Brand_Name_Justification_Redacted.pdf

Brand Name Justification & Approval

FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i)

Privilege Management Program Software

Agency/Activity: PFPA/SSD

Brand Names: VMware, Axway, IBM (to be procured competitively through reseller)

Anticipated Contract Value:

Nature of Service

This is a brand name procurement for VMware and Axway software licenses and subscriptions, in order to build the

PFPA Virtual Environments at the Raven Rock Mountain Complex (RRMC). This is in direct support of the

Privilege Management Program for the implementation of HSPD-12, and for the installation of a new Personnel

Access Control System (PACS).

Brand Name Rationales

VMware: The Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) currently utilizes IBM Blade Server technology, and will soon be switching to IBM rack mounted servers. VMware software virtualizes the hardware components on the network to allow the ability to run multiple applications on the each server at the same time. VMware is specifically designed to integrate with these IBM servers in a way that other brands of software cannot. Any deviation could cause serious incompatibility issues or be unusable and become discarded.

Axway: The required software matches software that is currently used to support common access card (CAC) authentication for PFPA. This is the only model of repeater software currently supported by the Washington

Headquarters Services (WHS) Identity Management Team (IMT), which assists PFPA with public key structure

(PKI) initiatives. It is therefore essential that PFPA stays consistent with IMT in order to continue to receive support. Moreover, it is necessary to maintain interoperability with other Axway products that are already in place throughout WHS, PFPA and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

IBM: To efficiently run VMware on the IBM HS-22 blade server, it is necessary to increase the memory by an additional 96GBs. IBM memory chips (Part No. 49Y1431 (8GB RAM)) have been specified by IBM as the proper chips to work in the HS-22 blade servers. Using a different brand would put the Government at risk of software performance issues due to incompatibility.

Approval

Based on the foregoing rationale, I approve limiting competition for the subject award to vendors of VMware, Axway and IBM products, in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i).

Date

Contracting Officer