Sole Source Justification_posting.pdf

V220T.12 (01/19)

Procurement Request No. V332-2056

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

VOLPE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CENTER (VOLPE CENTER)

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND LOGISTICS DIVISION

SOLE SOURCE SAP JUSTIFICATION

A. Description of Supplies/Services.

The purpose of this Procurement is to provide lodging for up to 20 international visitors to the Volpe Center hosted Maritime Domain Awareness Workshop from July 5 through August 15, 2021, for 41 nights totaling up to 823 room nights. The attendees are from several African and Pacific Rim nations, each with unique cultural and religious requirements requiring the attendees to be able to prepare their own foods. The hotel rooms must be extended stay type, meaning the rooms are configured with kitchenettes to allow workshop attendees the ability to prepare their own meals; must be within walking distance from Volpe, or have free on-demand shuttle f service, including to/from Volpe and to/from grocery stores and religious facilities. It is recommended that negotiations be conducted with Residence Inn Marriott - Cambridge on a noncompetitive basis for award. The supporting data for this recommendation are as follows:

B. Market Research.

The 2021 workshop will be the seventh year of the Volpe Center hosting this workshop. First held in 2014, the workshop was annually conducted from 2014 – 2019. Initial planning began for the 2020 Workshop but cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Annual Market Research has been conducted, including in December 2020, to determine availability of hotels within reasonable walking distance (determined to be .50 miles) from the Volpe Center that are of the extended stay type. No new hotels have opened near Kendall Square that meet the requirement of extended stay.

In 2017 a Sources Sought (DTRT5717SS004R) was issued by the Volpe Center to expand the possibility of allowing a potential lodging facility to provide group transportation to/from Volpe Center in the morning, at lunch/after lunch, and again at the end of the day. Several responses were received and a full and open procurement was issued. The Government received three proposal in response to the solicitation; 1) Vendor A, was not technically acceptable because they were not actually a lodging facility; they were a service that planned corporate travel. 2) Vendor B (an extended stay/corporate apartment agency) proposed to lodge the attendees at a downtown Boston location. Logistically, transporting the attendees to and from the Volpe Center did not allow sufficient time for breaks and prayer prior to the start of the afternoon training sessions. Vendor C (Residence Inn Cambridge) was found technical acceptable as it met all the criteria in the solicitation.

In February - March 2018 Mario Caputo conducted Market Research on extended stay apartment facilities within .75 miles of the Volpe Center. A company called FURNISHEDQUARTERS operates at 285 Third Street in the Third Square Apartments complex (next door to Volpe). Mario Caputo met a company representative and toured their facility in March 2018 and spoke with a representative again in December 2020. The apartments are single or double, occupancy and eachh unit is comprised of a shared kitchen and living space and individual bedrooms with a private bathroom. Each unit also has a washer/dryer, televisions with basic cable, internet, and a telephone with local calling inclusive in the price.

Google research in December 2020 showed that the Residence Inn by Marriott Cambridge – Boston remains the only hotel that meets the unique need of providing “extended stay” services (i.e. – kitchenettes) that within 1/2 miles (walking distance) to the Volpe Center.

V220T.12 (01/19)

C. Supporting Rationale.

(1) Sole Source: Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

Annual market research since 2014 has shown that Residence Inn by Marriott Cambridge is the only hotel that meets this unique need. While there are several other several hotels in Cambridge, including the Cambridge Marriott, across the street from the Volpe Center, the Sonesta Hotel, Fairfield Inn, and Hampton Inn each approximately .75 miles from the Volpe Center that could potentially provide rooms, the unique extended stay aspect of having suites with kitchenettes is only available at Residence Inn by Marriott Cambridge.

The attendees are all international have cultural and religious needs, including prayer and special preparation of their meals, such as halal preparation. The attendees will not have rental cars and accommodations must be within a reasonable walking distance, determined to be no more than .50 miles from the Volpe Center. This is to allow the attendees the ability to easily travel back and forth to the Volpe Center, at not only the start and end of the day, but allow an attendee to return to the hotel for midday prayer and meals.

The workshop will consist of 20 participants from five countries, each sending four participants. There will not be a large enough availability of single occupancy apartments at FURNISHEDQUARTERS to allow each participant a single occupancy apartment. This does not meet the needs of the government for multiple reasons. (1) The religious and cultural beliefs of the attendees even from within a particular country could be vastly different and could be problematic for a shared accommodation. (2) Additionally, the gender composition of the participants is unknown. It is unacceptable to cohabitate even though in different sleeping quarters, with members of the opposite sex. FURNISHEDQUARTERS is not a feasible solution to accommodate religious and cultural requirements of the workshop attendees.

The failure to meet the cultural and religious needs of the attendees would have a serious detrimental impact on the US government mission of building partnerships and fostering relations with foreign nations.

(2) Brand Name:

N/A

(3) Unusual and Compelling Urgency.

N/A