Sole Source Justificiation (SSJ) AME Constellation Data_ PCO Signed_Redacted.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity: The United States Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) is the procuring activity for this action.

2. Description of Action: ACC-DTA is proposing to solicit and award, on a sole source basis, a three-year Firm Fixed-Price (FFP) contract, consisting of a base and two option years, to Constellation Network, Inc., to procure Dôr software licenses for the Army Museum Enterprise (AME) to continue to receive data from Dôr museum visitor counting sensors and to access information on a digital dashboard. The contract will also include an option to purchase additional Dôr sensors and base station hardware. The proposed contractor information is below.

Constellation Network, Inc.

CAGE Code: 88MK8 Unique Entity ID: HH64FJ1EB5S7 Address: 480 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94107-1029

3. Description of Supplies: The procurement is to support the AME. The AME consists of publicly accessible museums that tell the history of the U.S. Army and receive millions of visitors per year. The AME is assigned to the U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH), which is aligned under Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). CMH is the Army’s primary cultural heritage organization, responsible for preserving the institutional history of the Army, educating the Army and the public on the Army’s history and inspiring Soldiers and Civilians to service. There is a requirement for the AME to understand visitation and report it through TRADOC and straight to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) at the start of each FY.

AME requires an automated system to collect, analyze, and make available specific data related to museum visitation through 46 collection locations. To meet the technical capabilities of all Army Museums, the chosen museum visitor counting system must function using wireless fidelity (WiFi) access to the internet; must function independently of the Department of Defense (DoD) local area network and any Army computer; and comply with Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) regarding covered telecommunications equipment or services. The Dôr system, sold by Constellation Network, provides cloud-hosted capabilities that permit AME professionals access to and analysis of this critical data. Dôr uses a cellular network, rather than WiFi, to wirelessly connect counting sensors to the base station, where data is uploaded to and accessible from the Dôr Cloud. The Dôr website offers to ability for any AME professional to collect, assess, analyze, and retrieve the visitation data from any location and at any time. Subscriptions include access to museum data analytics software, hardware support, data licenses and subscriptions, supporting user guides, technical support, and software upgrades.

enables the AME to plan adaptively and maximize the museums’ reach and effectiveness.

Constellation Network is currently used by the AME. The software suite integrates with Dôr visitor counting sensors throughout the museum locations. The integration of these disparate sources saves countless hours per week of work and subsequent analysis by federal staff. Furthermore, the software provides predictive forecasting using algorithms designed from the company’s extensive experience and widespread data sets in the private sector. This forecasting, using broader data sets from across the industry, provides more accurate information to the AME than would be possible on internal information sources only. This creates a higher degree of fidelity than would be possible otherwise and is critical for the museum’s resource forecasting.

In 2022, the AME made the decision to contract sensors to track visitation and analytics across nearly forty facilities. This requirement was solicited competitively, where Constellation Network was found to satisfy the unique requirements of the AME. No other product could transmit the data without interfacing with a Government network or commercial WiFi. Most of the AME museums do not have the capacity for commercial WiFi, and Information Technology (IT) restrictions prevent the use of the Government network.

As such, AME’s existing data is retained by Constellation Network, and it is necessary to continue working with Constellation to utilize the data tracked from the sensors. Without these sensors, there is no efficient way to calculate visitation. Motion capture sensors could be used as an alternative to Constellation Network software, however such a system would be low-quality and low-accuracy and that data from such sensors would = would then have to be entered manually into an online system, which would not provide any of the necessary analytics or forecasting which are crucial to AME’s requirement. The AME did additional research into other possible vendors but could not find one that both met the requirements and provided time or cost savings to the United States Army (see Paragraph 8, below).

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition:

a. Effective Competition: At this time, Constellation Network is the sole provider of Dôr system software and the Government does not intend to solicit additional sources for this effort for the reasons described in Paragraph 5 above. Notices required by FAR 5.201 shall be published, and any interested sources will be considered.

b. Subcontracting Competition: Pursuant to FAR 19.702(b)(1), a small business subcontracting plan is not required because Constellation Network is a small business.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: No actions to increase future competition are contemplated currently, as Constellation Network meets AME’s need to provide cloud-based museum visitor counting dashboard licenses. The AME’s current sensors only provide data through the Dôr system offered by Constellation Network. Prior to future solicitations, market research will be conducted to determine whether other firms provide compatible programs for museum visitor counting.

8. Market Research: Pursuant to FAR Part 10, market research was conducted by Museum Specialist in May 2024. The Computer Hardware Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS) procurement system is a mandatory source for commercial IT software, hardware, and services. A Request for Quote (RFQ) was posted to CHESS in July 2024, and zero quotes were received. An Information Technology Approval System (ITAS) waiver and Statement of Non-Availability (SoNA) request have been obtained.

Additional market research was conducted through an online search and discussions with colleagues at other museums such as the National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA). The following companies/networks were considered but no other vendor provides software which meets AME’s requirement:

• (UEI: This company provides data analysis, but it is part of a larger software package that is integrated into the visitor experience.

IT includes mobile engagement with the visitors, digital membership, and augmented reality as key elements; AME does not currently use and does not require any of these items.

• : This is a collaboration of museums and universities which seek to leverage big data for museums. However, they do not provide an integrated software solution, but rather, recommend best practices based on what various member institutions are doing. There is no software suite developed or supported by this group.

• (UEI: This company is used by NMUSA but cannot be used in a distributed manner that is necessary for a geographically dispersed organization. The data gathered by Constellation Network would not translate to without the purchase of new sensors.

The sensors already purchased and currently used by AME are only compatible with Constellation Network’s Dôr system software. In order to use software provided from a different vendor, new sensors would have to be purchased and the new software would have to be integrated in the visitor counting system. Because of the network services that Dôr uses, the AME does not have to procure public wireless network at all of the AME museums. At a minimum, estimated at the cost of one of AME’s smaller museums, network costs $ annually. Across all AME museums, wireless network costs alone would exceed the estimated annual price of this contract even before including the purchase of new equipment. This would be an additional, recurring cost. New equipment, even if similar price, would mean the AME failed to use the Dôr sensors through their full expected lifespan. Any new equipment would not be able to transition

AME’s current data, would require shipping and installation at 143 mounting spots, and would require new staff training on the use, maintenance, and capability of the software.

9. Interested Sources: To date, no other sources with a technological solution to address the AME’s unique needs have written to express an interest. There are currently no other sources, other than Constellation Network, capable of providing the Dôr system software.

10. Other Facts:

a. Procurement History:

Contract Number: W911S2-22-P-1470 Award Date: 23 September 2022 Contractor: Constellation Network, Inc.

Total Contract Value: $ Procurement Method: Competed through Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) Supply Procurement Program (S2P2)

b. Other Facts: N/A

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.

Typed Name: Date: 8/7/2024 Title: Museum Specialist Signature: //

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.

Typed Name: Date: 8/7/2024 Title: Museum Specialist Signature: //

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

Typed Name: Elida Kellezi Date: 09/04/2024 Title: Contracting Officer Signature: //EK//

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

Typed Name: Elida Kellezi Date: 09/04/2024 Title: Contracting Officer Signature: //EK//