Justification and Authorization for Other than Full and Open IBM Maximo Competition.
ITS has been making an effort to ensure that Federal contracting offices and program managers have all of the information necessary to make decisions that are the best for the agency that they are representing. Using FAR 6.302-1, some federal agencies have stated that IBM is the sole source for licensing. However, some agencies have recently rescinded these sole source justifications and have made them full and open or set-aside bids due to additional information that they are receiving.
While it is true that IBM is the manufacturer of Maximo, they are not the only source for licensing. Quite the contrary, there are several options available to contracting officers that help to ensure that their agency and by association the American taxpayer save on the cost of licensing. There is viable competition in the Federal marketplace for initial licensing and renewals. In fact, the certified business partners can extend very competitive pricing.
Many times we see a justification saying that IBM is the sole source since they developed the software. If this were true then EVERY software purchase made by the federal government should go directly to the software creator. We all know that isn’t the case.
Bottom line is that Maximo licenses can be provided by several sources. Attempting to state that only one company can provide them is inaccurate and could open up the Federal government to protests.
