DOT Exception to Fair Opportunity (BNJ)_SMARTnet_Redacted.pdf

August 24, 2020

Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

Information Technology Acquisition Center of Excellence (IT ACE)

BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION

The Department of Transportation (DOT), makes this Brand Name Justification pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.5.

a. Identification of Agency and Contracting Activity:

Program Office:

DOT, Office of the Secretary (OST) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)

Contracting Activity:

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

IT ACE

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20590

b. Nature and/or Description of Action Being Approved:

This requirement will be a firm-fixed-price delivery order issued against the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) Government Wide Acquisition Contract to purchase annual Cisco SMARTnet Maintenance support. This order will provide maintenance coverage for existing brand name Cisco hardware and software products currently deployed on the DOT network. This requirement is only for the maintenance support of existing hardware and software, and does not involve the procurement of new hardware and software.

c. Description of Supplies/Services and Estimated Value:

The DOT OCIO serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Transportation on matters involving Information and Technology (IT). The OCIO also has oversight responsibility over the entire DOT IT portfolio of over $3 billion annually, the sixth largest in the federal government.

Additionally, the OCIO has operational responsibilities for the DOT Common Operation Environment (COE) consisting of local area networks, wide area networks, desktops, and backend services for all DOT modes except the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Cisco hardware and software products and their required maintenance are a foundational component of the OCIO operational infrastructure.

The brand name items covered by this justification include Cisco SMARTNet maintenance services and Cisco advanced services. This maintenance service and warranties provide support for CIO’s Cisco products, which are currently government owned assets, and they are unique and particular to one Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The following brand name Cisco maintenance support services are included in this requirement:

August 25, 2020

f. Other Facts Supporting the Justification:

None.

g. Statement of Actions:

As information technology changes, the OCIO will continue to monitor the environment for new manufacturers and solutions that provide specifications that satisfy the Department’s requirements prior to renewing the services.

h. Certification by Technical or Requirements Personnel and Contracting Officer:

The Contracting Officer’s Representative’s signature on the Approvals Signature Page constitutes a certification that all the supporting data that forms the basis for this justification is complete and accurate. The Contracting Officer’s signature on the Approvals Signature Page constitutes a certification that the justification is accurate and complete to the best of the Contracting Officer’s knowledge and belief.