran participants or conduct surveys because Veteran participants were told that only Westat Inc. would do so. If a different vendor is used, this would be a direct violation of 38 CFR Part 16, which requires that any plan for re-contact or data access must itself be part of the originally approved consent. Westat Inc. is the only vendor capable of providing the requested services to maintain compliance with 38 CFR Part 16.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: Intent to Sole Source Synopsis 36C26126Q0872 was published to SAM.GOV on 6/24/2026 and closed on 6/30/2026. No responses were received.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: To ensure the final contract price is fair and reasonable, an analysis will be conducted following the guidelines of FAR 12.201-1, comparison to the Independent Government Estimate. In addition, the Contracting Officer will review the awarded pricing that had been determined fair and reasonable for the necessary services, taking into account the escalation rates, in accordance with FAR 12.201-1, comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons

Market Research Was Not Conducted: Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Small Business