Adobe JOFOC-BNJ Redacted.pdf

Rev.:5/2025

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT OFFICE (ITPO)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC) BRAND NAME

For Adobe Software and Support - 80TECH25QA030

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.303-2(b)(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) Information Technology Procurement Office (ITPO).

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

2. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 Single-Award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Adobe software and services. NASA is seeking to procure Adobe subscriptions through a Single- Award BPA to provide Adobe software products, associated support for license usage, and related services to support specific projects and systems with NASA’s ongoing and future digital transformation initiatives. One example of related services is support provided for the SMD-wide Digital Asset Management (DAM) System implementation as part of the SMD Web Modernization Program. This agreement will provide Adobe products and services on an as-needed basis throughout the duration of the agreement.

3. FAR 6.303-2(b)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

The NASA Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) intends to procure software and services provided by Adobe to support the Agency. This acquisition is required to manage and support the existing Adobe software infrastructure used throughout the agency, as well as to provide for the procurement of new software licenses and related services to complement the existing Adobe ecosystem, to increase capacity, system continuity, and increased uptime of critical IT infrastructure.

The scope of this procurement aims to streamline the acquisition process, ensure compliance with licensing agreements, and to provide Adobe software subscriptions that supports multiple NASA missions and organizations across the agency. This agreement will provide for ease of ordering Adobe products and services in support of the entire Agency.

The Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) establishes a framework for the provision of Adobe products and services on an as-needed basis throughout the contract period. The agreement encompasses comprehensive delivery of Adobe software solutions in both online and offline environments, including essential software licenses such as Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Enterprise, Creative Cloud Single Application, Adobe Connect, and Adobe ColdFusion with its associated web services, cloud services integration, security and compliance features, and development tools. Additionally, the BPA covers critical support services including maintenance and technical support, training and onboarding assistance, professional services for implementation, configuration, architectural design, as well as ongoing software updates and security patches. The scope further extends to specialized solutions such as Adobe Portal Management, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Forms, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Sign for digital signature capabilities, and Substance 3D applications. Value-added services and comprehensive program support are also included to ensure optimal utilization and integration of the Adobe ecosystem within the organization's operational framework.

NASA requires consistent and authorized access to Adobe software tools (e.g., Acrobat Creative Cloud, Adobe Cold Fusion, and Adobe Experience Manager) for various mission-critical functions including digital documentation processing, secure portals, creative content development, and license management. Establishing a single award BPA streamlines procurement and ensures cost-effective, timely delivery, and standardization across the NASA agency.

Adobe uses single portals to provide cohesive, efficient centralized access to products while unifying customer data, streamlining workflows and providing scalability and collaboration.

Adobe’s unified portal infrastructure enables centralized, scalable access to its suite of tools while enhancing cross-organizational collaboration, data consistency, and workflow efficiency. A multiple award BPA would not benefit NASA in this capacity due to the nature of portal use. Resellers do not have access to the Adobe Admin Console which centralizes the management of Adobe product licenses, users, and assets for an organization. Adobe updates the main Enterprise Term Licensing Agreement (ETLA) portal with orders that are placed, but having multiple resellers providing orders under the BPA would cause confusion with what licenses were ordered by which vendor. Some key functions of the portal include license management, user management, and managing Creative Cloud storage among other features. The data in the portal is used to track and maintain usage as well as to audit license activity to ensure continued compliance and identify potential issues across NASA.

The period of performance will be for a five (5) year ordering period. The estimated potential value of the BPA is . The BPA will be operating under FAR 13.5 procedures, with the value of each order limited to $7.5M.

4. FAR 6.303-2(b)(4) – An identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition:

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for acquisitions using the procedures in FAR Subpart 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. 1901.

5. FAR 6.303-2(b)(5) – A demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited:

The rationale supporting the use of FAR Subpart 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. 1901 for Adobe brand name products and services is described below:

Adobe software is proprietary and already deeply integrated within NASA’s IT architecture, serving numerous missions, programs, and administrative functions agency wide. These tools are not only embedded in daily operations but also customized and optimized over years of use—forming an essential component of workflows related to engineering documentation, web content management, public engagement, and internal collaboration.

Adobe products and services are uniquely positioned to support NASA’s mission-critical needs in ways that no single alternative vendor can replicate. While there are point solutions that compete with individual Adobe applications, no single provider offers the full breadth, depth, and integration of capabilities necessary to meet NASA’s scientific, engineering, communications, training, and administrative requirements. Key factors that make Adobe unique include:

1. End-to-End Creative and Communication Ecosystem NASA has a broad spectrum of communication responsibilities—ranging from highly technical documentation and data visualization to public outreach, education, and internal trainings. Adobe Creative Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, etc.) that are interoperable by design, ensuring that assets can be created, refined, and deployed across multiple platforms efficiently. This interoperability eliminates silos and supports seamless workflows for everything from technical manuals to public livestreams. This suite of products is widely used across NASA.

2. Standardization and Mission Continuity Adobe products are widely adopted across NASA centers, contractors, and external partners, making them the de facto standard for design, multimedia, and document workflows. NASA has already invested heavily in Adobe products and services, spending to establish Adobe as the Agency standard. This standardization ensures compatibility of file formats, consistency in branding and messaging, and continuity across projects that span years or even decades.

Introducing fragmented alternatives would risk incompatibility, rework, and inefficiencies— critical concerns for NASA’s high-stakes missions.

3. Secure and Compliant Document Management Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Sign provide industry-leading solutions for secure, compliant document creation, distribution, and e-signature workflows. These tools are essential for NASA’s administrative, procurement, and legal functions, where regulatory and cybersecurity compliance are paramount. No other provider offers the same level of adoption, trust, and certification in the federal government space.

4. Collaboration Across Centers and Disciplines NASA operates in a highly distributed environment, with teams spanning multiple centers and working with international partners. Adobe Creative Cloud enables cloud-based collaboration, asset sharing, and version control—ensuring engineers, scientists, and communicators can access and build upon each other’s work in real time, regardless of location. While point-solution competitors may offer collaboration in narrow contexts, only Adobe delivers this capability across the entire creative and document management ecosystem.

Conclusion:

NASA’s work requires a uniquely broad set of tools to support everything from internal trainings and technical documentation to public engagement and global collaboration. While single competitors may provide isolated alternatives, no single vendor replicates the full Adobe ecosystem of creative, collaborative, document, and compliance solutions. With NASA’s substantial existing investment— —Adobe’s products are already embedded as the Agency standard, making them uniquely suited to meet current and future mission needs. For these reasons, Adobe remains a brand-name justification and cannot be replaced by a single equivalent product.

Adobe’s continued support and product evolution directly align with NASA’s existing architecture and ongoing digital transformation efforts. Disrupting this ecosystem would compromise operational continuity and create unacceptable risk to the agency’s mission support infrastructure.

Adobe products are solely positioned to continue supporting NASA’s current implementation of Adobe eForms and Adobe software product capabilities/enhancements because the products have been tightly integrated into the current NASA IT architecture that supports multiple NASA missions and organizations across the agency. This integrated environment with Adobe products has been developed and refined over the course of multiple years and it continues to perform the current services that are supporting the mission and initiatives for the agency. Without the continuation of the various types of Adobe software and maintenance support, NASA would experience an unacceptable risk to all NASA organizations, programs, projects and to other day-to-day operations.

If the tool were to be replaced there would be significant upfront investment cost of (licensing, transition, redevelopment, training and installation) while still requiring to pay the current Adobe maintenance fees to ensure security patches and bug fixes were still available to maintain operational capabilities. Migrating these services to another software product would require a significant amount of time, finance and additional resources that would not be in the best interest of the agency. There would be a substantial duplication of cost and program delays that are unacceptable to the mission of

NASA.

6. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies:

This Brand Name Justification (BNJ) will be posted on the Government Point of Entry (GPE) website (SAM.gov) concurrently with the solicitation in accordance with FAR 5.102(a)(6) and will be posted as full and open competition for Adobe brand name products and services.

7. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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. The Contractors shall be required to submit a quote to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a price analysis will be performed to ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable. In accordance with FAR 13.106.3, price determination will be reviewed through a comparison of proposed prices, similar requirements, historical and current market prices to determine acceptability and reasonableness.

8. FAR 6.303-2(b)(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):

As referenced in section 5 of the justification, there are currently no alternative brands available that offer the same suite of software and services as Adobe offers, nor are they compatible with NASA’s existing infrastructure. Consequently, market research was conducted across various platforms to identify vendors capable of meeting NASA’s Adobe software and service requirements.

On June 11, 2025, NASA Enterprise Business Management Office (EBMO) and ITPO met to discuss and review resources, acquisition strategy, and lessons learned during the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Adobe Joint Enterprise Licensing Agreement (JELA) IV acquisition and award. The DISA JELA contract is a single award IDIQ valued at with a period of performance of five years. The JELA acquisition team provided insight on the availability of Adobe products available on the General Services Administrative (GSA) platform and through open market. The JELA acquisition team pivoted from GSA on JELA III to open market for JELA IV in response to the availability of enterprise SKUs only through the open market platform.

On June 11, 2025, NASA EBMO, Adobe Business Office, Carahsoft Manager, and of GSA/ Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) met to discuss the