Attachment 2 SOW-BigIPLoadBalance-Replacement-08042025.pdf

U.S. Forest Service Chief Information Office

F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer Hardware

Replacement with Firmware Maintenance and Support Services

Statement of Work 04 August 2025

Version 1.1

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Business Requirements

3. Scope of Work

4. Technical Requirements

5. Period of Performance

6. Deliverables

a. Deliverable Schedule:

b. Applicable Documents

7. Place of Performance and Facility Access

8. Equipment

9. IPv6 Requirements

10. Contract Officer Representative

11. Security Language for all Contracts

12. Copyright Management and Responsibility

1. Introduction Established in 1905, the Forest Service (FS) is a federal agency that manages public lands in national forests and grasslands under a founding principle, "To provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run". The agency’s mission is to “sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations”. The FS has the responsibility for stewardship of more than 193 million acres of the nation’s forests and grasslands; for developing and communicating scientific knowledge through research and development that leads to informed natural resource decision-making; for delivering technical assistance through state and private forestry programs; and for sharing knowledge and experience with others in the global community through international forestry. Performing this mission requires a strong and effective network of operational and administrative support.

The United States Forest Service (FS) Chief Information Office (CIO) requires hardware and firmware maintenance and support services of F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer.

2. Business Requirements

The F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer hardware is an integral part of the National Enterprise Support Service (NESS) and requires 24 by 7 support.

The U.S. Forest Service (FS) requires the acquisition of hardware and firmware maintenance and support services for F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer located at the two data centers where Fire- IT National Enterprise Support Service (NESS) houses this equipment. The F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer hardware and firmware maintenance and support services will support the National Enterprise Support Service (NESS) environment at the Earth Resource Observation and Science Center (EROS) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the Digital Infrastructure Service Center (DISC) Kansas City, Missouri. This hardware and firmware maintenance and support service will provide much needed stability and failover capability to the NESS high availability environment that supports multiple fire applications.

3. Scope of Work

The U.S. Forest Service (FS) requires acquisition of the F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer hardware replacement with firmware maintenance and support services and applicable requirements. The contractor shall provide all equipment, tools, materials, supervision, other items, and non-personal service necessary to provide F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer hardware (replacement) with firmware maintenance and support services. The task includes service and maintenance of necessary hardware and firmware.

4. Technical Requirements

The contractor shall provide hardware replacement with firmware maintenance and support services for the following:

Part Number Description of Item Required Qty

F5-BIG-BR-R5600

BIGIP APPLIANCE: BETTER BUNDLE R5600 (MODEL R5000)F5

Networks, Inc. - F5-BIG-BR-R5600 2

F5-SVC-BIG-PRE-US- GOV

BIG-IP Service: Premium First Line Support by US Nationals in US.

The published $0.01 price is not the Customer's final price. The purchase price of the maintenance is based on a Commercial List Price that is 21% of the price you paid for the software liF5 Networks, Inc. - F5-SVC-BIG-PRE-US-GOV

F5-UPG-FB-STICKER-1

Field Upgrade: Platform FIPS 140 Sticker KitF5 Networks, Inc. - F5-

UPG-FB-STICKER-1

F5-ADD-BIG-FB-R5XXX

BIG-IP Add-on: Platform FIPS 140 Ready License (r5XXX series) PerpetualF5 Networks, Inc. - F5-ADD-BIG-FB-R5XXX

F5-SVC-BIG-PRE-US- GOV

BIG-IP Service: Premium First Line Support by US Nationals in US.

The published $0.01 price is not the Customer's final price. The purchase price of the maintenance is based on a Commercial List Price that is 21% of the price you paid for the software liF5 Networks, Inc. - F5-SVC-BIG-PRE-US-GOV

F5-UPG-SFP+-R

Field Upgrade: SFP+ Fiber Connector (10G-LC/850nm) ROHSF5 Networks, Inc. - F5-UPG-SFP+-R

F5-UPG-AC-R5XXX

Field Upgrade: Single 650W AC Power Supply (r5XXX)F5 Networks, Inc. - F5-UPG-AC-R5XXX

F5-TRG-PROD-UNIT

Training: Training Units (Utilize w/ Product Orders)F5 Networks, Inc. -

F5-TRG-PROD-UNIT

F5-SVC-RMA-OPT Service RMA - Keep your hard drive

F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer hardware replacement with firmware maintenance and support services shall include the following:

• Hardware Problem Diagnosis.

• Parts and Material provided.

• Premium support level 24x7x365.

• RMA advanced replacement.

• USFS shall retain all Hard Drives and other data storage media as required by law and regulation.

• Legacy support levels are provided as a guide to the appropriate level of support required.

• Regular and security updates for firmware of covered hardware.

5. Period of Performance Currently FS F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer have the same support periods of performance. The contractor shall conform all F5 BIG-IP Load Balancer hardware maintenance and firmware maintenance and support services to the following period of performance:

Period: TBD – Depends when purchased.

6. Deliverables Hardware and Software License Line-Item Data In accordance with Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-16-12, Category Management Policy 16-1: Improving the Acquisition and Management of Information Technology: Software Licensing, USDA must maintain an inventory of its software licenses, including pricing data. The contractor shall provide line-item pricing data on all software licenses provided to USDA at award and/or during performance of the contract/order. The attachment entitled “Software Template Line-Item Pricing” must be completed and provided to the Contracting Officer’s Representative within 10 days of award, or within 10 days of activation for licenses provided after the award date.

a. Deliverable Schedule:

Deliverables:

- All licenses will be functional upon the date of delivery

- All software maintenance will be operational upon the date of award

Deliverable Submitted to: Due Date:

Hardware/Software Line-Item Pricing

Contracting Officer’s Representative

Within 10 Days of Award, or Within 10 Days of Software Activation for Licenses Provided After Award Date

b. Applicable Documents:

The attached spreadsheet template with line-item pricing of software will be delivered electronically to the CO listed below.

7. Place of Performance and Facility Access

The place of performance shall be at a location of the vendors choosing. However, to meet the performance requirements of this contract travel to federal facilities may be required. Travel to federal facilities will not be reimbursed.

Contractor personnel shall comply with all safety and security requirements required to enter federal worksites at all times. Contractor personnel shall comply with all Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recommendations and requirements for all declared National Health Emergencies at all times.

Hardware ship-to and physical location is as follows:

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center POC: Kelly Burmeister & Zach Vis ATTN: "USDA FS FAM NESS" Hosting 47914 252nd Street Sioux Falls, South Dakota 5719

8. Equipment

There is no government equipment furnished for this effort.

9. IPv6 Requirements

(a) Any system, hardware, software, firmware or networked component (voice, video or data) developed, procured or acquired in support or performance of this contract shall be capable of transmitting, receiving, processing, forwarding and storing digital information across system boundaries utilizing system packets that are formatted in accordance with commercial standards of Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) as set forth in the USGv6 Profile (NIST Special Publication 500-267) and corresponding declarations of conformance defined in the USGv6 Test Program. In addition, this system shall maintain interoperability with IPv4 systems and provide at least the same level of performance and reliability capabilities of IPv4 products:

(b) Specifically, any new IP product or system developed, acquired, or produced must:

1) Interoperate with both IPv6 and IPv4 systems and products, and

2) Have available contractor/vendor IPv6 technical support for development and implementation and fielded product management.

(c) As IPv6 evolves, the Contractor commits to upgrading or providing an appropriate migration path for each item developed, delivered or utilized at no additional cost to the Government.

(d) The Contractor shall provide technical support for both IPv4 and IPv6.

(e) Any system or software must be able to operate on networks supporting IPv4, IPv6 or one that supports both.

(f) Any product whose non-compliance is discovered and made known to the Contractor within two years after acceptance shall be upgraded, modified or replaced to bring it into compliance at no additional cost to the Government.

10. Contract Officer Representative

USDA – Forest Service – Chief Information Office (CIO) Address: 3900 Masthead ST NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109 Phone: 800-832-1355---Emmanuel Rodriguez--Emmanuel.Rodriguez@usda.gov

The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract: perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance: maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract: issue written interpretations of technical requirements to the Contracting Officer, including Government drawings, designs, specifications: monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of government furnished property, and provide site entry of Contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the Contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting contract or order.

11. Security Language for All Contracts/Agreements

1.SECURITY LANGUAGE FOR ALL CONTRACTS

It is the responsibility of both the agency and the procurement official to verify that this is in all contracts and agreements including the exercise of any contract options. Examples of tasks that require security provisions include acquisitions of IT hardware, software, applications, and systems, IT services, transmission or analysis of data owned by FS with significant replacement cost should the contractor’s and other external organization’s copy be corrupted.

1.1 By accepting this contract/agreement, the Contractor and other external organizations (hereafter called Contractor) providing Information Technology (IT) resources or services to the United States Forest Service (FS) agrees to comply with the applicable IT security policy as outlined in this document. The Contractor and other external organizations will be responsible for IT security for all systems connected to the FS network or operated by the Contractor and other external organizations for the FS, regardless of location. This clause is applicable to all or any part of the contract that includes IT resources or services in which the Contractor and other external organizations must have physical or logical access to FS information that directly support the mission of the FS. The term “information technology,” as used in this clause, means any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. This includes both major applications and general support systems as defined by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130.

1.2 The Contractor shall be responsible for properly protecting all information used, gathered, or developed as a result of work under this task. The Contractor shall also protect all unclassified Government data, equipment, etc., by treating information as sensitive business, confidential information, controlling and limiting access to the information, and ensuring the data and equipment are secured within their facility.

1.3 The Contractor or other external organization will not publish or disclose in any manner, without the FS Contracting Officer’s written consent, the details of any programs, documentation, data, or safeguards either designed or developed by the Contractor or other external organization under this Contract or otherwise provided by the Government. The Contractor may be required to sign non-disclosure or other appropriate security agreements. A written agreement between the FS and any contractors and other external organizations will be entered into before FS data and information otherwise exempt from public disclosure may be disclosed to the contractors and other external organizations. The Contractor and other external organizations will agree to establish and follow security precautions considered by the FS to be necessary to ensure proper handling of data and information.

1.3.1 Data Rights. As may be identified elsewhere in this contract, the Contractor agrees that:

1.3.1.1 The draft and final deliverables and all associated working papers and other materials deemed relevant by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) that have been generated by the Contractor in the performance of this contract are the property of the United States Government and must be submitted to the COR at the conclusion of the tasks.

1.3.1.2 All documents produced for this project are the property of the United States Government and cannot be reproduced or retained by the Contractor.

1.3.1.3 FS will retain unrestricted rights to all federally owned and/or federally managed data and/or metadata that FS either owns or manages that is handled under this contract. Specifically, FS retains ownership of any user created/loaded data and applications collected, maintained, used, or operated on behalf of FS and hosted on contractor’s infrastructure, as well as maintains the right to request full copies of these at any time. If requested, data shall be available to FS within one (1)business day from request date or within the timeframe specified and provided using an encryption standard that meets FS requirements. In addition, the data shall be provided at no additional cost to FS. The contractor shall maintain all information in accordance with Executive Order 13556 – Controlled Unclassified Information, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records retention policies and schedules and FS policies and shall not dispose of any records unless authorized by FS. All contractors shall complete the applicable USDA/FS records management training at least annually during the life of this contract.

1.3.1.4 The contractor shall be accountable and document all activities associated with the transport of government information, devices, and media transported outside controlled areas and/or facilities. These include information stored on digital media (e.g., CD- ROM, tapes, etc.), non-digital media (e.g., paper), and mobile/portable devices (e.g., USB flash drives, external hard drives, and SD cards).

1.3.1.5 All information, devices and media shall be encrypted with FS-approved encryption mechanisms to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all government information transported outside of controlled facilities.

1.3.1.6 The contractor shall ensure all electronic and paper records are appropriately disposed of, and all devices and media are sanitized, in accordance with NIST SP 800-88 Rev 1, Guidelines for Media Sanitization.

1.4 To the extent required to carry out a program of inspection to safeguard against threats and hazards to the security, integrity, and confidentiality of Government data, the Contractor will afford the Government access to the Contractor’s or other external organization’s facilities, installations, technical capabilities, operations, documentation, records, and databases. The Contractor will cooperate with Federal agencies and their officially credentialed representatives during official inspections or investigations concerning the protection of FS information.

Cooperation may include providing relevant documentation showing proof of compliance with federal and agency requirements and rendering other assistance as deemed necessary.

1.5 If new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either the Government or the Contractor or other external organization, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer will immediately bring the situation to the attention of the other party. The Contractor will report real or suspected incidents or violations immediately upon discovery to the USDA Computer Incident Response and Recovery Branch (CIRRB), by e-mail, at cyber.incidents@usda.gov.

1.6 When the design, development, or operation of a system of records on individuals is required to accomplish an agency function, the Contractor will be required to design, develop, or operate a system of records on individuals subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law 93- 579, December 31,1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and applicable agency regulations. Violation of the Act may involve the imposition of criminal penalties.

1.6.1 The Contractor agrees to –

1.6.1.1 Comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 (the Act) and the agency rules and regulations issued under the Act in the design, development, or operation of any system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function when the contract specifically identifies—

1.6.1.1.1 The systems of records; and

1.6.1.1.2 The design, development, or operation work that the contractor is to perform.

1.6.1.2 Include the Act notification contained in this contract in every solicitation and resulting mailto:cyber.incidents@usda.gov subcontract and in every subcontract awarded without a solicitation, when the work statement in the proposed subcontract requires the redesign, development, or operation of a system of records on individuals that is subject to the Act; and

1.6.1.3 Include this clause, including this paragraph (3), in all subcontracts awarded under this contract that requires the design, development, or operation of such a system of records.

1.6.2 In the event of violations of the Act, a civil action may be brought against the agency involved when the violation concerns the design, development, or operation of a system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function, and criminal penalties may be imposed upon the officers or employees of the agency when the violation concerns the operation of a system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function. For purposes of the Act, when the contract is for the operation of a system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function, the Contractor is considered to be an employee of the agency.

1.6.3 Definitions include:

1.6.3.1 “Operation of a system of records,” as used in this clause, means performance of any of the activities associated with maintaining the system of records, including the collection, use, and dissemination of records.

1.6.3.2 “Record,” as used in this clause, means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains the person’s name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a fingerprint or voiceprint or a photograph.

1.6.3.3 “System of records on individuals,” as used in this clause, means a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual.

1.6.3.4 “Personally Identifiable Information", as used in this clause, means information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual. (See Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource).

1.6.4 The FS will provide initial privacy training, and annual privacy training thereafter, to Contractor employees for the duration of this contract.

1.6.5 Completion of a FS-developed or FS-conducted training course shall be deemed to satisfy these elements.

1.6.6 The Contractor shall maintain and, upon request, provide documentation of completion of privacy training to the Contracting Officer.

1.6.7 The Contractor shall not allow any employee access to a system of records, or permit any employee to create, collect, use, process, store, maintain, disseminate, disclose, dispose, or otherwise handle personally identifiable information, or to design, develop, maintain, or operate a system of records unless the employee has completed privacy training, as required by this clause.

1.6.8 The substance of this clause, including this paragraph, shall be included in all subcontracts under this contract, when subcontractor employees will:

1.6.8.1 Have access to a system of records;

1.6.8.2 Create, collect, use, process, store, maintain, disseminate, disclose, dispose, or otherwise handle personally identifiable information; or

1.6.8.3 Design, develop, maintain, or operate a system of records.

1.6.9 The contractors and other external organizations will ensure that the following banner is displayed on all FS systems that contain Privacy Act information operated by the contractors and other external organizations prior to allowing anyone access to the system:

“This system contains information protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-579). Any privacy information displayed on the screen or printed must be protected from unauthorized disclosure. Employees who violate privacy safeguards may be subject to disciplinary actions, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.”

2.CONTRACTORS/COOPERATORS REQUIRE BUILDING ACCESS

AND/ORINFORMATION SYSTEM ACCESS

It is the responsibility of both the agency and the procurement official to verify that this section is in all contracts/agreements including the exercise of any contract options where contractors/cooperators/volunteers will be accessing FS systems. Federal guidance and the FS require a background investigation on all Federal and non-federal personnel that is commensurate with their position, level of access, and need-to-know. (ref. Departmental Manual 3800: Common Identification Standard for U.S. Department of Agriculture Employees and Contractors and AGAR Advisory 81: Common Identification Standard for Contractors)

2.1 The Contractor shall insert these clauses in all subcontracts when the subcontractor is required to have routine physical access to a federally controlled facility and/or routine access to a federally controlled system. Failure to comply with said requirements will constitute cause for termination.

2.2 IT Security Training: The Contractor and other external organizations will ensure that its employees performing under this contract fulfill all Forest Service requirements for mandatory security and privacy awareness and role-based advanced security training in accordance with OMB Circular A-130, FISMA, and NIST requirements, and sign all applicable FS statements of responsibilities.

2.3 Rules of Behavior: The contractor shall ensure that all employees performing on the contract sign and comply with the applicable USDA/FS Rules of Behavior (ROB) and any specific rules provided by the Program Office.

2.4 Background Investigations: All non-government employees with unescorted access to FS facilities, computer systems and/or FS information must have background investigations commensurate with the level of risk and magnitude of loss or harm. The FS will determine the level of background investigation and position classification needed.

2.5 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel: The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring compliance by its employees with all applicable federal regulations, to include those of GSA, NIST, USDA, FS and HSPD-12. Contractors and their employees are subject to all Federal laws applicable to Government installations and are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Protective Service (FPS). The Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs; also known as Contracting Officer Technical Representatives), or other designated program/project officers, in conjunction with the FS HCM HSPD-12 staff, will assist the Contractor in processing the required Security Background Investigations/Clearances.

2.5.1 The Contractor shall comply with the personal identity verification (PIV) policies and procedures established by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Directives 3800 series.

2.5.2 Should the results of the PIV process require the exclusion of a Contractor’s employee; the Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor in writing.

2.5.3 The Contractor must appoint a representative to manage this activity and to maintain a list of employees eligible for a USDA PIV ID Badge required for performance of the work.

2.5.4 The responsibility of maintaining a sufficient workforce remains with the Contractor.

Employees may be barred by the Government from performance of the work should they be found ineligible or to have lost eligibility for a USDA PIV ID Badge. Failure to maintain a sufficient workforce of employees eligible for a USDA PIV ID Badge may be grounds for termination of the contract.

2.5.5 The Contractor shall insert this clause in all subcontracts when the subcontractor is required to have access to a federally controlled facility or system.

2.5.6 The PIV Sponsor for this contract is the Contracting Officer Representative, Program Manager, or delegated sponsor, unless otherwise specified in this contract. The PIV Sponsor will be available to receive contractor identity information from *TBD. The Government shall notify the Contractor if there is a change in the PIV Sponsor, the office address, or the office hours for registration.

2.5.7 At this time, the Government will pay for and process all required security investigations/clearances, except as identified differently within this clause.

2.5.8 The Contractor should be aware of any of its employees possibly having had a background investigation through another government agency. The investigation that was conducted, if verifiable by the FS HSPD-12 staff, and if it was completed within the last 5 years, can be accepted by the Government in lieu of a background check.

2.5.9 The Contractor shall comply with any facility badging requirements for the issuance of building access, badges, etc.:

2.5.9.1 Ensure that each of the Contractor’s employees has been issued either a temporary or permanent badge from the Government. A permanent badge will not be issued until the security questionnaire has been completed and favorably reviewed. Temporary or visitor badges will be provided for persons who are identified as having an infrequent or temporary legitimate business need for access to the site. As noted above, periods that exceed 180 days will require a permanent badge. The badge must be worn at all times while in the facility. It must be displayed above the waist. The individual will retain possession of the badge as long as continued admittance to the site is needed.

2.5.9.2 Ensure the safekeeping, wearing, and visibility of Government-furnished badges.

2.5.9.3 Immediately return all badges and permits to the Government when such need ceases to exist.

2.5.10 The Contractor shall comply with any facility security requirements for access to the facility.

2.5.11 The Contractor shall comply with all applicable rules governing parking at USDA locations.

2.6 Hiring of Foreign Nationals. The Contractor acknowledges that personnel must be either U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents, also known as “green card” holders, in order to access:

2.6.1 USDA Mission Areas, Agencies and Staff Offices or controlled facilities; or

2.6.2 Information Technology (IT) systems or security items or products.

2.6.3 This includes contractors, subcontractors, experts, consultants, and paid/unpaid interns hired for work within the United States or its territories.

2.6.4 The Contractor must identify in their proposals the names and citizenship of all non-U.S.

citizens proposed to work under the contract. Any additions or deletions of non-U.S. citizens after contract award must be reported to the Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officer's Representative (COR).

3.0 ACQUIRING AND/OR IMPLEMENTING SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

It is the responsibility of both the agency and the procurement official to verify that this section is in all new integration and application contracts including the exercise of any contract options.

(ref. USDA CIO letter June 2, 2008)

3.1 Best Practices: The contractor shall follow secure coding best practice requirements, as directed by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) specified standards and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) that will limit system software vulnerability exploits.

3.2 Secure Coding Skills: Contractor certifies that at least one member of each programming team working on any code (including C, Java, .Net, ASP.NET, Visual Basic) to be delivered to the Forest Service has earned the Global Information Assurance Certification for Secured Software Programming or equivalent.

3.3 Source code testing, binary code testing, application scanning, and penetration testing: At least one week prior to delivery of any code due under this contract, Contractor will deliver to the FS Program Manager, or delegated sponsor, the following reports covering all code that will be delivered:

3.3.1 Source code testing results showing all potential security flaws identified by at least one of the commercial source code testing tools approved by the Office of the Chief Information Officer of USDA. On the report, the Contractor will highlight all vulnerabilities rated “critical” and “high.” The Contractor must then correct the vulnerabilities, resend the code, and ensure the health of delivered source code.

3.3.2 For web applications, web application scanning test results showing all potential security flaws identified by at least one of the commercial web application scanning tools approved by the Office of the Chief Information Officer of USDA. On the report, the Contractor will highlight all vulnerabilities rated “critical” and “high.”

3.3.3 For all applications: application penetration results.

3.4 End of Life Compliance: The contractor shall use Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) software or other software that is supported by the manufacturer. In addition, the COTS/other software needs to be within one major version of the current version. Deviation from this requirement will only be allowed via the USDA waiver process (approved by USDA CISO). The contractor shall retire and/or upgrade all software/systems that have reached end-of- life. Under no circumstances will the Department allow contractors to utilize unsupported COTS applications, systems, components, programs or utilities without a specific written exception, signed and authorized by the CIO.

3.5 The contractor shall ensure IT applications designed and developed for end users (including mobile applications and software licenses) run in the standard user context without requiring elevated administrative privileges.

3.6 Copyright Management and Responsibility: By delivering applications or programming code to the Federal Government, the vendor or Contractor certifies that they have the proper authority to transfer the property and will defend the Government against copyright or other lawsuit resulting from the application or programming delivered.

12. Copyright Management and Responsibility

By delivering applications or programming code to the Federal Government, the vendor or Contractor certifies that they have the proper authority to transfer the property and will defend the government against copyright or other lawsuit resulting from the application or programming delivered.