Solicitation Number: 47QFMA21C0001
Department/Ind. Agency: GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Sub-tier: FEDERAL ACQUISITION SERVICE
Contract Award Number: 47QFMA21C0001
Authority: FAR 6.302-1 – Only one responsible source
Awardee: PERSONNEL DECISIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTES, LLC
Contract 47QFMA21C0001
Office of Personnel Management | Human Resources Solutions (HRS) | USA HIRE Program in support of: Office of Personnel Management Human Resources Solutions (HRS)
Nature and/or Description of Action Being Approved:
The action being approved is a modification to contract 47QFMA21C0001. The contract is a combination Firm Fixed Price and Time-and-Material. OPM HRS’s USA Hire requires PDRI to provide services that include but are not limited to the provision of core assessments for specific occupations, core assessments for multiple occupations, tailored and custom assessments to fit specific needs, psychometric and industrial-organizational psychology support, online assessment solutions, system management and testing, and assessment delivery.
A Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet Agency’s Need (Including the Estimated Value):
The purpose of the contract is to deliver online assessment solutions to current and future Federal clients and other human resources related products and services relevant to online assessment and talent management. This modification will allow for an uninterrupted continuation of services at an increased level of effort which will raise the total ceiling value by $182,792,343.02, from $212,207,958.10 to $395,000,301.12.
Contract 47QFMA21C0001 was awarded January 1, 2021 to deliver online assessment solutions to current and future Federal clients and other human resources related products and services relevant to online assessment and talent management through the OPM USA Hire platform. The OPM USA Hire platform provides an online assessment program designed specifically to meet the hiring needs of government agencies. The contract was issued for a 12-month base year and seven (7) one-year options. The contract is currently in Option 4 with a period of performance of January 29, 2025, through January 28, 2026. The Government anticipated an eight (8) year performance period due to the estimated time to complete transition from the existing USA Hire platform to a new USA Hire assessment platform. In addition, OPM required at least six (6) years of consistent support and transition out support for the recompete of the requirement.
Executive Order (EO) 13932 Modernizing and Reforming the Assessment and Hiring of Federal Job Candidates was issued June 2020 around the same timeframe that USA Hire was being solicited. The EO directed agencies to expand the use of valid, competency-based assessments and narrow the use of educational qualifications in the Federal hiring process. The intent is to direct agencies to use a skills and competency-based approach in conducting hiring across the Federal government via assessments that carefully measure a candidate’s ability to perform the job. USA Hire is one of the few Federal programs that supports agencies with compliance with this EO. While OPM USA Hire built steady and foreseeable growth into the contract, there was no reasonable way to predict the overwhelming impact of EO 13932. This EO was issued at a stage during the solicitation process that precluded OPM from assessing the potential impact to the contract requirements.
This explosive demand has been driven largely by Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) adoption of USA Hire and its need to fill thousands of vacant positions after the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the EO, the need for USA Hire assessments has far exceeded the initial estimated amount, which has grown at a pace far faster than anticipated when the contract requirements and needs were first drafted and awarded. OPM planned for the steady growth of USA Hire throughout all options of the contract; however, TSA alone has consumed 95% of the requirement in Option Year 2 and Option Year 3. The Government issued a modification to realign ceiling value to support the additional assessments; however, the delivery of the assessments has increased significantly. Option Year 7 of the contract has been fully realigned, and its ceiling depleted.
