D -- HPC WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

The General Services Administration, Federal Technology Service (GSA-FTS), on behalf of the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP), is issuing this request for information to industry. The HPCMP is considering pursuing a contract for the purchase and maintenance of workload management software (in it’s simplest form, queuing and scheduling) to support the HPCMP’s HPC Centers’ computer job management requirements. In addition, limited direct technical services in support of customer-specific software enhancements and installations may also be pursued. It is envisioned that the contract will provide a capability for the HPCMP beginning in mid-2007. Software products from an incumbent contractor are currently addressing this requirement. Currently the HPCMP is responsible for approximately 30 HPC-class systems, of varying manufacturers, distributed across 8 large computing centers with 13 of the HPC systems having over 1000 processors each. The HPCMP web-site www.hpcmo.hpc.mil provides links to activities and resources associated with the Program. As a part of the early stages of formulating this acquisition, the GSA is surveying potential candidates for qualified participation as well as seeking early input that will assist in formulating the architecture of the contract. Two items of interest include: a. The GSA is assessing the potential for using a Schedule 70 “General Purpose Commercial Information Technology Equipment, Software, Services” contract vehicle to address this requirement. Please indicate if candidate product(s) and services are currently available or will be available on a GSA Schedule 70 contract prior to an anticipated contract award date of April 2006. b. The Government considers the significant scale of implementation associated with the selected product(s) coupled with the long-term commitment to the selected product, maintenance and services to be unique. As a function of this, the HPCMP is pursuing a correspondingly unique software licensing and respective pricing model. This is envisioned to go beyond traditional “volume discounts” to view the HPCMP requirement as a long term conglomerate of dynamically changing and growing resources versus an assembly of many pieces that incrementally change from year to year. The GSA is seeking input from industry with respect to an industry-acceptable licensing model that can effectively address this unique environment. Please respond back to Ms. Mona Neal by 5pm CDT 5 October 2005, addressing the above two items as well as providing any other information that might be of value in formulating the architecture of this acquisition. This Request for Information is not a solicitation. The Government is only seeking responses from potential interested sources. Limit responses to 3 pages. Responses shall be sent by e-mail to [email protected].