INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE The Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Regional Procurement Office Central, Network Contracting Office 10, intends to enter into a sole source procurement pursuant to FAR 6.302-1, for expansion of the Veteran/Guest Internet Access (VGIA) system in building 83 at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center, 5500 Armstrong Road, Battle Creek, MI 49037. The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to award a sole source, firm-fixed price purchase order to Red River Technology, Inc (Red River), 21 Water Street, Suite 500, Claremont, New Hampshire 03743. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 334210 Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing , and the Business Size Standard is 1,250 employees. The proposed procurement will consist of the additional hardware (access points, POE switches, power supplies, transceivers), hardware configuration, licenses, verifying and adjusting signal coverage, and supplying a heat map upon completion. The addition of building 83 to the VGIA system is an effort to provide better guest internet access across the VAMC campus. This addition will increase existing network infrastructure providing more comprehensive coverage. Internet services provide a way for our veterans/patients to remain in contact with family, friends, and comrades. This helps with the feeling of being insignificant, isolated, and alone. The VGIA network is also a critical part of working with our outpatient veterans with disabilities to overcome and adapt with modern technology. VA currently uses Cisco hardware, maintenance and support services and AT&T Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the existing VGIA network currently installed and operating at the VAMC. It is the Government s belief that only Red River can provide the expansion of the VGIA system required to complete and maintain 100% VGIA. The current VGIA network was designed and installed by Red River and only Red River possesses the knowledge, technical capability, and access to network infrastructure in order to expand and provide VGIA coverage for the VAMC campus. First, the range-overlap of access points (APs) from two different vendors will require an ongoing negotiation and adjudication of AP power levels and channel settings that will lead to confusion between vendor accountability for those areas with overlapping signals. This would result in the Veteran user s inability to consistently stay connected to a single network which would degrade their ability to access and utilize VA online educational and/or health benefits, as well as stay connected to their families and communities. Second, there would be inevitable duplication of Wide Area Network drop and network server and distribution hardware and cabling for those areas of coverage by a second vendor, other than Red River. This could result in the VA possibly having to pay for overlapping services. Finally, there would be conflicting synchronization across wireless networks to include landing pages, bandwidth, response and performance and web filtering which will lead to an inconsistent and unreliable user experience which would be counterproductive to our VGIA coverage, at VA Battle Creek. Based on potential constraints in available space to support duplication in hardware, the difficulty and complexity in managing potential AP signal interference across two different vendors wherever APs from different networks share common space, along with the need for VA to manage vendor accountability in a multiple vendor environment, and the potential disruption of user internet access by user walking from one network domain to another this expansion solution requires Red River to be the only source that can provide the necessary expansion in order to meet the VAMC s requirements detailed above. This notice satisfies the requirement at FAR 5.201(b)(1), to publicize the proposed contract action. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals or quotes. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Interested persons may identify their interests and capability to respond to this requirement no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to meet the subject requirement. This information shall be provided at no cost or obligation to the Government. Interest/capability statements shall be submitted to Jeffrey Rozema via e-mail at
[email protected]. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.