DF01--RFI - F5 Load Balancer Replacement (VA-27-00017931)

The Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center Austin is preparing to procure F5 load balancer replacement, migration, and maintenance support on behalf of the Office of Management's Financial Services Center, with responses due by 12:00 PM EST on November 17, 2026. The notice uses no set-aside, and the draft Performance Work Statement states the procurement is restricted to F5 Networks and its authorized distributors to meet requirements and time constraints at fair and reasonable pricing.

Place of performance covers data centers in Austin, Texas (1615 Woodward Street) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5000 Wissahickon Ave), with work performed remotely and no travel reimbursed. The contractor must replace three BIG-IP i5820-DF platforms (one standalone and two high-availability pairs) running TMOS v17.5.1.x with LTM, APM, and FIPS modules, using new BIG-IP r5920-DF platforms in a 1:1 manner on similar or matching TMOS versions. Requirements include FISMA, HIPAA, NIST standards, VA enterprise architecture compliance, IPv6 support, and TIC 3.0 compliance. Migration runs in approximately four after-hours windows at Austin and four standard business-hour windows at Philadelphia, with dedicated support for one business day after each upgrade.

The base period is 12 months with four optional 12-month renewals, and configuration and migration must be complete and operational no later than October 1, 2027.

Responses are limited to 25 pages and must include company identification, business size classification under NAICS 541519, available license packages, an implementation timeline, and a Rough Order of Magnitude covering implementation/configuration, interface/integration, yearly enterprise license subscription, and yearly operation and maintenance subscription. Submit by email to Contract Specialist Catherine Joyce (catherine.joyce1@va.gov) and Contracting Officer John Fields (john.fields3@va.gov) with the subject line "F5 Load Balancer Replacement and Maintenance Support." The Government does not commit to award and does not pay for responses. No incumbent or budget is stated.