Notice of Intent to Sole Source - MBS Legal Services (Acknowledgement Agreements)

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE AND NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION OR PROPOSAL. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE AVAILABLE FOR THIS ACTION. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO), located in Washington, DC, intends to negotiate and award a Labor Hour (LH) sole-source contract to Venable, LLP (600 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-5358). This acquisition is being conducted using the policies and procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 13.5, - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 1901. The FAR Part 12 - Acquisition of Commercial Items as supplemented by the Housing and Urban Development Acquisition Regulation (HUDAR) will be used to evaluate the quote and award this requirement. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541110: Offices of Lawyers. The PSC Code is R418: Support- Professional: Legal. Background & General Description of Work: HUD's Office of General Counsel (OGC) has a requirement for a bridge award to Venable, LLP, to continue supporting Ginnie Mae's Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) Program. The previous IDIQ contract 86543E18D00002 was awarded on December 1, 2017 to Venable, LLP, for a base period of 1-year with four 1-year option periods. The contract expired on November 30, 2022, but the final task order 86543E18D00002 was awarded on November 8, 2022. The 6-month option to extend services was exercised and currently expires on October 13, 2023. Ginnie Mae requires legal services, specifically, review of Acknowledgement Agreements (AAs). The contractor shall provide reviewing and analyzing regulations, researching tax laws, filing trademark applications and renewals, assisting in developing new programs and guides, reviewing AAs, and providing litigation support. Unique Characteristics of the Requirement: The circumstance of the requirement deems only one source reasonably available due to the current task order set to expire on October 13, 2023. Upon expiration, Ginnie Mae would have no contractor to assist in AA reviews and would need to stop all AA requests. There are currently eight AAs under review by the incumbent contractor, Venable, and it is clear that those reviews will not be completed by the expiration of the task order. Stopping all AA reviews would subject the government to unnecessary risks and hinder its ability to properly respond to market changes and fulfill its agency missions. In addition, it would increase the chances of lack of availability of resources, disruption of services, institutional knowledge needed for unfinished projects, and other increased risks. The Government does not intend to incur additional costs that will result in either substantial duplication of costs or experience any unacceptable delays fulfilling HUD's needs. In addition, awarding to any other contractor than Venable, LLP, will create even more risk and undue hardship for the government. General Information & Instructions: This is NOT a solicitation for quotations, quotation abstracts, a request for competitive quotations; or request for competitive proposals; however, all responses received within 3 days from the date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. Any responses to this notice must clearly and thoroughly defend claims or assertions that attempt to refute the government's stance. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this notice is solely with the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement, but the information must eliminate the government's concerns and address how the items can be provided without jeopardizing the requirement. Simply submitting a brochure or capabilities statement is not a guaranteed way to alleviate or eliminate the government's concerns. Responses must be specifically tailored to address (1) exactly how the offeror's services can be provided without jeopardizing the Government's mission, (2) how the approach overcomes the barrier to competition the Government faces, and (3) how the approach is more advantageous to the Government than the sole source approach. If no affirmative responses are received within 3 days of this notice, a contract will be issued to Venable, LLP. Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Tarita.L.Leftwich@hud.gov and Che.U.Logan@hud.gov.