70--QUANTUM SDLT 320(GSA SCHEDULE)

This is a sources sought notice, which constitutes the only solicitation; bids are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is 1045-747067 and is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). If your company can provide the product/services listed on the solicitation and comply with all of the solicitation instructions, please respond to this sources sought notice. To view the specifications, please go to www.FedBid.com and reference Buy No. 39429_01. GSA Schedule Bids Only: Sellers bidding on this opportunity MUST have the items requested on an existing GSA Schedule. The Schedule must either be in the seller's name or the seller must be able to document its ability to act as an agent of a partner's Schedule. Sellers may offer Open Market items only in accordance with the approved Terms and Conditions of their respective GSA Schedule AND upon approval from the soliciting Contracting Officer. Information regarding GSA Schedules can be found at www.GSA.gov. This requirement is unrestricted and only qualified sellers may submit bids. The solicitation pricing on www.FedBid.com will start on the date this solicitation is posted and will end on 2007-04-24 15:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com. FOB Destination shall be Sterling, VA 20166 The Department of State requires the following items, Exact Match Only, to the following: LI 001, Quantum Super DLTtape 320- Tape Drive- Super DLT (160GB/320GB)- SDLT 320- SCSI LVD- External p/n: TR-S23BA-EY, 32, EA; For this solicitation, Department of State intends to conduct an online competitive reverse auction to be facilitated by the third-party reverse auction provider, FedBid, Inc. FedBid has developed an online, anonymous, browser based application to conduct the reverse auction. A Seller may submit a series of pricing bids, which descend in price during the specified period of time for the aforementioned reverse auction. Department of State is taking this action in an effort to improve both seller access and awareness of requests and the agency's ability to gather multiple, completed, real-time bids. All responsible Sellers that respond to this solicitation MUST submit the pricing portion of their bid using the online exchange located at www.FedBid.com. There is no cost to register, review procurement data or make a bid on www.FedBid.com. Sellers that are not currently registered to use www.FedBid.com should proceed to www.FedBid.com to complete their free registration. Sellers that require special considerations or assistance may contact the FedBid Helpdesk at 877-9FEDBID (+1 (555) 000-0000) or via email at contact@example.gov. Sellers may not artificially manipulate the price of a transaction on www.FedBid.com by any means. It is unacceptable to place bad faith bids, to use decoys in the www.FedBid.com process or to collude with the intent or effect of hampering the competitive www.FedBid.com process. Should Sellers require additional clarification, contact FedBid at 877-9FEDBID (+1 (555) 000-0000) or contact@example.gov. Use of FedBid: Buyers and Sellers agree to conduct this transaction through FedBid in compliance with the FedBid Terms of Use. Buyers and Sellers understand that FedBid ranks all bids by price; however, pursuant to applicable acquisition regulations and/or departmental guidelines, Buyers may use criteria other than price to evaluate offers. Accordingly, please note that, unless otherwise specified herein below, to the extent required by applicable regulations and/or guidelines, award will be made to the responsible Seller whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Buyer on the basis of price, technical capability, delivery, and past performance. Agencies may require registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) prior to receipt of order. Information can be found at www.ccr.gov FOB DESTINATION CONUS ALL BOXES AND CONTAINERS MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE REQUISITION REFERENCE NUMBER FOUND IN BLOCK 4, OF 347 ORDER FOR SUPPLIERS AND SERVICSE. SHIPPING DOCUMENTS WILL CELARLY LIST EACH ITEM AND THE QUANTITY SHIPPED AS CONTAINED WITHIN BOXES OR CONTAINERS. IF SINGLE LINE ITEMS HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED INTO MAJOR COMPONENT, SHIPPING DOCUMENTS MUST ACCOUNT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS SHIPPED WITHIN THE MAJOR COMPONENT Agencies may require registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) prior to receipt of order. Information can be found at www.ccr.gov New equipment ONLY, NO remanufactured products, and NO "gray market" BIDS MUST BE VALID FOR 30 DAYS. NO EXCEPTIONS OR QUALIFICATIONS. NEW ONLY. NO REFURBISHED. NO RECONDITIONED ITEMS ARE ACCEPTABLE. ). This Justification and Approval (J&A) on a brand name only basis is for the use of the Quantum SDLT 320 Tape Drive. The use of a brand name description is essential to the Government's requirements, for Department of State - SDLT technology roadmap offers future capacities beyond 1TB per cartridgeinfrastructure connectivity requirements, thereby precluding consideration of the products of another company.Digital Linear Tape (DLT) is one of several technologies developed to increase data transfer rates and storage capacities of computer tape drives. SDLT, an upgraded variant of DLT technology, makes it possible to store more than 100 GB on a single cartridge with data transfer speeds of up to 10 MB per second. SDLT drives are currently deployed to posts. The SDLT 160/320 is the second tape drive released in the SDLT family, offering a 45% increase in native storage capacity and performance as compared to the SDLT 110/220 GB tape drive. With its improvements in capacity and performance, the SDLT 160/320 GB tape drive is positioned as the fastest and highest capacity tape drive in the mid-range drive segment. Backward read compatible with DLT Type IV media, the SDLT 160/320 maintains the SDLT compatibility standards introduced on the SDLT 110/220 while adding read compatibility for media written in the DLT1 and DLT VS 40/80 format. SDLT 160/320 GB Tape Drive Customer benefits include: - 160 GB per cartridge capacity requires fewer data cartridges for backups, reducing the customers total cost of ownership - 57.6 GB/hour performance reduces the customers backup window by 33% or more as compared to other competitive technologies - Investment protection through backward-read compatibility with previously written DLT Type IV and SDLT media - Increased reliability and performance through technological advances in drive head and media design - Reduces dependence on spares inventory with a 24-hour exchange The 41 USC 253(c)(1), and FAR 6.302-1 are cited at the statutory authority.As this is a brand name only justification, no one contractor's unique qualifications are cited as the basis for this justification. Rather, the products identified by brand name herein have been determined to be the only items that meet the Department's requirements as a key component of the Department's networking system. CA/CST has selected the Quantum SDLT 320 GB Tape Drive because results obtain by the Bureau's System Engineering Task Team in tests and reviews of other manufacturers tape drives indicated that this is the only tape drive that meets the DoS's processing, redundancy, and management requirements. The requested SDLT tape drives will be deployed at overseas posts which has established an environment comprised of equipment that is compatible with the Quantum SDLT 320 tape drive. The continued use of the SDLT tape drive eliminates the need to procure, maintain, and account for spare part inventories for multiple HW manufacturers server configurations. Most importantly, the Quantum SDLT 320 GB Drive is currently the only tape drive available that meets CA's requirements. In summation, CA/CST believes that it is in the best interests of the Government to acquire the requested Quantum SDLT 320 Tape Drive without delay.