VA-21-00084628 Uplogix Equipment JA to post.pdf

Uplogix Equipment VA-21-00084628

JUSTIFICATION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

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

Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way

Eatontown, New Jersey 07724

2. Description of Action: This proposed action is for a firm-fixed-price delivery order issued under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for

Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for brand name Uplogix Out of Band (OOB) Device Management Infrastructure equipment and associated hardware maintenance and support.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services: VA, Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization (OEHRM) requires brand name Uplogix OOB Device Management Infrastructure equipment and associated hardware maintenance and support.

Specifically, VA requires 540 Uplogix Local Manager (model LM80x) and 540 V.92

Modems Modules – both with associated maintenance and support. OEHRM provides program management and oversight of the implementation of VA’s new Electronic Health Record (EHR). In preparation for the transition to the new EHR, VA medical centers and clinics are being securely connected to the Cerner data center where the

EHR solution is hosted. The hosting environment is jointly managed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and VA. OEHRM requires Brand Name Uplogix OOB Device Management Infrastructure and associated hardware maintenance and support to implement the Joint Security Architecture allowing secure connectivity to the Cerner enclave. The Uplogix OOB solution must be compatible with VA’s currently deployed Uplogix Command centers and management tools. All delivery of equipment shall be within 30 days after delivery order award and hardware maintenance and support shall begin 36 months from date of delivery of equipment. Additionally, optional quantity contract line item numbers (CLINs) are included that may be exercised within 36 months of delivery order award for an additional 80 Uplogix Local Manager (model LM80x), 130 V.92 Modems modules. In addition the optional quantity CLINs consist of 50 Uplogix Local Manager (model LM83x), 50 8 Port Serial Expansion Module, and 130

V.92 Modems modules – all with associated hardware maintenance and support.

These are the same as the 80 Uplogix Local Manager (model LM80x), 130 V.92 Modems modules as previously mentioned except they are of smaller size and contain a different number of ports in order to accommodate the sizes required at the Veteran

Centers and Community Based Outpatient Centers (CBOC). The total estimated price for the proposed action is , inclusive of the optional quantity CLINs.

4. Authority: The statutory authority permitting an exception to fair opportunity is

Section 41 U.S.C. 4106(c)(2) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 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 market research, as described in section eight of this document, it was determined that limited competition is viable for the required brand name Uplogix equipment.

The proposed expansion of Joint Security Architecture to CBOCs and Veteran Centers requires Uplogix brand network components be integrated into the platform to ensure interoperability and compatibility with the existing infrastructure.

The Uplogix devices enable management access to all network systems (firewalls, routers, switches, etc.) that provide site connectivity to VA’s network and the EHR. This access is especially important during an outage as remote expert resources can manage the device to restore service. Each OOB management device must be able to initiate a secure encrypted connection back to a central remote access server enabling remote management of the connected network devices. Activity during these sessions must be captured and stored centrally for audit purposes.

VA uses Uplogix Command Center system to centrally manage all Uplogix devices deployed at VA Medical Centers, CBOCS and Vet Centers. The Uplogix Command Center allows VA to ensure that all devices are configured consistent with technical and security policies. These configurations are critical to the proper operation of the OOB management capability as improper configuration can lead to loss of access and auditability.

The Uplogix Command Center uses a proprietary protocol to communicate with the deployed devices. Thus, only Uplogix devices are compatible with the currently fielded command center and only the command center is compatible with Uplogix devices.

Introducing any other brand name components into the existing platform would result in interoperability and compatibility issues that would leave the platform in an inoperable state resulting in VA being unable to access and repair network components in the event of an outage and providers being unable to access Veteran health records required to provide patient care. Further, and due to these proprietary constraints, the use of any other brand name components would necessitate a complete replacement of the existing Uplogix infrastructure in place. Based on previous acquisition history, the estimated duplicative costs to replace existing Uplogix devices would be approximately $7M with additional VA labor needed to deploy the devices. These estimated duplicative costs would not be recovered through competition. Replacing the Uplogix solution would require engineering, design, testing, installation, and configuration of the devices at 75+ VAMCs. Further, it would require installation and configuration of a management console. All VA personnel associated with the installation and operation of the system would require training. Finally, using a different vendor for this portion of the OEHRM Joint Security Architecture would require the cooperation of the Department of Defense which jointly operates the EHR with VA. The changes would carry a high risk of disrupting the JSA deployment schedule and risk implementation schedules of dependent items required for successful deployment of the EHR. Therefore, only Uplogix Device Management Infrastructure equipment and associated hardware maintenance and support can meet VA’s requirements for expanding and emulating VA’s existing network infrastructure to meet VA’s protocol. No other Original Equipment Manufacturer is able to provide the hardware and associated hardware maintenance and support that can expand the existing Uplogix Command Center to meet VA’s requirement in preparation for the transition to the new EHR in order for VA medical centers and clinics to securely be connected to the Cerner data center where the EHR solution is hosted. OEHRM requires brand name Uplogix OOB Device Management Infrastructure and associated hardware maintenance and support to implement the Joint

Security Architecture allowing secure connectivity to the Cerner enclave.

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. However, it was determined that limited competition is viable among resellers for these brand name items. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)(1), this justification will be provided with the solicitation to all appropriate NASA SEWP V GWAC holders. Furthermore, in accordance with FAR

5.301, 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D), and 16.505(a)(4)(iii), the justification for this action will be made publicly available within 14 days of award on the Contract Opportunities website.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed.

8. Market Research: The Government’s technical experts conducted market research in June 2021 by reviewing similar products to ascertain if other brand name products could meet VA’s functionality requirements. Specifically, VA’s technical experts reviewed alternate products, which consisted of Opengear, Raritan, and Digi International Incorporated. While these companies provide OOB management solutions, they do not meet VA’s requirements, because only Uplogix or a reseller has access to the proprietary communication protocol that the Uplogix Control Center uses to manage the Uplogix OOB management solution currently in place across VA. In addition, VA technical experts regularly review industry trade publications and conduct internet research to ascertain if any other brand name equipment is available. Market research revealed that only Uplogix equipment and associated support can be added to VA’s infrastructure without disrupting the existing architecture and environments.

Additionally, in June 2021, further market research was conducted research by using the Provider Look Up Tool on the NASA SEWP V GWAC website. The tool revealed multiple resellers of the required brand name Uplogix Device Management Infrastructure equipment and associated hardware maintenance and support, including multiple verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) resellers. Therefore, based on the results of the market research, there is reasonable expectation that limited competition exists among verified SDVOSB contract holders on the NASA SEWP GWAC.

9. Other Facts: None.