Q--Veterans Crisis Line/Chat

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION SOLE SOURCE AWARD 1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Strategic Acquisition Center 10300 Spotsylvania Avenue Suite 400 Fredericksburg, VA 22408 2. Description of Action: This proposed sole source justification and approval is for the award of a firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract for one (1) year with two (2) one year options to Link2Health Solutions, Inc. (Link2Health), 50 Broadway FL 19, New York, NY 10004, to manage calls from Veterans placed on the National Suicide Prevention Hotline for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Services include routing all incoming calls from Veterans and their families to the Veterans Crisis Line and providing technical assistance and crisis response training to the personnel at the Veterans Crisis Line. Additional services include managing the Veterans suicide chat services and text messaging, and the VA suicide prevention web site. 3. Description of the Supplies or Services: In 2007, a decision was made that VA would establish a national suicide hotline number using the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, +1 (555) 000-0000, ("Hotline") as an access point into the VA Veterans Crisis Line and Chat Services which is a VA staffed national 24-hour toll-free suicide prevention service for Veterans and their family members in suicidal crisis who are seeking help. Individuals can call the Hotline and as a Veteran press 1 to have their call immediately routed to the Veterans Crisis Line located in Canandaigua, New York. VA staff at the Crisis Center will then refer the caller to the closest possible Veterans Health Administration provider of mental health and suicide prevention service. Having a single recognizable toll-free number avoids confusion and is necessary to reach Veterans across the nation. The Hotline is already well publicized and the foundation of a national network of suicide prevention services known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Currently, VA has a contract with Link2Health Solutions, Inc. for similar services and the contract is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2012. The Hotline has been used since 2007 and VA requires that its use be continued uninterrupted. This proposed action requires a contractor to manage the incoming calls placed by Veterans on the Hotline in order to immediately route the calls to the Veterans Crisis Line. Due to the high volume of calls placed by Veterans using the Hotline, VA requires that the contractor have the ability to accommodate spill-over calls by routing them to a designated National Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center in order to prevent any Veteran's call from not being immediately answered. Additionally, VA requires that the contractor manage and route telephone calls placed by Veterans using Skype and to have the ability to route chats from the VA owned web site to the Veterans Crisis Line for immediate assistance should the situation warrant it as well as the ability to route mobile texts. With regard to the web site, VA requires that the Contractor provide web site database maintenance support, technical assistance, and have the ability to produce reports as to calls placed by Veterans using the Hotline. In conjunction with managing the Hotline, due to the high volume of calls placed by Veterans, VA requires that the Contractor have the ability to provide back-up response crisis centers staffed by trained crisis responders in order to supplement the Veterans Crisis Line. To ensure that the Veterans Crisis Line and the back-up centers handle suicide crisis situations consistently, VA requires that the Contractor train Veterans Crisis Line personnel as needed in crisis response techniques and theory, suicide risk assessment and crisis response skills. The total estimated price of the proposed action is $6,328,487. 4. Statutory Authority: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41.U.S.C. 253(c) (1) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1 entitled, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. 5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: Link2Health Solutions, Inc. is the only responsible source that can satisfy all VA requirements. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Communications Act has assigned toll-free numbers to be used as National Suicide Prevention Hotline numbers. The FCC has assigned these numbers, including the Hotline, exclusively to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which administers the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program. On September 7, 2012 SAMHSA awarded a three (3) year grant to Link2Health Solutions, Inc., to administer SAMHSA's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline). The grant award has an effective date of September 30, 2012. Therefore, Link2Health Solutions, Inc. is the only entity permitted to use, manage and monitor the Hotline. Furthermore, Link2Health Solutions, Inc., as the sole grantee of SAMHSA, administers the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and specifically is the only entity with the ability to ensure that all calls placed by Veterans on the Lifeline network (Hotline) are properly routed to the Veterans Crisis Line. The grant, however, does not provide for the routing of all incoming calls from Veterans to the Veterans Crisis Line. For Link2Health Solutions, Inc., to route such calls, VA must contract with Link2Health Solutions, Inc. for this service. Link2Health Solutions, Inc. is responsible to have multiple levels of back-up centers thus meeting VA's need that all calls must be answered even in the event the Veterans Crisis Line is busy. Link2Health Solutions, Inc., as the only administer of the Hotline, is also the only entity which can manage chats placed on the VA website because of the interconnectivity between the Hotline and the computers for routing purposes. As the sole administrator of the Hotline, it is also the only entity which can generate the reports as to the use of the Hotline by Veterans. Finally, among its duties for SAMHSA, Link2Health Solutions, Inc. is responsible to support crisis centers with training as to suicide risk assessment guidelines. In order to meet VA's need for consistent suicide prevention training between the Veterans Crisis Line and the backup centers, Link2Health Solutions, Inc., is the only source that can meet that need since it trains the personnel within the Lifeline network which includes the backup centers. VA has an urgent need to address Veterans in trouble and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline as managed by Link2Health Solutions, Inc., will provide seamless coverage to allow immediate accessibility to the Veteran population through the use of Veterans Crisis Line and Chat Services. 6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in the market research of this document. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government's requirements. There is no competition anticipated for this acquisition. Additionally, the proposed action will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities in accordance with FAR 5.201. 7. Actions to Increase Competition: All future requirements will be handled on a case by case basis to determine any future acquisition strategy. 8. Market Research: Link2Health Solutions, Inc., as the sole grantee, is the only entity recognized by Health and Human Services (HHS) and SAMHSA to use, manage, and monitor the three recognized national suicide numbers. This includes the Hotline, which belongs to SAMHSA, as established by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The Government's program manager placed a call to SAMHSA on September 12, 2012, and confirmed that no other entity has authority or a grant to manage the Hotline and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. 9. Other Facts: The Procuring Contracting Officer has determined that this acquisition meets all FAR requirements under 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1). This acquisition is estimated at $6,328,487 for total of three years inclusive of options. 10. Technical and Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. Jan Kemp, PhD, RN Date: _9/24/2012______________ National Mental Health Director Signature: __________________ 11. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract will be based on historical pricing. Further price analysis will be conducted and subsequent negotiations held as necessary. James O'Quinn Date: _9/24/2012_________ Procuring Contracting Officer Signature: __________________ 12. Procuring Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. James O'Quinn Date: ___9/24/2012______ Procuring Contracting Officer Signature: __________________ 13. Legal Sufficiency Certification: I have reviewed this justification and find it adequate to support other than full and open competition and deem it legally sufficient. Mary Courtney Date: _____9/25/2012_____ Legal Counsel Signature: __________________ ? Approval In my role as Executive Director of the Office of Acquisition Operations, Competition Advocate, and Head of Contracting Authority; and based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve this acquisition on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the statutory authority cited in paragraph 4 above, subject to availability of funds, and provided that the property and services herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition. Date: 9/28/2012______ Signature: _____________________________ Iris B. Cooper Head of the Contracting Activity