uPAR-JA-26Jun signed.pdf

FAR 13 Determination At or Below SAT Source SelectionInformation-See FAR2.101AND 3.104 - For Official Use Only

DETERMINATION For

SINGLE SOURCE OR BRAND NAME SOURCE SOLICITATION - FAR 13 (≤SAT)

Web-Based Reading Accommodation Assessment Tool

1. Contracting Agency: Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)

2. Description of Supplies and Services

DoDEA requires an objective decision-making assistive technology (AT) reading accommodation assessment tool for K-12 special education (including Section 504) and regular education students that is vendor-hosted and cloud-based and allows individual and group screenings of K-12 reading passages.

The tool must (1) measure the effectiveness of various accommodations to include read-aloud text-to-speech with a synthesized voice and independent reading, (2) automatically score the assessment results, and (3) make individual and group data available in a variety of report formats.

3. Description of Action A firm-fixed-price contract is planned with a total estimated value of $188,448.13. The period of performance is a base year and four option years, each 12-months in length. FY20 Operating and Maintenance (O&M) funds are available for the base period in the estimated amount of $24,056.25.

4. Authority FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)

5. Market Research Don Johnston, Inc., Volo, IL. Trisha Johnson, VP, Sales. O: 800-999-4660 x553, C: 847-922-2542.

tjohnson@donjohnston.com - Not a small business, per the Dynamic Small Business Search - CAGE code 3BTS8 – As of June 8, 2020, the company is registered in SAM under CAGE Code 3BTS8 as a Small Business.

The Don Johnston, Inc. AT tool is called Universal Protocol for Accommodations in Reading (uPAR.)

It has been on the market for about six years and is currently used by over 2,000 US school districts and also school districts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand that utilize this product. According to Don Johnston, there are no comparable products on the market.

In addition to a Google search, DoDEA searched the Closing the Gap Resource Directory, an online guide to over 2,000 of the latest AT products for students and adults with disabilities. The search confirmed that the only AT product that could meet DoDEA’s requirements was uPAR, which is marketed exclusively by Don Johnston, Inc.

a. Using the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) and Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) for NAICS #611710 (Education Support Services) and the keywords, reading accommodation and reading assessment yielded the following results:

DSBS

Under reading accommodation were no matches. Under reading assessment was one match, Charmtech Labs, LLC (Stony Brook, NY). Its assessment tool, Capti Voice, does not meet DoDEA’s

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY

mailto:tjohnson@donjohnston.com requirements because it does not provide screenings or reports of individual and group needs and effectiveness of reading accommodations.

FPDS

Under reading accommodation was one reference to “Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees” to the Agency of International Development (AID). It is highly unlikely that DoDEA’s and AID’s requirements are aligned. Under reading assessment were the following matches, none of which can provide reading accommodation assessments:

Company Main Focus Act, Inc. ACT exam Research Triangle Institute Independent non-profit research institute Chemonics International, Inc. Private, international development firm Juarez & Associates, Inc. Interdisciplinary research and consulting Human Resources Research Lab Best practice solutions in a wide variety of areas WestEd Non-profit education research Westat, Inc. Research on many subjects used at the federal, state, and local levels Northwest Evaluation Association PK-12 research and assessment products and services Educational Testing Service Nonprofit testing and assessment organization

6. Rationale for Single Source Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Contracting Officer, approve this justification for the proposed contract action pursuant to the authority cited above because the reading accommodation assessment tool is essential to the agency's requirements and because the market research indicates that no other companies’ products can meet or be modified to meet the agency's needs.

Background Approximately fourteen percent of all students in the United States receive special education services.

This requirement addresses the reading accommodation needs which the majority of these students require. The cloud-based, vendor-hosted solution automatically scores and reports student results. The cloud-based, vendor-hosted assessment provides data that shows the way each student learns best— and the specific level of text that can be understood by each student when listening compared to independent reading. Providing appropriate and effective reading accommodations will increase student learning and achievement.

Although its primary focus is on special education students, most school districts use the assessment to determine if regular education students need reading accommodations as well. As stated in the market research, it is used by over 2,000 US public school systems and in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand schools.

Rationale The uPAR reading accommodation assessment is produced and marketed only by Don Johnston, Inc.

It is the only reading accommodation assessment on the market that meets DoDEA’s requirements.

Based on the rationale above, the Contracting Office has made the determination to issue a sole source solicitation to Don Johnston, Inc., which is the only authorized seller of the required resource.

KOROMA.ALIM

.A.1397998254

Digitally signed by

KOROMA.ALIM.A.1397998254

Date: 2020.07.29 15:24:56 -04'00'

Web-Based Reading Accommodation Assessment

Technical Certification: I certify the supporting data under my cognizance and which forms a basis for this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

HAYNES.JACLYN.P.14553

64414

Digitally signed by

HAYNES.JACLYN.P.1455364414

Date: 2020.07.29 14:41:04 -04'00'

Jaclyn Haynes, Contracting Officer’s Representative

DETERMINATION

Contracting Officer: I certify that the facts and representations included in this determination are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. I hereby determine that the circumstances of this contract action deem only one source reasonably available and the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. Approval is granted subject to the availability of funds and provided that the products/ services described herein have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Alim Koroma, Contracting Officer \