As a VA contracting officer, you identified your requirement with an estimated value of $450,000 to be eligible for an 8A award, but at this time, there is only one contractor, Able Company, who can meet your requirement. There is no prior acquisition history to draw from and your customer has not produced a credible independent cost estimate. Able Company, however, indicates they are willing to provide whatever cost information you may need. Able Company is not an FFRDC: it is a for-profit research firm. Furthermore, the use of a CPAF contract is deemed to be out of the