NNG15SD34B-134.docx

VA-20-00044277

COVID-19 CAG Gateway VA-20-00044277 Gateway Expansion Contract Opportunity Award Notice

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* = Required Field Contract Opportunity Award Notice COVID-19: Cisco Switches and Uplogix LMs for CAG Expansion

(VA-20-00044277)

07724 36C10B20Q0226 N 541519 Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown NJ 07724 heera.polanco@va.gov kathryn.pantages@va.gov

NNG15SD34B36C10B20F0119

$3,581,034.08 04-09-2020

MINBURN TECHNOLOGY GROUP, LLC

965431815

10113 MINBURN ST

GREAT FALLS

VA

22066 heera.polanco@va.gov heera.polanco@va.gov

JUSTIFICATION

FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics

2. Description of Action: This proposed action is for a firm-fixed price delivery order to be issued under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for the augmentation of Cisco and Uplogix hardware, software and associated maintenance and support services.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services: The Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), Information Technology Operations and Services (ITOPS), Solution Delivery (SD) has a requirement to purchase network equipment to expand capacity for accessing VA’s Citrix Access Gateway (CAG). In March 2020, OI&T leadership mandated an expansion of CAG capacity from 20,000 concurrent users to 130,000 concurrent users to meet increased telework and telehealth requirements associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet this requirement, VA seeks to expand existing Cisco Nexus network switch environments in four Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) gateways to support additional Citrix Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs). VA further seeks to expand existing Uplogix serial Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM) capacity to support the additional Cisco Nexus network switches at each gateway. Specifically, VA requires 96 Cisco Nexus N9K-C93108TC-FX switches, 16 Cisco Nexus N9K-C93180YC-FX switches, eight Cisco Nexus N9K-C9332C switches, eight Cisco Catalyst C9300-48UN-A switches, 720 Cisco QSFP-40G-SR-BD= transceivers, 800 Cisco SFP-10G-SR= transceivers, 64 Cisco SFP-10G-LR= transceivers, 64 QSFP-40G-LR4= transceivers, and eight Uplogix 63-5105-10 Local Managers. VA further requires 112 Cisco N93-LAN1K9 enterprise licenses and eight C9300-DNA-A-48 DNA Advantage licenses.

The additional Cisco and Uplogix hardware and software is required to augment identical hardware and software already in production at the four TIC gateways. This equipment is required to support additional Citrix Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) that have been previously procured to rapidly expand VA’s existing telework capacity.

The Cisco and Uplogix hardware and software that is currently installed at these locations support approximately 16,000 concurrent users, providing secure access to clinical, logistical, financial and administrative devices. In an effort to increase concurrent user support to 130,000 concurrent users, VA must install additional Citrix ADC hardware. In order to do this, VA must procure and install additional Cisco network switches to provide network interfaces for the hardware. VA must further procure and install additional Uplogix serial KVM hardware to provide out of band (OOB) connectivity for the additional network switches. The infrastructure in place requires augmentation to meet increased demands for telework and other remote access requirements. VA’s existing CAG remote access infrastructure is currently connected to the VA network using Cisco switches, which in turn have OOB management connectivity provided by Uplogix serial KVM switches.

For Cisco Catalyst 9300 DNA Advantage software licensing products, the required software maintenance shall consist of three total years of software assurance services. All other Cisco hardware and software support services shall be covered by VA’s Cisco Enterprise Service Agreement (ESA). For all Uplogix hardware and software licensing, the required maintenance shall consist of one year of failed hardware replacement and software assurance. For Cisco hardware and software licensing, all technical support services are covered by VAs Cisco ESA. For Uplogix hardware, technical support services shall consist of 24x7x365 phone-based technical support. These maintenance and technical support services are provided 24/7/365 and provide software assurance services to ensure VA maintains access to the latest available software patches to address security and reliability flaws. As detailed in the existing Cisco ESA, all warranties for Cisco equipment and licenses will be covered under VA’s National ESA. All hardware and software shall be delivered 30 days after date of award. The period of performance for the software licensing shall be 12 months from Government receipt and acceptance of hardware and the period of performance for software assurance shall be 36 months. The total estimated value of the proposed action is $-.

4. Authority: Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.505(a)(4), the following brand name requirement is being justified and approved as an exception to fair opportunity under the statutory authority of Section 41 U.S.C. 4106(c)(2) as implemented by FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), entitled “Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized.”

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: Based on extensive market research, as described in Section 8 of this document, it was determined that limited competition is available among authorized resellers for the brand name Cisco and Uplogix hardware, software, and associated maintenance and support services on NASA SEWP V GWAC. The Cisco and Uplogix systems currently in use at the TIC gateways are interdependent and must be expanded in lockstep with one another to maintain a functional telework environment. Expanding the Cisco environment without expanding the Uplogix environment would prevent VA from accessing the Cisco environment OOB using the switch serial interfaces. Expanding the Uplogix environment without expanding the Cisco environment would not provide sufficient Ethernet network connectivity for the Citrix ADC hardware to function. As such, VA seeks to expand both environments simultaneously to provide the connectivity required to expand the CAG telework infrastructure. In order to ensure expansion of both environments simultaneously to provide the connectivity required to expand the CAG telework infrastructure, VA requires both Cisco and Uplogix requirements to be bought in tandem from the same vendor. This will ensure synchronization of delivery in order to meet emergent deadlines to expand VA’s capacity to support the Agency during this national crisis. Any interruptions in delivery could delay implementation. Only brand name Cisco and Uplogix hardware, software, maintenance and support services can be used to expand the existing CAG environment due to proprietary source code and protocols.

The existing switch environment in the TIC gateways consist of Cisco Nexus switches utilizing Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1BR Bridge Port Extension (BPE) to provide a single integrated switch fabric. Only Cisco brand name switches can be used to expand the existing Cisco switch environment within the TIC gateways. Equipment provided by other manufacturers cannot interoperate with the IEEE 802.1BR environment as implemented by the existing Cisco switches. No source other than Cisco can provide the switches that are required to extend the existing Cisco switch infrastructure and continue to provide reliable connectivity.

The Uplogix hardware and software is managed by VA’s existing Uplogix Control Center for management of VA’s existing Cisco switch environment at the TIC gateways. Uplogix is the only serial KVM product that meets VA’s security requirement for National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 validation. Any other brand KVM product would need cryptographic testing from a NIST-certified laboratory in order to gain FIPS certification. This process takes two to four months in the laboratory after the laboratory receives all the required documentation and modules to be tested from the vendor. VA has further determined that only Uplogix serial KVMs are capable of integrating with the existing Uplogix Control Center environment currently in production at the TIC gateways. No source other than Uplogix can provide the serial KVM switches that are required to expand the existing Uplogix serial KVM environment that is required to support the expanded Cisco switch environment.

Additionally, only software maintenance and support services provided by Cisco and Uplogix, or an authorized Cisco and Uplogix reseller, can interoperate with the required Cisco and Uplogix hardware. Both Cisco and Uplogix hardware platforms use proprietary microcode that is only available to them. No other source can provide Cisco or Uplogix proprietary software products required to operate Cisco and Uplogix hardware platforms. Moreover, only Uplogix can provide proprietary replacement hardware products for the Uplogix serial KVM platform. Due to proprietary hardware specifications and firmware, no other manufacturer can provide hardware required to replace failed components in an Uplogix serial KVM. Furthermore, only Uplogix can provide the support services required to operate Uplogix brand serial KVM switches. Only Uplogix has access to proprietary microcode required to provide holistic technical support services. Without access to Uplogix’s software source code, no other provider can troubleshoot problems with Uplogix software code or develop software bugfixes required for production operation.

Without the required software maintenance and support, the software performance would degrade and not be useable by VA. Additionally, VA would not receive critical security and reliability patches to software microcode. This would present an unacceptable security risk for a mission critical system that is located in the highly targeted edge of VA’s network.

The existing Cisco and Uplogix hardware and software are operating at peak capacity and cannot support additional Citrix ADCs required to support the additional 130,000 concurrent users brought on by COVID-19. In tandem, the additional Cisco and Uplogix hardware and software will provide sufficient additional network capacity to enable VA employees to access and conduct business on the VA network from remote locations. The combined Cisco and Uplogix hardware and software is the only equipment that can expand the current infrastructure to meet VA’s COVID-19 telework expansion requirements. No other Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) provides hardware or software that can expand the existing Cisco and Uplogix environment to meet this requirement.

Failure to augment the existing Cisco and Uplogix network environment at the TIC gateways would result in an inability to augment VA’s CAG telework environment. In turn, this would lead to a disruption of communications and business operations for VA’s rapidly expanding teleworker community. This would substantially hamper VA’s ability to provide remote telehealth services and other direct patient care activities, and severely compromise VA’s ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. It was determined, however, that limited competition is anticipated among resellers of brand name Cisco and Uplogix hardware, software, and the associated maintenance and support services. In accordance with FAR 5.301 and 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D), the award notice for this action will be synopsized on the Contracting Opportunities website and this justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award. Additionally, in accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)(2), this justification will be provided with the solicitation to all appropriate NASA SEWP V GWAC contract holders.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: In order to remove or overcome barriers to competition in future acquisitions for the requirements described herein, the Government’s technical experts will continue to perform market research to determine if there are any products which become available that will enable future requirements to be competed. VA anticipates the existing Cisco and Uplogix environments will reach end-of-life in approximately five years and VA will openly compete a complete replacement solution at that time.

8. Market Research: For the Cisco switch requirement, the Government’s technical experts conducted market research in March 2020 by reviewing similar products to ascertain if these items could meet VA’s requirements. The products reviewed included those from Arista, Broadcom, and Dell. Based on reviews of these products, the Government’s technical experts determined that none of these products can meet the Government’s interoperability and compatibility requirements previously discussed. Only Cisco, or an authorized reseller, has access to the proprietary hardware and software that is compatible with the existing Cisco switching environment at the TIC gateways. Based on the market research efforts, the Government’s technical experts have determined that only Cisco brand name equipment can meet all the VA’s needs.

For the Uplogix serial KVM requirement, the Government’s technical experts conducted market research in March 2020 by reviewing similar products to ascertain if these items could meet VA’s requirements. The products reviewed included those from Raritan, APC, Avocent, and OpenGear. Based on reviews of these products, the Government’s technical experts determined that none of these products can meet the Government’s interoperability and compatibility requirements previously discussed. Only Uplogix, or an authorized reseller, has access to the proprietary hardware and software that is compatible with the existing Uplogix serial KVM environment at the TIC gateways. Based on the market research efforts, the Government’s technical experts have determined that only Uplogix brand name equipment can meet all the VA’s needs.

In addition, a Request for Information (RFI) was issued on March 25, 2020 via the NASA SEWP V website to ascertain if there were sources that could meet the Government’s requirements for brand name Cisco and Uplogix hardware, software, and the associated maintenance and support services. The RFI closed on March 31, 2020, with four responses received from Better Direct, Colossal, Minburn Technology, LLC, and Veteran Technology, LLC, all of which are Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs). Based on the information provided, the Government Program Manager (PM) determined that there are multiple authorized resellers under the NASA SEWP V GWAC capable of meeting the Government’s requirements. The VIP database verified that all resellers are SDVOSBs.

Additional market research was conducted in April 2020, utilizing the NASA SEWP V GWAC Provider Lookup Tool to identify NASA SEWP resellers that could provide the brand name Cisco and Uplogix hardware consisting of network switches and serial KVM switches, respectively. The search yielded 24 Cisco resellers and 17 Uplogix resellers capable of providing this requirement that are contract holders in Group B(2) SDVOSBs and registered and verified in the VIP database. Therefore, limited competition is expected among SDVOSBs for this proposed action.

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.

Date: __________________________

OI&T SD LAN Engineer Signature: ______________________

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. Additionally, NASA SEWP V GWAC has already determined the prices on contract to be fair and reasonable. Finally, the successful quote will be compared to the Independent Government Cost Estimate.

Date: ___________________________

Procuring Contracting Officer Signature: _______________________

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

Date: ________________________________

Procuring Contracting Officer Signature: ____________________________

Approval In my role as procuring activity Advocate for Competition, based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the acquisition of Cisco and Uplogix hardware, software, and the associated maintenance and support services on an other than fair opportunity basis pursuant to the authority cited in Section 4 above, subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Date: ____________ Signature: _________________________________

Advocate for Competition Technology Acquisition Center Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics