80TECH26QA121 IBM Hardware Maintenance BNJ Redacted.pdf

Rev.:4/2026

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT OFFICE (ITPO)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

FOR IBM HARDWARE MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT RENEWAL

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.104-1(a)(1) – Identification of the agency and the contracting activity, and specific identification of the document as a “Justification for other than full and open competition.”

This document is a justification for other than full and open competition prepared by

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ITPO.

The procuring agency is NASA, and the contracting activity is ITPO.

2. FAR 6.104-1(a)(2) – The nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides the rationale for contracting by other than full and open competition to award a brand name purchase order for IBM Hardware Maintenance and Support for Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

The purpose of this requirement is to renew IBM Brand Name Hardware Maintenance and Support. This requirement is critical to NASA’s Artemis campaign and its overall mission to safely land humans on the lunar surface.

The Artemis campaign’s timeline, and its included mission dates, are a vital component of the government’s need. For reasons discussed below, delays to mission execution as a result of developmental challenges are likely to result in mission failure. This contract is necessary to ensure that development of a lunar landing capability is complete in time to support NASA’s Artemis missions.

3. FAR 6.104-1(a)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the

Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

IBM Brand Name Maintenance and Support is required for the IBM Power Systems servers and IBM Storage Area Network (SAN) hardware that comprise the backbone of the SCCS hardware environment. These systems support Artemis mission-critical operations within the SCCS, including the Firing Rooms and off-line development environments. The current maintenance and support contract expires on September 30, 2026, and uninterrupted support is required to maintain operational readiness.

Rev.: 4/2026

Acquiring hardware maintenance and support that is not IBM brand name specific is not feasible as only the IBM brand hardware and maintenance support works with the existing Artemis IBM infrastructure. Failure to provide the IBM brand name specific hardware and software maintenance would result in delays resolving hardware failures, firmware issues, or operating system problems which could reduce system availability and negatively affect Artemis mission support. The SCCS hardware environment is designed around the existing IBM Power and Storage infrastructure, and a transition to an alternate platform or vendor solution would require additional planning, validation, testing, and implementation activities that could disrupt mission operations. Without timely OEM and OEM-level third-party maintenance and support, hardware failures or software issues could result in extended outages, increased downtime, and delays to mission-critical Artemis activities and programs.

Due to the cutting-edge nature of the technology required for this capability, every day in the developmental timeline is absolutely vital for ensuring that a lunar landing capability is completed in time for NASA’s established mission dates. Each day added to this timeline – including the significant time that would be required for a full and open competition – places the United States closer to ceding its space exploration leadership to our global competitors.

6. FAR 6.104-1(a)(6) – A description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.1 and, if not, which exception under 5.101 applies:

A solicitation will be issued to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. In accordance with FAR 12.2 this justification supporting the requirement for brand name specifications will be included in the solicitation.

7. FAR 6.104-1(a)(7) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The Contracting Officer’s signature on this document indicates that the Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. This requirement will be competed as a brand name solicitation under the GPE website.

Contractors will provide the best price available in the market and the competition will yield a price that is fair and reasonable to ITPO. Procurement anticipates multiple vendors to provide a competitive price on IBM Brand Name Hardware Maintenance and Support.

8. FAR 6.104-1(a)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted (e.g., urgent, and compelling requirement):

Market Research was conducted to determine whether IBM Brand Name Maintenance and Support could be procured through existing Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), including NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) and General Services Administration (GSA). Market research showed that neither mandatory nor

Rev.: 4/2026 preferred GWACs can fulfill the Government’s brand-name requirement and it was in the best interest of the Government to issue the solicitation to the GPE website.

The Contracting Officer certified directly with IBM the availability of authorized resellers and IBM Brand Name Maintenance and Support must be acquired from authorized IBM Brand specific resellers. Third party maintenance and support cannot be applied to existing NASA IBM infrastructure that is critical to the NASA Artemis mission.

9. FAR 6.104-1(a)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

None

10. FAR 6.104-1(a)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in the acquisition in writing:

A solicitation will be issued to the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (Sam.gov) in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.2. (See Section 6 above).

11. FAR 6.104-1(a)(11) – A statement of 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 Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.