ITSM_Expansion_J_A_Redacted.pdf

IT Service Management Tool Expansion Control Number: TAC-19-53968 licenses. This effort is to procure additional ServiceNow licenses required to expand VA’s existing ServiceNow implementation. The ServiceNow tool was selected via a competitive procurement under the NASA SEWP V GWAC in September of 2017 and consists of a suite ServiceNow modules that have been configured and implemented over the past 15 months. The existing environment consists of individual named user licenses and currently supports daily operations for 550,000 end users and 13,000 OI&T professionals to track and resolve incidents and service request for all VA facilities in Districts 1 through 5. ServiceNow brand software is the only software that can continue to build upon VA’s existing ServiceNow service management system. Specifically, these capabilities exist within the existing environment, but must be licensed separately.

No other brand software is interoperable or compatible with the existing ServiceNow software platform due to proprietary constraints, and therefore no other brand software can be integrated within the existing environment to provide the required automation and approval capabilities. Specifically, use of any other brand name software would not be able to communicate with the existing ServiceNow software and applications that are all ServiceNow brand name based. The use of any other software would require a complete replacement of the existing ServiceNow platform estimated to take at least 12 months to implement at a cost of $25-30M for the tool only. Additionally, all Enterprise Service Desk and OI&T Tier 2 and Tier 3 technicians would require extensive training to utilize a new tool to perform daily service desk operations and all VA employees would require training on the submission of incidents and requests in a new system. These replacement efforts would result in extensive delivery delays and duplicated costs that would not be recovered through competition. Without licensing this additional functionality, VA’s automated system monitoring capabilities and service desk operations will be impeded or seriously degraded. Specifically, this additional functionality will directly support and improve monitoring and troubleshooting of mission essential systems such as Veterans Benefit Management System by providing early warning of degradations to prevent system failures that would disrupt critical services to Veterans. Only brand name ServiceNow software can meet VA’s requirements to expand the existing environment for increased functionality.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, the details of which are in the market research section of this document. This effort did not yield any additional solutions that can meet the Government’s requirements. It was determined however that limited competition is available viable among resellers for the required ServiceNow per device brand name software. In accordance with FAR 5.301 and 16.505(b)(2), this action will be synopsized at award on the Federal Business Opportunities Page and the justification will be made publicly available. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)(2) this Justification will be posted on the NASA SEWP website along with the solicitation.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed. Specifically, OI&T will continue to monitor market trends, new/emerging products, looking for compatible and more advanced technologies to meet VA needs.

IT Service Management Tool Expansion Control Number: TAC-19-53968

8. Market Research: In June 2018, the Government’s technical experts conducted market research of similar service management software products in the marketplace that could be utilized to increase the ITSM tool capabilities of the current ServiceNow platform to include adding functionality for the automated population and monitoring of configuration items in the CMDB and for providing Approval ability for End User Operations requests to non-OI&T users. Specifically, the Government’s technical experts conducted web-based research on websites for other software manufactures such as BMC, Computer Associates Inc, ChangeGear and Salesforce. Based on a review of these other brand name items, VA’s technical experts determined that the other manufacturer products cannot communicate with ServiceNow’s proprietary code.

Based on reviews of these products, the Government’s technical experts confirmed that no other products can communicate with ServiceNow’s proprietary code, and therefore, none of these products can meet the Government’s interoperability and compatibility requirements to expand functionality within the existing ServiceNow environment as described in section five of this justification. Based on this market research, it was determined that only ServiceNow brand name software licenses can meet all of VA’s needs to support expansion vice replacement of the ITSM tool. In July 2018, additional market research was conducted by utilizing the NASA SEWP Provider Lookup tool to determine whether the brand name ServiceNow licensing is available from NASA SEWP V GWAC holders. It was determined that there are several resellers of ServiceNow brand name licensing that hold current GWACs such that limited competition is anticipated.

9. Other Facts: None.