design and implementation of tramatic brain injury for spinal cord patients

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NETWORK 22 LOGISTICS OFFICE

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

FAR 6.302-1, 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1)

"DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SKILLED BASE CAREGIVER PROGRAM" FOR FAMILY, CAREGIVERS AND VETERANS"



1. Agency and Contracting Activity Identification: The Network 22 Logistics Office, 5901 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, California, as requested by the VA Long Beach Healthcare System (VALBHS), will enter into a service contract that requires justification for other than full and open competition.



2. Nature of Acquisition Being Approved: Sole source contractor shall provide the "Design and Implementation of a Skilled Base Caregiver Program" for family, caregivers and Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and shall include personnel, supplies, services, equipment, travel, and related expenses including consultant's fees and administrative costs under the terms and conditions of a service contract.



3. Description of Requirement: VALBHS is requesting a sole source service contract from Los Amigos Research and Education Institute (LAREI), 7601 Imperial Hwy Suite 900, Downey, CA 90242. This requirement consists of a "Design and Implementation of a Skilled Base Caregiver Program" for family, caregivers and Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)" project and there are no other resources in the system to develop a level for successful measurable results. The contractor is required and shall provide the following; an expert team who is familiar with the needs of the SCI, TBI and ALS population, has the experience to be able to conduct focus groups for people with disabilities arising from, and has access to the community for these populations. Additionally, the contractor shall provide a team of experts with technical expertise and experience to convert a paper version training manual to an interactive DVD/web-based training. The period of performance is August 1, 2010 through July 31, 2011. The estimated for cost for one year is $627,048.96.



4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition: The service is being procured under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1), FAR Part 6.302-1 (c) (1).



5. The Nature of the Acquisition Requires Use of the Authority Cited: LAREI is the only source that can provide this service because of their expertise and location of their facility. LAREI will provide a personalized training program specifically for the Veteran population. Other sources in the surrounding area can provide only either technical services or the clinical expertise. However, there is no other sources in the area that can supply both high levels of technical and clinical resources; and can design, develop and implement the patient centered caregiver training program at the level necessary for serving the needs of those with SCI, ALS, and TBI. Additionally, LAREI is located with twenty -mile radius, which is accessible for Veterans and their caregivers who rely on public transportation. LAREI also is the only source that has experience in all three of the following: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)".LAREI's staff has extensive and specialized experience in conducting interviews and focus groups for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. Through Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (RLANRCs) community-based programs, LAREI has unique access to community stakeholders that will guide the development of the caregiver training programs through an interactive and patient-centered manner. The qualifications of the team are unique due to their past performance in research and development-based dissemination projects that benefit the disabled veteran population. The project

leadership is composed of individuals with doctoral level training in rehabilitation science and

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NETWORK 22 LOGISTICS OFFICE

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

FAR 6.302-1, 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1)

"DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SKILLED BASE CAREGIVER PROGRAM" FOR FAMILY, CAREGIVERS AND VETERANS"



medicine, rehabilitation/clinical engineering, medical informatics, multimedia education, and software architecture and programming. The support staff has previous experience in producing multimedia contents, for education and training, including line scripting and review, preparation of background and lighting, operation of video equipments, and use of computer editing tools for graphical illustrations and video/sound editing. The team will prepare all electronic assets for final production using web/DVD platform. Additionally, the technical team will coordinate with the clinicians in the deployment and evaluation of the web/DVD training tool as part of the didactic component of the training program. This includes coordinating with the onsite information technology division in

identifying which software platform is in compliance to the VA Health System Information Technology (IT) requirements and coordinating with the clinical staff and training tools that can be streamlined for easy content delivery. The training will be available on site and as-needed for veterans and their caregivers. Furthermore, this technology is relevant to President's Obama's "Caregiver &

Veterans Service Act," LAREI can equip the VALBHS with the latest technologies to support our Veterans and their caregivers.



6. A Description of Efforts Made to Ensure That Offers From as Many Potential Sources As Practicable and Whether a Notice Will Be Publicized. See item Number 5 above. A sources sought was advertised from June 8 through June 11, 2010 and there were no responses to the sources sought. A pre-solicitation notice will be transmitted to the GPE (FedBizOpps) from June 14, 2010 through June 25, 2010.



7. Anticipated Cost: The anticipated cost should be fair and reasonable to the government based on the using service estimate. The contracting officer will perform a cost analysis before contract award. There is no fluctuation in prices as this is the flat rate.



8. Results of Market Survey: Market research information was also obtained through the GSA website. Los Amigos is not on the Federal Supply Schedule. LAREI's service provided by field experts and unique resources provides a unique match for the service requirements. A sources sought notice will be published on Fedbizopps to identify any potential sources.



9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other Than Full and Open Competition: Limited mobility is a major concern for SCI patients. The location of the facility must be within twenty miles and be accessible to veterans and their caregivers.



10. Any Other Interested Sources? There are no other sources that expressed in writing an interest in the service. See Item Number 6.



11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take To Remove of Overcome Any Barriers to Competition Before Any Subsequent Acquisition is required: I do not anticipate any overcoming any competition barriers, since this is a one-time service request.



DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NETWORK 22 LOGISTICS OFFICE

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

FAR 6.302-1, 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1)

"DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SKILLED BASE CAREGIVER PROGRAM" FOR FAMILY, CAREGIVERS AND VETERANS"





12. I hereby certify that the above is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.







Monica Griffin Recommend approval/disapproval

Contracting Officer





Aaron Villalpando

Acting Network Contract Manager



Recommend approval/disapproval









Delia Adams, Director

SAO West







Approved/disapproved







Joseph A. Williams, Jr., RN, BSN, MPM

VHA Head of Contracting Activity