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For Official Use Only OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 1 of 9 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Justification and Approval (J&A) For Other Than Full and Open... For Official Use Only OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 1 of 9 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Justification and Approval (J&A) For Other Than Full and Open Competition (>SAT) Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C246-20-AP-2347 Contracting Activity: The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 6 (NCO 6) located in Hampton, VA proposes to enter into a contract on a basis of other than full and open competition in support of the VISN 6 Salem VA Medical Center (Salem VAMC) located in Salem, VA. The proposed contract number for this emergency award is 36C24620F0153. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: Network Contracting Office 6 intends to award a new contract to AB Staffing Solutions LLC. A sole source firm fixed price contract is contemplated for award. FAR13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items: This procurement is for Emergency Physician Staffing Services in accordance with FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items and specifically FAR 13.501 Special Documentation Requirements, where acquisitions conducted under Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6, but still require a justification using the format of FAR 6.303-2. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency s Needs: The requirement is to provide Emergency Department physician staffing services at the Salem VA Medical Center (Salem VAMC) Emergency Department (ED) located at 1970 Roanoke Blvd, Salem, VA. The total estimated cost is $696,967.50 for a three (3) months base period plus one three (3) months option as follows: Base Period: April 1, 2020 June 30, 2020 $ 348,483.75 Option 1: July 1, 2020 September 30, 2020 $ 348,483.75 Total Estimated Value $ 696,697.50 Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition: (X) (1) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements per FAR 6.302-1; ( ) (2) Unusual and Compelling Urgency per FAR 6.302-2; ( ) (3) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert Services per FAR 6.302-3; ( ) (4) International Agreement per FAR 6.302-4 ( ) (5) Authorized or Required by Statute FAR 6.302-5; ( ) (6) National Security per FAR 6.302-6; ( ) (7) Public Interest per FAR 6.302-7. Demonstration that the Contractor s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above: AB Staffing Solutions LLC is uniquely qualified to provide these services to the Salem VA Medical Center (Salem VAMC) Emergency Department Clinic and as such Salem VAMC has requested for AB Staffing Solutions LLC to remain under contract during the duration of the Corona Virus (COVID 19) crisis. They are currently staffing the Salem VAMC Emergency Department Clinic. Under the direction of Salem VAMC Medical Director all Veterans reporting to the Salem VA Medical Center Emergency Department Clinic receive care. All Veterans reporting to the Salem VAMC Emergency Department Clinic are triaged and given the appropriate care. The Emergency Department Clinic provides ancillary services such as laboratory and x-ray facilities and treats Veterans without scheduled appointments who are in need of immediate attention for an acute medical conditions, psychiatric illnesses, or minor injuries. AB Staffing Solutions LLC provides the physician staffing to the Salem Emergency Department Clinic to ensure Veterans can receive care. Veterans without access to urgent care are at risk for increased morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. Veterans without local access to urgent care Veterans are subject to longer travel distances and increased wait times. Without the Salem VAMC Emergency Department Clinic Veterans will be referred to community hospitals and clinics which will increase the amount of fee basis authorizations, depleting the Salem VAMC s budgetary resources and negatively impact Salem VAMC s ability to directly furnish urgent care services to Veterans. AB Staffing Solutions LLC can provide qualified credentialed and privileged physicians with completed background investigations commensurate with the required risk and sensitivity levels. The credentialing and privileging process can take anywhere from 90 to 180 days and would cause unacceptable delays in providing urgent care to the Veterans. AB Staffing Solutions LLC can successfully ensure services are not interrupted due to their large pool of 10 providers who are mostly local, credentialed at Salem VA Medical Center, have completed background investigation process, and have the qualifications to begin performance on April 1, 2020. Accordingly, AB Staffing Solutions LLC is the only firm capable of providing the services described in Section 3 above without the Veteran Health Administration experiencing unacceptable delays in fulfilling its requirements and providing urgent care treatment to the Veterans. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: Human resources recruitment efforts include posting of an open continuous announcement on USAJOBS. The needs assessment indicated a need for 1 FTEE in addition to the full-time ED Physician already on staff to meet the demands which validated the need for one (1) FTE s in addition to the current FTE already onboard. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: The Contracting Officer will determine that the anticipated price will be fair and reasonable based on a comparison of the proposed prices to current contract prices which were determined fair and reseanoble at time of award. Prior to award a price analysis of the proposed contract price will be performed and documented to sufficiently determine that the cost to the Government of the proposed acquisition will be fair and reasonable. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: Market research was limited. No other vendors were contacted due to the necessity to sole source this requirement to AB Staffing Solutions LLC. The CO determined that no further market research was required due to the nature and urgency of this requirement and the time it would take to transition to a new contractor. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: The Emergency Department (ED) provides a unique and challenging spectrum of care that makes the recruitment and retention of appropriately trained staff difficult. The current ED contract was originally awarded in 2018 to AB Staffing Solutions LLC who has provided highly qualified ED Physicians (MD) with the appropriate level of experience, training and skill set and have provided backup coverage when needed. This has been significant for the Salem VAMC Emergency Department to successfully meet VISN 6 mandated target metrics for ED triage, wait-times and admitted patient s length-of-stay. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: No applicable. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: The Government will continue to conduct thorough market research to gauge the marketplace capabilities for future requirements. The Government will seek competition of future acquisitions for these emergency department physician services. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and 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. _____________________________ ________________________ Dixie Hogan Date Administrative Officer Medical Services Salem VA Medical Center Emergency Department 13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP: Contracting Officer or Designee s Certification (required): I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. _____________________________ ________________________ Mario L. Santiago Date Branch Chief, Medical Sharing Team Network Contracting Office (NCO) 6, RPO East One Level Above the Contracting Officer: I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition. _____________________________ ________________________ Nancy L. Bailey Date Director of Contracting Network Contracting Office (NCO) 6, RPO East