N6883618Q0198_Dell_Brand_Name_NMOTC_FINAL.pdf

MEMORANDUM TO THE FILE

Subj: USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION FOR AN

ACQUISITION UNDER THE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

I. BACKGROUND:

1. FAR 13.106-l(b)(l)(i) states for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting Officers may solicit from one source if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization) .

2. As required by FAR 13.106-3(b)(3)(i), this memorandum explains the absence of competition for this acquisition, as only one source will be solicited for this requirement (or for a portion of the requirement) and the requirement is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

II. DESCRIPTION OF ITEM OR SERVICE:

Naval Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC) is currently in the process of conducting a refresh of their command's "End of Life" Information Technology equipment. Due to

NMOTC' s equipment being "End of Life'', it is essential to migrate to new hardware because the current servers are no longer manufactured or supported. Due to the current servers being "End of Life", NMOTC is burdened with event failures and the equipment constantly requires manual intervention to allow weekly updates to be processed. Also, this equipment supports mission critical training at NMOTC and remote sites, and NMOTC cannot meet their goals without the server upgrade.

The proposed acquisition is to procure seven (7) Dell PowerEdge R640 Servers, three (3) Dell

PowerEdge R740XD Servers, and one (1) PowerEdge T440 Server that are necessary for the refresh .The required Dell Servers will replace the "End of Life" servers that are out of warranty.

The estimated price of this acquisition is $204,000.00. This equipment will be funded using

Defense Health Agency Program Funds.

III. THE DETERMINATION FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING (select all that apply):

A. _ ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE (select all that apply):

1. _ RESTRICTIVE RIGHTS. The source has established proprietary rights, limited rights in data, patent rights, copyrights or secret processes in the item or service required.

2. _ EXCLUSIVE LICENSING AGREEMENTS. The item or service is only available from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or there is only one authorized distributor or technical representative for the OEM.

J. OTHER REASONS.

B. _X_ BRAND NAME. This requirement is for the procurement of Dell servers, due to the fact that no other brand of servers will be able to work with Dell Open Manage software.

The justification for NMOTC's requirement for Dell Servers is that Dell is one source of management. Due to Dell being one source of management, there are no other manufacturers that provide servers that can communicate with Dell's proprietary software. For example, NMOTC uses Vmware, which is manufactured by Dell, to manage their systems through iDrac, a Dell proprietary hardware system. Additionally, NMOTC currently utilizes Dell's iDrac Open

Manage software, which allows the management and troubleshooting of the Dell servers.

NMOTC contacted another manufacturer, HP, directly to determine if their equipment was compatible with Dell's Open Manage software. HP responded that iDrac is Dell's proprietary hardware and does not function with their products. Due to iDrac being Dell's proprietary hardware. the software package that NMOTC currently utilizes would become obsolete if they were to purchase servers that were manufactured by a company other than Dell, such as HP. As a result of not being able to use Dell's Open Manage software, NMOTC would be required to spend thousands of dollars, in addition to the cost of the new servers, to purchase a software package that is compatible with that specific manufacturer's servers. Therefore, it would not be cost effective to spend thousands of dollars to procure new software when NMOTC currently has software in place that is compatible with Dell.

An additional type of software that NMOTC utilizes is COMMVAULT, which is an integral part of the DHA mandated Medical Joint Active Directory. COMMVAULT is essential Information

Technology backup software that prevents the loss of mission critical data. NMOTC 's

COMMVAULT software is being upgraded, and there is a requirement for new servers that are capable of handling the numerous backup and retention services that are currently in place.

Therefore, the servers must be Dell due to virtual environment compatibility issues. Ifthe servers are not Dell, the upgraded COMMVAULT software will not be adequately supported.

There have been recent efforts to standardize NMOTC training requirements with Defense

Health Agency (DHA). NMOTC is preparing their server farm to be able to meet the needs of

DHA's mandated conversion. DHA exclusively utilizes Dell workstations at all hospitals, research facilities, and clinics across the agency. The procurement of Dell servers will ensure standardization and conformity of network systems, which is critical to maintaining security and configuration standards required in a medical environment. Also, Dell servers will considerably reduce time for troubleshooting, maintenance, and Information Security updates.

The Dell products that are being procured are approved for use on the network by the U.S.Navy

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), which establishes standards and configurations for

End User Devices (EUDs). Currently, no other products are allowed on the network. Products other than Dell would require additional approvals, which have historically taken eighteen ( 18) months .

In conclusion, the use of Dell manufactured computer systems is essential to the Government's requirements, thereby precluding consideration of products manufactured by another company.

Utilizing the same brand (Dell) that is currently utilized by NMOTC will allow NMOTC to continue to use the same software required to mitigate vulnerabilities on the network. It will also support compliance with BUMED standards, which will promote seamless interoperability within their agency as well as other DoD components, particularly with DHA.

C. _UNUSUAL AND COMPELLING URGENCY. The supplies or services are of such unusual and compelling urgency that the Government would be seriously injured unless the agency is pennitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals.

Urgent requirements are supplies or services that will result in a work stoppage, or are mission critical and the routine processing time would result in injury to the Government. The determination that the procurement for the above item/service is an urgent and compelling requirement is based on the following:

1. Date on which the requirement was first identified:

2. Required delivery date/period of performance :

3. Explanation of why delivery/commencement of services by the date mentioned above is required :

4. If appropriate, include any additional pertinent information.