70 -- Brand Name Justification

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) plans to procure Brand Name Rittal server racks to support existing Rittal hardware infrastructure that is installed in its data center facilities. This announcement is considered a Brand Name justification. This is not a solicitation. This acquisition will be conducted utilizing Part 13 of the FAR, Simplified Acquisition procedures, and the test program authorized in FAR subpart 13.5, and the Patent and Trademark Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG). The acquisition will be conducted utilizing existing USPTO's Blanket Purchase Agreements for Information Technology products, a small business set-aside. Rittal server rack hardware is the USPTO's established standard based commercial product in accordance with the USPTO's Technical Reference Model (TRM), which defines a comprehensive set of information technology standards, services, interfaces, supporting data formats, and protocols. It is essential that the USPTO acquire Rittal server racks for consistency and flexibility. Currently, the USPTO has 170 installed Rittal server racks. The Rittal server racks are more versatile because they will handle all manufacturer servers, and are not limited to specific manufacturers. By using the Rittal racks, the USPTO is able to support all manufacturers and move servers within the data center as necessary to support operations without having to purchase manufacturer specific racks. Rittal manufactures manufacturer specific racks such as IBM but they are at a higher price. These racks are for phase 2 of the Enterprise Remote Access (ERA) project. Rittal server racks were purchased for phase 1. Rittal server racks are needed for continuity and for efficient use of replacement parts and spare parts. If you have questions regarding this notice, they may be addressed by email to Sylvia Van Dyke at [email protected].