JA - Nutanix Hyper Converged Redacted.pdf

Control Number VA-23-00066640 management interface for multiple vendor hypervisor deployments. With FSC moving applications to the cloud environments, the requirement to natively mix different hypervisors between primary and secondary data centers to include cloud technologies is required for this transition. Additionally, the VA requires the solution to provide Continuity of Operations (COOP) capabilities. Specifically, the Government requires a solution that provides virtual machine level configurability with one to one and many to many topologies, with sub-block level granularity, compression over the wire and site de-duplication. The Government requires this functionality due to limited network bandwidth. The Government also requires crash consistent and application consistent backup availability in the replication solution. This will enable VA to achieve a near-synchronous replication of production data between the FSC data centers at the AITC and PITC for a full recovery to the alternate respective data center within minutes of a disaster. The Government requires security features that include automated checks, self-healing and multifactor authentication and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140.2 cryptographic algorithms. These features are required to maintain security compliance within the FSC infrastructure.

The Nutanix HCI solution is the only HCI solution that can meet the functional requirements of providing an HCI solution that is hypervisor agnostic and can allow for a single management interface for multiple vendor hypervisor deployments which include the Nutanix Acropolis, VMWare ESXi and the Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisors and be interoperable with the current FSC IT infrastructure. Additionally, the Nutanix HCI solution is the only HCI solution that can meet the specific COOP and security requirements defined above. While other HCI solutions exist, none of them can meet VA’s functional requirements and be interoperable with the current FSC IT infrastructure. Even if there were another brand of HCI solution that was capable of meeting VA’s functional requirements, utilizing any other brand of HCI solution would require replacement of the majority of the FSC IT infrastructure. Based on previous acquisition history, VA technical experts estimate that any such replacement effort would produce duplicative costs of approximately $8,000,000.00 and would require months to complete in order to adopt any alternative server and HCI technology. These estimated duplicative costs would not be recovered through competition.

Additionally, only Nutanix or its resellers are capable of providing the required maintenance support. Due to the proprietary nature of the software only Nutanix or its resellers can provide software updates, to include all version updates and bug fixes, and maintenance support. The proprietary source code is required to access the Nutanix code structure to ensure the maintenance support provided meets FSC’s requirements and ensures the software remains operational. Only Nutanix or its resellers can provide the required software licenses and maintenance, due to the proprietary nature of the source code needed for access to the proprietary database structures, protocols, software application programming, interfaces, updates, upgrades, and technical support. Access to this code ensures the services are properly configured to the software.

Failure to renew the needed brand name Nutanix HCI software and support would put the current FSC infrastructure at risk and eliminate the required flexibility to manage the virtual infrastructure using multiple technologies. This would have a negative effect on VA’s business customers, which overall affects the Veterans that the FSC supports on a daily basis.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in Section 8 of this justification. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government’s requirements. However, the undersigned VA technical representative determined that limited competition is available among authorized resellers for brand name Nutanix software and maintenance. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)(1), this justification will be provided with the solicitation to all appropriate NASA SEWP V GWAC holders. Furthermore, in accordance with FAR 5.301, 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D) and 16.505(a)(4)(iii), the award notice for this action will be synopsized on the Contract Opportunities website and this justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed.

8. Market Research: VA technical experts conducted market research in January 2023 to review alternative HCI solutions from vendors to include VMWare, Dell EMC, HPE, Cisco and Nutanix. Based on the technical review it was determined that VMWare, Dell EMC, HPE, Cisco were not capable of meeting all Government security requirements for automated checks, self-healing, multifactor authentication and FIPS 140.2 cryptographic algorithms. Additionally, based on market research, the Nutanix solution was also found to be the only solution to provide virtual machine level configurability with one to one and many to many topologies, with sub-block level granularity, compression over the wire and site de-duplication. Due to the proprietary nature of the software, use of any alternative software other than Nutanix would cause estimated duplicative costs and time as outlined in Section 5 of this justification. Additionally, only Nutanix maintenance and technical support can be used for the software as they are the only supplier of software updates, to include all version updates and bug fixes, and technical support. The proprietary source code is required to access the Nutanix code structure to ensure the maintenance and technical support provided meets FSC’s requirements and ensures the software remains operational. Nutanix or its authorized resellers can provide the required software licenses and maintenance, due to the proprietary nature of the source code needed for access to the proprietary database structures, protocols, software application programming, interfaces, updates, upgrades, and technical support. Access to this code ensures the services are properly configured to the software. Nutanix HCI software is used by production and non-production environments on HPE server hardware. It is required to supply services for our Veterans. Without this renewal, VA’s ability to build non-production and production servers will be limited and will eventually stop operating correctly without the proper support.

A Request for Information (RFI) was sent out on May 18, 2023, on NASA SEWP along with a draft Product Description. A total of two (2) responses were received to the RFI, from Colossal and Architechture. Both vendors are Nutanix resellers and both vendors are Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and both were found to be capable of fulfilling these requirements by the requiring activity. No alternative solutions were proposed in response to the RFI. Also, the requiring activity conducted market research in April 2023 by utilizing NASA SEWP V GWAC Provider Lookup Tool for Nutanix products. It was determined that there are several SDVOSB authorized resellers of Nutanix on the NASA SEWP V GWAC. Therefore, limited competition is expected from NASA SEWP V GWAC resellers and will be set-aside for SDVOSB’s on the NASA SEWP V GWAC.

9. Other Facts: None

10. Technical and Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

11. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based on anticipated competition and discounts among NASA SEWP V GWAC holders.

Additionally, NASA SEWP determines that all catalog prices on its GWAC’s are fair and reasonable. Additional price analysis may be performed in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(b).

12. Procuring Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.