This is a notice of intent to sole source as required by FAR 5.203. The Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR S 6.302-1 entitled “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.” The Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations intends to solicit and award on a sole source basis a contract action to NEC National Security Systems, Inc. (NEC NSS), UEI: RLRZWEARX7M3, 4310 Wilson Blvd, Suite 505, Arlington, VA 22203 to acquire NEC Advanced Identity Manager (AIM) Perpetual License Maintenance. This requirement is for maintenance for existing perpetual NEC Facial licenses for the Face Enterprise-wide Software Advanced Identity Manager eXtensible Multimodal (AIM-XM) and Advanced Identity Matcher - Edge Source (AIM-ES) products and assessment tools for unlimited biometric quantities, on unlimited hardware platforms, and at unlimited locations. Additional details in the attached Statement of Work. Pursuant to the FAR Subpart 6.302-1, “Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements,” the brand name NEC Advanced Identity Manager software maintenance is essential to the matching capabilities to perform biometric identification in support of screening, vetting, and credentialing of individuals seeking immigration benefits, employment, or entry/exit to the United States. The Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) requires NEC Face & Iris Software Maintenance, and no other product can interconnect and function with current DHS network architecture, maintenance platforms and configuration. The IDENT infrastructure (Transaction Manager (TM) and Matcher Interface Service (MIS)) have been designed around the NEC AIM product for facial and iris recognition. The TM and MIS would need to be rebuilt to accommodate a different manufacturer's matching product, which would increase the cost tremendously. DHS network architecture, maintenance platforms, and configuration systems require the use of NEC NSS’s product to ensure interoperability with other DHS systems at all data centers. The NEC Facial Software must be configured in accordance with DHS OCIO system architecture requirements. The use of other products could result in interoperability, compatibility, interface issues that would preclude the system’s support team from providing efficient and effective customer support. Procuring an alternate product other than NEC Advanced Identity Manager (AIM) would not enable continuity of efforts across multiple system implementations and not allow for cost savings associated with future implementations. The initial cost impact to continue with the existing NEC Advanced Identity Manager-extensible Multimodal (AIM-XM) only supports 300M unique identities. When OBIM exceeds the 300M capacity, the cost for additional capacity in 50M increments cost $1M per increment based on historical information. Additional costs will be required to address 1) the compatibility issues by introducing a non- NEC Facial License solution, 2) additional support services for engineering, integration, documentation, and maintenance, and 3) a potential break in service due to a learning curve for the support team to gain proficient knowledge on the new software. Additionally, while the NEC software and maintenance may be available through authorized resellers under NASA SEWP and First Source II, in 2018 OBIM paid an initial one-time non-recurring Enterprise-Wide license fee of $33.8M to the manufacturer, NEC Corporation of America, under the previous contract with CSRA, LLC (Task Order No. 70RNPP18FR0000069). NEC has confirmed that procuring the maintenance from an authorized reseller would result in OBIM paying an additional non-recurring Enterprise-Wide license fee in the amount of $33.8M, and there would be no recovery of the initial investment of fees. However, if the maintenance is again procured through NEC, the fee would not have to be repaid. This results in a savings of $33.8M, which cannot be offset through competing this requirement amongst authorized resellers. All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. Interested vendors may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact no later than 2:00 p.m. EDT on 3 August 2023. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. This notice of intent is NOT a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for competitive quotes. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. Interested parties may submit any information for consideration by the Government to
[email protected] and
[email protected] with Solicitation No. 70RDAD23R00000016 referenced in the subject line. The period of performance for this contract is as follows: Base period: September 30, 2023 – 29 September 2024 Option 1: September 30, 2024 - 29 September 2025 Option 2: September 30, 2025 - 29 September 2026 Option 3: September 30, 2026 - 29 September 2027 Option 4: September 30, 2027 – 29 September 2028 Place of Performance: 9325 Cypress Loop Road, MS 39529, maintenance support for any DHS mission and any official function where DHS is the Biometric Service Provider (e.g., supporting the OBIM Enterprise; Exit, Entry, and Screening mission areas; International data sharing; Biometric System Interoperability; etc.). License cannot be independently used by non-DHS organizations for non-DHS functions. Set-aside status: No set-aside used. PSC: 7A21 IT and Telecom—Application Development Software (Perpetual License Software) NAICS: 518210 Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services Anticipated Award Date: 9/29/2023 Contract Award Number and Amount: TBD