70--VBLOCK

MODIFICATION NOTICE:Bids are being solicited under solicitation number 10693M2282. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; bids are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation is issued as an invitation for bids (IFB), unless otherwise indicated herein.If your company can provide the product/services listed on the solicitation and comply with all of the solicitation instructions, please respond to this notice. To view the specifications, please go to www.FedBid.com and reference Buy No. 560514. NASA SEWP IV Bids Only: Sellers bidding on this opportunity MUST have the items requested on an existing NASA SEWP IV contract. The contract 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 contract. Sellers must not bid more than their applicable contract ceiling price, excluding the FedBid Fee, for contract-specific items. If FedBid receives notice that, due to inclusion of the FedBid Fee, the Selected Bid's line item pricing is higher than the Selected Seller's applicable published government contract pricing, the FedBid Fee will be reduced to ensure the Selected Bid's line item pricing does not exceed the Selected Seller's applicable contract pricing. Sellers may offer Open Market items only in accordance with the approved Terms and Conditions of their respective NASA SEWP IV contract AND upon approval from the soliciting Contracting officer. Information regarding NASA SEWP IV contracts is available at http://www.sewp.nasa.gov. The FedBid system will automatically calculate SEWP fees to the Seller bid. This is viewable on the Seller's bid confirmation page prior to submittal. 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 2013-09-19 13:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com.FOB Destination shall be Arlington, VA 22209 The Department of State requires the following items, Brand Name or Equal, to the following: LI 001: VBLOCK - to include the following items in the attachment., 1, LT; LI 002: Professional Services-Installation -- Deployment and Implementation service for a Vblock 200 within Customer?s Data Center environment (*-SNS-SERVICES-*). ?Equal? products must meet the following minimum requirements in the attachment., 1, EA; LI 003: 250 Training Units Valid 1 YR (CE-TU0250), 1, EA; Solicitation and Buy Attachments ***Question Submission: Interested offerors must submit any questions concerning the solicitation at the earliest time possible to enable the Buyer to respond. Questions must be submitted by using the 'Submit a Question' feature at www.fedbid.com. Questions not received within a reasonable time prior to close of the solicitation may not be considered.*** 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. Failure to comply with the below terms and conditions may result in offer being determined as non-responsive. If this is a ?Brand Name Only? procurement, Seller certifies that it is an authorized distributer of the brand name product being sold to the Department of State and that it has the certification/specialization level required by the manufacturer, to support both the product sale and product pricing, in accordance with applicable manufacturer certification/specialization requirements. Unless otherwise specified, Seller warrants that the products are new and in their original box(es). In addition to providing pricing at www.FedBid.com for this solicitation, each Offeror must provide any required, NON-PRICING responses (e.g. technical proposal, representations and certifications, etc.) so that they are received no later than the closing date and time for this solicitation; these can be submitted to contact@example.gov. This solicitation requires registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to award, pursuant to FAR 4.1102 and other applicable regulations and guidelines. Information can be found at www.sam.gov All Bids must be valid for 30 days from the closing date for this solicitation. No exceptions or qualifications. New equipment ONLY, NO grey market or refurbished products. Items must be in original packaging, never used, and not altered in any way. Components of the requested equipment, to include memory, must be manufacturer-approved and may not be compatible, remanufactured, or refurbished equipment. All items must be covered by manufacturer?s warranty and procured through a manufacturer approved distribution channel. Sellers must be able to document their ability to provide items through manufacturer approved distribution channels upon request. The Seller confirms to have sourced all products submitted in this Bid from manufacturer-approved channels for Federal sales, in accordance with all applicable laws and manufacturer?s current applicable policies at the time of purchase. Seller must be able to support both the product sale and product pricing, in accordance with applicable manufacturer certification / specialization requirements. If software is provided or included, Seller shall, upon request, provide Buyer with a copy of the End User License Agreement. Seller certifies that all software is licensed originally to Buyer as the original licensee authorized to use the software. All bid prices must include shipping FOB Destination CONUS (CONtinental U.S.). No partial shipments are permitted, unless otherwise specified by Contracting Officer at time of award. The Contractor and its employees shall exercise the utmost discretion in regard to all matters relating to their duties and functions. They shall not communicate to any person any information known to them by reason of their performance of services under this contract which has not been made public, except in the necessary performance of their duties or upon written authorization of the Contracting Officer. All documents and records (including photographs) generated during the performance of work under this contract shall be for the sole use and become the exclusive property of the U.S Government. Furthermore, no article, book, pamphlet, email, recording, broadcast, speech television appearance, film or photograph concerning any aspect of work performed under this contract shall be published or disseminated through any media without the prior written authorization of the Contracting Officer. These obligations do no cease upon the expiration or termination of this contract. The Contractor shall include the substance of this provision in all contracts of To be considered for award, offers of "equal" products, including "equal" products of the brand name manufacturer, must meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation. Clearly identify the item by brand name, if any, and make or model number. Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings or a clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information available to the Contracting Officer. Clearly describe any modifications the offeror plans to make in the product to make it conform to the solicitation requirements. Mark any descriptive material to clearly show the modifications. THE ACTUAL COMPONENTS OF THE VBLOCK (SOFTWARE, SWITCHES, ETC) MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED BECAUSE THEY ARE PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS ALREADY DEPLOYED BY THE DEPARTMENT. HOWEVER, THE VBLOCK STRUCTURED SOLUTION MAY BE SUBSTITUTED, AS WELL AS THE CONSULTING SERVICES AND TRAINING. An evaluation will be conducted based on best value, where delivery schedule offered, technical compliance as defined by staying as close to the listed specifications as identified, and past performance are more important than price. However, as delivery schedule, technical compliance and past performance become equal, award will be made on the basis of lowest price.