Human Resources and Administrative Systems Support

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple-Award Schedule Program, 41 U.S.C. 152(3), Competitive Procedures, and 40 U.S.C. 501, Services for Executive Agencies.1. Agency and Contracting Activity. Identification of the agency, contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Limited-Sources Justification.”U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition, in support of the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), awarded a task order pursuant to FAR 8.405-6(a), Limiting Sources.2. Nature and/or description of the action approved. CBP limited the number of sources solicited pursuant to FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B), Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.The proposed contractor for this requirement is the incumbent, Cybermedia Technologies, Inc. (CTEC), located at 1900 Campus Drive, Ste. 100, Reston, VA,

20191.3. Description of Supplies/Services. This requirement contracts for the labor that is required to continue sustaining the Human Resources Business Engine (HRBE), and subsequently, to fully decommission HRBE. External applications, vendors, and software platforms that connect and provide information to HRBE are in process to be integrated into the Salesforce platform. The period of performance of this order includes a 3-month base, one 9-month option period, one 6-month option period, and six 3-month option periods.Total task order value: $14,017,809.73 if all options are exercised.4. Authority and supporting rationale.This acquisition was conducted under FAR 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B). Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.CBP provides Human Resources Management (HRM) services not only to CBP, but to other DHS components, through a web-based tool called the HRBE. CBP has embarked on a transformation effort to increase HR information technology capabilities for current and prospective employees with a new system, a Salesforce Service Cloud, which is under separate contract. This new Salesforce platform, anticipated to be deployed by the end of FY24, will supplant those capabilities offered by HRBE. As part of this transformation process, HRBE is being decommissioned and existing connections are being repurposed into the Salesforce environment. While the new Salesforce platform is being implemented, CBP requires continuing operation and maintenance of HRBE until the new capability is fully online.This work requires a vendor who has the requisite expertise and experience in Metastorm (the platform on which HRBE was developed) and the working knowledge of the business processes of OHRM. HRBE is a customized and proprietary software application built off of Metastorm that has been developed, upgraded, and modified by CTEC to adjust to mission requirements for CBP over a decade.Given its experience in developing, operating, and maintaining HRBE since 2014, CTEC possesses the unique knowledge of the intricacies of the HRBE system and Metastorm, as well as CBP HRM processes. CTEC possesses a pool of CBP-cleared technical staff who are trained in Metastorm and can support it as a legacy environment, until it is retired by the Salesforce platform. Maintaining legacy HRBE applications is critical for continued HR operations until all phases of the Salesforce platform are complete.Transfer of that legacy knowledge to another vendor to sufficiently sustain and decommission the system would incur significant expenses (as Metastorm is a niche system) and cover prohibitively long timeframes (as CTEC would have years of changes to convey).Failure to retain the services of CTEC would not only delay the eventual decommissioning of HRBE but would greatly eclipse the established timeframe to launch the Salesforce platform. This approach would take an inordinate amount of time of the HRM developers as well, who need to be more engaged in other projects.The Human Resource services facilitated by HRBE are mission essential to CBP operations. Without HRBE, CBP simply cannot hire new applicants. With no new hires, attrition (retirements and separations from service) will render CBP unable to safeguard our borders and ports of entry, combat transnational crime, counter terrorism, or facilitate lawful trade and travel.5. Determination by the ordering activity contracting officer that the anticipated order represents the best value consistent with FAR 8.404(d).The contracting officer (CO) has determined that issuing the proposed Task Order to CTEC for sustaining and decommissioning HRBE represents the best value to meet the Government’s needs. This order was placed in accordance with FAR 8.404, “Use of Federal Supply Schedules.” The General Services Administration (GSA) has already negotiated fair and reasonable pricing rates, and discounts to these GSA schedule rates were requested. The contractor’s labor mix, level of effort, and proposed rates were compared to the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE). Lastly, the CO will compared the proposed rates, labor mix, and hours to current and/or historical task orders for the same or similar services.6. A description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.The market research showed that only CTEC could provide the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to sustain and decommission HRBE in the requisite timeframe.7. Any other facts supporting the limited-sources justification. Additional facts may be stated in this section.There are no other facts supporting this limited-sources justification8. A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to restricted consideration (i.e., limited sources) before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made. The Government intends to decommission the HRBE system so there are no actions that are reasonable to take for work related to HRBE. However, when the new Salesforce platform is fully operational, there will likely be opportunities to support the new system like HRBE is supported today (maintenance and sustainment), thus eliminating the barriers to competition. The Salesforce platform has already been competed and is currently under contract.