J and A Brand Name Justification_Redacted.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Limited Source/Brand Name Justification

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED

The Southern Geographic Area Coordination Center (South Ops or OSCC) is requesting Cel-Fi Quatra 1000 Hybrid Active Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for boosting off-the-air cellular Radio Frequencies (RF) of two cell carriers; Verizon and FirstNet. The First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet Authority, was created as part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (PUBLIC LAW 112–96), which was signed into law on Feb. 22, 2012. The law allocated 20 megahertz of spectrum and $7 billion to establish a broadband network dedicated to the nation's first responders and gave the FirstNet Authority the mandate to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of the network.

The inherent design of the construction materials used for Energy-Efficient Buildings had a negative impact on RF propagation in all the buildings on campus. Such building materials causes low emissivity for mobile communication standards including GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) and LTE (Long Term Evolution) using frequencies ranging mainly from 700 MHz to 2.7 GHz that are used by mobile telephone carriers. Existing Cel-Fi cell phone boosters in place are to be upgraded due to external factors affecting the signal quality of existing off-the-air donor antennas on various building roofs across the campus. The total estimated value of the system is $125,000 and the period of performance estimated to surpass 8-year lifecycle from a one-time purchase. The Cel-Fi Quatra 1000 is designed strictly for Mobile Telephone System and will NOT enhance the hand-held Land Mobile Radio (LMR) capability within the buildings. Nor will the system be connected to or be a part of any existing FS network and will be a segmented stand-alone system. Our anticipated product delivery date is

Installation of the Hybrid Active DAS will be performed by federal workforce from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Certified BLM Electronic Technicians will install donor antennas on the tower mast and route the coaxial cables into the adjacent radio vault. Building interior tasks will include mounting of the electronic equipment into racks; build-out of distribution cable plant consisting of copper and fiber optics wires; and mounting interior ceiling coverage unit antennas within each building. The performance period will be four weeks, once all the products and supplies are delivered to the site. Full Operating Capability is expected to be completed by . Since the DAS operates as a passive system, ongoing maintenance and future improvements will be minimal.

2. JUSTIFICATION FOR SOLICITING FROM A SINGLE SOURCE or FOR A BRAND NAME

Provide a detailed reason why another brand name cannot be used to provide the required supplies or services.

The OSCC building-to-building outside cable plant for broadband transmission, is limited to single or multi-mode fiber optics in a star configuration from the OSC Building’s Radio Vault [Main Distribution Frame (MDF)] to other campus buildings’ wiring closets [Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF)]. Copper building-to-building interconnect is not available for broadband transmission due to standards-based

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

TIA/EIA distance constraints. The Cel-Fi Quatra 1000 system utilizes fiber as the main method of distribution from off-the-air antennas to Coverage Units within the buildings.

The Quatra 1000 is the brand name that supports our need for both Verizon and the FirstNet mobile telephone network for Public Safety Responders. This enterprise-level solution is a critical mobile communication platform for the multi-Agency mission of the Southern California area Geographic Coordination Center. The Quatra 1000 will enhance and will provide a stable mobile telephone/data communication platform for Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the Center to continuously maintain the capability and capacity to perform essential functions and services. The design and implementation of our current Cel-Fi line of products and consistency of utilizing product architecture of previous implementation, will minimize technical training, leverage previous acquired experience, and will greatly enhance the federal IT staff’s productivity and performance.

3. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN COMPETITION

Describe what market research was conducted in an effort to identify other vendors or brands suitable for the Government’s requirements; or provide the reason market research was not conducted.

a) The vendor, , does not have a SAM identifier but does have Cel-Fi Quatra 1000 FN (FirstNet) and the Cel-Fi Quatra 1000 Verizon available on their website however does not have the required Fiber Range Extenders required in the design for the OSCC campus.

b) The vendor, , can't confirm a SAM identifier. The vendor does have the Cel-Fi Quatra 1000 Verizon available on their website but not the Quatra 1000 FN (FirstNet), these products were not on their current GSA schedule.

c) The vendor, does have a SAM identifier (LNKKBYWHK5J4) and the Cel-Fi Quatra FN

(FirstNet) and Cel Fi 1000 Verizon available on their website with the available Fiber Range Extenders required in the design for the OSCC campus.

4. STEPS TO PRECLUDE FUTURE SINGLE SOURCE (or BRAND NAME) AWARDS

State what planned actions will the agency take, in order to ensure competition on future requirements for these supplies or services.

Boosting of the FirstNet (First Responder Network) signal is a unique requirement in addition to requiring fiber for the underlying distribution of the signal across the campus. The dependency of a full line of products, to fulfill this project, currently cannot be fulfilled by any vendor, except Cel-Fi by Nextivity to avoid split purchasing for the high value electronic components. Commodities items, such as Category 6 bulk cable, cable management supplies, racking shelves, copper and fiber patching cables, lightning arrestors, and other tower mounting supplies will be procured using micro-purchasing options with various vendors that stock those specialized items.

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

5. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S DETERMINATION

I have determined, in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b) that the circumstances of this contract action deem only a single source is available for the required services.

Requesting Office:

Southern California Coordination Center James Tomaselli 23300 Castle Street Coordination Center Manager Riverside, CA 92618

Concur/Does Not Concur:

NAME: Catherine A Sullivan Contracting Officer