Justification - Fair Opportunity FAR 16

Background
This justification is issued by the Department of State for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to limit sources for the acquisition of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) proprietary subscriptions.

The goal is to provide specialized information regarding the information technology landscape and access to industry professionals, which is essential for supporting decision-making needs in mission-critical IT infrastructure strategic planning.

Work Details
The contract includes the purchase of various Executive Programs v2 Guided Team licenses from Gartner, Inc., specifically:
- One Executive Programs v2 Guided Team – Team Leader license
- One Executive Programs v2 Guided Team – Partner Member license
- Two Executive Programs v2 Guided Team – CISO Self-Directed Member licenses
- One Executive Programs v2 Guided Team – CDAO Guided Team Member license
- Two Executive Programs v2 Guided Team – Advisor Member licenses.

The services required under this contract include: research, insight, strategic advice, practical solutions, and guidance on the information technology landscape; access to IT industry case studies and tools; proactive research for decision-making in IT infrastructure planning; technical research documents and toolkits for IT practitioners; support via telephone, email, and in-person as needed; access to business insights including reports and webinars; user guidance on web platform navigation; and technical support for troubleshooting.

Period of Performance
The geographic location(s) the contract will be performed (if provided)

Place of Performance
The services will be performed at the Department of State's facilities as required.

Bidder Requirements
Bidders must be Gartner or an authorized reseller of Gartner's proprietary subscriptions. The services provided are unique and highly specialized, with Gartner being the only provider capable of delivering the necessary IT Research and Advisory Services. No other providers offer equivalent diagnostic tools or unbiased decision intelligence that meets OIG's requirements.

Incumbent Analysis (see Incumbents section for more detail)
The prior awards listed for FEDLINK (03310324D0001-19AQMM25F0750 and 03310324D0001-19AQMM25F0751) were awarded to Gartner for COTS proprietary “Executive Programs v2 Guided Team” licenses during 06/01/25–05/31/26, with values of $385,519 and $250,000. The current FAR 16 justification similarly seeks Gartner-provided Executive Programs v2 Guided Team licenses (Team Leader, Partner Member, CISO Self-Directed Member, CDAO Guided Team Member, and Advisor Member) along with related IT research/advisory access and support. This indicates the current requirement is a continuation or replenishment of the same type of Gartner subscription services under the FEDLINK IDIQ framework.