Description
JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION VBA Performance Test System 1. IDENTIFICATION OF AGENCY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE: Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs Contracting Office: Office of Acquisition, Logistics & Construction (OALC) Center for Acquisition Innovation (CAI) 1701 Directors Blvd, Suite 600 Austin, TX 78744 Contracting Officer: Angela Deren (512) 981-4432 Program Office: OI&T Field Operations Region 5 Project Officer: Stephen Mercier (202) 461-9187 2. NATURE OF ACTION: This is a Sole Source Justification to pursue an award of a contract with a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOB) under the Small Business Administration through the Department of Veterans Affairs for information technology (IT) services. The contractor services support the VBA Performance Test System. Specifically, the proposed acquisition is being pursued as a non-competitive SDVOSB set-aside award to FIT Systems for a period of three months - June 2010 through August 2010. 3. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES AND ESTIMATED COST: The three month contract will require FIT Systems to continue the services described below, which they are currently performing on their existing purchase order supporting benefits delivery application performance testing for the VBA Corporate Production System (VETSNET). The VA requires services to provide system performance analysis and capacity projections on a dedicated VBA Corporate Veterans Service Network (VETSNET) Performance Test System (VBAPERF) at the Hines Information Technology Center (ITC), 1st Avenue North of 22nd Street, Building 215, Hines, Illinois, 60401. This system mirrors the production VBA Corporate Production System (VBAPROD) installed at the Austin Information Technology Center (AITC) and has interfaces with the Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator Subsystem Test System (BIRLS), Benefits Delivery Network (BDN) Test System, and other VBA Corporate Information Technology (IT) platforms. The contractor maintains a capacity model for VBAPROD and executes and documents the volume testing of major VBA application releases. The contractor provides continued system performance metrics supporting the VBA corporate applications performance testing. The contractor provides support for any new software upgrades from the installed base, new software installations, any required software patches and hardware upgrades supporting the VBA PERF system. The contractor ensures that the VBA PERF system operating systems software (Oracle, Solaris, Tuxedo, Veritas, etc., mirrors the VBA Corporate Production System. The Government prior to the contractor installing any software will approve any software installation and/or recommendations for such. The contractor is required to test the software releases top ensure they execute correctly on the platform. The contractor validates new software releases will integrate in the VBA corporate production environment and shall not degrade performance. The contractor provides all documentation supporting any software installations into the VBAPERF environment. The contractor also provides these critical services to ensure VBA Corporate Production will not sustain system outages: " Manage the overall master project plan to implement the necessary tools, test scripts, load generators, systems procedures, systems evaluation, and skill set transfer for the support of the VBAPERF Test System. " Establish and maintain a capacity model for VBAPROD " Maintain methodology supporting VBAPROD capacity models recommendations " Maintain VBAPROD application monitoring and reporting " Execute and document volume testing of major VBA application releases " Maintain the environment and operational procedures for VBAPERF test system. This includes all hardware, software, operating system, commercial off the shelf (COTS) software, storage and network interfaces. " Execute VBAPERF system performance monitoring cycles " Perform training skills transfer to the Austin ITC and Hines ITC staff to transition all operational support functions currently performed by the Contractor operating the VBA Performance Test System. " Provide continued quality assurance efforts for VBA Performance Test System " Build out the Performance test solutions for Chapter 33 (with the assistance of VA staff) to include VA-ONCE, TIMS, VADIR, VONAPP, WAVE and ECAP applications. It is understood that WEAMS (education) and BDN (education) already have performance testing implemented. VA staff will be responsible for installing the required hardware and releases of software into the above environments. " Provide transition services/transfer of knowledge for all VBA performance testing activities being performed under this contract. Knowledge transfer will be completed by the incumbent to the new vendor on future award during the final month of contracts performance period and may also include VA employees and/or government contractors. The estimated value of the new three month order is $559,170. This estimated value is based on the projected requirements for the next three months, as well as historical data of the work that has been accomplished thus far. 4. STATUORY AUTHORITY: Statutory Authority Citation 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(5) as implemented by FAR 6.302-5, Authorized or required by statute permits other than full and open competition. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for a SDVOSB firm is Public Law 109-461, the Veterans Benefits, Healthcare and Information Technology Act of 2006, sections 502 as codified at 38 U.S.C. §8127(c). 5. CONTRATOR'S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS: The current SDVOB has been under contract supporting these requirements under VA Contract V200-P1858 as of May 31, 2007 and VA Contract V798A-P-0063 as of June 1, 2009. The incumbent has complete understanding and scope of the level of work required supporting these task order deliverables. The contractor has provided critical levels of support in all areas of systems analysis, software application testing and pre-production system performance analysis. The contractor has performed fully satisfactory and has provided associated deliverables in accordance with the terms and conditions of existing contract. A break in support services would present an unacceptable risk to the delivery of veterans' entitlements that are processed on these VBA mission critical systems. 6. EFFORTS MADE TO OBTAIN COMPETITION; No competition was sought for this 3 month effort because a separate competition is in process for these services and this need is to sustain services until that competition is completed. 7. DETERMINATION OF FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICE: The Government will negotiate with FIT Systems to ensure optimal terms and prices for the Government, while appropriately meeting the Veterans First Contracting Program. The Contracting Officer will perform applicable and appropriate cost or price analysis to determine that the proposed price is fair and reasonable. 8. MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED: Market research was conducted under the previous contract exploring the various contract vehicles including: GSA's Mission Oriented Business Integration Services (MOBIS) program, 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resources for Services (STARS), the GSA eLibrary and identifying SDVOSB firms through the OSDBU Vetbiz database. In accordance with the VA's order of source priority, the VA OI&T Field Operations program office focused on the SDVOSBs. 9. OTHER SUPPORTING FACTS: Delaying the scheduled release of VETSNET and Chapter 33 would adversely affect the VBA's ability to deliver Veterans' benefits. If this is delayed, the delivery of Veterans' benefits checks will be impacted. This would cause considerable harm to the VA by the failure to meet required obligations to Veterans, and harm to the Veterans by failure to receive eligible benefits. The estimated loss per day in Veteran's benefits is $3,000,000, if these services are interrupted. 10. OTHER SOURCES EXPRESSING AN INTEREST: None 11. REMOVING BARRIERS TO COMPETITION: The VA OI&T Field Operations Region 5 will continue to search for VOSB and SDVOSB firms that are capable of supporting VA the VBA Corporate Production test system performance analysis and system capacity projections by monitoring Vetbiz for potential suppliers. Further, the VA OI&T Region 5 will conduct additional market research prior to the award of any future contracts in an effort to determine other cost-effective alternatives. This contract will cover a period of performance for 3 months in order to allow services to continue while the re-compete is being completed. 12. CONTRACTING OFFICER'S CERTIFICATION: The Contracting Officer certifies that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the Contracting Officer's knowledge and belief. The contracting Officer's recommendation signature on the justification for other than full and open competition document constitutes agreement with this statement. CONCURRENCE OF THE PROGRAM OFFICIAL The Program Official hereby certifies that the data provided in support of the recommendation for other than full and open competition are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.