Notice of Intent to Designate Sole Brand for Pure Storage Data Storage Solution

This Request for Information (RFI) issued by a Florida county government on February 20, 2026, with responses due by February 27, 2026, seeks to determine whether Pure Storage, Inc. data storage solutions are available as a sole brand designation or if comparable alternative products and services exist to meet the county's needs. The procurement encompasses data storage solutions designed to support both structured and unstructured data environments, with emphasis on storage architecture capabilities including proprietary design features, drive type offerings (spinning hard drives, SSDs, or Direct Flash Modules), advanced feature support for artificial intelligence workloads, high-speed data retrieval, data reduction, resilient data protection, and immutable storage snapshot technology. The county has identified Pure Storage's proprietary DirectFlash Module (DFM) architecture as a primary distinguishing factor, with the solution designed and assembled in the United States to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing and mitigate supply chain disruptions. Evaluation criteria include storage architecture design specifications, U.S. manufacturing origin, support for multiple storage protocols, Technical Account Manager inclusion, hardware refresh subscription models, and pricing stability guarantees with no annual increases. Prospective vendors are instructed to submit detailed responses regarding their storage solutions' capabilities and supporting documentation through the electronic bidding system, and the Director of Purchasing retains sole authority to determine what qualifies as comparable and will notify all submitting vendors of the final determination regarding sole source or sole brand designation, with such decisions not subject to objection, protest, or appeal.

The RFI explicitly states this is not a request for pricing or a purchase commitment, and no information regarding contract duration, renewal options, funding amounts, or award dates has been specified at this preliminary information-gathering stage. No set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise restrictions, or limitations on organizational types responding to this RFI have been identified in the available documentation. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are referenced in the solicitation materials. The county's proposed standardization on Pure Storage is based on the vendor's exceptional performance, robust security features, and forward-looking capabilities suited for artificial intelligence workloads and resilient data protection, with the DirectFlash Module's fully integrated, software-defined flash storage solution identified as the primary technical distinction from competitors utilizing traditional third-party hardware. Award values, budget ranges, and specific pricing information are not provided as part of this RFI phase of procurement activity.