Dell PowerEdge Server JOFOC_Redacted.pdf

Rev.: 10/2025

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

NASA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT OFFICE (ITPO)

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

(JOFOC)

For NASA Dell PowerEdge R770 Servers

1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.104-1(a)(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 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the contracting activity is NASA Information Technology Procurement Office (ITPO).

2. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 contract with a brand-name description. This request is for the purchase of Dell PowerEdge R770 Servers.

3. FAR 6.104-1(a)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required, to meet the Agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

NASA requires Dell PowerEdge R770 Servers and PowerVault ME5224 in support of the NASA NSSC NCCIPS Program.

4. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 12.102 is 41 U.S.C. 1901.

5. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 41 U.S.C. 1901 for brand name specifications is described below:

NASA requires brand name Dell compute and storage systems to expand upon and replace components of NASA’s existing Dell systems. NASA continuously expands its Dell

Rev.:10/2025 infrastructure to meet customer demands and to replace failing or outdated Dell systems and infrastructure with more reliable and sustainable Dell servers and storage system components. Maintaining this infrastructure increases Dell system continuity, reduce server failures, and increases uptime of critical IT infrastructure. Only Dell products are compatible with the existing Dell servers and storage systems residing in NASA’s IT compute and storage environments. No other brands meet NASA’s requirements in the existing Dell infrastructure environments.

Compatibility with NASA’s existing Dell infrastructure (compute and storage systems) is essential to provide the required redundancy and failover capabilities. Compatibility problems arise because manufacturers have distinct hardware and software ecosystems that do not integrate due to differing networking and protocols and standards, incompatibilities between firmware and software versions, and overall incompatible hardware configurations.

Incompatible items increase operational complexity and introduce inefficiencies leading to increased labor costs and unnecessary operational risks. In addition, manufacturer-specific configurations have proprietary features that are not supported by other manufacturers.

Finally, the Dell servers include the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) for secure local and remote server management that helps NASA’s IT administrators deploy, update and monitor PowerEdge servers anywhere, anytime. iDRAC enables telemetry streaming, scalable automation, secure management, and streamlined support. While other manufactures may have similar tool, iDRAC is unique to Dell and is not compatible with other manufacturers, nor are other manufacturers tools compatible with Dell. Compatibility with NASA existing Dell architecture and infrastructure is essential to provide required redundancy and failover capabilities to existing servers within NASA’s Data Centers. In addition to hardware compatibility, the out-of-band (OOB) management tool is different and unique to each manufacturer. When using different out-of-band management tools across your network, key challenges include; incompatibility between systems, difficulty in managing multiple interfaces, increased complexity in troubleshooting, potential security vulnerabilities due to diverse configurations, and higher operational costs.

6. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 part 5 and, if not, which exception under part 5 applies:

The JOFOC will be posted concurrently with the solicitation in accordance with FAR 12.202(b)(2)(ii).

7. FAR 6.104-1(a)(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 contractor must be required to submit a quote to be evaluated by the Government. Prior to execution of the order, a price reasonableness determination will be performed. The price

Rev.:10/2025 reasonableness determination will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable.

8. FAR 6.104-1(a)(8) – Description of the market research conducted, and the results, or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted (e.g., urgent, and compelling requirement):

Market Research showed that there were several capable Dell Small business resellers available to meet this requirement on the open market.

9. FAR 6.104-1(a)(9) – Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

NONE

10. FAR 6.104-1(a)(10) – A listing of the sources, if any, that expressed an interest in writing in the acquisition:

N/A, Brand-name justification.

11. FAR 6.104-1(a)(11) – A statement of actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required:

The Agency will continue to examine the market in the future for alternative solutions or new sources before executing any subsequent acquisitions for the same requirements.