SSJ-RSPO Systems Support_Redacted.pdf

Sole Source Justification

:S Simplified Acquisition Threshold

1. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1 (b)(1 ), I hereby determine that the following product(s) / service(s) are available from only one source, and competition is precluded for the reasons indicated below. There are no substitutes available.

Product(s) / Service(s):

This justification covers the procurement of software solution development, system support and maintenance from eDataTech Inc. for critical sponsored funding and Institutional Review Board (IRS) protocol management application in Research and Sponsored Programs Office (RSPO) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The contractor shall provide the following services in relation to RRBUD and IRS:

• Provide roll over of FY2020 NPS Access database and application for the new fiscal year, and support and maintenance of RRBUD for FY2021.

• Provide support and maintenance, to include minor and described major application modifications, for the IRS protocol management system.

Period of Performance: Base plus option one years

2. This acquisition is restricted to the following source:

Company:

Company Address:

Company Point of Contact (phone number and e-mail):

3. Total Estimated Cost:

4. Required by Date:

!Edatatech Inc.

!1130 Fremont Blvd Suite 105-245, Seaside, CA 93955

!09/27/2020

5. Justification (check applicable, and provide additional information in the sections below):

D Urgent and compelling need exists, following fair opportunity procedures would result in unacceptable delays (explain serious injury, financial or other, to the Government the delay would result in).

[Z] Specific Characteristics of the Item or Service

5.1 Urgent and Compelling Need (explain serious injury, financial or other, to the Government if delayed):

5.2 Specific Characteristics of the Unique or Highly Specialized Item or Service:

6. Check all applicable statements:

The material or service must be compatible in all aspects (form, fit, function) with existing systems presently installed. The new product(s) / service(s) must coordinate, connect, or interface with existing systems.

A patent, copyright, proprietary data, or licensing agreement limits competition.

These are "direct replacement" parts/components for existing equipment.

Part of NPS’s mission is to provide relevant and unique advanced education and research programs. These programs create a vast quantity of data which must be maintained and tracked over time. RSPO’s applications are a critical component to managing programs for research, education, professional development and support activities. Any research involving human subjects must go through additional review and management to ensure the safety and security of data and people involved in those programs.

eDataTech has supported RSPO for over 13 years. They have maintained and/or created multiple applications used by RSPO. This company has in-depth technical knowledge of how these applications operate, business processes already included in the applications, as well as business processes around NPS that may influence or affect these applications. Our processes and systems rely on information provided by other systems that eDataTech manages across campus as well. Systems such as PYTHON, KFS, and Kuali Coeus, play a crucial role in our daily operations. eDataTech has been instrumental in the creation and management of these additional systems. They already have contractors on-site, and remote, that have access to all required connected systems, technologies, and tools.

NPS is currently working on completing the implementation of Kuali Coeus, to replace our legacy RRBUD application. We were anticipating that FY2019 would be year for RRBUD, but unforeseen circumstances delayed the release of award, and modifications to the current module available to the NPS community has delayed working on reporting requirements. RRBUD will be needed for another year to bridge the gap while we finish the Kuali Coeus implementation. eDataTech redesigned and launched IRB Management 2.0 in FY2019. This application uses the same architecture as PYTHON II and the new agreements/bursar application. eDataTech has intimate knowledge of both of the applications used by RSPO, which will allow them to quickly troubleshoot and update for any discovered issues resulting in limited down-time.

It would be in the best interest of the government to use the same contractor that built and maintains the application to ensure continuity of the product and successful implementation and integration of changes. The added time it would take for a programmer to become accustomed to the product could adversely affect the implementation and could cause instabilities if implemented improperly. Because of these factors, awarding to a different contractor will result in significantly increased time and labor required to perform the proposed work.

6.1 Compatibility Statement:

6.2 Copyright / Proprietary Data / Licensing Agreement Statement:

The sponsored funding management application (RRBUD) has been in use since FY2007. It is an MS Access database that is duplicated for each FY. This application is critical for tracking and reporting all sponsored funding that comes through the RSPO. eDataTech has been supporting this database for multiple years. The IRB protocol management 2.0 web application upgrade released in FY2019 was developed by eDataTech and is a critical internal application that our IRB office uses on a daily basis for tracking and management of human subjects research being performed at NPS and the Naval War College. eDataTech designed this application, as well as its predecessor, and has been provided critical application support for years. A gap in service for either application would put both programs at risk of non-compliance and audits at NPS.

7. Brand Name (if applicable, detail why the procurement is restricted to a specific brand name manufacturer):

8. Additional information supporting a sole source acquisition:

Multiple vendors are listed on the GSA eLibrary under Multiple Award Schedule, Category 54151S - Information Technology Professional Services. However, the main concern is supporting the legacy sponsored funding management database in MS Access. This is an antiquated application and we are actively working on replacing it with Kuali Coeus. Until such time, eDataTech is the only company with the unique skills to support this application.

In order to continue operations, and to roll over the application for the next FY, it is critical that we get competent and knowledgeable support.

eDataTech's knowledge of how the applications are programmed and the business processes they support is crucial to successful development and support. They have an in-depth technical knowledge of how these applications operate, and additional applications around NPS that these systems need to interact with.

eDataTech Inc. is a small disadvantaged business concern.