Brand Name Justification - Signed_Redacted.pdf

Nutanix Upgrade Request for Brand Name Justification >SAT

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION UNDER SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN

COMMERCIAL ITEMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.5

Acquisition Plan Action ID:

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16, located at 5075 Westheimer Rd., Ste. 750, Houston, TX 77056. Program Office: Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) located at 2002 Holcombe, Blvd, Houston, TX 77030. Purchase Request Number

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: MEDVAMC is seeking to procure a brand name only Nutanix equipment to upgrade existing system. This will be a Firm-Fixed Price contract. The estimated total value of this contract is

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs: MEDVAMC is requesting an upgrade to the existing Nutanix infrastructure with a set of GPU nodes that require discreet GPU in the virtual environment. This will result in overall cost savings by allowing further virtualization of these resources intensively costly dedicated servers while also increasing compliance with the VA virtual first policy.

Products/Accessories QTY NX-3460-G9, 4 Node; 2x Intel Xeon-Silver 4410Y processor (2.0 GHz/ 12- core/ 150W, Sapphire Rapids) per node Nutanix - NX-3460-G9-

4410Y-CM

64GB Memory Module (4800MHz DDR5 RDM) Nutanix - C-

MEM64GB-4800-CM

No HDD Included. Nutanix - C-HDD-NONE-CM 3

3.84 TB SSD Nutanix - C-SSD-3.84TB-B-CM 72

LOM Module: SMC 10GbE, 2-port Base-T & 2-port SFP+ NIC (Intel X710) Nutanix - C-LOM-10G2B1BT-CM

SMC 25/10GbE, 2-port, NIC(Intel E810); transceiver not included Nutanix - C-NIC-25G2E1-CM

C20/C21, 20A, 6ft Power cord Nutanix - C-PWR-6FC20C21A-CM 6 24/7 Federal Production Level HW Support for Nutanix HCI appliance Nutanix - S-HW-FED-PRD

TPM 2.0 Module Unprovisioned Nutanix - C-TPM-2.0-U-CM 12 S-NRDK-SSD-3.84TB: "Support for non-returned 3.84TB SSD replacement (per drive) Nutanix - S-NRDK-SSD-3.84

Support for non-returned 3.84TB SSD replacement (per drive) Nutanix

- SNRDK-SSD-3.84T

Nutanix AHV Hypervisor Nutanix - AHV 12 Axiom 15m multi-mode OM3 LC/LC Fiber Channel Cable - Aqua 24 Cisco - SFP28 transceiver module - 10GbE, 25GbE 24 Implementation Services and Project Management 1

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Restricted Competition:

Effective Date: 11/15/24

REVISION: 01

Acquisition ID#:

Nutanix Upgrade Request for Brand Name Justification >SAT

Page 2 of 3 Effective Date: 11/15/24

REVISION: 01

Acquisition ID#:

FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The statutory authority for applying the Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items of FAR 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 and is implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) for restricting competition on this procurement. Competition is restricted on this procurement for the reason below:

(X) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements

Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority):

Market research indicates that only one responsible source, Nutanix, Inc., can meet the agency's requirement, as no other supplies or services are compatible. Nutanix, Inc. is the sole provider capable of supplying the necessary upgrade compatible with the current MEDVAMC system. As a result, MEDVAMC cannot consider other brands, as they would not interface with the Nutanix servers. This upgrade is available through authorized distributors.

Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: An RFI/Sources Sought was issued on sam.gov August 12, 2025, with responses requested by August 15, 2025, with the remaining available through August 30, 2025. Additionally, the CO queried the following databases: VetCert, AbilityOne, General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) e- Library, VA NAC, Medical Electronic Catalog (ECAT), VA Supply Chain Master Catalog (SCMC), System for Award Management (SAM), Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), and SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) per VHAPG Part 810.001 Market Research (all results documented in paragraph 8 below).

Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: The CO anticipates cost to the Government to be fair and reasonable through competition.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: VetCert was searched using the applicable NAICS code 334112. The search showed 263 certified SDVOSB/VOSBs. VHA strategic contracts and Ability One were searched but the required products are not available via those sources.

First, on August 12, 2025, an RFI/Sources Sought was issued on sam.gov with responses requested by August 15, 2025, and the posting remained available through August 30, 2025, prior to archiving. The intent of the RFI was to determine the availability of sources who could provide the exact brand name for the required Nutanix Upgrade. The posting was essentially an intent to establish sources, and it was stated in the RFI that responses would be used to determine the future formal procurement strategy. RFI received multiple responses.

Second, the CO searched FPDS-NG for past purchases under the keyword “Nutanix Upgrade”, and uncovered similar requirements were previously procured via contract number 36C25623P0711 was awarded to Standard Communications, Inc., an SDVOSB. Third, the CO searched GSA eLibrary under the keyword “Nutanix Upgrade” with no results found.

Finally, ECAT and the VA Supply Chain Master Catalog were searched but no results were forthcoming.