Brand_Name_Justification_-_Cisco_Network_Equipment_(75H70419Q00065).pdf

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

Agency/Office Name: IHS/HQ/OIT

1. "Brand name" of product: Cisco

2. Description of "brand name" product: ISR4000 Cisco Routers. C9000 Cisco Switches

3. Name of manufacturer of "brand name" product: Cisco

4. The "brand name" provided is to identify the standard of quality necessary. Equivalents will be considered. Yes No (If no, please complete Nos. 5 and 6.)

5. If the answer to No. 4 is "no," please complete the following.

Only the "brand name" item specified will meet the Government’s needs:

A. Because patent rights, copyrights, proprietary secret processes, control of certain materials or components providing a superior utility or capability that cannot be obtained from similar products.

B. Because program requirements cannot be modified so that competitive products or services may be used.

C. Because the product or service is unique and easily established as one-of-a kind.

Please explain:

The purpose of this acquisition is to procure network equipment to replace existing equipment at a number of IHS sites. The network equipment includes routers and switches to have secure and reliable connectivity to the IHS network. The network equipment must integrate with other network equipment at each of the sites - and the overall IHS network, which has approximately

400 sites connected.

Cisco network equipment should be purchased as it can be installed within the existing network without integration and compatibility issues. It will avoid common problems when mixing network hardware and software from different vendors. It also avoids IHS incurring costs to train staff to support network equipment from different vendors. With Cisco equipment, all network equipment will have a similar operating system and command syntax, allowing IHS to maintain a consistent set of operational processes and procedures. Having a common set of network equipment provides the following advantages for IHS.

Staff with Cisco experience are readily available from the vendors currently providing contract staff to IHS.

It minimizes the number of network management tools for network monitoring. If the equipment is from different vendors, additional management tools are required.

With a network built using common network equipment, it allows IHS to operate the network with higher availability and lower overall cost of ownership. IHS can utilize staff resources with common technical skills sets, reducing the need for IHS contractors to bill for staff with different technical skills sets.

6. If the answer to No. 4 is "no," please indicate other reasons for restricting competition:

Contract staff on the NOSC contact will configure and support the network equipment purchase in this procurement. The NOSC contractor currently has Cisco certified staff assigned to work o the IHS contracts. If network equipment is procured from another vendor, they will have to change their staffing plan to have the required staff to support the new equipment. This may require a modification to the contract terms and costs.

7. Please indicate other reasons for restricting competition.

IHS currently uses Cisco network equipment at multiple sites. The Cisco equipment is integrated with the IHS Active Directory D1 domain for device authentication and application of security controls.

8. Please describe the market research conducted and the results.

The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the network equipment sought in this requisition, sell their products through System Integrators and Resellers. The list price for the equipment is available online on the company’s web site (www.cisco.com). There are a large number of System Integrators and Resellers selling Cisco equipment.