IA02_JEFO KNOX 2024-9_W9124D24Q0042.V2_Redacted.pdf

Control No.: MICC 2024-9

Justification Review Document for an Exception to Fair Opportunity – FAR 16

Program/Equipment: United States Army Human Resources Command (HRC) requires renewal IBM Software Licenses and Support that support HRC, U.S.

Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) and U.S. Army Cadet Command

(USACC).

Authority: FAR 16.505(a)(4) – Restricting consideration to an item peculiar to one manufacturer (e.g., a particular brand-name, product, or a feature of a product that is peculiar to one manufacturer.

Amount:

Prepared by: DSN:

Contract Management Specialist Date: 27 NOV 2023 Email:

Contracting Officer: JoDeen M. Cuffe DSN: 464-3513 Contracting Officer Date: 27 NOV 2023 Email: jodeen.m.cuffe.civ@army.mil

Technical: DSN:

IT Specialist Date: 14 DEC 2023 Email:

DSN:

IT Specialist Date: 14 DEC 2023 Email:

Requirements: DSN:

Contract Management Specialist Date: 14 DEC 2023 Email:

5. Reason for Authority Cited:

a. HRC owns all the software provided in paragraph 3 in perpetuity. This procurement is for software maintenance services and updates. IBM is the sole provider/ manufacturer of the software listed in paragraph 3 and is the only source of patches and updates for the software. IBM provides both the software and maintenance support through multiple approved resellers on the CHESS ITES-SW2 contract suite.

b. IBM Infosphere Datastage products cleanse and load tables in the Enterprise Data Warehouse that support command level reports vital to determining mission requirements. The Datastage tool has been used by this command since FY 2000.

Quality Stage and Information Analyzer are in the same IBM software suite and are deployed together to work as a seamless process that allows developers to program a single process for extracting, transforming, performing data quality checks, and loading into databases.

c. IBM WebSphere application software accelerates the development, quality, and deployment of Java, Web 2.0, mobile and service-oriented architectures for the HRC datacenter.

d. HRC’s IBM InfoSphere products allows the command to virtualize data and provide information in a simplistic form that applications and users require versus displaying the underlying complex source data. Also, Infosphere enables information to be accessed through a common interface that centralizes the control of data access.

e. The IBM Message Que suite of products enables the transfer of files between systems using a managed and auditable methodology regardless of file size or operating system. These products provide HRC with a method to reliably manage secure file transfers.

f. The renewal of the subscription and associated support ensures our ability to maintain current versions of the products employed and provides for continued technical support (both operational and analytical) without further investment in new software and extensive training for its workforce.

g. An alternate software product will increase the risk of incompatibility issues with existing equipment and systems, incur greater cost for equipment and software, and the need for additional training for the HRC IT workforce. Further, HRC currently has an extensive financial investment of approximately in IBM software all of which is used to support the HRC mission. An alternative would require extensive multiyear project planning and implementation to change this suite of software. Even if HRC procured an alternative, the maintenance support requested in this procurement would still be required while reprogramming of the alternative was ongoing.

h. The IBM Infosphere Datastage products and associated software suite are essential to provide effective business rules to records prior to loading into tables. The quality checks provided by this software are essential to the effective analysis of the data. Without this support HRC will not be able to maintain the Java development and production environments within the Soldier Transition Assistance Program (TAP-XXI). A lack of support will severely diminish the Enterprise Service Bus team’s ability to support data conversion and data transfers for the HRC missions involving Standard Electronic Processing System (SEPS), Department of the Army Mobilization Processing System (DAMPS), Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX) and the HRC mainframe. Multiple essential mission partners depend upon HRC’s ability to perform these functions. Without this software maintenance contract, HRC would fail in its efforts to support these programs and would seriously degrade HRC’s ability to support decision making and support within USAREC and USACC.

6. Actions to Increase Competition: HRC consistently reviews the equipment and software prior to the end of its lifecycle to ensure that all available hardware/software available from industry are considered. HRC will continue to monitor advancements in commercially available information technology products and services, particularly those listed within existing enterprise-related contracts under the Army CHESS Program and the DOD ESI agreements.

7. Market Research: The items requested fall within scope of the CHESS ITES-SW2 suite of contracts. Per AFARS 5139, all in-scope items must be procured through CHESS contract vehicles unless a statement of non-availability and ITAS waiver exist for the product that the government desires to obtain. HRC issued a Request For Information (RFI 471903) under the CHESS ITES-SW2 suite on 6 November 2023, that closed on 15 November 2023 with three (3) vendors responding in the affirmative they could meet the requirement. The findings indicate that the action may be solicited under ITES-SW2 with expectation of competition.

8. Other Facts:

a. Procurement History:

Contract: W52P1J20D0053 / W9124D23F0195 Contractor: Four Inc.

Award Date: 01 April 2023 Competitive Status: Brand name only Authority Cited: FAR 16.505(a)(4)

Contract: W52P1J20D0053 / W9124D22F171 P00001 Contractor: Four Inc.

Award Date: 01 April 2022 Competitive Status: Brand name only Authority Cited: FAR 16.505(a)(4)

Contract: W52P1J20D0053 / W9124D21F0234 Contractor: Four Inc.

Award Date: 01 April 2021 Competitive Status: Brand name only Authority Cited: FAR 16.505(a)(4)

Contract: GS35F0218M / W9124D-20-F-0260 Contractor: Unistar-Sparco Computers Award Date: 1 April 2020 Competitive Status: Brand name only Authority Cited: FAR 8.405-6(b)(1)

Contract: W52P1J-14-A-0003 / W9124D-19-F-0263 Contractor: Four Inc.

Award Date: 29 March 2019 Competitive Status: Brand name only Authority Cited: FAR 8.405-6(b)(1)