Notice ID 140D0421Q0638
“Requirement: HHS OIG Entrust Certificate Management”
“2.0 Nature and/or description of the action being approved.
This procurement on behalf of HHS/OIG/OMP is for Mobile Derived Credential software licenses and derived credential services, manufactured by Entrust Corporation on a brand-name basis. The contract type will be Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) for a 12-Month Base plus four (4) 12-Month options…”
“3.0 A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).
This requirement is to procure Mobile Derived Credential software licenses and derived credential services, manufactured by Entrust Corporation, on a brand name basis. This software allows mobile devices, such as smart phone and tablets, to be provisioned with PIV credentials allowing such the mobile devices to take the place of the smart card for remote authentication to the OIG Network…
The primary objectives of this effort are to: (a) ensure the authenticity of the individuals accessing OIG information and protect that information in the field, (b) comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive -12 (HSPD-12), Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201-2, and NIST Specification Publication (SP) 800-157, (c) ensure authorized services are provided within specific parameters, committed service levels, and designated procedures, (d) improve quality of services and reduce the costs…”
“4.0 Identification of the exception to fair opportunity (see 16.505(b)(2)) and the supporting rationale, including a demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the exception cited. If the contracting officer uses the logical follow-on exception, the rationale shall describe why the relationship between the initial order and the follow-on is logical (e.g., in terms of scope, period of performance, or value)…”
“The basis for this justification is set forth in:
FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), 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 (to include brand name in accordance with 16.505(a)(4)). It is expected that this action will be solicited under NASA SEWP Group C small business contract holders. The justification for an exception to fair opportunity being considered is to limit the software licenses and maintenance on a brand name basis.
The software licenses and maintenance sought are only available on a brand name basis from Entrust Corporation due to the software’s proprietary nature. However, market research indicates that NASA SEWP, Group C has multiple small business re-sellers for these products. Market research also indicates that similar services offered by other companies lack particular features and do not meet, or cannot be modified to meet, the level of services required by HHS OIG. Furthermore, other companies’ software would pose integration issues with the software currently in use within HHS OIG, resulting in daily operations being negatively affected.
Entrust Corporation software is an essential component of the HHS OIG IT infrastructure and HHS OIG’s staff is trained and competent in utilizing Entrust Corporation. Any change to a different brand product would necessitate additional staff training and require additional time for the staff to gain proficiency with the replacement service. Furthermore, any change would pose significant logistical challenges as the new software would not be capable of seamlessly interfacing with HHS OIG’s existing IT infrastructure, resulting in interoperability issues between the differing software products as well as any documents generated from them…”
