I C0 6612 64 8BIFIED US. Department of Slate Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No 006612648 Date: 071'30/2018 JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION FAR 6.303-2 l. The Department of State, Of?ce of Acquisitions Management proposes to enter into a contract on a basis of other than full and open competition for the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an interagency body authorized pursuant to Executive Order 1372! and housed within the Department's Under Secretariat for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. RELEASE IN PART 2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved. 34 The GEC seeks a contract, sole-sourced to Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) Group of LondonNigel Oakcs, Head of SCL Defense. SCL's address is 55 New Oxford Street, London, WCIA ?38, United Kingdom. Phone: +97l-50-559-1250 (cell) 3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency?s needs (including the total estimated value). The contractor shall (A) collect reliable data on target audiences that would enable it to devise communication campaigns that would 1) decrease the amount and the credibility and effectiveness of 1815 recruitment propaganda and, independent of this, (2) decrease the likelihood that potential recruits in various countries will join Da?csh. The contractor shall also (B) provide GEC with information and analysis that will enable _it to understand the main motivators that Da?csh uses to attract recruits and how toie?'ectively discourage potential recruits from joining Da?csh, (2) identify which interventions would reduce Da?csh?s use of the Internet for prepaganda and recruitment, and reduce the credibility of its communications and discredit Da'csh recruitment efforts; (C) construct a ?rmework for assessing measuring the effectiveness of) which interventions are reducing the level and effectiveness of Da?esh?s propaganda dissemination and recruitment efforts as well as the propensity of potential recruits to join Da'csh. The cost of these tasks shall be $482,000,. 4. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition. The statutory authority permitting other than hill and Open competition is 41 as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-lentitled, ?Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements." 5. A demonstration that the proposed contractor?s unique quali?cations or the nature of the action require use of the authority cited. SCL has unique quali?cations and special capabilities in designing in?uence campaigns that work. Most in?uence campaigns in the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) area are largely based on intuitive hUnches er super?cial research. i UNCLASSIFIED S. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. 006612648 Date: 0?/30/2018 FIED U.S. Department of State Case No. Doc No. C06612648 Date; 0713012018 This is not acceptable for the purposes of the GEC. The GEC has a strong commitment to data-driven analysis and requires the best available data and analysis upon which to base its communication campaigns. I B4 . . UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. Doc No. C0661264B Date:07130/2018 C0 6 6 1 2 64 US. Department of State Case No F-2017-05742 Doc No. C06612648 Date: 07/30/2018 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. (306612648 Date 07.60.2018 B4 FIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. 006612648 Date: 07/30/2018 UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No F-2017-05742 Doc No. 006612648 Date: 07I30l2018 B4 6 6 1 2 6 4 83IFIED 03. Department of State Case No. Doc No 000012043 Date: 07/30/2010 UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No F-2017-05742 Doc No 006612646 Date 0713012016 B4 FIED U.S. Department of State Case No. Doc No. 006612648 Date: 0713012016 B4 UNCLASSIFIED U.S Department of State Case No. Doc No. 006612648 Date: 07/30/2018 IFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. C06612548 Date. 0713012018 B4 UNCLASSIFIED Department of State Case No F-201Y- 05742 Doc No. C06612648 Date? 07/30/2018 C0 6 6 2 64 8IFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. 006612648 Date: 07/30/2018 B4 UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. 006612648 Date' 07/30/2018 BSIFIED US. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No 006612648 Date 07/30/2018 B4 In sum. after six years of research and countless demonstrations by companies wishing to sell their services, the GEC is not aware of any companies that approach the sophistication and effectiveness of SCL in designing data-driven in?uence campaigns that demonstrably work. 6. A description of efforts to ensure that offers were solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies. Since its predecessor organization. the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Conununications, was created in 2010, the CSCCIGEC have been searching for ways to design eii?cctive communications campaign that will lead to diminished recruitment to terrorist groups like al-Qa'ida or Da'esh. A noti?cation was not and should not be posted in PRC due to the sensitivity of?this work. GEC does not want to alert al-Qa?ida or other terrorist organizations of our counterterrorism efforts in accordance with FAR and 6.3050) ?posting the justi?cation would disclose the executive agency's needs and disclosure of such needs would compromise national security or create other security risks.? The GEC wishes to enter into a contract with SCL. A pursuant Statement of Work has been prepared. 7. A. determination by the contracting of?cer that the anticipated cost (including the cost of options) to the Government will be fair and reasonable. The contracting Of?cer determines that the anticipated pric e(s) will be fair and reasonable based on an estimate of the amount of time needed for the required actions speci?ed in the Statement of Work and a comparison with the costs of previous connects executed by SCL. for work of a similar scope. 8. A description of the market research conducted (per FAR Part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted. After six years of market research and countless demonstrations by companies wishing to sell their services, the GEC has not been able to ?nd any organization that possesSes the sophistication, effectiveness, and capability to design data-driven in?uence campaigns that work anywhere near as well as SCL. 9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition, such as: UNCLASSIFIED US. Department of State Case No F-2017-05742 Doc No 006612648 Date 07/300016 Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No 006612648 Date: 0713012018 The CEO has developed a Statement of Work for this project, based on our best understanding of the research and analysis tasks that are necessary to design effective in?uence campaigns. 10. A listing of any sources that expressed a written interest in the acquisition. NA 11. A statement of the actions. if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition, before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services are required. Competition is not planned and a sole source requirement is contemplated, as the CBC believes, based on six years of market research, that there are no other companies that can compete with SCL in gathering the necessary data and analyzing it in a way that permits the design of e??ecti ve, data-driven in?uence campaigns. CONTRACTING OFFICER: DATE: Anthony . We ey Contracting Of?cer UBA REVIEW: .- I 0/ - I DATE: .. a: #576 Dennis agher Assistant egalAdvisor APPROVAL: Lip/{ix DATE: 4; in law (a maniac: Hicks Branch Chief UNCLASSIFIED S. Department of State Case No. F-2017-05742 Doc No. C06612648 Date: 07/30/2018