REDATED_Justification FAR Part 6 (JA)_Jira Approved _12 Aug 026_KZ.pdf

CUI//SP-PROCURE//FEDCON

Control Number: JA-26-DC3oE-0485

CUI//SP-PROCURE//FEDCON

JUNE 2025

its sunk costs in previously developed Agile workflows and rebuild all business logic and test/defect tracking scripts from scratch. Furthermore, ServiceNow is typically priced and scoped as a massive IT Service Management (ITSM) platform, which far exceeds the targeted Agile and HR use cases required by this descoped action, leading to unnecessary licensing bloat.

• Smartsheet / Generic Work Management Tools: Smartsheet and similar tools lack the robust, native software development and systems testing integration (e.g., automated QA and defect tracking) required by the PMO’s Systems Test & Evaluation and ARTS teams. Migration to a generic tool would result in fractured workflows, manual data entry, and a loss of traceability between strategic requirements and test execution.

Conclusion on Alternatives: While these alternative platforms are capable enterprise tools, they do not meet DeCA's immediate operational requirement to sustain and expand its established Atlassian Agile environment. None can natively replicate the Atlassian workflow schema or maintain the current strategic portfolio alignment without a complete, multi-year rebuild. Therefore, the only viable alternative is to restrict this acquisition to the Atlassian brand to avoid unacceptable duplication of costs and mission disruption.

c. Impact if not approved: Disapproval of this brand-name justification would have immediate and severe negative impacts on the DeCA mission. The Government would be unable to specify the Atlassian brand in its solicitation, forcing a competition for a generic solution. This would lead to two primary consequences:

• Unacceptable Duplication of Costs: The Government would be forced to abandon its sunk costs in software, training, and workflow development for the Atlassian platform. It would incur massive new costs associated with procuring a different enterprise platform and funding a new, multi-year implementation and data migration effort from scratch.

• Unacceptable Delays and Mission Disruption: Awarding a contract for a different platform would introduce a significant delay of at least 12-18 months to allow for the implementation and stabilization of a new, unfamiliar system. This would create a critical capability gap when the current license contract expires, severely disrupting the operations of the PMO, HR, and ARTS teams.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: The Contracting Officer will publish the notices required by RFO FAR 5.201 on the open market via SAM.gov, and any bids or proposals received shall be considered. The Government has conducted extensive market research to ensure that while the brand is limited to Atlassian, competition remains robust.

CUI//SP-PROCURE//FEDCON

The Government has taken, and will continue to take, the following actions to maximize competition for this brand-name requirement:

1. Brand Name Competition: This requirement will be competed on SAM.gov among all authorized resellers of the Atlassian brand, allowing any interested prime contractor, large or small, who is capable of providing the brand-name product and associated services to submit a proposal.

2. Industry Engagement: The Government conducted a public Industry Day in July 2026 to provide all potential offerors with clear, standardized information regarding the technical requirements and acquisition strategy, ensuring a level playing field.

3. Future Data Portability: While the contractor is not responsible for the software's inherent features, the Government has verified that the Atlassian Government Cloud platform provides a native capability for authorized administrators to export all Government data in standard, non-proprietary formats (e.g., CSV, JSON).

This action preserves the Government's long-term ability to migrate to a different platform if it is ever determined to be in its best interest, mitigating permanent

7. Actions to Increase Competition: This is a new, consolidated requirement for enterprise-wide Atlassian software and professional services; it is not a non-competitive follow-on. The predecessor contract ) was a competitive purchase order for software licenses awarded under Simplified Acquisition Procedures (FAR Part

13) and did not require a formal RFO FAR Part 6 Justification and Approval to limit competition.

a. Effective competition: This justification is for a brand-name requirement, not a sole-source action to a specific contractor. Effective competition will be maximized to the greatest extent practicable. The requirement will be competed on SAM.gov among all authorized resellers of the Atlassian brand. Recent market research (detailed below) confirmed a highly active and mature market for Atlassian products and services, featuring multiple large software aggregators and specialized small business partners capable of fulfilling the requirement. This strategy forces the prime contractors to compete head-to-head on total price, including their commercial margins on both the Atlassian software subscriptions and the professional training and advisory labor, ensuring the Government receives a highly competitive, best-value solution.

b. Subcontracting competition: Not applicable. This is not a single-source situation. The requirement will be competitively solicited on the open market, and the prime contractors will be responsible for obtaining competitive pricing from their subcontractors and teaming partners to deliver the bundled software and advisory services.

CUI//SP-PROCURE//FEDCON

8. Market Research: Extensive market research was conducted between March and July 2026 to identify the competitive landscape, validate the brand-name requirement, and establish a highly accurate Independent Government Estimate (IGE). This research confirmed that while the requirement is restricted to the Atlassian brand, a robust and highly competitive market exists among authorized resellers and certified integration partners capable of fulfilling the requirement.

The research process included the following actions:

• Review of Mandatory Sources and Federal Supply Schedules: Initial market research involved a review of the DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) catalog on NASA SEWP V to establish a verifiable baseline for software pricing for the exact 500-user tiers required for the FedRAMP Moderate Atlassian Government Cloud.

• Direct Industry Engagement: The Government Program Manager engaged directly with three certified Atlassian Platinum Solution Partners (Isos Federal, Clovity, and Valiantys Federal) identified on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). This engagement yielded budgetary Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimates, validating the labor categories and level of effort required for the professional advisory services.

• Army CHESS Request for Information (RFI): A formal RFI (Opportunity #565600) was posted to the Army CHESS portal in May 2026. The RFI yielded five responses, including four from Small Businesses (representing SDVOSB, HUBZone, and Minority-Owned categories), confirming that strong small business competition exists for bundled software and services.

• Open Market Sources Sought (SAM.gov): In accordance with DFARS PGI 206.302-1, the Contracting Officer issued a Sources Sought notice (W91ZlK07212026) to the open market on SAM.gov in July 2026. This notice yielded multiple competitive responses and ROMs. Analysis of these responses further validated the IGE pricing baseline and confirmed the commercial industry standard of Prime contractors (resellers) teaming with certified Atlassian Solution Partners to execute complex integrations.

• Industry Day: The Government hosted a public Industry Day in July 2026 to brief interested vendors on the descoped "Training and Advisory" requirements and to field technical questions, ensuring all potential offerors have a clear understanding of the requirement.

The results of this market research conclusively determined that while the requirement includes a significant professional services component, the preponderance of cost vendor lock-in and preserving the option for future competition with other software brands.

CUI//SP-PROCURE//FEDCON

The following sources responded to the initial Request for Information (RFI) posted on the Army CHESS portal (Opportunity #565600) in May 2026:

• ThunderCat Technology (Large Business)

• Blazar Technology Solutions (Small Business)

• New Tech Solutions, Inc. (Small Disadvantaged / Minority-Owned Business)

• MicroTech LLC (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business)

• DH Technologies, Inc. (HUBZone Small Business)

The following sources responded to the subsequent open-market Sources Sought notice (W91ZlK07212026) posted on SAM.gov in July 2026:

• Jernee Consulting, LLC

• Alaska Northstar Resources (ANR)

• Beskar, Inc.

• Jazz Solutions, Inc.

• GXM Technologies

• Clovity, Inc.

• Kosma Technology

• Ariel Partners

• Resolute Solutions TX LLC

To date, no other sources have written to express interest.

resides in the Atlassian Software Subscriptions (approximately 57% of the total estimated contract value). Furthermore, the research confirmed that a Full and Open competition on SAM.gov will result in robust, effective competition among highly capable vendors to provide the required Atlassian brand software and the associated expert advisory services.

9. Interested Sources: The Government received formal expressions of interest and capabilities statements from multiple vendors during the market research phase, indicating a robust and competitive marketplace for this requirement.