PR Newswire Service

PR Newswire Service (Awd Amount: $3,820) I. Contracting Activity Tricare Management Activity, Contracting Operations Division-Falls Church (COD-FC) is the contracting organization responsible for this individual justification for other than full and open competition. The Contracting Officer is Millie A. Mitchell. II. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Approved This justification and approval (J&A) authorizes an exception to the Fair Opportunity Process IAW FAR 6.302-1(b)(1)(i) to utilize the PR Newswire Service III. Description of the Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency's Needs PR Newswire provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement and broadcasting services on behalf of tens of thousands of corporate, government, association, non-profit and other customers worldwide. Using PR Newsire these organizations reach a variety of critical audiences including the news media, investment community, government decision makers and the general public with their up to the minute full text news developments. Utilizing the latest in communications technology, PR Newswire content is considered the mainstay among individuals who seeking breaking news from the source. DCoE T2 plans to use PR Newswire to secure media advertisement and targeted public media outlet hub for their announcement of a mobile App for Prolonged Exposure to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Manufacturer Description PR Newswire US 1 National Newsline (End to End news distribution service) PR Newswire Time Square Assignment Photography and Internet Photo Distribution (Multimedia distribution) PR Newswire Media Microlist- Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychology, Military, Mobile Apps, Telecommunications, Pentagon, Healthcare Policy, Government and Policy (Distribution lists that target specific segments to ensure the message reaches the right audience) IV. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition IAW FAR 6.302-1(b)(1)(i) the order must be issued on a sole-source basis because the services requested are only available from PR Newswire which has unique capabilities over their competitors. V. Demonstration that the Contractor's Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (Applicability of Authority) This exception to fair opportunity is issued on a sole-source basis due to the item being peculiar to one manufacturer. PR Newswire was established in 1954 and has offices in 14 countries routinely sending its customers' news to outlets in more than 170 countries and in more than 40 languages. An independent study of commercial newswires found that PR Newswire gets used by media more often than its competition and generates more clips when they are picked up. The study found that press releases transmitted by PR Newswire were used 55% of the time versus its competitors (Marketwire: 43%, Business Wire: 38%, and Globe Newswire: 37%). PR Newswire also had the highest volume of coverage for releases attracting attention by the media with nearly twice the pickup frequency of its competitors. Pickup frequency is the number of times a single press release was reported in the media and is an important factor when trying to reach a large audience. Without the use of PR Newswire, the target beneficiary audience would not be reached and the President's and Secretary of Defense's goal of identifying and reducing PTSD would not be reached. VI. Description of Efforts Made to Ensure that Offers are Solicited From as Many Potential Sources as Deemed Practicable PR Newswire is the sole source provider of commercial newswire services from PR Newswire. The customer looked at the marketplace for other potential sources but no other vendor came close in terms of effectively targeting specific audiences and pickup frequency. VII. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable The price will be fair and reasonable based on historical comparison of past prices paid on GPC orders. The customer submitted copies of past invoices on previous GPC purchases of PR Newswire services. Those previous purchases were determined fair and reasonable and made in accordance with Tricare's GPC policy. Pricing for those purchases is comparable to the anticipated price from PR Newswire. A copy of the Pricing Guide for PRNewswire dated January 1, 2011 and another dated June 2012 shows pricing has remained constant for many of the services. For those items that increased in price it is annotated clearly in the extended descriptions that there is an increase in the availability of media content from the previous year. VIII. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research was not Conducted Business Wire, Market Wire and Globe Newswire are the only other commercial newswires on the national scale available but they focus primarily on the investment community. If a commercial newswire other than PR Newswire was utilized instead the effectiveness of reaching the targeted audience would be substantially decreased. 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 None. 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 DCoE T2 will continue to monitor the marketplace to determine whether other commercial newswires can satisfy the government's requirement.