The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) intends to issue a sole source award for a Defense Health Services Systems (DHSS) Clinical Division acquisition under the authority of FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(A). Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Services include maintenance and license support of the Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Datix fully web-based Patient Safety Reporting (PSR), to include code maintenance, configuration and application support activities of the PSR solution with a fully web-based application hosted in a DISA environment, to meet IA requirements per the DoDI 8500. The period of performance for this effort includes a 30-day incoming transition period from date of award , with a subsequent 12-month base period of performance plus one 12-month optional period of performance. Any firm that believes it can provide the stated capability as outlined in the Sole Source Justification are invited to submit written notification to the Contract Specialist NLT 12PM ET on 20 August July 2013. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate the firm's ability to provide the stated capability. Information shall be sent electronically to Mr. Michael Collins, Contract Specialist, at
contact@example.gov. No telephone requests will be accepted. Responses received will be evaluated; however; a determination by the Government not to compete the proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. If no responses are received, USAMRAA will proceed with the Sole Source contract. The services to be provided under this contract are for maintenance and license support of the Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Datix web-based Patient Safety Reporting (PSR), to include code maintenance, configuration and application support activities of the PSR solution. The current MHS patient safety reporting system is a tri-service, fully web-based application hosted in a DISA environment, to meet IA requirements per the DoDI 8500. The PSR is a system that enables standardized patient safety event reporting for the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Health System's direct care facilities. PSR provides analytic tools to identify areas for patient safety and quality improvement initiatives to achieve goals for reducing the frequency and severity of medical safety events. The incoming transition period of performance for this order is estimated to be from 1 September 2013 through 30 September 2013, with a subsequent base period of performance of 1 October 2013 through 30 September 2014. In addition, this contract shall also include one (1) one year option period. Justification for Exception to Fair Opportunity: In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1- Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements to meet the NDAA mandate to procure a fully web-based PSR. Market research has shown that no other fully web-based PSR product exits in the commercial marketplace. In accordance with the NDA mandate, a cloud-based or remotely-hosted PSR tool is not a suitable alternative to a web-based tool. This will be a sole source contract award to Datix, Ltd for authority cited: FAR 6.302-1- Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements for proprietary COTS software that is currently utilized by TMA for PSR. Datix has not authorized any resellers, distributors or maintenance providers for its PSR COTS. This acquisition is a sole source, as (a) the Patient Safety Reporting Software is currently installed at the 931 sites where the government requires the web-based PSR tool, with over 48,000 registered users; (b) financial constraints, system downtime and limited web-based functionality as a result of transitioning to a product other than Datix would result in a violation of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA); (c) there is no other authorized re-seller of the proprietary Datix Software. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2001 specified that the Secretary of Defense quote mark implement a system of indicators, standards, and protocols necessary to track patient safety. quote mark As a result the Military Health System (MHS) established the Patient Safety Program which includes the TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), the Service Surgeons General, the Army, as Executive Agent for the DoD Patient Safety Center (PSC), (focus on the management and analysis of the Patient Safety Registry/Database), and the Navy as Executive Agent of the Center for Education and Research in Patient Safety (PS) within the Uniformed Services University (USU). The costs associated with replacing Datix's web-based software product with a different Patient Safety Reporting COTS solution would exceed $65 million, as this system has been fielded to 173 military treatment facilities (MTFs) and hospitals world-wide, and is widely used and fielded throughout the Military Healthy System (MHS). Implementation of the Datix PSR tool took three years; full operational capability was achieved in June 2011. The preliminary activities involved in selecting a different PSR solution would require in excess of $20 million dollars to acquire hardware, install at Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and complete a DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) package for an Authority to Operate (ATO). To date, more than 40,000 DoD users have been trained to use the Datix PSR tool. The Government's estimate for this procurement of the Datix PSR tool, including incoming transition, Base Period, and Option 1 Period is significantly less than the $65 million associated with complete replacement of the Datix PSR system across MTFs worldwide. The Contracting Officer hereby determines that this action represents the best value to the Government in accordance with FAR 12.602(b). Prices will be fair and reasonable based on market research and current pricing. Selection of a product other than Datix's PSR tool would require excessive and unavailable funds to configure, implement, fully deploy, and train more than 40,000 users on the system at 931 MTFs worldwide. Additional funding would be required to migrate historical data from the current PSR into a new PSR tool. Completion of the entire acquisition process, to include milestone reviews, limited deployment, and full deployment would take a minimum of three years.
