Brand Name Justification - Redacted.pdf

Purchase Request No.: 5700-0005-25/1301252753 J&A No. 13.501-25-TS03

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY

4555 OVERLOOK AVE SW

WASHINGTON, DC 20375-5320

J&A No.: 13.501-25-TS03

Estimated Cost:

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition Under Simplified Procedures for Certain

Commercial Items in Accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.5

On the basis of the following, I, as the Contracting Officer, hereby approve the use of a brand name contractual action pursuant to the authority of: ☒ 41 U.S.C. 1901 ☐ 41 U.S.C. 1903

1. Contracting Activity

The U.S Department of Navy, Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Contracting Division, Code 1320, proposes to include brand name specifications for the procurement of a Pure Storage flash array storage system, which will be issued utilizing the procedures described in FAR Subparts 12.6 and

13.5 with a brand name only justification.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved

This action requests approval for the use of other than full and open competition, on a brand name basis, as implemented by FAR 13.501(a) for the procurement of a Pure Storage flash array storage system.

3. Description of Supplies/Services

The NRL Tactical Electronic Warfare Division (TEWD), Code 5700, has a requirement for a flash array storage system, including an extended service agreement and warranty, and on-site installation.

Specifically, this procurement is comprised of the following:

• Flash array storage system o Full Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe), Quad-Level Cell (QLC) drive

(Quantity – 1) o 183TB of usable space, with the ability to expand to 366TB within the same chassis o Required Voltage: 240V o Contained within a 3RU form factor o 100GbE QSFP56 connections (Quantity – 2) o Physical connectors for data transfer

100GbE QSFP56 connections (Quantity – 2) o Ethernet connection card

100Gb Ethernet SFP Four ports

• Extended service agreement and warranty o Service agreement includes warranty work for any damaged/failing equipment, on-site and remote support, and free hardware upgrades as better drive controllers are developed (Duration: 3 years)

• Installation o On-site installation by a technician with NRL escort. On-site work completed under the service agreement will require a technician with a Secret clearance.

The Government’s minimum needs have been verified by the certifying technical and requirement personnel. The estimated dollar value is , which will be funded with Defense Working Capital Funds

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition

The authority for permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C. 1901(e)(2), implemented by FAR 13.501(a).

☒ 41 U.S.C. 1901 ☐ 41 U.S.C. 1903

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority

Only the Pure Storage branded, C50R4 flash array system can meet the wide variety of highly specialized applications required by current and future NRL users. The brand name item has specific features not available through alternate flash storage systems, and is required for compatibility with the broadest range of expected projects.

As described below in Paragraph 6, standing up this type of infrastructure is complex and often needs various tweaks and optimizations to achieve best performance. An alternate solution, assuming one existed, would take significant time for configuration and testing. The source for the specific equipment listed in Paragraph 3 has been selected to allow the overall system to meet TEWD’s configuration and compatibly requirements. As determined through market research, the Pure Storage C50R4 flash array system was identified as the only equipment possessing the form, fit, and/or function to meet the Government’s requirement. Attempting to utilize any other brand equipment would result in additional labor costs for re-configuring existing hardware, system training for IT staff and end-users, and replacement of currently owned equipment due to compatibility issues. Not only would this result in unacceptable delays, but this duplication of costs is estimated at and could not be recovered through full and open competition.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable

Market research was conducted per FAR 10.001 with accompanying specifications to identify potential sources through Sources Sought Notices (SSNs) in SAM.gov, NASA SEWP, and GSA Advantage, all posted on 24 July 2025.

A technical review was completed of the responses. The review established that the testing for alternate solutions that would be required to determine the realistic deduplication rates and data transfer speeds of the file types used by NRL scientists and engineers is cost prohibitive. The equipment/specifications provided from other vendors often do not match the realistic rates of day-to-day use as systems and vendors optimize their equipment for specific file systems and protocols. This adds additional complexity when purchasing storage systems as Code 5700 looks for solutions that balance both performance and maximum compatibility with both block and file protocols.

Therefore, as documented herein, the Government made the determination to revise the acquisition strategy to a brand name requirement. Additionally, the Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR) requires small businesses to either manufacture the product itself, supply a product manufactured by another small business if it is a nonmanufacturer, or supply the product of any sized manufacturer if the Small Business Administration (SBA) has granted a waiver to the NMR. Pure Storage, the OEM, is a large business, and the SBA has granted a class waiver under NAICS 334112. As such, this acquisition will be procured as a total small business set-aside.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost to the Government of the supplies/services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, NRL has no plans at this time to compete future contracts for the type of supplies/services covered by this document. Code 5700 routinely monitors the commercial marketplace using the internet and publications to stay informed on current state-of-the-art laboratory equipment alternatives that could be used to further work at NRL. If another potential source emerges or new technology is developed, which can advance future research, NRL will assess whether competition for future requirements is.

In accordance with FAR 13.501(a)(iv) this brand name justification will be made publicly available with the solicitation.

CERTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS CERTIFICATION

I certify that the facts and representations under my cognizance, which are included in this Justification and its supporting acquisition planning documents, except as noted herein, are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Telephone No. Date

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW

I have determined that this Justification is legally sufficient.

CONTRACTING OFFICER CERTIFICATION

I certify that this Justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

08/28/2025