POSTING AWARD AND JA NOTICE
Justification and Approval for Other than
Full and Open Competition - FAR Part 6
Contracting Activity: 6TH Recruiting and Retention Battalion, CT Army National Guard
Description of Action: This is for Multimedia Advertising Award. This will be for one full year. It will be using Operation and Maintenance funds. This will be firm fixed price.
Description of Supplies/Services: Multimedia Advertising to provide the Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG) the ability to advertise at the State and local level using: Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcements (TV and radio broadcasts) at a 4 to 1 ratio and digital advertising campaigns. The twelve-month digital advertising campaign will place ads within Google Display Network, Meta Platforms, Tik Tok, Snap Chat, Geofencing, and/or other platforms based on return-on-investment reviews. Name, Image and Likeness content creation with college student-athletes, as well as branding opportunities with social media influencers. The estimated value of this service is $395,000.00. There will be zero options.
Authority Cited: 19.1506 Women-Owned Small Business Program sole-source awards. 41 United States Code 3304 as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-5(b)(7), Sole source awards under the WOSB Program Reason for Authority Cited: The vendor Taylored Media Group, LLC is an SBA-Certified Small Disadvantaged Business, Women Owned Small Business, Woman Owned.
Efforts to Obtain Competition: When we first started this, we put out a sources sought for our market research. We received several responses including four small businesses. Then we put out a solicitation out on SAMs for small business set aside. We only received one quote. We've been in contract with Taylored Media for two contract cycles and have yet to fulfill most of the desired projects / tasks due to a constrained budget. We are looking to extend the current year's contract and capitalize on our increased budget to fulfill projects the 6th Recruiting and Retention Battalion was otherwise unable to complete with Taylored Media in the past. A notice was publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 for last year's award and, it will be publicized again this year.
Actions to Increase Competition: This is a follow-on requirement and an approved justification exists, a copy of the approved justification is attached. This will be the last year that we need to do a follow-on award. Next year this can go out for competition. We will be posting a sources sought next year to see if any interested vendors who qualify want to provide a quote.
Market Research: The requestor did contract another agency to see if they can provide these services. And it was not the same. But we are using the same vendor this year. Next year we will be posting a sources sought to see if any companies will be interested in this service.
Interested Sources: To date, no other sources have written to express an interest. The notices required by FAR 5.201 shall be or have been published, and that any bids or proposals received shall be considered.
Other Facts:
Procurement history.
Here are the two awards W91ZRS23P0009 and W91ZRS24P0015 that we had for this requirement. We did not use this before. We used sports aronias and colleges.
The competitive status of these actions. The award W91ZRS23P0009 started out as a sources sought. We did receive feedback. We also received 4 responses from small businesses. We put a solicitation out on sam.gov for 100% small business set aside. We only received one quote. The second award W91ZRS240015 was sole source small disadvantage businesswomen owned.
The award was not full and open competition for year 2024. We used sole source under the WOSB Program FAR 6.302-5(b)(7) for award W91ZRS24P0015.
We started out with a sources sought. Competed it in sam.gov 100% small business set aside. Only received one quote. We've been in contract with Taylored Media for two contract cycles and have yet to fulfill most of the desired projects / tasks due to a constrained budget. We are looking to extend the current year's contract and capitalize on our increased budget to fulfill projects the 6th Recruiting and Retention Battalion was otherwise unable to complete with Taylored Media in the past. The ability to advertise at the State and local level using: Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcements (TV and radio broadcasts) at a 4 to 1 ratio and digital advertising campaigns.
Retention and Recruiting must have historical data. Taylored Media advertising unique access to National Guard sites such as CAMPO allows them access to collect data to maximize marketing dollars. Taylored Media ability to convert creative content for advertising along with bulk content from previous contract increases efficiency and decreases CPM for advertising spots. This is imperative to successfully meet mission goals and timelines.
If a justification was prepared to support the procurement made before this one, briefly describe the circumstances justifying the procurement and whether there have been any significant changes.
Other facts. The fact that this is a local company. They work in Connecticut. They can go to meetings. Having that one-on-one time is important. Retention and Recruiting relies on a lot of statics and historical data. To receive qualified data, it must be many cycles. The more cycles we have the more accurate and useful it will be. Using the same vendor and one that know Connecticut is much more beneficial to the Government. It would be more difficult and confusing if other companies gave their own data on an existing cycle. They also cannot use the same techniques and advertising projects. They also have the knowledge of our area. This is a follow up contract.
Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination:
I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable.
15.403-1Prohibition on obtaining certified cost or pricing data (10 U.S.C. chapter 271 and 41 U.S.C. CHAPTER 35). (b)Exceptions to certified cost or pricing data requirements. The contracting officer shall not require certified cost or pricing data to support any action (contracts, subcontracts, or modifications) (but may require data other than certified cost or pricing data as defined in FAR 2.101 to support a determination of a fair and reasonable price or cost realism) (3)When a commercial product or commercial service is being acquired (see standards in paragraph (c)(3) of this subsection); (c)Standards for exceptions from certified cost or pricing data requirements (3)Commercial products and commercial services. (i)Any acquisition that the contracting officer determines meets the commercial product or commercial service definition in 2.101, or any modification, as defined in paragraph (3)(i) of the commercial product definition, that does not change a commercial product to other than commercial, is exempt from the requirement for certified cost or pricing data. If the contracting officer determines that a product or service claimed to be commercial is not, and that no other exception or waiver applies (e.g., the acquisition is not based on adequate price competition; the acquisition is not based on prices set by law or regulation; and the acquisition exceeds the threshold for the submission of certified cost or pricing data at 15.403-4(a)(1)) the contracting officer shall require submission of certified cost or pricing data.
15.403-4Requiring certified cost or pricing data (10 U.S.C. chapter 271 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 35). The threshold for obtaining certified cost or pricing data is $750,000 for prime contracts awarded before July 1, 2018, and $2 million for prime contracts awarded on or after July 1, 2018.
Comparison of proposed prices to historical prices paid, whether by the Government or other than the Government, for the same or similar items
Contracting Officer Certification:
I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Signature:
Date: 16 June 2025
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