RFQ 832267691 Attachment 2 Justification and Approval (Sole Source).pdf

Limited Sources/Sole Source Rationale For all Requirements under $250K

1. REQUIRING AGENCY AND CONTRACTING OFFICE:

Requesting Agency:

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Hosting and Compute Center P.O. Box 4598 Greenwood Village, CO 80155-4598

Contracting Activity:

DISA/DITCO/PLD323

1 Overcash Ave, BLDG 12 Chambersburg, PA 17201

2. Procurement Title: Smart Storage Solutions Re-Compete

Funding Document Number: UPR HC110422MPC0166 Purchase Request Number: N/A Contract Number: TBD Task/Delivery Order Number: N/A Estimated Value: $93,500.00 (Base Year + 4 One-Year Options)

3. Regulatory Authority: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b)(1). (Open Market Purchase Order) Soliciting from a single source (including brand name)

4. Description of Action: DISA Hosting and Compute Center (HC33) uses a unique and premiere subscription provided by Evaluator Group, Inc. to stay informed of advances in state-of-the-art storage technology. Evaluator Group, Inc. has a customer base of 10,000 storage professionals which it uses to conduct independent research into new storage technologies introduced by industry. DISA HC33 uses the database repositories to conduct research and perform comparative analysis of vendor disk, tape, storage, server, and Storage Area Network (SAN) component solutions. The information obtained from this research and analysis is used to design new storage business solutions for DISA.

Evaluator Group is also a primary source of training in storage systems for DISA personnel.

DISA HC33 is seeking to purchase the Smart Storage Buyer Annual Subscription (Platinum Level) for a term of five (5) years through a Firm Fixed Priced sole source open market award to incumbent Evaluator Group, Inc. The period of performance would be for one base year plus four (4) option years. Included in this subscription are:

• Unlimited Access to Evaluator Series Research, DISA wide

• Evaluator Series™ Research (ESR) is an independent analysis of market trends and provides an array of technical detail on storage products, feature comparisons, and information management tools. This technical expertise delivers comparative analysis and strategic information regarding vendor and product selection. Used with the Analyst Inquiry (included in package), professionals gain the right information and tools to align business objectives with specific architectural designs and technical requirements.

• ESR content: SAN, Network Attached Storage (NAS), Solid State, Storage Virtualization, Software Defined Storage, Virtual SAN, Hyper-Converged, Object Storage, Storage Resource Management, Archive, Data Protection and trend analysis.

• Document Types: Complete Library includes -o Evaluation and Education Guides – Covers architecture and decision criteria for a particular technology of topic area o Comparison Matrices – Side by side comparison of like products such as NAS systems o Product Analysis/Briefs – Evaluator Groups, Inc.’s analysis and commentary on individual products o Lab Validation – Reports on our testing/benchmark of a product o Technical Insight/Executive Insight – Topical discussions and product discussions

• Two seats at any Evaluator Group Advanced Education Courses

• Unlimited telephone consulting

• Other service discount of 15%

5. Proposed Sole Source Contractor:

Evaluator Group, Inc.

3825 Iris Ave Boulder, CO 80301-2003

DUNS: 177607819

CAGE: 1UPQ5

6. Market Research:

Independent internet research was conducted by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and Contract Specialist (CS) and no other similar services were revealed.

DoD ESI was reviewed on 16 May 2022. Evaluator Group, Inc. does not have a DoD ESI contract.

NASA SEWP Catalogs were reviewed on 16 May 2022. Evaluator Group, Inc. does not have a NASA SEWP catalog.

NASA SEWP Market Research Tool was utilized on 16 May 2022. Evaluator Group, Inc has one Approved Reseller listed but is an Other Than Small Business. There is a Small Business vendor listed, however they are not listed as an Approved Reseller. Furthermore, the Part Number required is not listed in NASA SEWP.

The Contract Specialist contacted Evaluator Group, Inc to verify if they had any Approved Resellers or if they are the only source. Deandre Gregg, Evaluator Group Client Relations Manager, responded that they do have an Approved Distributor, but the distributor takes care of their clients in the EU and we have to source directly through the Evaluator Group.

Sources Sought SS832267691 was posted on SAM.gov to seek information for potential sources for Evaluator Group, Inc. Part Number SSB3-Platinum Subscription Renewal. No responses were received.

Based on current market research, it has been determined that only the aforementioned Smart Storage Buyer Annual Subscription provided by Evaluator Group Inc. can fully support the Governments need. This requirement is for proprietary products and product support and no competitor functional replacement products exist in the market at this time to meet the Government's need.

The Government will continue to conduct market research to determine if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future competitive actions, i.e., there are similar products and/or product support in the marketplace that provides the same functionality, the original equipment manufacturer releases ownership rights of product, or it is economically feasible to procure a new system.

7. Upon the basis of the following justification, I, as the Contracting Officer, hereby approve this Sole Source justification for the proposed contract action pursuant to the authority cited above as the particular Evaluator Group Smart Storage Buyer Annual Subscription is essential to the Government's requirements, and market research indicates other companies' products or services do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the agency's needs.

Based on the justification provided by Ashleigh Hess (DISA/OC), a determination has been made to issue a sole source solicitation for the above-described requirement.

Prepared by: Ashleigh Hess/Program Analyst

Approved:

Contracting Officer