VA to award VHA Integrated Health Practices Support Services contract

Awardee Name: BEN ALLEGRETTI CONSULTING, INC
Unique Entity ID: KGVQXEJA4JG4
Total Contract Value: $3,667,494.60
Action Obligation: $3,667,494.60
Department Name: VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF
Number of Bidders: 1
Award ID: 36C10X24C0031
Set Aside Used: SDVOSB Sole Source
NAICS: 541611
Start Date: 2024-09-16
Ultimate Completion Date: 2025-09-15

Notice ID: 36C10X24C0031

This Justification and Approval (J&A) for Other Than Full and Open Competition is executed by the Strategic Acquisition Center – Frederick (SAC-F), on behalf of the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Clinical Informatics (CI).

This activity proposes to negotiate a non-competitive, sole-source award, with Ben Allegretti Consulting, Inc., a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), for the procurement of services for Integrated Health Support Services.

This contract is to provide expanding support across the Human Systems Integration (HSI) domains to engage with critical projects throughout VHA, across the Systems Development Life
Cycle (SDLC) on major VA initiatives. Many of the efforts are focused on enabling the implementation of common clinical care pathways that are evidence-based to provide high
quality care and support the modernization initiatives of VA. HSI includes Manpower, Personnel, Training, Habitability, Safety & Occupational Health, Survivability, and Human Factors
Engineering. As Health Informatics (HI) expands support across VA to support these efforts, HSI requires engaged and knowledgeable resources capable of implementing Human Centered
Design (HCD) practices with rigor and skill to help shape critical clinical programs.

While the expansion of skillsets to include HSI domains is necessary to provide more holistic advice and direction to clinical and executive leadership, the integration at the earliest phase for
each product is a critical aim to enable design solutions when the most flexibility is preserved.
This effort requires numerous assessment methods integral to the human factors engineer’s skillset, across the entire lifecycle, to encourage intentional trade-off analysis using standards, evidence, and data-driven assessment techniques. Furthermore, the diverse institutional knowledge regarding the expansive support of VHA clinical services necessitates readily available enterprise expert resources to be integrated into agile teams operating within iterative cycles of execution delivering specific value increments. Teams often operate using cross-functional expertise that support the overall objectives of the program, with transparency of operations and clear commitments amongst dedicated resources.

The estimated value for this acquisition is $3,999,997.00, and the period of Performance is a 12-month base period, with no option periods.

Ben Allegretti Consulting is System for Award Management (SAM) registered and a verified SDVOSB who, as a responsible source, has successfully performed requirements of similar
scope and complexity for the VA, via a Task Order, 36C77623N0749, against Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract 36C77619D0016, with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Digital Health Office (DHO).

As an SDVOSB sole source contract for VHA, Ben Allegretti Consulting will support collaborative teams working with clinical sponsors in specified domains through established Teams and enabling services. The support effort includes HF support, cross-disciplinary team engagement and study execution in alignment to targeted objectives across the systems development life-cycle (SDLC). Teams will have a chartered objective established, HSI must provide recommendations and input towards the optimal methods and techniques to be applied.

The Contractor shall apply scaled agile practices and engage in sprint and increment planning and appropriate retrospectives efforts beyond the active sprints. Some Team Product
Increments (PI) may require more study activities than others based on the particular objectives, and the amount of aligned sprints will be responsive to the scoped effort that iteratively evolves
through application of agile methodologies. This task includes Team support for 8 unique Teams each with a Contractor-provided Dedicated Resource Study Lead, Scrum support and a Study Support role, with access to clinical application and clinical expertise through 2 Contractor provided enabling services, as needed (Clinical Application & Clinical Expertise). Study Leads shall be the primary responsible party for the HCD approach and the Human Factor (HF) and User Experience (UX) products and commitments associated with the assigned teams, with operational titles evolving as CIDMO adopts the scaled agile framework.

Ben Allegretti Consulting, is in a more efficient position to take on the tasks associated with the performance of this contract. Specifically, they are already working on similar efforts that closely align with the tasks identified in this contract action. This will result in a more streamlined effort, rather than the additional financial impact that would result from having to start from “square one” with a brand-new Contractor, who lacks the familiarity.

The justification will be posted to sam.gov at the time of award.

The SDVOSB concern has been determined to be a responsible source with respect to performance; and in the estimation of the Contracting Officer, contract award can be made at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the Government Ben Allegretti is a registered and verified SDVOSB. Ben Allegretti Consulting has successfully provided these services and is familiar with the tasks for this effort. Ben Allegretti Consulting has experience with integrated health practices for the VA and can provide the required services to complete this effort.

The current VHA Task Order mentioned above was made to Ben Allegretti Consulting using competitive procedures with pricing that was found acceptable at time of award. Ben Allegretti Consulting’s proposed pricing will be verified using the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), the pricing from the previous contract, and technical expertise. A fair and reasonable price determination will be made prior to award.

🔊 Listen to Story