J&A_Signed_Redacted.pdf

FAR Subpart 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items – Sole Source Justification and Approval

1. Contracting Activity: The Contracting Activity responsible for this action is the U.S.

Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA)

2. Description of Action: The Medical Support Systems and Evacuation Program Management Office of the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA) requests a firm-fixed-price contract with Velocity Vue Inc. located at 240 Skinner, Kyle, TX, 78640. The Government projects award for September 2019 and fiscal year 2019/20, Research Development Test & Evaluation, Army funds will be used.

An acquisition plan is not required because this procurement does not meet the threshold at Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 207.103(d)(i)(B).

(Insert approval authority title) approved an acquisition plan in accordance with DFARS 207.103(d)(i)(B) on (insert date).

The required acquisition plan in accordance with DFARS 207.103(d)(i)(B) is currently awaiting (insert approval authority title) approval.

3. Description of Supplies/Services: The Medical Support Systems and Evacuation Project Management Office (MSSE PMO) requires a mobile eLearning software tool in order to carry out quick and easy authoring and viewing of Clinical Procedures Guides (CPGs) for the specific intention of providing a mobile telehealth capability. The tool shall allow health care providers in an austere environment access to multi-media procedural and decision-making support guidance when communications are limited or absent.

Velocity Vue software is purchased in two parts. There is a license for creating training guides (Creator) and there is another license for viewing the training guides (Communicator). The MSSE PMO requires both licenses in the following distribution:

(1) Task 1: Shall provide 3 Creator licenses

(2) Task 2: Shall provide 750 Communicator licenses

(3) Tasks 1 and 2 will be for Period of Performance of a Base Period plus four (4) Optional Periods.

(4) Optional Tasks: The MSSE PMO is anticipating potential additional authoring and viewing licenses to be procured during the life of the contract.

(a) Optional Task 1: Shall provide one (1) additional authoring license

(b) Optional Task 2: Shall provide 200 additional viewing licenses

(c) Optional Task 3: Shall provide three (3) additional authoring licenses

(d) Optional Task 4: Shall provide 400 additional viewing licenses

(e) Optional Task 5: Shall provide five (5) additional authoring licenses

(f) Optional Task 6: Shall provide 600 additional viewing licenses

Base Period: 1 Sep 2019 to 31 Aug 2020 Value: $70,000.00 Option Period 1: 1 Sep 2020 to 31 Aug 2021 Value: $72,100.00 Option Period 2: 1 Sep 2021 to 31 Aug 2022 Value: $74,263.00 Option Period 3: 1 Sep 2022 to 31 Aug 2023 Value: $76,490.00 Option Period 4: 1 Sep 2023 to 31 Aug 2024 Value: $78, 785.00 Optional Tasks 1 through 6 during the life of the Contract Value: $142,500.00

Total for All Options and All Optional Tasks Exercised Value: $514,138.00

4. Authority Cited: Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, 41 U.S.C. 1901 (or 41 U.S.C. 1903 for Special Emergency Procurement) as implemented by FAR Subpart 13.5:

Unusual and compelling urgency Exclusive licensing agreements Industrial mobilization Other: FAR 13.501(a)(1)(i): Only one source reasonable available. Velocity

Vue Incorporated is the only contractor that can provide the mobile eLearning software tool.

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

(a) Additional licenses are required for Army medical providers to use existing CPGs.

These CPGs were previously developed using the Velocity Vue proprietary software by Army Medical Centers. These CPGs cannot be used with any other software product due to licensing and proprietary coding restrictions.

(b) Alternatives: See Paragraph 9 regarding Interested Sources which discusses CareConnect which was an Alternative mobile eLearning software tool proposed in response to a Notice of Intent that was posted.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Many of the Mobile App Startup companies are small business, but in the research conducted, none were considered 8a, Native American, or female owned. Additionally, web-based training was researched, but will not suffice, as the content cannot be downloaded and used in a disconnected network environment.

These sources of training are usually tailored for specific software products and skill sets. For example, Skillsoft is a commercial provider of On-Demand eLearning and performance support solutions. The Army has purchased an enterprise-wide Skillsoft license as part of the “Army eLearning Program” and Soldiers and civilians have free access to hundreds of information technology tutorials, management tutorials, and eLearning topics (https://usarmy.skillport.com/). The Army eLearning site also grants access to “Books 24X7,” which gives Soldiers and civilians’ access to an extensive library of full-text E-books and technology-related topics. Other commercial, web-based, tutorials include Lynda.com (http://www.lynda.com/) and Atomic Learning (http://www.atomiclearning.com/). Unfortunately, none of these contenders provide the overall solution, which can compete with the Velocity Vue software.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The MSSE PMO product manager will continue to monitor possible emerging technologies for evolving programmatic requirements.

8. Market Research: The market research was conducted through internet website search results for Mobile eLearning and Content Authoring tools. Websites such as Crunchbase (www.crunchbase.com), FBO (http://www.fedbizopps.gov/), Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), and Google (www.google.com) provided much of the research information. Mobile Apps that volunteered free trials were downloaded for further assessment. Additionally, organizations that may have similar software such as the U.S.

Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Defense Information Systems Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were assessed to determine all possible amenable solutions, but no congruence was found. Only stateside Army Medical Centers have similar means and currently use the Velocity Vue product. The following logic was used to narrow down the candidate companies:

a. Ten (10) companies were cross compatible to Android and iOS platforms.

b. Seven (7) out of 10 companies are considered small business companies.

c. Six (6) out 10 companies are residing in United States and are a small business.

d. Four (4) out of 10 companies do not require software engineering skills to develop mobile apps, resides in the United States, and are small business.

e. One (1) out 10 companies do not require software engineering skills, has the ability to use teleconferencing within the app, resides in the United States, and is a small business.

9. Interested Sources: A Notice of Intent to Sole Source this requirement was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website on 21 June 2019 that provided interested concerns the opportunity to identify their capability in writing by 09 July 2019.

Only one (1) vendor responded, provided an alternative program called which they believed could meet the requirement that was requested by USAMMDA for an eLearning Mobile Tool. capability document was sent to the USAMMDA Technical Representative on 10 July 2019.

11. Technical Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which are included in the justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

13. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost or price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable.

This determination will be made using the following: price analysis cost analysis IGCE audit: other:

As a part of this basis, certified cost or pricing data is not required because the item and/or services being acquired are considered commercial.

14. Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.