7630--Minneapolis VA Health Care System Medical Library Serials & Periodicals Sources Sought
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36C26326Q1003FederalResponse Deadline
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
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The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is seeking information from vendors capable of providing serials and periodicals subscriptions, including electronic databases, e-books, e-journals, and point-of-care resources, to support Veterans’ healthcare and research needs. The request is a sources sought notice for market research only and does not constitute a solicitation for bids or an intent to award a contract. Vendors must respond by August 11th, 2026, via email to Jeffrey.Brown8@va.gov and include their Unique Entity Identifier. Responses must address six specific questions regarding the organization’s socio-economic status, whether they are the manufacturer or authorized distributor of the products, the country of origin per FAR 52.225-2(b), existing government contracts, compliance with 13 CFR 121.406, and any contemplated subcontracting. Subcontracting limitations may apply if the requirement is later set aside for small businesses or Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. Vendors must be prepared to manage end-to-end subscription services for a comprehensive list of medical and scholarly journals, including ordering, renewals, claims processing for missing or defective issues, securing back issues up to one year prior, and providing MARC-format catalog records with stable URLs. Subscriptions span multiple publishers—medical, trade, academic, government, and non-profit—and cover subject areas such as health sciences, behavioral sciences, and business. Contractors must deliver detailed renewal lists in MS Excel format, clearly indicating title status, frequency, ISSN/ISBN, publisher, and constraints like discontinued or non-pro-rated subscriptions. They must also notify the VA within 30 days of any title discontinuation, serve as the primary liaison for publisher claims, maintain accurate electronic records, and demonstrate sufficient financial capacity to pay publishers in advance. A dedicated Project/Program Manager with at least three years of experience serving large healthcare organizations, preferably in health sciences, must be assigned to coordinate directly with the VA’s Contracting Officer Representative. All deliverables must align with strict timelines, including submissions 14 calendar days before final due dates, accounting for weekends and holidays.
General Info
Vendors sought to provide serials, e-resources, and full subscription management for VA healthcare and research by August 11, 2026.
Agency
Department Of Veterans Affairs → Network Contract Office 23 (36C263)View Agency
NAICS
519210 - Libraries and ArchivesView NAICS
Place of Performance
Minneapolis VAHCS, Minneapolis, MN, 55417Set-Aside
NONE
Timeline
PhaseSources Sought
Response Deadline
Organization & Contact Information
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AgencyDepartment Of Veterans Affairs → Network Contract Office 23 (36C263)
Contacts1 person available
OfficeSaint Paul, MN, 55101, USA
Organization / Agency
Department Of Veterans Affairs → Network Contract Office 23 (36C263)
View Agency ProfileOffice AddressSaint Paul, MN, 55101, USA
Contacts
Full Description
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The Minneapolis VA Health Care System requires serials periodicals that meet the requirements listed below in the draft Statement of Work.
This is a sources sought looking for businesses to provide the supplies listed below for market research purposes. No awards of a contract will be made from this announcement.
If you are a vendor that can provide the requested information above and required supplies described below with competitive pricing, send your information (to include your organization's Unique Entity Identifier number) with a description of proof of capability to: Jeffrey.Brown8@va.gov on or before August 11th, 2026. Only emailed responses will be considered.
Additionally, please provide answers as appropriate to the following questions in the table below with your response to this sources sought. Failure to respond to the following questions may affect the acquisition strategy.
Question #
Questions
Vendor Responses
1.
Identify your organization's socio-economic category.
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2.
Identify if your organization is the manufacturer of the requested supplies. If you are not the manufacturer, identify the manufacturer of the supplies that you will provide, their socio-economic category and a letter showing that your organization is an authorized distributor for the requested supplies.Â
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3.
Fill out the certificate under FAR Provision 52.225-2(b), identifying the item and its country of origin. (https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-52#FAR_52_225_2). If the product is a US domestic end product, write in USA for the item's country of origin.
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4.
State whether any of the requested supplies may be ordered against a government contract awarded to your organization (e.g Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), General Services Administration (GSA), etc.).
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5.
Address whether your organization meets the requirements of 13 CFR 121.406 (b)(1)(i), (b)(1)(ii) and (b)(1)(iii) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/chapter-I/part-121/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR0fca5207262de47/section-121.406#p-121.406(b)).
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6.
State if subcontracting is contemplated for this requirement, what percentage of the requirement will be subcontracted and for what tasks.
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*If applicable, VAAR 852.219-76 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance for Supplies and Products, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Veteran Owned Small-Businesses.*
 *If applicable, VAAR 852.212-71 Gray Market Items, will apply to the potential solicitation.*
*If applicable, FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Small-Businesses. *
Draft STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) Minneapolis VA Medical Healthcare System Serials and Periodicals Subscription
SCOPE OF WORK The scope of this effort falls in line with VA s mission, goals and objectives in support of providing Veterans care. Contractors shall be responsible for the management, labor and equipment necessary to provide subscriptions for databases, e-books, e-journals, point-of-care and other related online services from multiple publishing houses to the Minneapolis VA Healthcare System. Subscriptions shall include single or multiple addresses for domestic and foreign periodicals and related services. Related services include paying publishers, handling claims for non-receipt, cancellations, submission of required reports and other service problems.
BASIC SUBSCRIPTION ORDERS Contractors shall provide basic subscription services that would include all of the tasks necessary to execute and manage subscriptions of publications. These tasks fall into the following four critical areas: (1) Ordering subscriptions; (2) Ensuring timely delivery of ordered subscriptions; and (3) Providing reports and other documentation as outlined below as needed and other administrative support for subscriptions management.
ORDERS AND RENEWALS Contractors shall provide subscription services for all requested subscriptions.
Contractors shall supply materials from a wide range of publishers, to include, but not limited to: Medical publishers General circulation periodical publishers Trade publishers University presses Societies and Associations, Scientific Societies and Associations, Non-Scientific Small Presses Non-paper format publishers Government agencies Quasi-Governmental organizations (e.g., United Nations, World Health Organization)
Subject areas shall include materials in the following listing of subject/categories (Not intended to be all inclusive):
Health Sciences Allied Health Sciences Social and Behavioral Sciences Science and Technology Management Business and Administration Marketing General Interest
Subscription Renewal Lists Subscription Renewal Lists - At a minimum, Contractors shall be able to provide a renewal list as described below within 90 days prior to renewal. Contractors may propose other formats which the Station may, at its discretion, choose instead. The lists shall be provided in MS Excel format with optional print delivery. The Station provides Contractors listings by multiple ship-to addresses by category, i.e., medical, general, administrative; Contractors shall respond to the lists in the same manner. The listings shall be on separate pages for each "Ship to" address, shall alphabetically list all subscription titles ordered or on record for that consignee, and shall contain the following information: Title Quantity Subscription Period based on VA Data New, Renewal, Subscription added or Transfer Frequency Bibliographic status of those titles currently under review for renewal All additional titles which may not be due for renewal, but which are on record for a specific consignee Renewal documents; to contain an 80-character capacity local information field or fields for the storing of unique data for each title (e.g., internal fund accounting, subject identification, VA assigned numbers) Listing of any "direct only" titles, or titles which the Contractors cannot supply Listing of "standing order" or "billed as published" titles Documented constraints (i.e., irregular publication, discontinued, volume year or calendar year basis only, publisher will not pro-rate, no refund available,) shall be noted on subscription listing International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Publisher
Notification Of Ceased Or Discontinued Titles Contractors shall notify VA Stations of any ceased or discontinued titles within 30 calendar days of being notified that the titles are being discontinued.
Claims For Missing, Defective Or Mutilated Issues Contractors shall be the contract liaison for all VA Stations in obtaining from the publisher replacement copies of periodicals found to be defective, mutilated, lost in transit, or otherwise missing, provided the loss is reported within sixty business days.
Procedures outlined in FAR 52.212-4(b) will be followed in the event the Contractor fails to provide a replacement copy of the periodical within one month of the reporting of the issue.
Back Issues Upon request from a VA Station, Contractors shall acquire back issues of a title for up to one (1) year prior to the date of the current volume.
Contractor Representative Contractors shall assign one Project/Program Manager to work directly with the VA COR. The representative shall have at least three (3) years of experience in servicing organizations similar in size, scope, and complexity to VA. Past experience in servicing clients in the health sciences fields is required.
MARC Record Data Contractors shall provide electronic files of catalog data in MARC format in accordance with current MARC Standards as published by the United States Library of Congress, local or consortia holdings data in current MARC Standards as published by the United States Library of Congress, for loading into customer s local system. The Contractors shall have the ability to provide stable and accurate URLs either in title list format or included in the 856 field of the MARC record.
ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES
Electronic Data Records Contractors shall have the capacity to maintain accurate and current information regarding periodical titles, prices, publisher information, claims status, communication with consignee locations, address and mailing list maintenance.
Financial Resources Contractors shall have the financial resources to pay publishers in full and in advance for all VA orders placed with them.
SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES Note: All draft Deliverables shall be submitted 14 calendar days prior to the final Deliverable due date. Deliverables with due dates falling on a weekend or holiday shall be submitted the following Government work day after the weekend or holiday. List of Serials or Periodicals required: Publication title ISSN (Electronic) Age & Ageing {Incl Supplements} (ISSN 1468-2834 (Electronic)) 1468-2834 Alcohol & Alcoholism (ISSN 1464-3502 (Electronic)) 1464-3502 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (ISSN 1938-3207 (Electronic)) 1938-3207 American Journal of Epidemiology / Epidemiologic Reviews Pkg (ISSN 1476-6256 (Electronic)) 1476-6256 American Journal of Roentgenology (ISSN 1546-3141 (Electronic)) 1546-3141 American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ISSN 1476-1645 (Electronic)) 1476-1645 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration (ISSN 2167-9223 (Electronic)) 2167-9223 Annual Review of Clinical Psychology (ISSN 1548-5951 (Electronic)) 1548-5951 Aphasiology (ISSN 1464-5041 (Electronic)) 1464-5041 BMJ Case Reports (ISSN 1757-790X (Electronic)) 1757-790X Brain (ISSN 1460-2156 (Electronic)) 1460-2156 British Medical Bulletin (ISSN 1471-8391 (Electronic)) 1471-8391 Cardiovascular Research (ISSN 1755-3245 (Electronic)) 1755-3245 Endoscopy (ISSN 1438-8812 (Electronic)) 1438-8812 Evidence-Based Nursing (ISSN 1468-9618 (Electronic)) 1468-9618 Heart (ISSN 1468-201X (Electronic)) 1468-201X International Journal of Group Psychotherapy (ISSN 1943-2836 (Electronic)) 1943-2836 JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute (ISSN 1460-2105 (Electronic)) 1460-2105 Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISSN 1460-2091 (Electronic)) 1460-2091 Journal of Biochemistry (ISSN 1756-2651 (Electronic)) 1756-2651 Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet (ISSN 1539-8293 (Electronic)) 1539-8293 Journal of Endocrinology (ISSN 1479-6805 (Electronic)) 1479-6805 Journal of Endourology, Videourology, and Case Reports archive access (ISSN 1557-900X (Electronic)) 1557-900X Journal of Gerontological Social Work (ISSN 1540-4048 (Electronic)) 1540-4048 Journal of Immunology (ISSN 1550-6606 (Electronic)) 1550-6606 Journal of Infectious Diseases (ISSN 1537-6613 (Electronic)) 1537-6613 Journal of Neurophysiology (ISSN 1522-1598 (Electronic)) 1522-1598 Journal of Neurotrauma (ISSN 1557-9042 (Electronic)) 1557-9042 Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy (ISSN 1938-1344 (Electronic)) 1938-1344 Journal of Palliative Medicine (ISSN 1557-7740 (Electronic)) 1557-7740 Journal of Rheumatology {Incl Supplements} (ISSN 1499-2752 (Electronic)) 1499-2752 Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine (ISSN 2045-7723 (Electronic)) 2045-7723 Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs {Incl Supplements} (ISSN 1938-4114 (Electronic)) 1938-4114 Journal of Women's Health (ISSN 1931-843X (Electronic)) 1931-843X Journals of Gerontology, The : Series A (ISSN 1758-535X (Electronic)) 1758-535X Journals of Gerontology, The : Series B (ISSN 1758-5368 (Electronic)) 1758-5368 Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (ISSN 1086-3249 (Electronic)) 1086-3249 Nature Medicine (ISSN 1546-170X (Electronic)) 1546-170X Nutrition Reviews (ISSN 1753-4887 (Electronic)) 1753-4887 QJM: An International Journal of Medicine (ISSN 1460-2393 (Electronic)) 1460-2393 Science (ISSN 1095-9203 (Electronic)) 1095-9203 Science Immunology (ISSN 2470-9468 (Electronic)) 2470-9468 Science Robotics (ISSN 2470-9476 (Electronic)) 2470-9476 Science Translational Medicine (ISSN 1946-6242 (Electronic)) 1946-6242 Seminars in Thrombosis & Hemostasis (ISSN 1098-9064 (Electronic)) 1098-9064 Thorax (ISSN 1468-3296 (Electronic)) 1468-3296 Thrombosis & Haemostasis (ISSN 2567-689X (Electronic)) 2567-689X
Draft STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) Minneapolis VA Medical Healthcare System Serials and Periodicals Subscription
SCOPE OF WORK The scope of this effort falls in line with VA s mission, goals and objectives in support of providing Veterans care. Contractors shall be responsible for the management, labor and equipment necessary to provide subscriptions for databases, e-books, e-journals, point-of-care and other related online services from multiple publishing houses to the Minneapolis VA Healthcare System. Subscriptions shall include single or multiple addresses for domestic and foreign periodicals and related services. Related services include paying publishers, handling claims for non-receipt, cancellations, submission of required reports and other service problems.
BASIC SUBSCRIPTION ORDERS Contractors shall provide basic subscription services that would include all of the tasks necessary to execute and manage subscriptions of publications. These tasks fall into the following four critical areas: (1) Ordering subscriptions; (2) Ensuring timely delivery of ordered subscriptions; and (3) Providing reports and other documentation as outlined below as needed and other administrative support for subscriptions management.
ORDERS AND RENEWALS Contractors shall provide subscription services for all requested subscriptions.
Contractors shall supply materials from a wide range of publishers, to include, but not limited to: Medical publishers General circulation periodical publishers Trade publishers University presses Societies and Associations, Scientific Societies and Associations, Non-Scientific Small Presses Non-paper format publishers Government agencies Quasi-Governmental organizations (e.g., United Nations, World Health Organization)
Subject areas shall include materials in the following listing of subject/categories (Not intended to be all inclusive):
Health Sciences Allied Health Sciences Social and Behavioral Sciences Science and Technology Management Business and Administration Marketing General Interest
Subscription Renewal Lists Subscription Renewal Lists - At a minimum, Contractors shall be able to provide a renewal list as described below within 90 days prior to renewal. Contractors may propose other formats which the Station may, at its discretion, choose instead. The lists shall be provided in MS Excel format with optional print delivery. The Station provides Contractors listings by multiple ship-to addresses by category, i.e., medical, general, administrative; Contractors shall respond to the lists in the same manner. The listings shall be on separate pages for each "Ship to" address, shall alphabetically list all subscription titles ordered or on record for that consignee, and shall contain the following information: Title Quantity Subscription Period based on VA Data New, Renewal, Subscription added or Transfer Frequency Bibliographic status of those titles currently under review for renewal All additional titles which may not be due for renewal, but which are on record for a specific consignee Renewal documents; to contain an 80-character capacity local information field or fields for the storing of unique data for each title (e.g., internal fund accounting, subject identification, VA assigned numbers) Listing of any "direct only" titles, or titles which the Contractors cannot supply Listing of "standing order" or "billed as published" titles Documented constraints (i.e., irregular publication, discontinued, volume year or calendar year basis only, publisher will not pro-rate, no refund available,) shall be noted on subscription listing International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Publisher
Notification Of Ceased Or Discontinued Titles Contractors shall notify VA Stations of any ceased or discontinued titles within 30 calendar days of being notified that the titles are being discontinued.
Claims For Missing, Defective Or Mutilated Issues Contractors shall be the contract liaison for all VA Stations in obtaining from the publisher replacement copies of periodicals found to be defective, mutilated, lost in transit, or otherwise missing, provided the loss is reported within sixty business days.
Procedures outlined in FAR 52.212-4(b) will be followed in the event the Contractor fails to provide a replacement copy of the periodical within one month of the reporting of the issue.
Back Issues Upon request from a VA Station, Contractors shall acquire back issues of a title for up to one (1) year prior to the date of the current volume.
Contractor Representative Contractors shall assign one Project/Program Manager to work directly with the VA COR. The representative shall have at least three (3) years of experience in servicing organizations similar in size, scope, and complexity to VA. Past experience in servicing clients in the health sciences fields is required.
MARC Record Data Contractors shall provide electronic files of catalog data in MARC format in accordance with current MARC Standards as published by the United States Library of Congress, local or consortia holdings data in current MARC Standards as published by the United States Library of Congress, for loading into customer s local system. The Contractors shall have the ability to provide stable and accurate URLs either in title list format or included in the 856 field of the MARC record.
ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES
Electronic Data Records Contractors shall have the capacity to maintain accurate and current information regarding periodical titles, prices, publisher information, claims status, communication with consignee locations, address and mailing list maintenance.
Financial Resources Contractors shall have the financial resources to pay publishers in full and in advance for all VA orders placed with them.
SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES Note: All draft Deliverables shall be submitted 14 calendar days prior to the final Deliverable due date. Deliverables with due dates falling on a weekend or holiday shall be submitted the following Government work day after the weekend or holiday. List of Serials or Periodicals required: Publication title ISSN (Electronic) Age & Ageing {Incl Supplements} (ISSN 1468-2834 (Electronic)) 1468-2834 Alcohol & Alcoholism (ISSN 1464-3502 (Electronic)) 1464-3502 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (ISSN 1938-3207 (Electronic)) 1938-3207 American Journal of Epidemiology / Epidemiologic Reviews Pkg (ISSN 1476-6256 (Electronic)) 1476-6256 American Journal of Roentgenology (ISSN 1546-3141 (Electronic)) 1546-3141 American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ISSN 1476-1645 (Electronic)) 1476-1645 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration (ISSN 2167-9223 (Electronic)) 2167-9223 Annual Review of Clinical Psychology (ISSN 1548-5951 (Electronic)) 1548-5951 Aphasiology (ISSN 1464-5041 (Electronic)) 1464-5041 BMJ Case Reports (ISSN 1757-790X (Electronic)) 1757-790X Brain (ISSN 1460-2156 (Electronic)) 1460-2156 British Medical Bulletin (ISSN 1471-8391 (Electronic)) 1471-8391 Cardiovascular Research (ISSN 1755-3245 (Electronic)) 1755-3245 Endoscopy (ISSN 1438-8812 (Electronic)) 1438-8812 Evidence-Based Nursing (ISSN 1468-9618 (Electronic)) 1468-9618 Heart (ISSN 1468-201X (Electronic)) 1468-201X International Journal of Group Psychotherapy (ISSN 1943-2836 (Electronic)) 1943-2836 JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute (ISSN 1460-2105 (Electronic)) 1460-2105 Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISSN 1460-2091 (Electronic)) 1460-2091 Journal of Biochemistry (ISSN 1756-2651 (Electronic)) 1756-2651 Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet (ISSN 1539-8293 (Electronic)) 1539-8293 Journal of Endocrinology (ISSN 1479-6805 (Electronic)) 1479-6805 Journal of Endourology, Videourology, and Case Reports archive access (ISSN 1557-900X (Electronic)) 1557-900X Journal of Gerontological Social Work (ISSN 1540-4048 (Electronic)) 1540-4048 Journal of Immunology (ISSN 1550-6606 (Electronic)) 1550-6606 Journal of Infectious Diseases (ISSN 1537-6613 (Electronic)) 1537-6613 Journal of Neurophysiology (ISSN 1522-1598 (Electronic)) 1522-1598 Journal of Neurotrauma (ISSN 1557-9042 (Electronic)) 1557-9042 Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy (ISSN 1938-1344 (Electronic)) 1938-1344 Journal of Palliative Medicine (ISSN 1557-7740 (Electronic)) 1557-7740 Journal of Rheumatology {Incl Supplements} (ISSN 1499-2752 (Electronic)) 1499-2752 Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine (ISSN 2045-7723 (Electronic)) 2045-7723 Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs {Incl Supplements} (ISSN 1938-4114 (Electronic)) 1938-4114 Journal of Women's Health (ISSN 1931-843X (Electronic)) 1931-843X Journals of Gerontology, The : Series A (ISSN 1758-535X (Electronic)) 1758-535X Journals of Gerontology, The : Series B (ISSN 1758-5368 (Electronic)) 1758-5368 Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (ISSN 1086-3249 (Electronic)) 1086-3249 Nature Medicine (ISSN 1546-170X (Electronic)) 1546-170X Nutrition Reviews (ISSN 1753-4887 (Electronic)) 1753-4887 QJM: An International Journal of Medicine (ISSN 1460-2393 (Electronic)) 1460-2393 Science (ISSN 1095-9203 (Electronic)) 1095-9203 Science Immunology (ISSN 2470-9468 (Electronic)) 2470-9468 Science Robotics (ISSN 2470-9476 (Electronic)) 2470-9476 Science Translational Medicine (ISSN 1946-6242 (Electronic)) 1946-6242 Seminars in Thrombosis & Hemostasis (ISSN 1098-9064 (Electronic)) 1098-9064 Thorax (ISSN 1468-3296 (Electronic)) 1468-3296 Thrombosis & Haemostasis (ISSN 2567-689X (Electronic)) 2567-689X
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