Brand Name Justification Infoblox_Redacted.pdf

3. Justification Authority

DTRA relies on the authority at FAR 8.405-6(b), Items peculiar to one manufacturer. Under FAR 8.405-6(b)(1), “[b]rand name specifications shall not be used unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and market research indicates other companies’ similar products, or products lacking the particular feature, do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency’s needs.”

4. Application of Authority

There are no other software manufacturers who have a product that meets all of the needs that DTRA IT has identified. As noted in Section 2, DTRA IT is seeking a solution that provides the DDI integration so that it can manage network activity from a single pane. In addition to just the DDI solution, Infoblox provides the layers of security features and detailed information about the network activity to achieve the network security and optimization to ensure the DTRA meets its missions. No other product provides the same breadth and extensiveness of the security features as Infoblox. The robustness of the DNS firewall and intelligence sharing among the DDI applications appear to be singular to Infoblox. No other products provide the level of granularity and flexibility in enforcing or applying policies across and diverse enterprise like DTRA. The ability to apply one set of policies to certain user groups or to a geographic group is critical to DTRA. DTRA operates globally with many geographically separated locations and numerous user groups. That level of flexibility and ability to apply policies on those levels is unique to Infoblox. Infoblox comes as a standalone solution without the need to acquire additional components to make the solution work within DTRA’s infrastructure. It is a highly scalable solution that will work in all environments and domains.

5. Effort to Solicit Potential Sources

All IT components are commercially available, and pre-vetted for TAA compliance. Because of the open market nature of this software, there was not a need to solicit potential sources.

This product is listed on the DoD ESI as a mandatory source. Infoblox products will be solicitated from the authorized re-seller on DoD ESI.

6. Fair and Reasonable Determination

The negotiated Blanke Purchase Agreement pricing will be used to determine fair and reasonable pricing. To the extent that options make maintenance and renewals more affordable, DTRA will pursue inclusion of options as well.

7. Market Research

DTRA reviewed product listings and read the technical reviews about the capabilities of different software. Several brands of software were reviewed in order to assess the capabilities that exist in the market. There are different capabilities for different uses, but Infoblox remains the manufacturer that meets all the requirements for operating diverse IT enterprise of operations.