UAC Legal Services

Pursuant to FAR subpart 5.2, "Synopsis of Proposed Contract Actions", this is a presolicitation notice of a proposed contract Action. This is a notice of intent to award a contract as a Sole source (including brand name) acquisition. Contracting Office: Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Acquisition Management Services (AMS), 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20857 Acquisition Authority: This acquisition is being conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) part 15, Contracting by Negotiation. The resultant contract award will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2021-04 / January 19, 2021. This acquisition is conducted under other than full and open competition, sole source, procedures pursuant to the statutory authority at 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1), as set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Only one award will be made from this notice. North American Classification System (NAICS) Code: The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541110 - Office of Lawyers with a Size Standard of $12.0M. Competition Status: This notice of proposed acquisition is posted as an intent to award a contract on a non-competitive basis to the Vera Institute of Justice, Inc., located at 34 35th Street, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, New York 11232. Description of Requirement: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Division of Unaccompanied Children's Operations is seeking a contractor to provide limited legal services to UAC in a national sector model in accordance with ORR Policy and contract terms and conditions. Attorneys and their representatives will facilitate the comprehensive and efficient delivery of specific legal services, as well as assuring the continuity of services to UAC in ORR custody as codified in 8 USC - 1232(c)(5) and ORR policy. Attorneys will collaborate with ORR staff and direct care provider staff to enhance the wraparound services ORR offers by performing specific immigration related legal services for UAC throughout the United States. Legal services in the form of presentations and direct representation are needed for UAC in the custody of HHS of their legal rights, facilitate the identification of viable forms of legal relief, as well as to promote the continuity of services related to such viability at the time of release from ORR custody. Required Capabilities: The ACF/ORR requires a contractor experienced in providing the required services with the infrastructure, human resources, and highly specialized expertise to execute the requirements of the contract. The contractor shall be required to be situated nationwide for UAC legal needs, have the necessary background investigations and access to HHS/ACF systems which is critical to the execution of contract requirements for this congressionally mandated service. The legal services requirement is a part of the wraparound services ORR provides to UAC in HHS custody throughout the United States. The attorneys under this requirement must collaborate with ORR staff and the direct care provider's staff. Delivery Date or Period of Performance: The POP is anticipated to include a base and one (1) option period. A six-month base and a six-month option period. Base Period (March 30, 2021 - October 29, 2021) Option Period One (October 30, 2021 - March 29, 2022) Non-Competitive (Single-sole Source (Including brand-name)) Determination: The Government requires a non-competitive bridge contract be awarded to the current contractor as a means to mitigate the potential for restricting competition over the long term due to the nature of the requirement, to include the geographically dispersed service area as well as the scalability requirements as a result of the fluctuations in UAC in HHS custody at any given time. The proposed bridge will provide sufficient time to conduct a full competitive acquisition process to include acquisition planning, market research and the solicitation as well as a 30-day transition period for the new contract award. Closing Statement: This synopsis is NOT a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this synopsis must include clear and convincing evidence of the respondent's capability to fulfill the requirement. All responsible sources may submit a response, which, if timely received, will be considered by the agency. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon this notice is within the discretion of the Government. All responses must be received by January 29, 2021, 10:00 am Eastern Time. Responses must be submitted electronically to Robert Burdette at contact@example.gov, and must reference the announcement number ACF271163. FAX requests are not accepted. In addition, the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All respondents must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.