B08_Solicitation_Attachment_1_Brand_Name_Justification_Redacted.pdf

Requirement Title / Name:

Purchase Request Number:

Originating Office (Customer):

Division / Unit / Branch:

6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies.

This is a justification for other than full and open competition.

Agency:

IA Acquisition Office:

Nature and/or description of the action being approved:

A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

An Identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

AUTHORITY:

A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

Red Hat Licenses for OIT

44029790

Office of Information Technology (OIT)

Indian Affairs

A16 Central Office - Services & Supplies

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i)

Justification for OpenShift MAS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Purchase:

1. Mandated Migration to OpenShift MAS The organization is under a strategic mandate to transition to OpenShift Managed Application Services (MAS) as part of its modernization and cloud-native application strategy. This move aligns with enterprise-wide goals to:

- Standardize application deployment across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

- Accelerate DevSecOps adoption by leveraging container orchestration and automation.

- Ensure compliance with federal and agency-specific IT modernization directives.

- OpenShift MAS provides a fully managed Kubernetes platform that reduces operational overhead while ensuring scalability, high availability, and security.

2. Requirement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Licensing The deployment and operation of OpenShift MAS necessitates the use of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) as the underlying operating system. RHEL is a critical component for:

- Platform compatibility with OpenShift clusters.

- Enterprise-grade support and long-term stability.

- Security hardening and compliance with STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides).

- Integration with existing Red Hat tools such as Satellite, Ansible Automation Platform, and Insights.

- The RHEL license ensures that the infrastructure supporting MAS is secure, reliable, and fully supported by Red Hat.

3. Security and Horizon Implementation OpenShift MAS and RHEL are foundational to the implementation of Security’s Horizon initiative, which focuses on:

- Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) enablement.

- Automated security policy enforcement across containerized workloads.

- Enhanced observability and threat detection through integration with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security (ACS) and other security tools.

- Compliance monitoring and audit readiness for federal cybersecurity mandates (e.g., NIST 800-53, CISA guidelines).

- The combined use of OpenShift MAS and RHEL ensures a secure, compliant, and resilient platform for mission-critical applications.

This specific brand name is the only feasible solution to meet the requirements of the government.

A written solicitation will be issued via SAM.gov in accordance with FAR 12.603(a) as a 100% set aside for Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) vendors. This procedure combines the synopsis required by 5.203 and the issuance of the solicitation into a single document.

Follow-on Requirement

Firm-Fixed Price

JA25-00310

The Red Hat operating system provides a platform for numerous applications used by Indian Affairs that are only supported on this vendor platform. This includes applications such as Maximo Application Software (MAS)8, Openshift, Aternity, among others. This operating system is preferred for its support and mature security baselines that align with Department of Interior posture.

The government requires the continuation of these Red Hat operating system licenses for an additional year.

7. A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. This determination is based on the following:

8. A description of the market research conducted (see Part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of justification of other than full and open competition, such as:

10. A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

11. A statement of any actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required.

The contracting officer will assess that the anticipated cost to the Government is fair and reasonable, primarily by leveraging competition. Competitive pricing is the most effective means of ensuring that the Government secures a fair deal. Alongside competition, additional methods such as an Independent Government Estimate (IGE), historical data analysis, and comparisons to GSA pricing may also be employed to confirm the price's fairness.

In accordance with FAR 10.002, meaningful market research was conducted to identify qualified sources for this acquisition. The research focused on identifying vendors under NAICS 334610 which falls under 'Software, packaged, mass reproducing'. Specifically, identifying 22 ISBEE vendors that are available under this NAICS code.

Full and open competition is not feasible due to the absence of suitable technical data packages, specifications, or statements of work necessary for the required solution. The unique nature of the work, which requires seamless integration with existing systems, renders the development of standardized specifications impractical and costly. Expert consultations and analyses of past projects indicate that pursuing full and open competition would likely result in delays, disrupt critical services, and create inefficiencies, ultimately leading to costs that far outweigh any potential benefits of increased competition. Therefore, it is justified to pursue alternatives to full and open competition.

While no specific ISBEE contractors have been identified for this acquisition, a vendor who participated in a previous acquisition of a similar supply was classified as an ISBEE.

The agency is dedicated to removing or addressing any barriers to competition prior to future acquisitions.

To tackle potential obstacles, we will focus on refining technical specifications, enhancing our market research efforts, and expanding outreach to a wider array of vendors. Furthermore, we will seek opportunities to simplify requirements and processes that may have previously restricted competition.

These initiatives will help foster a more competitive environment for upcoming acquisitions.

Originating Office Attestation:

I certify that the technical data which forms a basis for this justification is complete and accurate and meets the Government’s minimum needs.

12. Contracting Officer certification that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the contracting officer’s knowledge and belief:

I hereby certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

ADDITIONAL APPROVALS:

CCO or One Level Above the CO (if the CCO is the signing CO) (Required for acquisitions valued between $250K - $750K)

I hereby provide concurrence that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

N/A

IA Competition Advocate (Required for acquisitions valued between $750K - $15M)

I hereby provide concurrence that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of

IA Competition Advocate

Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) (Required for acquisitions valued between $15M - $75M)

Head of the Contracting Activity

Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) (Required for acquisitions valued over $75M)

Senior Procurement Executive