Brand_Name.doc

J&A NUMBER

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVSUP FLEET LOGISTICS CENTER NORFOLK

700 ROBBINS AVE, BLDG 2B

PHILADELPHIA, PA 19111-5083

IN REPLY REFER TO:

J&A #18-066

Code 270.3:BB

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF SOLE SOURCE

1. Identification of Agency and Contracting Activity.

The requiring activity is the United States Naval Academy (USNA). The contracting office is the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk, Contracting Department, Detachment Philadelphia.

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

Award of a firm-fixed price (FFP) contract on a sole source basis to Penguin Computing, Inc. (CAGE: 1M1T4) of Fremont, CA 94538-6413 or one of their authorized resellers. This is a brand name, sole source requirement.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

This action is to procure a computer cluster and supplementary computer hardware for USNA. A computer cluster is a system of two or more computer systems/nodes connected so that they perform as a single unit. USNA requires a computer cluster which consists of 29 compute nodes, 2 high memory nodes, and 1 GPU node. Additionally, USNA requires that there be two head nodes, two data nodes, and 2 storage nodes. The required storage is 640 TB usable space.

It is USNA’s intent to acquire Penguin Computing, Inc.’s Tundra Cluster and products.

The delivery location is USNA’s site in Annapolis, MD.

The anticipated delivery date is 30 Sep 2018.

The total estimated dollar value of this requirement is [redacted].

USNA requires a computer cluster that is a turn-key system with single point management and provisioning software for the entire cluster. Nodes must be remotely provisioned from single (or duel in case of a split configuration like ours) head nodes. Compute nodes must be able to dynamically join and drop from the cluster seamlessly by receiving only the required components of the operating system during the boot process. No component of the operating system will reside on disks local to the compute nodes. This is necessary to minimize the maintenance and administrative workload on the small staff, allow the system to be easily scaled in the future, and to allow dynamic allocation of computing resources. Jobs must be able to utilize resources (CPU, memory, and storage) from any node in the system and be able to migrate across nodes as resources appear and disappear. The system must have integrated IPMI functionality for remote low-level management. This functionality must include access to the system serial port over the IPMI LAN interface so as to allow remote BIOS manipulation and remote low-level monitoring of a running system. This requirement is due to the limited restricted access of the existing data center and limited size and time of the administrative faculty and staff.

The system must conform to Open Compute Project (OCP) standards to ensure future scalability and efficiency. The system must function in a hot aisle/cold aisle data center configuration to meet requirements of existing data center. Power must be DC to be positioned in existing space in the data center. DC power is more efficient and is the direction in which HPC solutions are evolving. All nodes and storage units are powered from the DC bus bars. No nodes will have integrated power supplies to reduce energy consumption and heat output so as to stay within capabilities of existing data center. Furthermore, all rack power must come in from the top of the rack as space is limited below the sub-floor of the data center and existing power comes down from above. The system must allow all compute and storage node maintenance to be performed from the front side of the rack on the cold aisle side (away from the DC bus bars). This requirement includes all components and wiring. The system must allow for both Ethernet and infiniband back bone network with no less than 100GB throughput on the backbone.1 managed and 4 unmanaged switches on the backbone. Ethernet side should have no less than 3 switches each allowing for 10GbE. The storage piece of the cluster must have BeeGFS file system storage. Must have dynamic failover and be highly fault tolerant. Must allow creation of dynamic temporary parallel file systems as required by individual jobs. Total disk space requirement is in the specs list.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Sole Source.

41 USC 1901(e)(2) - a sole source acquisition under the authority of the simplified acquisition procedures, Special Rules for Certain Commercial Items - as implemented by FAR 13.501(a).

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

The required computing cluster will replace existing hardware at USNA which runs on software specific to Penguin Computing. The firm is the only company that manufactures the required computing-branded servers, Ethernet network switches, Scyld Software, Sclyd PowerInsight, workstations, and peripherals. USNA currently uses scyld software to manage its physics cluster; the new cluster replacement must be compatible with the current software management system in order to ensure system integration, functionality, and that data isn’t lost because of incompatibility.

Penguin Computing brand products are the only products that can meet USNA’s minimum specifications for the required computing hardware.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable.

Market research was conducted by the requiring activity to determine the availability of products capable of meeting USNA’s minimum need as well as to identify potential sources capable of fulfilling the requirement. Market research included conducting knowledgeable individuals in Government and industry regarding market capabilities; reviewing catalogs and other generally available product literature published by manufacturers, distributors, and dealers or available online; and reviewing the results of market research undertaken to meet similar requirements.

Moreover, a Sources Sought synopsis was posted to the Government point of entry (GPE) on 4 Aug 2018 under synopsis number N0018918QZ675. The notice provided a copy of the Government’s specifications and requested responses from firms possessing the requisite skills, resources, and capabilities necessary to fulfill the requirement. The notice closed on 9 Aug 2018. Several firms responded to the notice, including Penguin Computing and resellers of its products.

No new comparable products were identified as a result of the market research or synopsis. A determination was made that this is a brand name, sole source requirement.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost to the Government of the supplies/services covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

If another similar requirement arises, additional market research will be performed to determine if any new sources can meet the USNA’s requirement. In addition to the routine market research, a sources sought synopsis or request for information will be published to identify any new potential sources.

9. Contracting Point of Contact The point of contact at NAVSUP FLC Norfolk, Detachment Philadelphia is Bridget Blaney, Code 270.3, at (215) 697-9628 or via email at bridget.blaney@navy.mil.

[Signature page redacted]

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Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104