Justification and Approval (J&A) for Sole Source Award

This document is a Justification and Approval (J&A) filing for a sole source contract award under 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) for the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

The DHA Professional Services Contracting Division seeks to establish a five-year firm fixed-price contract with Antimicrobial Therapy, Inc. for an online subscription to Sanford Guide with Stewardship Assist. The requirement provides web-based point-of-care recommendations for infectious disease treatment, including facility-specific guidelines accounting for antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, patient population served, and formulary restrictions. The contract consists of a 12-month base period (9/30/2026–9/29/2027) and four one-year option periods, extending through 9/29/2031, with an additional FAR 52.217-8 clause period (9/30/2031–3/29/2032). The estimated total contract value and funding breakdown by period are redacted in the document. All funding is designated as Operation and Maintenance (O&M). Currently, 14 military treatment facilities utilize this product individually. The consolidation into a single enterprise license aligns with DHA's FY 2024-2029 strategic goal to integrate military health system capabilities and reduce procurement redundancies and administrative costs.

The J&A justifies sole source award based on Sanford Guide's unique position as the only infectious disease treatment reference addressing the full range of nation-wide recommendations through a single platform, with facility-specific integration capabilities and per-bed pricing structure. Market research identified only two competing products (Firstline and Local with Unbound Medicine), both determined insufficient due to lacking continuously updated evidence-based recommendations or antimicrobial spectra tables. A Notice of Intent to make a sole source award was published on SAM.gov (HT0011-26-RFI-0248) on 7/24/2026 with a 15-day response period; no interested parties responded. The contracting officer determination certifies fair and reasonable pricing based on comparison with other membership agencies and absence of significant cost increases over five years.