J&A_Posting.docx

Soliciting From a Single Source IAW FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) Brand-Name

Licensing and Maintenance Support for Citrix Appliances

Acquisitions conducted under simplified acquisition procedures are exempt from the requirements in FAR Part 6 (FAR 6.001(a)). In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), a Contracting Officer (CO) may solicit from one source if the CO determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization). This is a brand-name requirement due to proprietary configurations of the software and software updates are only available through two (2) resellers of the product. The circumstance(s) supporting this determination is outlined below.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requires the services of an authorized/certified Citrix reseller for licensing and maintenance support for Citrix products, including Citrix Netscaler appliances, XenApp Desktop Platinum, and XenServer licenses located at the National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740. The licensing and maintenance support of the Citrix appliances includes one year of unlimited hardware incidents, software updates and bug fixes, and advanced replacement for materials should one of the appliances fail. Citrix is an integral part of both NARA’s Work-At-Home environment and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), especially the infrastructure known as NARANet. Through the Citrix Solution, all NARA employees are able to access their corporate email accounts, NARA’s intranet, and network drives from remote locations via a browser and web interface. It is a vital part of NARA’s Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is a place for a select group of users to access file systems and select network hardware. The Citrix Solution, Work-At-Home and COOP project both use remote access technology from the Citrix Corporation which greatly enhances remote access possibilities for the NARA user community and improves NARA’s cybersecurity.

The period of performance of this purchase order is anticipated to be September 11, 2018 through September 10, 2019.

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, Public Law 103-355 in conjunction with the Competition in Contracting Act, 41 U.S.C § 3304(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), “ …the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization).”

As is the case of other licensing and maintenance support products, Citrix includes proprietary configurations including software and hardware that can only be supported by the owner/developer or the authorized reseller. Citrix, as the owner/developer, owns the rights to the sale, support and distribution of its enterprise system. This licensing and maintenance support ensures that NARA can provide both Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) capabilities and Work-At-Home capabilities for up to 500 concurrent users properly on a day-to-day basis. Support services for Citrix has been verified as meeting the day-to-day licensing and maintenance support needs of the NARA Work-At-Home or Telecom systems.

NARA conducted market research for authorized/certified resellers of Citrix licensing and maintenance support. Market research indicated licensing and maintenance support for Citrix Netscaler appliances, XenApp Desktop Platinum, and XenServer licenses is only available through two (2) Citrix resellers, EC America, Inc. and Thundercat Technology.

When the Citrix Solution system reaches end-of-life, NARA will investigate whether non-proprietary technology is available to replace the licensing and maintenance support for the NARA COOP and Work-At-Home systems. Replacement would require the acquisition of a new licensing and maintenance support system which is not currently economically feasible when compared to continued licensing and maintenance support. There is no current estimate for this work. In the meantime this is the only solution that can meet NARA’s needs.

I hereby certify that this Brand-Name justification for “Soliciting from a Single Source” is made in good faith, that the supporting data and information are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and that I would not be making this request if it were feasible to fully compete this requirement. I further certify this request is not a result of a desire to expend funds while those funds are still available.

Technical Representative (IOO)

I have reviewed this justification and conclude that it is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Contracting Officer (Z)

I have reviewed this justification and consider it legally sufficient.

Legal Counsel

I have reviewed this justification and hereby certify that it is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. In accordance with NARA 501, I approve this justification.

Competition Advocate (B)