Inactive

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 1. Contracting Activity The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Administrative and Ove... JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 1. Contracting Activity The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Administrative and Overseas Division (AOO) proposes to enter into a contract on a basis of other than full and open competition for Strategic Planning Services on behalf of the Front Office and the Acting Inspector General (IG). 2. Nature and / or description of the action being processed. On behalf of the Front Office and the Acting IG, AOO proposes to award a new contract to the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) for the required services. The anticipated contract type is hybrid. The one, one-year base period will be firm fixed price for the fulfillment of the Statement of Work (SOW) requirements. The one, one-year priced option period will be labor hours for any follow-on consulting type services, which may be required. Note that the one-year priced option period may be exercised at the sole discretion of USAID OIG. The total estimated dollar value of the one-year base period is $500K. This value is based on services provided by NAPA to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) OIG for a similar SOW. The total estimated dollar value of the one, one-year priced option period is unknown at this time. However, labor categories and associated fully burdened hourly rates will be proposed by NAPA and determined to be fair and reasonable by the Contracting Officer (CO) prior to contract award. Should USAID OIG decide to exercise the option, the CO, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and NAPA will work together to develop an annual estimated number of hours, which may be required. The option period will be funded accordingly. 3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs. USAID OIG is seeking assistance in developing an updated five-year strategic plan and performing an organizational assessment to examine a range of internal matters, including governance, review processes, project management and tracking, and employee engagement. The fulfillment of this need by NAPA will enable USAID OIG to effectively accomplish its mission to provide oversight of USAID’s various international development programs. 4. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition. Federal Supply Schedules (FAR Subpart 8.4) - Limited Sources 2 40 USC § 121(c)(1), FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B). ONLY ONE SOURCE is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized. Note: FAR 8.405-6(b). Items peculiar to one manufacturer. An item peculiar to one manufacturer can be a particular brand name, product, or a feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer. A brand name item, whether available on one or more schedule contracts, is an item peculiar to one manufacturer. (1) Brand name specifications shall not be used unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government's requirements, and market research indicates other companies' similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency's needs. 5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above. NAPA has a unique status as an independent, non-profit institution chartered by Congress. NAPA is uniquely positioned to perform the proposed work for USAID OIG for several reasons. First, the core of the Academy’s expertise is its membership, which includes more than 900 current and former senior federal officials, including Inspector Generals (IGs) (from the Social Security Administration [SSA] and retired Homeland Security leaders) who are elected as Fellows and consequently available to provide their unique insights and experiences to clients. Second, the Academy has specialized experience in conducting organizational assessment and planning work with OIGs, and its staff is familiar with the unique authorities, structure, and missions of OIG offices. NAPA assisted the Department of Commerce OIG, United States Postal Service (USPS) OIG, AMTRAK OIG, and other federal agencies with law enforcement or oversight functions in conducting similar work. The ability to benchmark performance and other key information against other OIGs is of particular interest to USAID OIG leadership. Third, given the sensitivity of possibly exposing USAID OIG's organizational, performance, or capability gaps, it would be advantageous to have this work performed by a non-profit, governmentally chartered entity like NAPA, which will afford a more trusted atmosphere for OIG managers to furnish candid feedback and to increase the confidence of stakeholders in the results of the engagement. 5. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable. N / A 6. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. Post negotiations, the overall cost of this acquisition will be considered fair and reasonable based on a price analysis performed by the Contracting Team. NAPA’s proposed price may be determined to be fair and reasonable via comparisons against 3 publicly available catalog pricing for similar professional services, historical pricing for similar services, and the prices is proposed to other OIGs for a similar scope of services. As a result, the anticipates NAPA’s proposed price to be fair and reasonable to the Government. 7. A description of the market research conducted and the results. Market research was conducted using information received through DHS as well as personnel at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board who had past experience with the Academy. The Academy’s membership includes more than 900 current and former senior federal officials who are elected as Fellows and available to provide their unique insights and experiences to clients. The Academy has specialized experience in conducting organizational assessment and planning work with OIGs, and its staff is familiar with the unique authorities, structure, and missions of OIG offices. The ability to benchmark performance and other key information against other OIGs is of particular interest to USAID OIG leadership. Given the sensitivity of possibly exposing OIG's organizational, performance, or capability gaps, it would be advantageous to have this work performed by a non-profit, governmentally chartered entity like NAPA, which will afford a more trusted atmosphere for OIG managers to furnish candid feedback and to increase the confidence of stakeholders in the results of the engagement. The Academy is largely exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). According to FACA, any committee that is created by the NAPA is not considered an advisory committee, which in turn, allows the Academy to act as a trusted place where leaders in government looking for feedback on management challenges can consult experts who are uniquely qualified to address those issues. 8. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition. NAPA was chartered by Congress [Public Law 98-257, Sec. 3] to assist with ". . . evaluating the structure, administration, operation, and program performance of Federal and other governments and government agencies, anticipating, identifying, and analyzing significant problems and suggesting timely corrective action." USAID OIG is seeking assistance with limited term tasks consistent with this statutory objective. The Academy is a contractor on the GSA Professional Services Schedule GS-10F-0414R. Working with a non-profit entity like NAPA will allow USAID OIG to share internal challenges in a protected atmosphere, lowering the risk of exposing internal management challenges to the public while OIG is working to address them. 9. A listing of any sources that expressed a written interest in the acquisition. NAPA 10. A statement of any actions the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition if subsequent acquisitions are anticipated. 4 At this time, there are no future plans to acquire the same type of service. 11. Contracting Officer’s Certification The CO has determined this document to be both accurate and complete. 12. Technical/Requirements Personnel Certification The COR has certified any supporting data to be both accurate and complete.