Description
The Social Security Administration (SSA) currently has a contract (0600-00-40649) with MCI Communications, Inc. (d.b.a. Verizon Business Services) for automatic call distributing services in support of the SSA’s national 800 number. This contract is referred to the as Call Center Network Services contract (CCNS). CCNS provides the capability for SSA employee representatives at 37 teleservice sites to answer and manage approximately 60,000,000 yearly telephone calls from SSA’s National 800 Number Network (N8NN). Automatic call distribution (ACD) systems located at eight Verizon Business locations across the country contain the hardware which controls the CCNS telephone sets and provides the interface to the router. The call answering infrastructure is comprised of a network router which maintains an awareness of the state of all 10,295 SSA answering positions. The functionality of the CCNS system includes a forecasting and scheduling tool to plan for the proper staffing of the call centers in accordance with the call traffic, proprietary software for delivering enhanced desktop capabilities for SSA employees with disabilities, CCNS specific Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) applications and voice recognition functionality, and custom management information reporting capabilities on both site and enterprise basses. This contract expires August 19, 2008. This notice is to advise that the SSA intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, for potential continued performance of these CCNS services for a period not to exceed two (2) additional option years beginning August 20, 2008, and ending August 19, 2010. This sole source contract extension is authorized under FAR 6-302-1, “only one responsible source, and no other services will satisfy the agency requirements”. The contract extension is required to: 1) allow the SSA to finalize the re-procurement activity of call center distribution services, 2) allow the SSA to complete and implement the ongoing Telephone Systems Replacement Project using voice over internet protocol technologies (see SSA-RFP-06-1031), and 3) allow the General Services Administration to complete their transition from the FTS2001 contract to the Networx contract. The current CCNS contract, its follow on contract, and prospective SSA TSRP contract all rely, or will rely, upon services provisioned under FTS2001 and/or Networx. Until Networx and SSA’s TSRP are implemented, re-competition of the CCNS contract is determined to place unacceptable risk to SSA’s voice communication networks that are critical to achieving the SSA’s mission. The SSA cannot perform its mission without ongoing, uninterrupted provision of these services, nor can it tolerate any disruption to its constituent beneficiaries. The incumbent contractor is in place, operational and able to provide the services during this interim period with full system implementation without interruption and degradation. This contract extension is necessary to allow sufficient time to implement transition/closedown and phase out the existing contracts. The SSA will re-compete the CCNS contract no later than the expiration of the final option period (August 19, 2010).