Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JANUARY 23, 2010 FBO #2982
SOLICITATION NOTICE

R -- THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS - J&A

Notice Date

1/21/2010
 

Notice Type

Justification and Approval (J&A)
 

NAICS

611430 — Professional and Management Development Training
 

Contracting Office

Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFFTC - AF Flight Test Center, 5 S WOLFE AVE, Edwards AFB, California, 93524-1185, United States
 

ZIP Code

93524-1185
 

Solicitation Number

FA9302-09-R-0012A
 

Archive Date

3/17/2010
 

Point of Contact

Kimberly Rabatin, Phone: 661-277-7707
 

E-Mail Address

kim.rabatin@edwards.af.mil
(kim.rabatin@edwards.af.mil)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Award Number

FA9302-10-M-M002
 

Award Date

1/21/2010
 

Description

REDACTED J&A COORDINATION AND APPROVAL DOCUMENT Contracting Activity: AFFTC/PKEE Purchase Request/Local Identification Number: F1S0AE9072B001 Program Name: Theory of Constraints, Master Trainer Estimated Program Cost: $149,000.00 Type of Program: Other Contracting Authority: 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) (1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1(a) (2) Type J&A: Individual APPROVED: _____________________________________________________ MICHAEL KEELING AFFTC/PKEE DATE   JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION I.CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION The contracting organization that is responsible for the proposed contract action is the Directorate of Contracting, AFFTC/PKEE, 5 South Wolfe Avenue, Edwards AFB, California. The purchase request number for this action is F1S0AE9072B001, and the Contracting Officer for this acquisition is Mike Keeling. II.NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING PROCESSED The proposed contract action will be awarded as a sole-source, firm-fixed price contract. The proposed source is: Spearhead 2 of the Abraham Y Goldratt Institute LP 442 Orange Street New Haven, CT 06511-6201 III.DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY’S NEEDS This is for the acquisition of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) - Project Management (PM), Technical Expert (TE), Master Trainer courses, Train the Trainer, Train the Trainer certification and other training course materials- specifically geared to teach TOC PM Critical Chain methodology and Root Cause Analysis at Edwards AFB. It will be a one-year, firm-fixed price contract, with an estimated value of $149,000.00. The contractor shall educate, prepare, and certify local staff as master trainers. Certified master trainers will have the ability to teach local TOC classes. The government reserves the right to assign specific course modules those individuals will be certified to instruct. The contractor shall use practical examples that the master trainers may encounter locally. The contractor shall provide courses that, at a minimum, enable the trainer to transfer essential knowledge of TOC multi-project management to students, such as: construction of project networks, scheduling individual projects, synchronizing multiple projects, project budgeting, operational management to include buffer management, and resource utilization, resource assignment to tasks, behaviors/roles/responsibilities, metrics and implementation roadmaps. In addition, the contractor shall also provide Master Trainer candidates with skills and certification necessary to transfer AGI’s TOC project management/technical expert program. This contract will provide for the use of AGI licensed training materials from December 2009 through December 2010. The following is a summary of this contract’s requirements: CY 2010 Course MaterialTimes/YearStudents/ClassTotal TOC PM Overview1210120 TOC PM Overview (Customer)41040 Resource Manager Supplement12560 Project Manager Supplement (Operations)3515 Project Manager Supplement (Network Building5525 Senior Management Supplement (Operations)2816 TOC PM Technical Expert51050 Deployment Expert Refresher21632 TOC PM Deployment Expert 144 Master Trainer for Technical Expert133 IV.STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 10 USC 2304(c), as implemented by FAR 6.302 (FAR 6.303-1(a) (2). V. DEMONSTRATION THAT THE CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES THE USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED ABOVE (APPLICABILITY OF AUTHORITY) The primary purpose of this follow-on contract action is to continue to provide Theory of Constraints Project Management (TOC PM) training, training materials, and train-the-trainer certifications to meet the Test Wing’s requirements for a standardized project management methodology across the Test and Evaluation (T&E) enterprise. As part of the existing (current) and previous contracts with AGI, specific training courses were developed by the contractor for the government to use with government trainers in order to reduce cost of training the Edwards project management community and provide greater scheduling flexibility and throughput. AGI has developed specialized/in-depth course materials and resources for use during Technical Expert, Master Trainer and Deployment Expert (DE) Training/Certification. Six main areas where in-depth knowledge is transferred to students who in turn utilize the knowledge to facilitate project management activities are: a.Deepening understanding of the solution b.Skills for Customization of the Solution c.Defining implementation d.Skills for customizing the implementation e.Sills for resolving conflicts AGI is the sole owner of the current proprietary course material tailored to AFFTC requirements, and has requisite knowledge in those areas for the past seven years. AGI Licensee Agreement containing all “Ownership” term and conditions is shown at [Attachment A] to this justification. Award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition over this limited period of performance. Furthermore, there would be unacceptable delays in fulfilling the Air Force’s requirements, as discussed below. In 2001 the 412 TW chose Theory of Constraints Project Management (TOC PM), Critical Chain methodology as their standardized project management process through a competitive Best Value source selection. Changing from the chosen methodology and redirecting to another contractor now would result in substantial duplication of cost due to duplicative costs of creating new TOC course materials. To a lesser extent, there would also be retraining expense in transitioning to different course materials. This is because another firm will likely have a differing approach to applying TOC PM and Critical Chain methodology to our environment. For a time, additional trainers would be needed to accommodate increased training requirements and ensure a cadre of certified instructors is readily available to meet organizational training needs. Current Critical Chain, Theory of Constraints Project Management methodology deployment efforts to-date has cost the 412TW and AFFTC $6.9M. Current in-house capabilities to teach Technical Expert training results in an annual minimum savings of $450K per year based on five courses with 10 students each at $1K per class versus $10K per class. This is why the anticipated cost of an additional year using AGI courses and materials is only $149,000. From discussions with industry, AFFTC does not find it likely that another firm could perform for 12 months as economically as AGI. A newcomer would need to develop new materials for multiple offerings, train AF trainers on the new materials and conduct advanced training. A competitor would face quite a task to pursue this additional effort for a profit at AGI’s one-year cost of providing existing courses and materials. In addition to the duplicative development and training cost, there is also the aspect of unacceptable delays in fulfilling the 412TW requirements. 412TW conducted market research via sources sought synopsis in FedBizOpps. As one would expect, none of the responding firms indicated that they have already developed specialized, tailored training materials to meet the 412TW requirements. The responding firms would be unable to accomplish this task, given the opportunity, in the allotted timeframe to satisfy the current year’s training requirements previously scheduled. It is estimated that any firm would have to devote a minimum of four (4) to six (6) months to begin what has taken AGI several years to develop. The 412TW TOC training requirements begin in Oct 09. Thus, awarding to any other firm than AGI would delay our training schedule by at least four (4) to six (6) months. This delay would severely impact project management on the Global Reach, Global Vigilance, Global Power Fighters, Global Power Bombers, F-22 and Test Operations currently under the purview of the 412TW, causing test mission delays and possible delays in deployment of systems to the war fighter. Therefore, this acquisition is for continued performance of a highly specialized service. PREVIOUS ACQUISITION: FA9302-07-P-M035, 3 Apr 07 (Master Trainer Course); FA9302-07-P-E175, 29 Sep 07 (License Agreement); FA9302-08-M-F158, 12 Sep 08 (License Use of AGI Materials); FA9302-08-M-M038, 22 Sep 08 (TOC Master Trainer Course). VI. DESCRIPTION OF EFFORTS MADE TO ENSURE THAT OFFERS ARE SOLICITED FROM AS MANY POTENTIAL SOURCES AS DEEMED PRACTICABLE A sources sought synopsis was issued on 14 August 2009 for 14 days. The results were responses from 2 (two) different firms, SabiOso, a registered small disadvantaged business, and Advanced Projects, Inc., a registered SBA certified Hub Zone firm. An amended sources sought was posted 16 September 2009 for 9 days. The amended sources sought was extended on 22 September to 28 September 2009 at the request of Larry Leach, Advanced Projects, Inc. The results were responses from 3 (three) different firms, Promontory Management Group, a registered small business located in Layton, Utah, Advanced Projects, Inc a Hub Zone small business, and APICS North Texas, a non-profit organization. A review of the qualifications of the above mentioned respondents was conducted, and it was determined that none of the above firms were capable of providing the required specific training, that which is TOC PM training tailored to 412 TW, in the allotted timeframe previously discussed. Further, because of the proprietary nature of AGI owned standardized project management process, it is not feasible at this time for another firm to use the existing training materials as a stopgap. Since none of the respondents to the sources sought have the approval from AGI to teach AGI’s standardized project management processes, then changing to a different project management process, would force the 412TW to incur substantial duplicative cost and unacceptably long mission delays. All respondents were informed of the results of the Government evaluation. A notice of contract action (NOCA) will be issued indicating that the Government intends to award a contract to AGI, under Other Than Full and Open Competition. VII.DETERMINATION BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICE THAT THE ANTICIPATED COST TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE The contracting officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable, based on price analysis for commercial items in accordance with FAR Part 15.404-1(b) and FAR 13.106-3. VIII.DESCRIPTION OF THE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED AND THE RESULTS, OR A STATEMENT OF THE REASONS MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT CONDUCTED See Section VI. IX.ANY OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION None X.LIST OF SOURCES, IF ANY, THAT EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE ACQUISITION See Section VI. XI.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 Within one year, a future acquisition for this requirement is anticipated, and the government intends to re-compete this requirement with full and open competition by conducting a complete source selection process. Acquiring the training and materials, over a longer performance period, should make competition more feasible. Competitors will have greater time to offset the development costs by submitting proposals that provide longer-term savings. The government intends to solicit firms with sufficient advance notice so that industry has a four (4) to six (6) months lead time in competing for this effort. Likewise, the government anticipates negotiating Government Purpose Rights to eliminate any barriers to competition. XII. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S CERTIFICATION The contracting officer’s signature on the Justification Review Document evidences that officer has determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of officer’s knowledge and believed to be in accordance with FAR 6.303-2(a) (12). XIII.TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS PERSONNEL CERTIFICATION As evidenced by their signatures on the Justification Review Document, the technical and/or requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is their responsibility, is both accurate and complete. [FAR 6.303-2(b)].
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFFTC/FA9302-09-R-0012A/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: EDWARDS AFB, CA 93524, EDWARDS, California, 93524, United States

Zip Code: 93524
 

Record

SN02046468-W 20100123/100121234920-eb0f78a64334665a458f768512f6eafb (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

---

| FSG Index  |  This Issue's Index  |  Today's FBO Daily Index Page |