JA_Netgate_2732 - REDACTED for Posting.pdf

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

FINANCE AND FACILITIES DIVISION | PROCUREMENT SECTION

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL (J&A) FOR OTHER THAN

FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

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JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION IN ACCORDANCE WITH 41

U.S.C. 3304 (A) (1)

Requisition Number: SHOP-PR-24-002732

Date: 5/8/2024

Estimated Contract Dollar Value: __________

1. Identification of the agency and contracting activity.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Multimedia Exploitation Unit, has prepared this justification for other than full and open competition for (60) Netgate 2100 Max Pfsense+security Gateways.

2. The nature and/or description of the action being approved, i.e., sole source, limited competition, establishment of a new source, etc.

This is a brand-name justification for the requirement and purchase of new hardware and the purchase of a warranty extension for existing hardware. The brand-name justification for the following:

(60) Netgate 2100 Max Pfsense+ security gateway SG2100DT

3. A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs.

Digital Evidence Analysis Platform (DCAP) is developing a solution for field offices to secure digital evidence across the entire lifecycle, enabling investigators and digital evidence practitioners to quickly triage and move data. This allows for them to safely store evidence and records in the appropriate enterprise locations. This solution intends to provide local secure storage to enable common commercial and government off the shelf forensics tools to triage the evidence. This solution requires a firewall to implement network security policies at the field office and enable connectivity to DCAP using the local site’s internet connection. The Netgate 2100 Max Pfsense+ is a network firewall that will manage ingress/egress traffic for this solution. In addition to traffic management, the Pfsense+ will provide an encrypted tunnel to DCAP to enable remote management of security policies on the device.

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Required Specifications include:

IPv4/IPv6 Routing Network Address Translation (NAT) IPv4/IPv6 Packet Filtering Remote Management OpenVPN with TLS Auth Encryption throughput >= 200 Mb/s Gigabit Ethernet ports DHCP Server No wireless

4. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C. 3304 (a)(1) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1entitled, “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.”

5. Demonstrate the unique qualifications of the proposed contractor or the nature of the action requiring the use of the authority.

Based on evaluation criteria, Netgate 2100 PfSense+ is the only product that supports OpenVPN with TLS authentication. OpenVPN is used to establish encrypted communication between each remote site and the DCAP environment for centralized administration. The current architecture utilizes OpenVPN with TLS authentication. Changing the encryption/authentication mechanism would impose an architectural change which would require additional research and development incurring undue cost to the government.

6. A description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies.

All qualified authorized re-sellers may all compete via the appropriate acquisition vehicle selected by the Contracting Officer. The only exception requested above is that manufacturer brand-name be utilized in-order-to continue seamless functionality. Requirements will be reviewed annually to ensure the Government considers all technical alternatives to this requirement assuming they meet the Government’s unique requirements.

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7. The anticipated dollar value of the proposed acquisition, including options if applicable, and a determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The anticipated dollar value is __________. The Contracting Officer shall use one of the appropriate proposal analysis techniques provided in FAR 15.401-1 to determine anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

8. A description of the market research conducted and the results.

After comparing market competitors, the MXU technical team determined alternative products/suppliers from other brands would not function adequately with our existing infrastructure. While the software offers a unique capability, potential suppliers have provided us with exceptional products in the past at fair market price and could be competitive in this acquisition. MXU has not encountered any problems in past procurements.

Market research was performed using internet research. The following methods were used:

Table 1: Evaluation Criteria by product1

Product IPv4/IPv6 Routing

NAT

IPv4/IPv6 Packet

Filtering

Remote Management

Netgate 2100 Yes Yes Yes Yes

Watchguard Firebox T45

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Cisco Firepower 1010 Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sonicwall SOHO 250 Yes Yes Yes Yes

Product

OpenVP N with

TLS

Auth

Encryption throughput >= 200 Mb/s

Gigabit Ethernet

Ports

DHCP

Server

No Wireless

Netgate 2100 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Watchguard Firebox T45

No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Cisco Firepower 1010 No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sonicwall SOHO 250 No Yes Yes Yes Yes

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Table 2: Suitability

Product Meets Minimum Requirements

Netgate 2100 Yes

Watchguard Firebox T45

No

Cisco Firepower 1010 No

Sonicwall SOHO 250 No

9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition.

Competition between authorized re-sellers is open and encouraged. While the products being purchased are brand-specific, there are multiple authorized re-sellers that can fulfill the need.

Qualified authorized re-sellers may all compete via the appropriate acquisition vehicle selected by the Contracting Officer. Requirements will be reviewed annually to ensure the Government considers all technical alternatives to this requirement assuming they meet the Government’s unique requirements.

10. A listing of any sources that expressed a written interest in the acquisition.

The procurement will be advertised on SAM.gov to allow authorized resellers to respond.

11. A statement of any actions the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition, if subsequent acquisitions are anticipated.

The Government will continually evaluate the specific needs of programs and consider the strategic implications of system architecture and infrastructure choices which lead to limited available competition. The exception requested above is brand-name only rather than sole source. Therefore, qualified authorized re-sellers may all compete via the appropriate acquisition vehicle selected by the Contracting Officer. Requirements will be reviewed annually to ensure the Government considers all technical alternatives to this requirement assuming they meet the Government’s unique requirements.