Justification and Approval for Exception to Fair Opportunity BRAND NAME JUSTIFICATION Social Security Administration CrossMatch Items ID03120097 NOTE: This document is prepared in accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B) - 1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE AGENCY AND THE CONTRACTING ACTIVITY The requiring activity is the Social Security Administration, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235. The contracting activity is GSAJFAS, Region 3, The Strawbridge Building, 20 N. Eighth Street, 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3191. - 2. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED The action being approved is the use of Brand Name products for the SSA's solicitation for a CrossMatch Item to support the agency's HSPD-12 Credentialing process. While this is a Brand Name action, the products required are commercially available via several authorized resellers and under several Government contracts, including the NASA SEWP IV GWAC, under which this requirement will be competed. - 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY'S NEEDS The following brand names are being purchased to effectively build a teleconference communication system for the NC[. The Bill of Materials contains the specific products required by these brand names. - CrossMatch LSCAN GUARDIAN L WITH WEBS CLIENT LICENSE The above Brand Name product is commercially available and is available from several authorized resellers under the NASA SEWP IV contract, the chosen contract vehicle for this requirement. This requirement requires no installation or services. The delivery timeframe is 30 days in accordance with the NASA SEWP IV. contract. Initial market research was conducted by the client agency to give a government best estimate for the desired products in the amount of $400,000 - 4. IDENTIFICATION OF THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY AND THE SUPPORTING RATIONALE The exceptions at FAR 16.505(b)(2) do not apply as this is a Brand Name Justification, however the Justification format at 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(A) applies and is modified to reflect a brand name justification. Fair opportunity will be given to all of the NASA SEWP IV contract awardees. Client agency will monitor changes in technology that may afford other items to meet the requirements and open up greater competition The information for the Brand Name Justification was provided by Eric Mitchell, SSA, and is contained in the contract file and within this justification document and as noted in the below rationale. The HSPD-12 credcntialing process requires the capturing of the applicant's fingerprint which are then sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and electronically placed into the credential. SSA requires a cost-effective hardware solution for capturing and transmitting these prints. The agency is limited in which equipment it can use for fingerprinting-the equipment must be found on the HSPD-12 Approved Products List (APL) published by OMB and they must be compliant with the FBI as well as SSA systems. Although they are a state agency, the DDS accesses our networks and, in some cases, our facilities. As a result, they have elected to participate in the Homeland Security Presidential Directive #12 (HSPD-12) which calls for the use of a Federally issued Personal Identity Verification credential (PIV) to access Federal controlled logical or physical space. To that end, every State employee or contractor who accesses Federally space must be issued a PIV credential. SSA has developed specific software interfaces and drivers for the CrossMatch product and fully tested and approved this product for use in the HSPD-12 process and on their networks. These device drivers not only meet the HSPD-12 mandates but also the National Institute of Standards (KIST) 800-73, The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and Government Services Administration's HSPD-12 Approved Products List. Further, we have developed specific software for CrossMatch devices and use Crossmatch already at all 120,000 SSA workstations nationwide. This is the only fingerprinting software and equipment which has been tested and approved for use on our LAN. The CrossMatch solution represents the only product of meeting SSA's needs for the DDS roll-out. - 5. FAIR AND REASONABLE DETERMINATION Prices awarded on the NASA SEWP IV GWAC have already been determined to be fair and reasonable. The Government will ensure that quoted prices are reflected in the current contract. In addition, contract line item pricing may be further discounted or negotiated by the CO. Finally the successful quote will be compared to other price quotes that meet the requirements of the Government and to the IGCE in order to ensure that the anticipated price paid by the government is fair and reasonable. - 6. OTHER SUPPORTING FACTORS There are no other supporting factors. - 7. ACTIONS TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS THAT LED TO THE EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY ? Client agency will monitor changes in technology that may afford other items to meet the requirements and open up greater competition ? - 8. The contracting officer certifies that the information in this justification is accurate based on information received from the client agency and verified by the client agency representative, Eric Mitchell - 9. The technical representative for this buy also certifies that the information in this justification is accurate based on information received from the client agency and verified by the client agency representative, Eric Mitchell Certifications and Approvals on Following Page CERTIFICATIONS AND APPROVALS Requirements: Personnel Computer Specialist - Buyer Certification I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the Exception to Fair Opportunity, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. A thur H. Jones Computer Specialist - Buyer Date RObert L. Vitelli Contracting Officer I certify that this Exception to Fair Opportunity is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.
