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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF OCTOBER 05, 2017 FBO #5795
SOLICITATION NOTICE

B -- Evaluation of DoS CT Prisons Programming

Notice Date

10/3/2017
 

Notice Type

Justification and Approval (J&A)
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of State, Office of Acquisitions, Acquisition Management, 1735 N. Lynn St., Arlington, Virginia, 22209, United States
 

ZIP Code

22209
 

Archive Date

10/28/2017
 

Point of Contact

Diane Hill, Phone: 7038755841
 

E-Mail Address

hilldk@state.gov
(hilldk@state.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Award Number

SAQMMA17F3974
 

Award Date

9/28/2017
 

Description

LIMITED SOURCE JUSTIFICATION FOR LIMITING SOURCES ON THE FEDERAL SUPPLY SCHEDULE PROGRAM 1.Identification of the agency and the contracting activity: Department of State, A/ALM/AQM 2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved. Approval is requested for authority to award a new sole source order under Federal Supply Schedule 874-1 to: RAND Corporation. This company has been determined through market research to be uniquely qualified and capable to perform the required evaluation, described below in Item 3, on the urgent timeline required. This evaluation requires that all evaluators have active Secret security clearances, with both prisons programming and interagency process and planning experience, and access to and experience working with: Department of State - including but not limited to the CT, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and, Regional Bureaus and U.S. Embassies; U.S. Department of Justice - including but not limited to the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), the Overseas Prosecutorial Development and Training program (OPDAT) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); intelligence community agencies; and other U.S. government stakeholders. Already-established operations and relationships in the agencies listed above, and the ability to provide recommendations in the necessary timeframe are essential to performance of the planned contract. 3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the Department's needs. The US Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism has an urgent and compelling requirement for recommendations on prisons programming that will directly impact on the struggle to deny new recruits for ISIS, al Qaeda, al Shabaab, Boko Haram, and other international terrorist organizations. The Department requires services of an independent third party contractor to review prisons programming to determine what efforts are the most successful in improving the management and rehabilitation of violent extremists as well as bolstering prison officials' capacity to manage terrorist inmates, and what processes would best facilitate information sharing and coordination, and would best inform CT's prisons program design. The U.S. government has been tasked in Presidential directives, since the early 1980's, to respond to terrorism. The U.S. government must have a rapid and decisive capability to protect Americans, defeat or arrest terrorists, respond against terrorist sponsors, and provide relief to the victims of terrorists. The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) leads the Department of State in the whole-of-government effort to counter terrorism abroad and to secure the United States against foreign terrorist threats. Working with the National Security Staff, other U.S. Government agencies, and other State Department bureaus, CT develops and implements counterterrorism strategies, policies, and operations. CT leads the U.S. Government in counterterrorism diplomacy, ensuring U.S. foreign policy objectives are integrated into the formulation and execution of counterterrorism operations, including defense and homeland security policies and programs. The head of CT serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of State on counterterrorism strategy, policy, operations, and programs. Corrections systems are critical components of the criminal justice system. A well-managed correctional system with robust rehabilitation programming can assist in minimizing recidivism and prepare inmates to re-entry society. Unfortunately, many countries struggle to develop and implement sound management and rehabilitative programs and policies because they are dealing with exceptionally overcrowded facilities and operating with limited human and financial resources. As part of CT's overall efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism, CT has funded several programs focused on management and rehabilitation of terrorist inmates. Specifically, CT funded efforts are designed to help correctional officials establish appropriate policies and procedures to deal with terrorist inmates, including how to properly assess, house, monitor, and rehabilitate these offenders. As part of its efforts, CT funded implementers draw on a range of international standards and good practices such as the Mandela Rules and the Global Counterterrorism Forum's Rome Memorandum. Additionally, these CT funded efforts utilize a range of different modalities to highlight and incorporate these good practices into prison practices and procedures including support for global, regional and national workshops and direct consultations. Overall, the CT funded prison management and rehabilitation efforts are geared towards reducing opportunities for recruitment and radicalization to violence and encouraging disengagement from violent behavior. EVALUATION QUESTIONS The evaluation will answer the following main questions and sub-questions in the context of the CT goals and objectives. The questions may be refined during the initial desk study phase of the evaluation in consultation with CT/P: •For activities already completed, to what extent did the implementers achieve the programs' intended objectives? •How can CT improve rehabilitation and prison management program design and implementation to produce desired outcomes? •How did the trainees or their host institutions utilize the knowledge and skills they acquired in their activities? •Which aspects of the program, particularly mentoring/advising, have contributed to the sustainability of the program? How can positive aspects be reinforced to promote sustainability after funding ceases? •What are the lessons learned and best practices employed in pursuit of program objectives? 4. An identification of the authority permitting limited source acquisition.. Limited source acquisition is permitted by FAR 8.405-6 (a)(1)(i)(B), Unique or Highly Specialized Capability. 5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor's unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited. CT held an open competition for this evaluation via GSA PSS/MOBIS, but received no response to the RFQ. Based upon CT's experience with prisons programming, it has been determined that it would take months for a new-start implementer to build networks and situational awareness required for execution of this effort. It is considered probable that small business Schedule-holders simply did not have this critical experience and the established networks required for successful performance. CT is in need of a qualified, objective third party to assess CT's prisons programming to determine effectiveness of design and implementation, as well as the optimal processes for interagency and internal input and coordination. CT will not only review its capabilities but to seek to determine how best to make use of other equities within the U.S. government. In order to provide relevant, informed, and sensitive recommendations for current and future prisons activities, sponsors require an objective third party contractor to perform the evaluation, To do this, the contractor must be able to readily and immediately gain access to high-level U.S. government decision makers across the defense, diplomacy and intelligence world for the purpose of conducting required interviews, and to elicit open and honest responses. It also requires an implementer with existing extensive familiarity with prisons activities and the other actors in the field, along with a brand that will easily be recognized by partner nations in this highly sensitive programming sector. This evaluation requires that all evaluators have at minimum active Secret security clearances, with prisons programming experience, awareness of the interagency processes, and access to and experience working with: Department of State - including but not limited to the CT, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and, Regional Bureaus and U.S. Embassies; U.S. Department of Justice - including but not limited to the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), the Overseas Prosecutorial Development and Training program (OPDAT) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); intelligence community agencies; and other U.S. government stakeholders. The contractor must have the following capabilities: •Established working relationships with multiple federal agencies involved in counterterrorism-related prisons activities as listed above, including relationships with high level decision makers in those organizations. •Demonstrated subject matter expertise in developing M&E methodology and survey tools and employing multiple and diversified methods of data collection about security, prisons, and justice programs in hostile environments, including but not limited to conducting polling, focus groups, interviews, process mapping, gap analysis, and traditional and social media analysis. •A history of assisting national security decision makers in developing strategies and policies to manage and adapt to political, strategic, and technological challenges and to protect interests at home and abroad, to develop new operational concepts to creatively address new challenges, and to develop forces and plans to execute their strategies. •The ability to produce relevant assessments of the effectiveness and efficiency of forces and postures based on collected data and directly relevant experience. •The ability to conduct Secret-level meetings at the contractor's Washington DC metro area facility (S facility clearance must be in place as of contract award date). •Currently employ as staff members individuals with experience in U.S. government prisons efforts - including programming and processes, and be prepared to make this staff member or members available as key personnel for this study. In addition, the effort will include extensive analysis at the Secret (S) classification level. Due to the urgency of the timeline for the required deliverables, the contractor must have a current S facility clearance, and must have appropriately qualified personnel who are S-cleared and immediately available for assignment to this effort. 6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable. CT's market survey began with a review of available contract options, with initial preference being to use the Department of State's Evaluation IDIQ. Due to the more sensitive nature of prisons programming, and the approaching end-date of the Evaluation IDIQ, CT opted to broaden the search to firms in the GSA PSS. Results are detailed in the market survey report that preceded the GSA PSS/MOBIS solicitation and was incorporated into the RFQ review file. RFQ SAQMMA17Q0279 was issued under GSA PSS/MOBIS SIN 874-1 to the for-profit companies identified as apparently qualified based upon the market survey. However, no proposals were received. Having failed to obtain any proposals via the GSA /PSS solicitation, CT assessed FFRDCs as an option. Based on recommendations from knowledgeable individuals in State and within the CT interagency community, CT has determined that RAND Corporation has unique qualifications and corporate experience directly applicable to the requirements for the Prisons evaluation. RAND has a long history of working on terrorism, counter-terrorism, and counterterrorism-related prisons efforts, and has been doing classified and unclassified research and analysis on these subjects for over half a century. RAND has developed and maintained a database of terrorism incidents, the RAND Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents (RDWTI), which provides comprehensive information on international and domestic terrorism. Rand also developed and maintained the RDWTI predecessors, the RAND Terrorism Chronology and the RAND-MIPT Terrorism Incident Database. These tools will be key to completing the required effort on the required timeline, and are proprietary to RAND and therefore available only to RAND. RAND provides assistance and guidance to a wide range of U.S. government sponsors - including the, the U.S. intelligence community, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Treasury, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Over the past several years, RAND has also performed research and analysis on terrorist groups for the U.S. Department of State, including terrorist groups active in the countries of focus for this evaluation. RAND's facilities in Arlington, VA and Santa Monica, CA have facility clearances at the TS level, thereby satisfying the requirement of this acquisition for clearance at the SECRET level. RAND has on staff a number of individuals previously employed by many of the parties involved in a wide range of counterterrorism activities, who were formerly: •Senior State Department officials; •CIA Chiefs of Station; •Senior- and mid-level officials at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), including a former Principal Deputy Director for NCTC; •Senior NSC and DOD officials who worked on counterterrorism; •Analysts who have worked in-or with-the FBI, Department of Justice, and DHS on counterterrorism issues related to prisons, terrorist rehabilitation and reintegration, prison recruitment and other related issues. 7. A determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. An independent cost analysis is documented in the IGCE. A determination of reasonableness can be made for the cost proposed in response to the requirements of the planned sole source RFQ to be issued under the RAND GSA PSS/MOBIS SIN 874-1 Schedule. The IGCE will serve as the comparison baseline for this analysis and determination. 8. A description of the market survey conducted and the results or a statement of the reasons a market survey was not conducted. Please refer to Item 6 above. 9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition. Use of the GSA PSS SIN 874-1 Schedule is planned. Accordingly, as provided for by FAR 16.505, the market survey analysis was limited to an assessment of the capabilities of PSS SIN 874-1 Schedule contractors. 10. A listing of sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition. None. 11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required. Include a statement that this J&A for other than full and open competition will be published on FedBizOpps in accordance with FAR Section 16.505 (b) within 14 days of award. At this time, follow-on requirements to the planned task order are not foreseen. This J&A for other than full and open competition will be published in FedBizOpps within 30 days of award as required by FAR 8.405-6(a)(2)(i)(B)(1).
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/2a2d1575c2101217ee24f2bc3285dceb)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 1776 Main St., Santa Monica, CA and 1200 S Hayes St, Arlington, VA, Arlington, Virginia, 22202, United States

Zip Code: 22202
 

Record

SN04703854-W 20171005/171003231049-2a2d1575c2101217ee24f2bc3285dceb (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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