ACTstor x2350 Data

***NOAA's Acquisition & Grants Office, Western Acquisition Division-Boulder, US DOC National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, intends to negotiation, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Advanced Clustering Technologies, INC out of Kansas City, Missouri, for a new ACTstor x2350 data - 13x7.68TB (99.8 Tb usable storage).

***The sole source determination is based on the US DOC NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center requirement that Advanced Clustering Technologies, INC, is the sole source manufacturer of the ACTstor x2350 data - 13x7.68TB (99.8 Tb usable storage) and is the only hardware that will suit our needs. The required supplies are compatible in all aspects (form, fit, and function) with existing systems or equipment, and the source is uniquely qualified to meet the requirement. The current system includes high performance computing infrastructure that must coordinate and connect in a stable way to the additional hardware requested, and ACT has the unique capability to integrate new components so the system operates, and operates efficiently, once the upgrades are installed. Because of the proprietary nature of the system, other companies cannot meet the needs for this new infrastructure. According to market research no other vendors have the specific requirements or knowledge to interface with our custom-build high performance computing system because they did not design and build the system and do not have information about compatibility of components and communication among nodes. The customized software is what allows the nodes to communicate and compute as one cluster rather than individual nodes. Delivery of the supply is by 12/31/2022.

***THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.