TAB 21 - JA Redacted.pdf

J&A No. 50,249 Ser 02/2788

Navy Control Systems (Advanced) 1 Ea. 4 Ea.

The total estimated value of this acquisition (to include options) is for the quantities identified above.

This requirement will be funded with Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account (DAWDA), Operational & Maintenance, Navy (OM&N) funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 with possible options that extend the period of performance until FY 2025.

The Government’s minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirements personnel.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

The WBT training modules must be executed through the Department of Navy’s TWMS system. They must, therefore, use software that is fully compatible and interoperable with TWMS.

Additionally, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Sunset Design & Programing is the only company in the market that currently meets these two requirements. It has been successfully produced WBT modules that are fully Section 508 compliant for Naval Sea Systems Command since 2014 using the TWMS system as the platform for distribution.

No other companies are capable of meeting these requirements in as much as the software code needed for TWMS compliance is proprietary to Sunset Design & Programing. Based on available data, the labor hours required to develop TWMS-compliant software is cost prohibitive. Specifically, it would cost well over as detailed below.

Ser 02/2788 sent to the technical code for evaluation and both were found unacceptable due to the lack of information needed to make a determination.

SRR International failed to show familiarity with the larger mandated Navy Total Workforce Management System (TWMS) and NMCI system requirements. Their larger emphasis appears to be in the IT sector based on government solutions showcased. SRR International’s background with LMS and LMS-type environments appear to be focused on the procurement and implementation of them. Due to the extensive constraints associated with our current system, developers need not only be agile in development and programming, but they need to be familiar with our current construct which requires system knowledge to maximize content performance.

In addition, out of the 4 courses identified on this contract, we have specified that one of the courses currently exists.

This course has been developed in custom code without the help of assistive software. SRR International’s capability statements and website showcase the use of WYSIWYG tools utilized to generate web-based content. They fail to showcase the ability to build HTML5 content without the assistance of a web document creation system, but also fail to display their ability to work with and modify existing code. Redevelopment would therefore lead to additional incurred cost for redesign rather than minor modifications. Two additional courses on this contract are a continuation of course content that also already exists. A pre-existing knowledge of the original course, and its content and design would be difficult to achieve without ownership of the existing course files. Additional challenges to include a smooth transition for look, feel and tone, would all be challenging without a familiarity with the existing course files. None of this would come without significant cost incurred by the federal government.

SRR International’s website and fixed price guide also confirms the absence of specific services NAVSEA utilizes regularly in the production of our web-based training, that being the need for developers, designers, animators, and quality control personnel (especially as it pertains to 508 requirements and screen reader functionality). Last but not least, our needs extend beyond development and require regular and ongoing long-term maintenance of our catalog.

In regards to PowerTrain Inc., while PowerTrain Inc. states that they are capable of creating 508 compliant web-based training content, there are several obstacles identified that solidify our decision to remain with Sunset Design and Programming Inc.

Our first main concern revolves around their development techniques. PowerTrain Inc. capability statements as well as course content we’ve reviewed, states that they deliver SCORM-wrapped products hostable on LMS environments. SCORM inherently comes with functionality to include testing features and bookmarking capabilities required of our training. Our requirements, however, are for the Navy Total Workforce Management System (TWMS), which is not compatible with SCORM.

PowerTrain Inc. has failed to prove the ability to develop content without the use of a WYSIWYG product. Since TWMS is NOT a Learning Management System and will not assist in providing this functionality either, PowerTrain Inc. would have had to show the capability to develop in this unique environment.

PowerTrain Inc. states, in our second concern, that they will rely on NAVSEA technical POCs for guidance pertaining to the parameters associated with our LMS. Due to the distinctive environment provided by TWMS and the additional complications associated with the NMCI network, NAVSEA cannot be expected to provide that support within the development process. We rely on experienced vendors to possess knowledge of system restrictions.

Since TWMS is not an LMS, there is no clear guidance nor published best practices available. PowerTrain Inc. would need to be able to come to the table with intimate knowledge of the systems and be able to work independently with little to no direction of the technical requirements associated with the platform in order to create high performance training products.

The third concern is around 508 accessibility and maximum compliance. PowerTrain Inc. utilizes Articulate to create their Navy support training, verified by NAVAIR. They rely on the functionality embedded in the off-the-shelf software to complete compatibility checks for accessibility. While they state that they have in-house JAWS-certified staff members to review all content, we have completed our own assessment of their content and found that their software fails to provide a 100% solution that would otherwise need to be accomplished by additional coding.

Our fourth issue pertains to the specific course development.

One of four courses is an update to existing code. Two of the remaining three are expansions on a previously developed course.

With the existing infrastructure in place, the required compatibility with existing form, fit and function is critically impacted. The existing content was built on a proprietary platform of custom code. The level of effort associated with integrating existing code with new code, while trying to maintain a seamless transition of existing work product to new, would have a negative impact on NAVSEA’s timeline. There is high probability that there would be a significant downtime period while the new vendor determines how to interface. When dealing with custom code, the likelihood is they would opt to redevelop, causing significant delays to the project and increasing overall cost. Substantial duplication of cost would be incurred, whereas expenditures identified with the original vendor would be minimal due to the proprietary aspect of the content and their existing familiarity. Time delays would impact mission readiness and deny critical information from dissemination.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Costs

The Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated costs to the Government for the items covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable. Similar quantities of this requirement have been purchased from this offeror in the past and cost/pricing information was received on those past procurements. This information should be sufficient to support the fair and reasonable cost determination of this procurement.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Competition

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5 and 6, NAVSEA, Corona Division, Contracts Department, Code 02 has no plans at this time to compete future contracts for the types of items covered by this document. If another potential source emerges, Code 02 will assess whether competition for future requirements is feasible.