CONTENTdm online database services

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) intends to award a single-source fixed- price purchase order to OCLC for online access to its CONTENTdm database services. The period of performance for this requirement shall initially be for twelve (12) months from effective date of the contract, with four 12-month option periods following. No competition is being sought unless/until another source is identified. These online database services are unique to CONTENTdm. OCLC's CONTENTdm has been the platform that the Humphreys Engineering Center Support Agency (HECSA) Library has used to operate and maintain the USACE Digital Library (UDL) since 2007. The mission of the UDL is to preserve and provide access to published materials, by and about the USACE, to include finished products submitted to Congress, for all of USACE and the public, and to partner with USACE libraries, historians, and other content owners to cooperatively organize and describe their materials in a single place. CONTENTdm provides the Dublin Core metadata platform used to assign metadata to each item submitted to the UDL. The UDL is accessible from any device and includes an image viewer that supports hand gestures for zoom and pan. It includes a flexible and mobile advanced search which gives end users more options to perform sophisticated search queries. CONTENTdm also offers audio and video players optimized for smooth play on cellular networks and a viewer for PDFs. Customizations can be made in CONTENTdm to configure and control the look and setup of the UDL; image files and JavaScript can be used to augment the look and function of webpages. CONTENTdm's API can allow UDL holdings to be integrated in other systems or repositories. CONTENTdm syncs with OCLC WorldCat, which is the worldwide catalog that nearly all libraries use to show their holdings. CONTENTdm preserves USACE materials from physical or cyber disasters or corruption; OCLC secures USACE materials in their ISO-certified data center with copies in multiple data centers around the world. OCLC's history of storing and protecting library information has been demonstrated and proven consistent since 1967. The UDL partners with over 45 HQUSACE, IWR, Office of History, District Libraries, and District and Division Public Affairs offices to provide USACE-generated content and materials about the USACE, hyperlinks to each submitted item, and high-quality standards to ensure that the best copy of an item is preserved and provided to USACE personnel and the public 24 hours per day, seven days a week. The UDL's benefits include enriched metadata, permanent URLs, large file capability, and high standards. This is a special notice prepared in accordance with the requirements in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 5.2 Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions. A solicitation will not be posted. However, any firm that believes it can meet this requirement may give written notification to the Contracting Officer within fifteen ( 15) days of publication of this announcement. Supporting evidence must be in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to comply with the requirement. Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determination by the Government to compete the proposed procurement based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intends on proceeding with awarding a fixed price purchase order to OCLC for the CONTENTdm Subscription.