Chemical Non-Patent Literature and Patent Databases for Prior Art Research

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) BEING RELEASED PURSUANT TO FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 10 MARKET RESEARCH. This RFI is issued solely for informational, market research, and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is not at this time seeking proposals, and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the USPTO will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the responding party's expense. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and responses to the RFI will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if one is issued. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the USPTO to form a binding contract. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor the Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov) site for additional information pertaining to this RFI. 1.0 RFI OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an invention is patentable, a patent examiner must evaluate it in light of the state of the art. Patent examiners in the chemical art areas are required to perform comprehensive, complex, and precise searches in the chemical prior art literature, including US and foreign patents and patent applications; and Non-Patent Literature (NPL), such as scientific journals, conference proceedings, trade publications, and catalogs. The USPTO is seeking information from qualified firms that are capable of providing a comprehensive collection of chemical prior art literature that can be searched with text, chemical substances, and chemical structure drawings, as well as specialized indexing and classification systems designed to improve recall and precision. The USPTO is also interested in learning more about the state of the art of chemical prior art search systems and new innovations under development in the chemical information industry. 2.0 ACQUISITION STRATEGY: The USPTO seeks market information and suggestions on the best ways to structure any potential acquisition strategies, agreements, or contracts. If the USPTO determines a requirement for the services stated in this RFI, the acquisition strategy may include solutions offered in response to this RFI. Respondents to this RFI are encouraged to identify and provide any unique solutions. Acquisition strategies being considered by the USPTO are as follows: a. Using a single prime contractor that meets the majority of USPTO's requirements for searching chemical prior art literature. b. Using multiple contractor(s) that demonstrate a unique and innovative capability that complement features and functionalities of a potential single prime contractor. c. Other acquisition alternatives and suggestions offered by industry. 3.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR RFI RESPONDENTS: RFI responses should be no longer than ten (10) pages and shall include, at a minimum: 1. Point of Contact Name, Company Name, Address, Email, Phone, DUNS number, and GSA FSS contract number, if applicable; 2. A brief capability statement with reference to each of the requirements, capabilities and acquisition strategy solutions as included herein; 3. An indication of whether teaming is intended, and if so, identification of each vendor involved in the team; 4. For each vendor involved in a response, the business size for NAICS 51910, Other Information Services; and any other recommended NAICS code for such services. 5. Past performance summary of work performed that is relevant to this notice; and 6. An indication of interest in responding to a solicitation, should one be issued. Telephone calls requesting a solicitation will not be accepted or acknowledged. Any questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing to Heather.Bakos@uspto.gov and shall be received not later than 11:00 AM Contracting Officer's Local time on Tuesday, December 2, 2014. Interested firms who possess the above capabilities should respond no later 11:00 AM, Contracting Officer's Local time on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Responses received to this announcement that are marked "Proprietary" will be handled accordingly. Proprietary information submitted in response to this RFI will be protected from unauthorized disclosure as required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). All proprietary markings should be clearly delineated. The respondent shall identify where data is restricted by proprietary or other rights and mark it accordingly. Responses shall be emailed to: Heather.Bakos@uspto.gov. Please include reference to RFI #PTOHMB201502 in the subject line to the response and any other correspondence. 4.0 FORMATTING OF RESPONSES Responses shall be formatted as 8.5"x11" and be not more than ten (10) pages in length. Font size should be 12 point, Times New Roman. Electronic submissions shall be in PDF file format. The total page count of 10 pages does not include the cover letter, table of contents and acronym list. Not responding to the RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP. If a solicitation is released, it will be issued via the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov). It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this website for any information that may pertain to this RFI or a future RFP. The information provided in this RFI and any future changes to the RFI are subject to change and are not binding on the USPTO. 5.0 POTENTIAL CLARIFICATION OF RFI RESPONSES To fully comprehend the information contained within a response to this RFI, there may be a need to seek further clarification from those respondent(s) identified as capable. This clarification may be requested in the form of written communication; electronic communication; or a request for a presentation of the response to a specific USPTO group or groups. The USPTO reserves the right to seek additional information from those vendors identified with unique solutions that are determined to be beneficial to the USPTO.