SS FAR 13_Visualization Graphic Designer signed.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

(Simplified Acquisition Procedures under FAR Part 13 Not Exceeding $250K)

1. Agency/Contracting Activity: International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF)

2. Description of Action:

Nature: New Requirement Follow-On Requirement

Mod to Existing Purchase Order/Contract Number

Pricing: Firm-Fixed Price Other: __________

3. Description of Supplies/Services:

a. The total estimated dollar value of the proposed action (including options): $ _17,280_

Hourly rate of $24 (40 hrs a week) for 18 weeks after contract award.

4. Authority:

Action using Simplified Acquisition Procedures

FAR 13.106-1(b) (1): For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT), contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g.

urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, or industrial mobilization).

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

The services requested are needed to meet the visualization needs of the SETS Convergence and UREx SRN projects. These projects involve the development of research, decision-making tools, and visualization products to facilitate the understanding of urban systems as social-ecological-technological systems. The project is highly interdisciplinary, requiring unique experience and skill sets spanning the sciences and engineering. The project is seeking design services that are multi-media (e.g. print design, renderings and digital graphics, web integration) and that incorporates advanced data visualization techniques to translate scientific products for multiple audiences. Because the city of San Juan is one of the nine cities that are part of the project, the project requires bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish. Ideally the candidate has prior experience working on research projects in Puerto Rico.

The candidate meets all the science and engineering requirements and is the best candidate for the project. The candidate has been providing these services for the UREx SRN project for the past year and a half. The candidate has combined their engineering background, visualization experience, and research on urban socio-technical systems to develop a variety of platforms and products, including data graphics, social network visualizations, and other unique visual products. The candidate brings a variety of technical skills in graphic design, data analysis and visualizations and experience with a diverse set of computer programs (e.g. KUMU, Survey Monkey, GIS, Mapbox, Photoshop, AutoCAD, Civil 3D CAD, SAAP 2000, Python, Plotly) that are needed for the project. The candidate created their own data codes to develop many of the visualization products for the project, therefore no other individual or company can complete the services needed.

6. Actions to Increase Competition:

As one of the leading research organizations in Puerto Rico, we are acutely aware of the scientific expertise, available data, and history of published work in our area of work. We receive solicited and unsolicited inquiries for providing a variety of services within the research community. This has given us an understanding of the capacity and expertise available. This project is a highly interdisciplinary, requiring unique experience and skill sets spanning the sciences and engineering, seeking design services that are multi-media (e.g. print design, renderings and digital graphics, web integration) and that incorporates advanced data visualization techniques to translate scientific products for multiple audiences. The skills and experience required for the contract action are unique and rarely available in the market.

7. Market Research:

The applicable market includes scientists with the capacity and experience to analyze and publish relevant datasets in high-impact scientific journals in order to further our research and outreach mission as related to the Tropics. As such the market is limited, and as a leading research Institute for the Tropics, we are generally aware of the available capacity. In this instance we are interested in highly interdisciplinary, requiring unique experience and skill sets spanning the social and natural sciences and engineering. The skills and experience required for the contract action are unique and rarely available in the market.

I carried out the market research and compiled the data from the US Dept of Labor in the last three months, starting February 2020. In addition to the data I gathered from the US Dept of Labor, I consulted with other members of my project team to compare wages from different institutions. I also searched the General Service Administration library but many of the contractors were in specific science areas with one-title, but I did not find any with the range of disciplinary areas that the position requires (e.g., engineering, visualization, sciences).

8. Procurement History:

Previous Purchase Orders(s) or Contract(s): Yes x No

Purchase order or contract number:_______________ Was action competed? Yes No If action was not competed, state the cited authority, summarize rationale:______________________________________________________________________

9. Additional information to support the justification:

As stated in #5 above, the candidate has worked previously for the project and will build upon the visualization techniques, codes, and platforms he has developed and therefore is the best candidate to maintain the project’s integrity of the data and visualization platforms.

10. Technical/Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which is included in this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Submitted By: Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson Position Title: Research Social Scientist

Signature:

Date: 5/4/2020

11. Fair and Reasonable Price Determination: As Contracting Officer, I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable.

Basis for the determination: price analysis techniques.

12. Contracting Officer’s Approval:

I hereby certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. Based on the foregoing, I approve this sole source justification subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services and supplies herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition

Signature:______________ Typed Name: Amelia Davila Title: Contracting Officer Date: 4 June 2020