NNG15SD26B-157.docx

Control Number: TAC-18-50746 CVI Augmentation Control Number: TAC-18-50746

CVI Augmentation Control Number: TAC-18-50746

FedBizOpps Award Notice

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* = Required Field FedBizOpps Award Notice Rev. March 2010 CVI Augmentation for Retirement of VNX arrays 07724 36C10B18Q3173 N 541519 Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown

NJ 07724

George Govich, george.govich@va.gov

NNG15SD26B 36C10B18F2960

$3,198,486.37 09-24-2018

THUNDERCAT TECHNOLOGY, LLC

809887164

1925 ISAAC NEWTON SQ STE 180

RESTON

VA

20190 On September 24, 2018, delivery order 36C10B182960 was issued under the NASA SEWP V contract NNG15SD26B to ThunderCat Technology Reston, VA in the amount of $3,98,486.37. This announcement is to provide award notification and post the Brand Name Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity.

JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Office of Procurement Acquisition and Logistics

Technology Acquisition Center

23 Christopher Way

Eatontown, NJ 07724

2. Description of Action: This proposed action is for a firm-fixed-price Delivery Order issued under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for the procurement of brand name Cisco and NetApp hardware and associated services to integrate into existing Converged Virtualization Infrastructure (CVI) FlexPod systems.

3. Description of Supplies or Services: VA requires fully integrated CVI FlexPod systems consisting of brand name Cisco and NetApp hardware to augment VA’s existing CVI FlexPod systems and decommission aging EMC VNX 5500 storage appliances which go last date of service (LDOS) on December 31, 2018. The EMC VNX 5500 storage appliances currently host critical IT assets at VA Facilities, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) sites and VA data centers throughout the United States and function separately from the Cisco and NetApp CVI FlexPod system currently fielded. Due to the age of these items, VA must remove these appliances from service and migrate the data on those outdated appliances to the existing CVI systems, which are comprised of only Cisco and NetApp items. Due to this migration effort, the existing CVI FlexPod systems need increased capabilities to meet these new data needs. Therefore, procurement of brand name Cisco and NetApp hardware is required.

The existing CVI systems consists of the following: Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) servers, Cisco network infrastructure, Cisco Fabric Interconnects, and NetApp Fabric-Attached Storage (FAS) storage arrays. These systems are a complete solution that leverage 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) with Network Attached Storage storage presentation for Extra-Small and Small sites and 10GbE with Storage Attached Network storage presentation for Medium and Large sites using block or file protocols with a converged network architecture. Extra-Small and Small sites use Cisco 3850 switches, with the option to use existing site networking.

Medium and Large sites use Cisco 5500 switches. The FAS arrays leverage Ethernet connectivity for all solutions. The Medium and Large solutions benefit from Converged Network Adapters allowing block and/or file direct to the array. Each site has network, rack, and power components in place.

The Contractor shall augment the existing CVI FlexPod systems described above with Cisco and NetApp compatible hardware and provide services, which include delivery, standard hardware installation, and software configuration support for 13 Regional VBA sites and data centers throughout VA. Specifically, the Contractor shall provide 18 NetApp DS2246 hybrid disk shelves, 212 Cisco Nexus 2232 fabric expanders, and all ancillary components necessary for CVI augmentation. The estimated value of the proposed action is REDACTED. Additionally, in order to meet an anticipated increase in storage demand, the Government reserves the right to procure up-to seven NetApp DS2246 hybrid disk shelves and 16 NetApp DS4246 capacity disk shelves for an estimated maximum optional amount of REDACTED at time of award. The total estimated value of the proposed action is REDACTED (inclusive of options).

4. Statutory Authority: The statutory authority permitting an exception to fair opportunity is Section 41 U.S.C. 4106(c)(2) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), entitled “Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized”.

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: Based on the market research described in section 8 of this document, it has been determined that limited competition viable among authorized resellers of these products. In September 2014, VA competitively awarded the NetApp FlexPod System and the Cisco networking components within the overall CVI system. Based on market research, as described in section 8 of this document, it was determined that no other vendors produce component parts which are compatible with the existing NetApp and Cisco FlexPod CVI infrastructure. Cisco and NetApp brand name hardware are the only hardware options that can continue to build upon VA’s existing CVI system which only consists of Cisco and NetApp items. Any other brand name hardware is unable to integrate with the currently fielded Cisco and NetApp CVI system. Due to the proprietary nature of these systems, only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts are compatible and no other vendor parts are compatible with Cisco or NetApp; therefore, no other options will satisfy VA’s requirement. NetApp is the OEM of the NetApp FlexPod System and Cisco is the OEM of the networking and computing components within the overall CVI system. Utilizing non-OEM architecture would result in severe compatibility and interoperability issues. Only Cisco and NetApp or a Cisco/NetApp reseller can provide the replacement parts for the CVI system. Specifically, no other sources hardware will be operational with the current CVI system’s back end. Use of any other brand name items other than Cisco or NetApp would not be recognized by the existing appliances due to the proprietary code. Therefore, no source other than Cisco and NetApp or a Cisco/NetApp reseller can meet VA’s interoperability and compatibility requirements due to the CVI FlexPod proprietary source code that allows the various components to work in conjunction with one another. Additionally, the FlexPod system is an architectured solution with both the storage (NetApp) and server/network (Cisco) hardware needing to be installed together, if VA were to separate the hardware requirements into separate brand name procurements, there would be performance, configuration and interoperability issues. Separate configuration efforts will not allow the new Cisco and NetApp hardware to function in the currently fully integrated CVI FlexPod systems. For example, separating these efforts without a centralized architecture and configuration service would result in the currently fielded solution and augmented solution not recognizing the location of the migrated data. In addition, no other source’s parts could be installed or maintained on the current CVI system equipment due to system’s proprietary code which does not interoperate with any other brand name products. Purchasing any other software and maintenance could render the current CVI system inoperable.

VA is augmenting the existing CVI system with brand name Cisco and NetApp hardware so it can maintain the critical IT assets stored on the aging EMC VNX 5500 storage appliances. These VNX’s host critical IT assets that are essential to VA functions such as patient data, remote access services, and user files. Use of any other brand name items other than brand name Cisco and NetApp hardware would result in replacing the existing VNX’s with an entirely new platform. This would put all of the critical IT assets stored on the aging EMC VNX 5500 storage appliances at risk while a new replacement system was being procured and installed. The Government would have to procure, install, and stand up an entirely separate system and then migrate the critical IT assets to the new system. This process would take approximately 12 months. During this time, the aging EMC VNX 5500 storage appliances would be without any OEM service or support as the LDOS would lapse on December 31, 2018, leaving them vulnerable to any potential security threats which could result in a total system failure. In addition, VA could not recover the substantial implementation costs of replacing the entire CVI system. The estimated duplicated cost of replacing the entire CVI system is approximately $6 million and outweighs any other potential efficiency obtained through competition. This procurement also supports enterprise data center consolidation goals by eliminating these obsolete VNX’s rather than replacing them.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in the market research section of this document. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government’s requirements. It was determined however that limited competition is available among authorized resellers for both brand name Cisco and NetApp hardware. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)(1), this justification will be provided with the solicitation to all appropriate NASA SEWP V GWAC holders. Furthermore, in accordance with FAR 5.301 and 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D), this action will be synopsized at award on the Federal Business Opportunities Page and the justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the market place that would enable future actions to be competed.

8. Market Research: Market research was conducted in January 2018. The Government’s technical team reviewed similar hardware including Dell/EMC, Hitachi and HP on the internet to determine if any other hardware and associated warranty/maintenance solutions could be used in place of OEM equipment for the CVI expansion. It was determined that due to the proprietary nature of the CVI systems that no alternative hardware products would provide the necessary interoperability, compatibility, and integration as outlined in section 5 of this Justification. Additionally, VA Subject Matter Experts reviewed industry trade publications, met with OEM vendors and conducted internet research to ascertain if any other brand name hardware or software is available. Based on the market research, the technical experts concluded that Cisco and NetApp hardware products are the only commercially available products compatible with VA’s current CVI system.

The Governments technical team conducted additional market research in August 2018 using the NASA SEWP V GWAC Provider Lookup tool. The search resulted in 134 potential vendors, 24 in Group A, 11 in Group B - HUBZone, 20 from Group B(2) - SDVOSB, 48 from Group C, and 31 from Group D. As a result of the market research, limited competition is anticipated. The requirement will be competed amongst SDVOSB contract holders in Group B(2).

9. Other Facts: None.

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