I-3_LSJ_FSS_2013-32_Opportunity_Knocks.pdf

Rev. (11/11)

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION

I recommend that the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY use limited sources procedures for the acquisition of the following supplies or services available under Federal Supply Schedules (FSS). This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program--Title III of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251, et seq.) and Title 40 U.S.C. 501, Services for Executive Agencies.

1. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM FSS

Provide strategic communications, training, and transition/change management support for the Chief Information Office’s accelerated IT project entitled, “Networks Convergence.” The Contractor shall provide support to the Government to ensure all training, communications and transition management for Convergence meets the needs and expectations of the user community; and will provide support for the communications to all stakeholders and end users about all pertinent Convergence activities. The Contractor shall develop feedback mechanisms to allow the team to measure the users experience with the various technologies and make adjustments as necessary; and provide support for identifying the gaps between the current as-is (pre convergence) state and the end state (after convergence; and the Contractor shall work with other IRS organizations to identify what is needed to support the end state.

This IRS requires existing badged, cleared personnel, who understand the training and communications needs of the government, and who will provide the training, communications and transition management support for the government without disruption of the on-going accelerated deployment of the IRS Network Convergence contract.

Period of Performance: September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014.

2. REQUISITION NO.

Q-3-QH-01-UC-T15 001

4. NAME(S) OF PROPOSED FSS SOURCE(S)

Opportunity Knocks, Inc.

1418 11th St NW Suite 4 Washington, DC 20001

GSA FSS Schedule 874 (MOBIS) Contract GS-10F-0182X

3. COST ESTIMATE

$967,772.40

REQUESTING OFFICE CERTIFICATION

I certify that the attached justification is accurate, and contains complete data necessary to support the recommendation for limited sources justification and approval.

5. REQUESTING OFFICE

REPRESENTATIVE (Name & Title)

Steven R Hix

UNS:ENO

(Signature)

(Phone No.)

901-462-2850

(Date)

SMALL BUSINESS CERTIFICATION

I have conducted a search of vendor files from GSA Advantage/Schedules e-Library, etc., to locate potential FSS small businesses for this procurement. If any were found, a list is attached.

6. SMALL BUSINESS

SPECIALIST (Name and Title)

LaTonya Richardson Small Business Specialist

240-613-8311

PROCUREMENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION

I certify that this submission is accurate, and that it contains complete information necessary to enable Approving Officials to make an informed recommendation for approval or disapproval.

7. ASSIGNED CONTRACTING

OFFICER (Name)

Lanny L. Turner

OS:A:P:I:A:B

240-613-8371

8. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION 8.405-6

TITLE III OF THE FEDERAL PROPERTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ACT OF 1949 (41 U.S.C. 251, ET SEQ.)

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AND TITLE 40 U.S.C. 501

(place “X” in appropriate box and complete rest of form)

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(A) – An urgent and compelling need exists, and following the procedures would result in unacceptable delays.

Explain why the agency’s need for the supplies or services is of such an unusual and compelling urgency that the government would be seriously injured unless it limited the number or sources. Solicitation from as many potential sources as is practicable under the circumstances is required.

X

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B) – Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.

Explain what makes this FSS contractor the only responsible source, i.e., Does this proposed FSS contractor have facilities or equipment that are specialized and vital to the effort? Is the proposed contractor the only one that can meet critical schedules? Does the proposed contractor have prior experience of a highly specialized nature vital to the effort? Does the FSS vendor have an exclusive licensing agreement? Why won’t any other product or service satisfy the need? Describe market survey and analysis efforts leading to this conclusion.

FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(C) – In the interest of economy and efficiency, the new work is a logical follow-on to an original Federal Supply Schedule order provided that the original order was placed in accordance with the applicable Federal Supply Schedule ordering procedures. The original order must not have been previously issued under sole-source or limited-sources procedures.

Explain why the work is a logical follow-on and provide information on the original competition for the first order.

FAR 8.405-6(b)(1) -- The item is peculiar to one manufacturer (e.g., a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer). A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer.

Explain why the brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency’s needs. Describe the rationale for the brand name specification. Ordering activity shall post the rationale for the brand name along with the Request for Quotation (RFQ) to e-Buy (http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov) for orders with an estimated value exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold.

Although competition should exist among schedule providers of the item, this authority shall be used for a brand name purchase.

9. JUSTIFICATION

A. DEMONSTRATION THAT THE PROPOSED FSS CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE

OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED.

The Convergence project is deploying a Unified Communications (UC) solution to every IRS employee and contractor, on every laptop and desktop, and to every IRS building in the next three years. In order to meet this acceleration the annual work load has almost doubled and staffing must be increased immediately to meet the needed schedule. As a result, significant training and communication support is needed for implementation to occur.

The main Convergence contract (approx. value $85M) was awarded to American Systems (ASC) on September 27 2013. While it provides most of the support necessary to deploy Convergence there are a few necessary activities that need to be performed that are outside the scope of the ASC contract. This additional training and communication support work is already being performed by Opportunity Knocks, a woman owned small-business, as a subcontractor on an 8(a) contract which was extended on a month-to-month basis.

Opportunity Knocks is the only company who can do this work within the existing schedule and budget. Opportunity Knocks has cleared staff, working on these urgent tasks, with the needed curriculum and procedures, in place to continue this work without disruption. If this work were to be transferred to another company a disruption of at least three months would result and thus cause the ASC contractor to stop work as well, causing a severe disruption to the schedule and budget. Additionally, the IRS is planning on deploying UC to most of the existing Cisco Common Premise Capability (CPC) locations (approx. 145) without using ASC CLINS for training. This deployment work will be performed by Opportunity Knocks and the IRS.

http://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/

The work to be performed by Opportunity Knocks will be:

1) Support for all deployments for communication, training, and transition management activities outside the scope of the ASC contract; and

2) Support for Cisco CPC deployments for the activities in number 1 above and the activities ASC would normally perform.

The activities Opportunity Knocks would be responsible for on all sites are:

• Communications. The coordination activities with myriad IRS interests to inform them about all the changes to each site and to gather their feedback is significant. These communications must also be tailored for each party to include, but not limited to; Executives, users at each site, service providers (local telecom, desktop support, ESD, etc)

• Training. Coordination and dissemination of all training materials not provided onsite at time of transition. Includes weekly UC broadcasts to anyone who wants to receive it and training for the service providers.

• Transition Management. As required by ELC, these activities prepare the IRS to support UC in a post deployment environment

In addition to the activities above, the additional activities Opportunity Knocks would perform on Converging the approx. 145 Cisco CPC sites are:

• All training for all users when the ASC CLINs are not invoked

The accomplishment of these activities and thus the success of this project require in-depth knowledge of who the correct IRS employees are and the understanding of the project’s needs in order to effectively communicate and train the people who receive this new technology. Additionally, support requires cleared personnel who can access the data necessary to make UC possible.

Convergence deployments are ongoing now. Any lapse of the existing Opportunity Knocks support would require suspension of existing deployment. Opportunity Knocks has successfully supported Convergence for almost two years as a subcontractor to Nettek and is the only company that can accomplish the activities listed above without a significant and disruptive break in the existing schedule. They have the people who are cleared, have formed the relationships with existing IRS employees, understand where the information is, developed the existing Convergence policies, and accomplished the work necessary to successfully communicate and train the people as required.

Based on our aggressive timeline to deploy sites at the accelerated pace, and the need to train and communication increased number of affected personnel, it is critical that Opportunity Knocks be awarded this work to ensure that Network Convergence implementation and deployment continues as planned, that estimated cost-savings are realized, and that the Convergence program schedule is not disrupted.

Additional factors in the justification that Opportunity Knocks is the only company who can do this work in the aggressive schedule is that the training curriculum and training materials were created by Opportunity Knocks and may be proprietary, and that the communications plans and communications templates were created by Opportunity Knocks, and that the ability to adjust the training and communications to continuing schedule risk requires in depth understanding of the plans and process without failure. Given the criticality of the requirements, This additional training and communication support work is already being performed by Opportunity Knocks, a woman owned small-business.

B. DESCRIBE THE MARKET RESEARCH THAT WAS CONDUCTED, OR A STATEMENT OF THE REASON MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT CONDUCTED, AND THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH (E.G., SEARCH ON E-LIBRARY AT HTTP://WWW.GSA.GOV/FSS; HISTORICAL ORDERING INFORMATION, FEDBIZOPPS SYNOPSIS).

SYNOPSIS IS NOT REQUIRED FOR FSS PROCUREMENTS, BUT MAY BE USED. ALSO, LIST ANY FSS SOURCES THAT EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN WRITING IN THE ORDER AND THE RESULTS OF THAT

INTEREST.

Within the urgency of the requirement, the IRS examined Opportunity Knocks’ capabilities references as self-marketed, and examined the multiple work products and deliverables which were created by and being maintained by Opportunity Knocks. The IRS also examined the impact of disruption of the services, and estimated the period of delay resulting from another contractor could assume the performance of the work. Market research let to the conclusion that given the criticality of the requirements, Opportunity Knocks is uniquely situated to provide these services.

C. LIST THE ACTIONS THE BUREAU WILL TAKE TO PROMOTE FSS ORDERING PROCEDURES OUTLINED IN

FAR 8.405 ON ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITIONS FOR SIMILAR SUPPLIES OR SERVICES.

Following stabilization of the deployment activities needed to support the acceleration of the Convergence contract, an examination of the Communications and Training requirements to determine whether Government performance will be possible or whether Contractor performance for the remaining work of deployment is still required. If Government performance is not possible the requirement will be competed under set-aside procedures for WOSB service providers.

D. STATEMENT THAT REQUIREMENT DOES NOT RESULT FROM A LACK OF PLANNING OR THE EXPIRATION

OF FUNDS.

This requirement does not result from a lack of planning or the expiration of funds. It is a requirement to maintain continuity during an aggressive schedule for deployment.

10. ADDITIONAL APPROVALS

O V

E R

K

BUREAU COMPETITION

ADVOCATE (Name & Title)

[ ] APPROVE

[ ] DISAPPROVE

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E R

.5 M

BUREAU HEAD OR SENIOR

EXECUTIVE SERVICE DESIGNEE

(Name & Title)

O V

E R

.5

M

SENIOR PROCUREMENT

EXECUTIVE (Name & Title)

NOTE: Each review must be preceded by lower level approval(s), e.g., over $62.5 million all approvals are required. IN

NO CASE WILL AN INDIVIDUAL SIGN MORE THAN ONE APPROVAL LEVEL.

http://www.gsa.gov/FSS

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VICTOR G. ONORATO

DIRECTOR, RESOURCES AND

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

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Typewritten Text 202-622-

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CONTROL NO. FSS 2013-32

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