Notice ID: 36C10A21Q0280
Contract Award Number: NNG15SD26B
Task/Delivery Order Number: 36C10A22F0014
Based on extensive market research, as described in paragraph 8 of this document, it was determined that limited competition is viable among resellers for the brand name IBM QRadar software maintenance as described in section 3 of this justification. The current ITOPS infrastructure is based on existing IBM QRadar software and VA requires maintenance for the existing infrastructure protocols and functionality in order to ensure continued operational availability. Only IBM or a reseller can provide the necessary software maintenance and updates because of the propriety source code required to develop and implement software updates and upgrades. Access to this code is also needed to ensure all technical support provided includes properly configured coding. No other source is capable of providing the required software maintenance that meets VA’s unique functional requirements. Due to proprietary constraints, acquisition of any other maintenance would necessitate a complete replacement of the IBM QRadar infrastructure in place.
The Government’s technical experts conducted web-based market research in May 2021 reviewed similar software products and services to ascertain if these items could meet VA’s requirements. Specifically, the Government’s technical experts reviewed FireEye Security and Malware protection, NetScout (VSS Monitoring), and Imperva Web Application Security. As a result of the market research the technical experts confirmed that as the source code required to issue the updates is proprietary, IBM QRadar is the only source capable of providing the required maintenance for QRadar software. No other firm has the capability of developing and issuing software updates and fixes for QRadar software necessary to support existing ITOPS requirements. None of the vendors or products researched were able to meet the functional requirements as stated in paragraph 5. No product other than IBM QRadar software is able to meet these requirements due to integration with existing installed software and performance of the functional requirements detailed in paragraph 5. Based on the above, only IBM QRadar software subscription maintenance meets all of the Government’s requirements.
