VA-26-00039630 IBM Sterling Business to Business (B2B) Integration Suite MiddleWare Software Licenses, Maintenance, Support and Health Checks Remote Engagement

The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a firm-fixed price delivery order under the NASA SEWP V Governmentwide Acquisition Contract to V3Gate, LLC, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, for the procurement of IBM Sterling Business to Business Integration Suite middleware software licenses, maintenance, support, and remote health checks. The contract supports mission-critical financial and healthcare systems that process over one million veteran healthcare claims annually, requiring seamless and secure EDI x12 data exchanges. The acquisition is conducted as a sole-source procurement due to the proprietary nature of IBM’s middleware, which is uniquely compatible with the VA’s existing transformation engines, Secure Proxy components, and EDI mappings; alternative platforms such as Cleo, Mulesoft Anypoint Platform, and OpenText BizManager were evaluated and deemed technically unacceptable. The contract includes a 12-month base period with two optional 12-month extensions, allowing for a total potential performance period of 36 months, and provides for incremental license purchases in blocks of 100 Processor Value Units to accommodate projected 30% growth in system usage. All services are delivered remotely from V3Gate’s location in Colorado Springs, Colorado, under strict security and compliance requirements including the protection of Protected Health Information and adherence to VA-specific regulatory deviations under FAR 16.507. Maintenance and support require active IBM software subscription and support agreements to ensure continuous access to security patches, version upgrades, and defect resolutions; failure to maintain this subscription poses unacceptable cybersecurity and compliance risks. Key personnel must demonstrate proven expertise with IBM-specific tools including Transformation Extender and Sterling Security Proxy, and remote health checks are a required component for architecture optimization and operational efficiency. The contract was set aside exclusively for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, with V3Gate identified as the awardee following market research that confirmed no viable alternatives exist. No physical delivery, packaging, marking, or FOB terms apply, as this is a software license and service-based procurement; invoicing and payment details are not specified but are managed under the SEWP V GWAC framework, with contract administration handled by the VA Technology Acquisition Center in Eatontown, New Jersey.