FINAL - EFO - FY25 San Diego Infrastructure Upgrade_Redacted.pdf

CUI | Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 & 3.104

3. A DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE

AGENCY’S NEEDS, INCLUDING AN ESTIMATED DOLLAR AMOUNT:

DLA has a requirement to upgrade cabling and wireless infrastructure at three (3) DLA locations located in San Diego, California.

The full breakdown of items, descriptions, and quantities is listed on the attached Bill of Materials (BoM) under the Materials heading.

The total estimated dollar value for this brand-name requirement is The Period of Performance (PoP) of the entire installation and final acceptance of the Task Order is 29 September 2025- 28 September 2026.

4. IDENTIFICATION OF THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY AND SUPPORTING

RATIONALE, INCLUDING A DEMONSTRATION THAT THE NATURE OF THE

ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE EXCEPTION CITED:

Pursuant to FAR 16.505(a)(4) and FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), an exception to the fair opportunity process is justified because brand-name Cisco, BERT-TEK/Leviton, Great Lakes, and Panduit cable materials are essential to the Government’s requirements to either replace or upgrade DLA’s existing cabling infrastructure. Other companies’ products do not meet and cannot be modified to meet the Government’s needs, as the Government is not replacing the entire system, but only failed parts or parts that need minor upgrades. Other companies’ materials do not interlock and connect to the existing cabling hardware, and in order to meet the necessary security levels/Security Technical Installation Guide (STIG) and National Electrical Codes requirements for the cabling cabinets, the listed brand names (Cisco, BERT-TEK/Leviton, Great Lakes, and Panduit) are necessary to ensure replacement or upgraded parts connect to the existing infrastructure. Thus, the aforementioned brand names are considered essential to meeting the Government’s current infrastructure requirements.

After a review of the items listed in the BoM, it has been determined that the items listed below must be restricted to brand named items because alternate items will not meet the Government’s requirements. The justifications below for Cisco, BERT-TEK/Leviton, Great Lakes, and Panduit products apply to all items on the BoM under those brand names. While in some cases, an alternate product could physically fit into the current systems, the use of an alternate product would negatively impact the functionality of the system (as described below). The use of alternate products can lead to breaking of parts and failure of the cabling infrastructure. This would lead to DLA work stoppages for employees both working on-site and remotely. It would also reduce DLA’s current 99% network availability.

Cisco The procurement of Cisco Wireless Controllers and Cisco Catalyst Series Access Points (Cisco APs) for the DLA’s Enterprise Telecommunication Network (ETN) is essential to support the DLA network which is predicated on an existing Cisco hardware infrastructure. Only one manufacturer, Cisco Systems, Inc (hereinafter “Cisco”) is the only manufacturer whose products will work with the current ETN. The wireless controller connects the access points to provide an extra layer of security to detect encrypted threats over DLA’s wireless network. Cisco is the only brand that complies with Cisco proprietary technology already in use within the Cisco APs, and therefore, is the only brand capable of building onto the current wireless infrastructure.

Since Cisco has proprietary rights to its equipment and functionality, any other equipment besides Cisco will cause the wireless capability to fail as it is not interoperable in the current network and will not code and encrypt properly, causing all wireless access points connected to the controller to fail. If the wireless controller and access points are not able to encrypt to one another and provide another layer of wireless data protection, this will violate the Security Technical Installation Guide (STIG). This hardware is essential to maintain, update, and expand the current ETN while complying with the STIG.

Based on the facts stated above, this exception to the fair opportunity process is justified because brand-name Cisco Systems hardware is essential to the Government’s needs and market research indicates there are no other products on the market that are authorized to connect and operate with the current Cisco APs on the wireless network in DLA.

BERK-TEK/Leviton Leviton and BERK-TEK, while separate companies, joined a long-term strategic partnership for BERK-TEK to supply cable components and Leviton to provide the connectivity that exclusively works together to complete end-to-end connectivity solutions. DLA’s ETN consists of multiple components that interconnect and require seamless operations to maintain 100% network availability for our end-users. Only BERK-TEK and Leviton products work together; if other manufacturers’ products are used, the BERK-TEK/Leviton items will not allow interoperability, which will result in the network not being available to the port because it will shut down when it recognizes two different manufacturers that are not compatible. Leviton parts are the faceplate and modular connector and BERK-Tek is the Category 6 cabling. For the wiring system to be able to work together (aka “keying”), the wires, faceplate, and modular connector need to be the same manufacturer.

The purpose of this requirement is to upgrade and replace current BERK-TEK/Leviton materials.

To replace the BERK-TEK/Leviton infrastructure, either the entire wiring, to include modular connector and faceplate, must be replaced in all areas, not just the section that is being upgraded, or the parts that need to be upgraded are done with BERT-TEK/Leviton parts. To help ensure the reliability of the ETN infrastructure, J64 initiated a multi-year deployment utilizing Leviton Copper Connectivity Components. Leviton infrastructure is installed alongside the Panduit Minicom Network Cabling System in an equally large number of infrastructures retrofit projects.

These ongoing projects provide end-users with peak performance to keep pace with mission requirements.

Driven largely by the existing infrastructure, DLA J64 geographically separated the Distribution Depots and various other DLA facilities and designated the site as utilizing either a Panduit or Leviton solution. Leviton products meet or exceed the requirements for component-level performance as described in ANSI/TIA-568.2-D Category 6 standards, as well as the Class E requirements described in ISO/IEC 11801-1. Leviton components are Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) listed and comply with all National Electrical Codes and with ANSI/TIA- 1096-A. Leviton products offer excellent durability and can be terminated many times.

Terminated is the act of removing the modular connector from the Category 6 cabling, as they are wired together.

Great Lakes The brand name Great Lakes is essential for all DLA facilities to conform to the DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) and Information System Security Engineering (ISSE) requirements. In an effort to fully comply with these requirements, DLA J64 has standardized an enclosure that exceeds these increased security mandates. Great Lakes Case & Cabinet is a leading manufacturer of racks, wall mount, and free-standing enclosures and supplies security hardware to the Department of Defense (DoD), federal agencies, DoD, and federal contractors.

DLA J64, as part of its overarching security policy, has deployed new Great Lakes enclosures to replace legacy enclosures from another manufacturer. These replacements made over the last decade amount to hundreds of cabinets of various sizes installed to protect DLA’s wired and wireless networks from tampering or accidental disconnect.

As the need for security within DLA’s Distribution and Disposition Services facilities has evolved and grown, the physical enclosures manufactured by Great Lakes Case and Cabinet have continuously been updated to meet these requirements. The design and construction of this cabinet line have become increasingly more intelligent with interchangeable solutions which allows broken pieces to be easily interchangeable instead of having to replace the entire cabinet.

Only the Great Lakes brand name will work with Great Lakes parts. Using any other manufacturer removes the interchangeable solution and the Government will have to replace the entire cabinet instead of the broken part. Deviation from the use of this product would result in a STIG violation due to the cabinet not being secured. To secure the cabinet, all locks and keys must be the same otherwise the network switch is able to be hacked and/or will allow network connectivity to be interrupted and potentially destroyed causing network downtime.

Consequently, this could result in creating a lag in the procurement process which could adversely impact the DLA’s overall mission.

Panduit Panduit is the chosen brand name for DLA’s copper connectivity to help ensure the reliability of the ETN infrastructure, J64 initiated a multi-year deployment utilizing the Panduit Minicom Network Cabling System in many infrastructure retrofit projects. The ETN consists of multiple components that interconnect and require seamless operations to maintain 100% network availability for DLA’s end-users; only Panduit parts can work with other Panduit parts. If other brand names are used, the Panduit parts will not allow other manufacturers’ keying systems, which will result in the network not being available to the port because it will shut down when it recognizes two different manufacturers. For the wiring system to be able to work together (aka “keying”), the wires, faceplate, and modular connector need to be the same manufacturer.

If a Panduit part breaks, either an entire wiring system needs to be installed or there must be a replacement of the specific broken Panduit part. The use of the Panduit system provides a complete system warranty that guarantees end-to-end high-performance cabling systems that meet all application requirements. The warranty includes all Panduit copper connectivity components for 25 years. If another manufacturer is used, the warranty will be voided. To not void the warranty with DLA’s existing physical infrastructure with the Panduit items, only Panduit parts can replace the broken (due to normal wear and tear) Panduit parts.

Panduit components are independently verified for Category 6 cable performance and comply with the interoperability standard IEC 60603-7 for previous Panduit parts installed, which will only work with other Panduit parts. If any other brand name is used, the entire cable line will have to be removed and reinstalled. This requirement is solely for the procurement of replacement or upgraded parts.

5. DETERMINATION BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE

ANTICIPATED COST TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE:

As the Contracting Officer, I hereby determine that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable. The Government will attempt to obtain offers from as many responsible small business authorized resellers as practicable. Quotations will be analyzed in accordance with FAR 15.404-1. It is anticipated that the Government will use various price analysis techniques including, but not limited to: (1) Comparison of proposed prices received in response to the solicitation; (2) Comparison with competitive published price lists; (3) Comparison of proposed prices with the Independent Government Cost Estimate; and/or (4) Comparison of proposed prices obtained through market research for the same or similar items.

6. ANY OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE JUSTIFICATION:

Wherever possible, items on the BoM have been identified as “Brand Name or Equal” to provide offerors with maximum flexibility in offering products in response to this requirement. This requirement will be solicited to all 100% small business set-aside NASA SEWP holders. All participating resellers will be given an opportunity to submit an offer.

7. STATEMENT OF THE ACTIONS, IF ANY, THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO

REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS THAT LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO

FAIR OPPORTUNITY BEFORE ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION FOR THE

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES IS MADE:

Based on current market research, conducted via the internet for the manufacturer details and NASA SEWP in June and July 2023, it has been determined that only brand-name Cisco, BERT- TEK/Leviton, Great Lakes, and Panduit materials can fully support the Government’s need. The Government will continue to conduct market research to determine if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future competitive actions.

The required Cisco, BERT-TEK/Leviton, Great Lakes, and Panduit materials are currently the only products capable of meeting this Government requirement. However, DLA continues to exercise competition as often as possible and is required to conduct ongoing reviews to keep abreast of new technology, both in industry and in the Government. DLA uses a variety of vendors, manufacturers, and contracts/orders to fulfill its requirements and will continue its practice of surveying the market to ensure full and open competition to the maximum extent practicable.