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 8631-700704 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. 36572. 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 2007-02-05 13:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com. FOB Destination shall be Washington, DC 20520 The Department of State requires the following items, Exact Match Only, to the following: LI 001, (2) BACK UP SUPPLY FOR SFE, HIGH V.35, USA, TDES, AES 5.X , 4, EA; LI 002, (2) BACK UP SUPPLY FOR ONE YEAR OF MAINTENANCE SERVICE, 4, 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. The Office of Acquisition Management (A/LM/AQM), Department of State (DoS), is processing this acquisition at the request of the Bureau of Administration's Executive Office, Information Resource Management (A/EX/IRM). This Justification and Approval (J&A) on a brand name only basis is for the use of Encryption Equipment. The use of a brand name description is essential to the Government's requirements, for Department of State infrastructure connectivity security requirements, thereby precluding consideration of the products of another company. IRM/OPS/ENM along with the GITM team has identified the SafeNet Encryption Hardware device as a key component of the Department's OpenNet Plus network infrastructure and complies with 5 FAM 800 Information Systems Management. The equipment listed above is required to provide encryption access to the OpenNet Plus Frame-Relay network by providing application level access to IT resources on OpenNet Plus. The SafeNet devices are essential to the State Department's requirements for maximum protection and utilization of the network security infrastructure over WAN connections.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 Open Net Plus Frame-Relay networking infrastructure.
