Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source Contract

Added: May 05, 2015 9:58 am The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Contracts Management Office (CMO) intends to award a firm fixed price contract on a sole source basis under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C 2304(c)(1) and in accordance with FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements to Switch Communications Group, LLC, 7135 S. Decatur Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89118.

The proposed procurement is for Data Processing, Hosting and Related Services in support of DARPA's Information Innovation Office's (I2O) Cyber Grand Challenge Final Event (CFE) to be held in Las Vegas. This procurement is being pursued as requirement for secure cloud hosting in a Tier 4 Uptime rated facility for approximately 16 months.

DARPA'S CFE is a high-performance-computing event, requiring maximum datacenter risk mitigation and large conference hosting capabilities physically co-located:

- Conference hosting capabilities must include: working stations for conference organizers, multiple conference rooms seating up to 20, two separate audience event rooms with a capacity no less than 50 and 130 attendees, respectively. Event rooms must include integrated A/V, projection, and streaming capability and have a proven track record of hosting successful live-streamed events.

- Datacenter risk mitigation: DARPA's CFE is an uninterrupted high performance computing event; physical failures must be mitigated to every extent technically available. Amongst these risk mitigations are independent dual power for equipment as well as all chillers, HVAC, and connectivity equipment. Electrical storage on-site and a natural disaster resiliency plan are also required. DARPA requires an Uptime Institute Tier 4 certified facility as it poses the least risk when supporting the CFE, a live event, to be conducted on August 4, 2016.

This announcement constitutes the only notice; a written solicitation will not be issued.

Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to perform by responding to this notice by the specified closing date. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, the Government will consider all proposals received by the closing date specified in this notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

Closing date and time for receipt of quotes is May 19, 2015, 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
Email quote to: Mark Jones at mark.jones@darpa.mil. Include your DUNS number and CAGE Code in your quote.