ROOTS Tool

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order mandating federal employees return to in-person work, prompting the USDA to seek a secure, real-time tracking system to monitor employee attendance and facility utilization in compliance with federal guidelines and the OMB-OPM Joint Memo. To fulfill this requirement, the USDA issued Sole Source Justification USDAQ0108 for the ROOTS Tool, a software solution provided by Palantir Technologies Inc., leveraging its pre-existing FedRAMP High accreditation, USDA Authority to Operate, and deep integration with current USDA systems. The tool is designed to consolidate data across departments, map employee-office relationships, monitor space capacity, and generate automated compliance alerts to ensure adherence to the Executive Order without requiring new system accreditation, thereby enabling rapid deployment within days. The contract is structured as a Firm Fixed Price delivery order under the GSA Multiple Award Schedule, with a base performance period of six months in FY26 and two six-month option periods extending through FY27, totaling a potential 18-month engagement, though no contract value is disclosed. The system must meet stringent federal cybersecurity standards including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA High, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27017:2015, ISO/IEC 27018:2019, and DoD Impact Levels IL-2 through IL-6, while handling Controlled Unclassified Information and National Security Systems data. Acceptance criteria are governed by these accreditation benchmarks, eliminating the need for traditional inspection processes since the platform is already validated within USDA’s secure environment. The USDA retains unlimited rights to all data and intellectual property generated, ensuring future flexibility and system independence. The procurement was justified under GSAM 538.7104-3(b)(ii) due to Palantir’s unique, non-replicable capabilities, pre-accredited infrastructure, and absence of viable alternatives that could meet the urgent timeline and compliance demands. No pricing, payment instructions, COR/COTR details, or formal attachments are disclosed, and while the place of performance is listed as Washington, Nebraska, the contracting office is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The award is based on best value trade-off rather than lowest price, prioritizing technical superiority, mission-critical functionality, and seamless operational continuity over cost.