Brand Name Justification for Microsoft Azure Licenses

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is procuring Microsoft Azure licenses through a sole-source acquisition under FAR 6.302-1, justified by the unique and indispensable capabilities of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, which uniquely meets the agency’s technical, operational, and compliance requirements for cloud services. The acquisition, conducted under simplified procedures via the NASA SEWP Government-Wide Acquisition Contract, supports HUD’s organizational cloud infrastructure by provisioning all necessary Azure-based resources within its tenant to ensure licensing compliance, cost optimization, and alignment with federal cloud mandates. The Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition identifies Four Points Technology, LLC, Minburn Technology Group, and an unnamed SDVOSB vendor as the only eligible resellers, all of which are certified small businesses with Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business status, and confirms that no other cloud provider can deliver the required functionality without significant cost, schedule, or risk implications. The solicitation number is HUD-NOF-0001, posted on June 2, 2026, with a firm fixed price contract structure and a 12-month period of performance, though no unit pricing or total contract value is disclosed in the justification documents. The procurement is administered by HUD’s Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, with Dwayne Gist serving as the Contracting Officer and Eric Sidle, Chief Information Officer, serving as the program office representative, though formal COR/COTR appointment details are absent. Payment and invoicing methods are implied to follow the NASA SEWP framework, likely utilizing Wide Area Workflow, but no remittance or accounting data such as TAS, AAC, or ACRN are provided. Acceptance of the cloud service is administratively determined by HUD’s OCIO based on compliance with the sole-source justification, price reasonableness, and adherence to SEWP contract terms, with no physical delivery or inspection criteria applicable due to the digital nature of the service. All required certifications, including market research documentation, price analysis, and vendor qualifications, are embedded in the justification, and no competitive evaluation factors exist due to the non-competitive nature of the award. The acquisition is funded by FY2026 IT Funds under agency code 866154, and submissions must be electronic with digital signatures, consistent with federal acquisition requirements for brand-name justifications under FAR 13.501 and 6.302-1.