DH10--IBM MVS zSAM (z Software Asset Management)

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Office of Information and Technology (OIT)

Infrastructure Operations (IO)

IBM Z Software Asset Management (ZSAM)

Sources Sought Notice

Introduction

This Request for Information (RFI) is a Sources Sought Notice only. This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation nor does it restrict the government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified vendors, who are able to meet the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information Technology (OIT), Infrastructure Operations (IO) purchase of software licenses and maintenance for the following International Business Machine (IBM) Z Software Asset Management (ZSAM).

This Sources Sought Notice constitutes neither a Invitation for Bid, Request for Task Execution Plan (TEP), Request for Quote, Request for Proposal (RFP), nor a guarantee that one will be issued by the Government in the future; furthermore, it does not commit the Government to contract for any services described herein. Any contract/order that might be awarded based on information received or derived from this market research will be the outcome of the competitive process. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain market information on capable sources of supply, industry best practices, and input specific to the information provided. The Government is not responsible for any cost incurred by industry in furnishing this information. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested vendor's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary. All submissions will become Government property and will not be returned. Interested vendors are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response.

Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted, or competition sensitive information contained in their response. Any Service-Disabled Veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) or Veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) responding to this RFI must include their intent and ability to meet set-aside requirements for performance of this effort in accordance with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) 852.219-73, VA Notice of Total Set-Aside for Certified SDVOSB or 852.219-74, VA Notice of Total Set-Aside for Certified VOSB; specifically the requirement for at least 51% of the cost of manufacturing or 51% of the services be performed by yourself and/or other eligible/verified SDVOSB/VOSB concerns; and be listed in the Small Business Administration certification database at the time of submission. It is requested that all companies interested in participating in this effort please note their interest and provide indication of their respective capabilities to perform the effort described in the paragraphs below. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI notice is strictly voluntary. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. VA reserves the right to not respond to any, all, or select responses or materials submitted. All requirements identified herein are subject to change at any time.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is 541511, Custom Computer Programing services Services; the small business size standard for this NAICS is $34 million dollars.

Requirement:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is conducting a market survey for software licenses and maintenance for IBM Z Software Asset Management (ZSAM). The IBM ZSAM software will create, automate and maintain zEnterprise server software inventory. Enhances security posture by identifying obsolete and unsupported software.

IBM ZSAM runs on z/Architecture® mainframes that use the z/OS operating system. Its purpose is to:

Discover and identify products for the z/OS platform.

Monitor software usage and trends.

Report on the MSU capacity of each system under which the product runs.

Provide reporting functions for assets and usage.

The benefits of using this software are:

Used and unused software are identified.

Users of software are identified.

Obsolete versions of software are identified and the usage of these versions determined.

Usage trends of software and libraries are identified.

Ultimately, in a z/OS environment, software is contained in load libraries or as z/OS UNIX executable files. IBM ZSAM scans contents of these libraries and executable files to determine which software products are installed. IBM ZSAM also monitors the loaded programs and executable files to measure software usage.

RFI Response Instructions

NOTE: The capability package must be clear, concise, and complete. VA is under no obligation to provide feedback to the company, or to contact the company for clarification of any information submitted in response to this RFI.

Provide the following information:

Provide Company Information:

Company Name

CAGE/UEI Number under which the company is registered in SAM.gov

Company Address

Point of contact name

Telephone number

Email address

For small business concerns, indicate whether at least 50 percent of the total amount paid by the Government will be paid to firms that are similarly situated.

Company Business Size and Status for NAICS (541511).

Brief summary describing your company s technical approach to meeting the requirements, to include;

Does the draft Product Description (PD) provide sufficient detail to describe the technical and functional requirements that encompass the requirement? If NO , please provide your technical and functional comments/recommendations/questions on elements of the draft outline that may contribute to a more accurate proposal submission and efficient, cost-effective effort.

Your company s intent and ability to meet the set aside requirement in accordance with VAAR 852.219-73. (NOV 2020) (DEVIATION) VA Notice of Total SDVOSB and 13 CFR §125.6, which states the contractor will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government to it to firms that are not SDVOSBs.

Provide a statement regarding your socioeconomic status (including business type (s)/certifications(s) such as SDB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.). If a small business, clearly identify what socioeconomic category you are recommending for this effort. If a small business, are you able to comply with FAR 52.219-6 and 52.219-14 in execution of this effort? Are you able to comply with subcontracting limitations in 13 CFR 125.6 in execution of this effort?

Responses to this RFI shall be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time, May 9, 2025 via E-mail to Joseph.Ciano@va.gov AND Terricia.Lloyd@va.gov

Note: Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your responses. To avoid submission of late responses, we recommend the transmission of your response file 24 hours prior to the required response due date and time. Please be advised that timeliness is determined by the date and time an Offeror s response is received by the Government not when an Offeror attempted transmission. Offerors are encouraged to review and ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available on their end of the transmission.

All responsible sources may submit a response in accordance with the following:

No more than 20 pages (excluding transmittal page)

VA will not be able to grant any extensions to this RFI.

See attached document: PD - Draft.