Agency Wide Site License to Web of Knowledge

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation number is FDA-SOLICITATION-09-1051136 and is being issued as a "Brand Name or Equal To" Request for Quotation (RFQ). (iii) This solicitation and incorporated provisions are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-23. (iv) The NAICS code is 511120 and the small business size standard is 500 employees. The Government intends to issue a fixed price purchase order for this requirement and reserves the right to issue an award without discussions. (v) & (vi) DESCRIPTION / REQUIREMENTS: Agency Wide Site License to Thomson Reuter's Inc.'s Web of Knowledge that includes Web of Science (WOS), Current Contents Connect (CCC), and Journal Citation Reports (JCR) (or "Equal To"). (vii) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 01/01/2009 - 12/31/2009 DELIVERY: The Interface is hosted on the contractor's server and accessible at the researcher's desktop 24/7. (viii) The provision at FAR 52.212-1 titled, "Instructions to Offerors - Commercial" (JUN 2008), applies to this acquisition and is available at website: http://farsite.hill.af.mil/reghtml/regs/far2afmcfars/fardfars/far/12.htm#P257_45709. (ix) The provision at FAR 52.212-2, titled, "Evaluation of Commercial Items" (JAN 1999), is applicable to this acquisition. The following factors shall be used to evaluate quotes and are listed in descending order of importance: TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING: To determine technical merit, each quotation will be evaluated against the requirements listed in this solicitation and in the attached SOW. All vendors offering an "Equal To" product must provide supporting documentation that their product can meet the requirements listed in the solicitation and the attached SOW. 1) The proposals will be graded subjectively with final scores of, - Acceptable, or - Unacceptable. A score of - Acceptable would mean that the proposed product fully met the requirements. An - Unacceptable score means that the offer will not be considered for award. PRICE: FDA will award a purchase order to a responsible vendor whose quote is the lowest price meeting or exceeding the requirements. PAST PERFORMANCE: Vendors should provide two references of similar efforts performed during the last three years. This will include a description of the project, project title, contract number, contract amount, client identification including agency or company name, contracting and technical reviewing official name(s), address and telephone number. The government is seeking to determine whether an offeror has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and high performance of services. This is a matter of judgment. The government will assess the relative risks associated with each offeror. Performance risks are those associated with an offeror's likelihood of success in performing the acquisition requirements as indicated by that offeror's past performance record. Rating of positive, neutral, and poor will be given. A positive past performance will take precedence over neutral or poor past performance. Neutral past performance takes precedence over poor past performance. A contractor with no past performance will be given a score of neutral, which will neither be used to the advantage nor disadvantage of the offeror. The Government will assess the relative risks associated with each offeror. Performance risks are those associated with an offeror's likelihood of success in performing the acquisition requirements as indicated by that offeror's record of past performance. 4) ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND U.S. CURRENCY: FAR provisions 52.214-34 -- Submission of Offers in the English Language (Apr 1991) and 52.214-35 -- Submission of Offers in U.S. Currency (Apr 1991) applies to this acquisition. Offers received in other than in the English language or U.S. dollars shall be rejected. (x) Vendors shall complete FAR 52.212-3, Offerors Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (JUN 2008). This can be done electronically at http://orca.bpn.gov. The contracting officer will review the vendor's online certifications at http://orca.bpn.gov to ensure that they are accurate and complete. If the vendor does not have active representations and certifications registered online they will be disqualified from being considered for award. (xi) The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (OCT 2008), applies to this acquisition. (xii) The clause FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (OCT 2008), applies to this acquisition as well as the following clauses cited therein: 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553). 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Pub. L. 108-77, 108-78) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755). 52.222-19, Child Labor'Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Feb 2008) (E.O. 13126). 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999). 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246). 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Aug 2007) (Applies to all contracts). 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (June 2008) (E.O.s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury). 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer'Central Contractor Registration (Oct 2003) (31 U.S.C. 3332). 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a). Full text of clauses and provisions can be accessed at www.arnet.gov/far. (xiii) In order to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Government asks vendors to complete a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and submit it with their quote. The technical standards applicable to this requirement are: - 1194.22 Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications - 1194.41 Information, documentation, and support The 508 technical standards are available at http://www.section508.gov/. (xiv & xv) N/A (xvi & xvii) All questions must be submitted in writing to Jody.O'Kash@fda.hhs.gov no later than Wednesday, December 3 at 5pm EST. Answers to all questions will be posted as an amendment to the solicitation. Quotes, Technical supporting documentation, and VPAT may be submitted electronically at Jody.O'Kash@fda.hhs.gov no later than Monday, December 8 at 5pm EST.