TPAX Sole Source 52800PR220012105 - Redacted.pdf

J&A 52800PR220012105

TPAX/IATS Software Licenses and Support claims for Temporary Duty (TDY) and Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel for civilians and Uniformed Service members in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and

Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). The system provides all travel documentation, computations, accounting interfaces, federal tax reporting, and payment by check or electronic funds transfer, including split disbursement to government travel credit card, for all travelers, including active duty, reserve, and separated/retired military members.

4. Identification of Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open

Competition.

This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2304(c)(1), as implemented by FAR Subpart 6.302-1 titled “Only One Responsible Source and No Other

Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements,” specifically FAR 6.302-

1(a)(2)(iii)(B).

5. Demonstration that the Proposed Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or the Nature of the Acquisition Require Use of the Authority Cited.

Web TPAX/IATS licenses and support is proprietary and only PSC has the ability to provide the licenses and support for the USCG. The current TPAX/IATS contract is set to expire 14 August

2022, the replacement for TPAX/IATS software has already been competed and awarded to CW

Government Travel (CWGT) for ETS2 with a mLINQS component. The new contractor has experienced numerous delays with acquiring all the required security requirements for the new software to be tested and implemented. One of the required security requirements needed is an

Authority to Operate (ATO); PSC has a valid ATO and can continue to provide the required software and software support in the interim.

Typically, the Risk Management Framework process to obtain an ATO takes approximately 270 days for a full ATO and 120 days for the RAPID ATO, with lesser amounts of security controls.

TPAX/IATS ATO is valid through March 26, 2023 and mLINQS is in the early stages of the

ATO approval process. The USCG requires continued TPAX/IATS support for one year until the new contractor can obtain an ATO and complete its implementation process of mLINQs.

The follow on has been competed and is in place; continued support is necessary until the follow on contractor receives the ATO. As PSC already as an ATO, the company is positioned to provide that continued service. Additionally, as a follow on has been competed and a new contract is in place it is not in the best interests of the USCG to compete an interim contract, especially as those companies will not have an ATO either. Bringing in an interim contractor would take a year or more before they could operate and by that time CWGT’s ATO would be approved and performance begun. As such, PSC, with an ATO, is the only company who can provide the continued support until mLINQ’s ATO process is complete.

The USCG typically prepares and pays 150,000 travel claims for over 100,000 travelers in a single fiscal year. Without the use of Web TPAX/IATS software, the USCG would be forced to process travel claims manually. Implementing any new system at the Pay and Personnel Center

(PPC) would require thousands of hours in training and familiarity. Furthermore, every USCG user would also require hours of training to revert to another system for filing vouchers. Without the continued support USCG personnel will not be able to travel and have their claims paid negatively impacting the USCG’s mission personnel need to travel to the various USCG locations and facilities.

Due to the unique requirements by the USCG and the proprietary nature of TPAX/IATS licenses and support, the contracting strategy that will provide the USCG the best value is using a sole source contract to PSC until the follow on contractor, CW Government Travel Inc., has time to deliver a proof of concept and pass the ATO approval deadline.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Ensure that Offers are Solicited from as Many

Potential Sources as is Practicable.

Due to the proprietary nature of the TPAX/IATS software, no source other than PSC is capable of providing the software and software maintenance. No other vendor or product would be able to fulfill the timeline requirements due to the timeliness of the security approval process and the rigorous testing.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the

Government will be Fair and Reasonable.

The Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated price for the required software and software support will be fair and reasonable. The proposed price is fair based on comparison with the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) and historical pricing data.

8. Description of Market Research.

None.

9. A Listing of the Sources, if Any, that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the

Acquisition.

A Notice of Intent to Sole Source was posted to SAM.gov 29 Mar 2022 with a response deadline date of 13 Apr 2022. Two vendors expressed interest in this acquisition by the due date and time. Neither of the two vendors would be able to receive the Authority to Operate in time to prevent a gap in service so both vendors were deemed not capable of fulfilling the unique requirements needed by the USCG.

10. A Statement of the Actions, if Any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome Any

Barriers to Competition Before Any Subsequent Acquisition for Supplies or Services

Required.

There are no barriers to competition. A follow on contract for these services was awarded to

CWGT via competition. This contract is to assist in the transition process and maintain

TPAX/IATS until the new vendor is operational.