Sole Source Justification to Systalex Corporation

ming without interruption, delay, re-training, or re-engineering under the current PWS. The current contractor is fully embedded in ongoing development activities and workflows that are critical to supporting the national drinking water program. This includes providing data system support for the implementation of the following new National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs), with implementation dates shown in parentheses. Successful completion of data system support requires both thorough and accurate understanding of complex decision logic for determining water system compliance with the NPDWRs as well as a detailed understanding of how this logic has been coded to date. In addition to the agency’s priority projects mentioned above, the current contractor provides ongoing operations and maintenance support for several smaller but highly specialized program systems (approximately 28 IT systems and applications as described in Appendix B to the Performance Work Statement (PWS)). These applications are essential to maintaining the integrity, reliability, and continuity of core drinking water program functions and initiatives. Each system relies on niche technical knowledge, custom configurations, and historical context that Systalex ’s subject-matter experts have developed for EPA over multiple years of direct involvement in these Agency specific systems. A lapse in support for these systems would create immediate operational challenges, including delays in defect resolutions, and user support. Thus, re-competing or transitioning the work at this time would introduce significant operational risks, including: A substantial time gap in not having critical contract support while re-competing or transitioning activities occur. Loss of historical knowledge, which is essential to maintaining upwards of 28 IT systems’ performance quality. Disruptions to ongoing projects (listed in the above sections) that rely on Systalex’s contractor personnel with unique familiarity and subject matter expertise with program requirements. Disruptions could further result in missed implementation of statutory deadlines for implementing the three new NPDWRs in 2027. In summary, a competitive award for a short-term requirement would result in a risk of project failure of major Agency priority, as some of the projects are still in the development phase, with full implementation occurring during the 1- year extension. Additionally, there is a need successfully implement – the newest applications with the legacy applications, lack of implementation would result in serious public health impacts, substantial additional costs to EPA, and potential for litigation and consent decrees. Therefore, it has been the EPA has approved a sole source justification to allow this contract to be extended for one (1) year.