D--OCLC BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICES

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Library in Reston, VA, requires packaged OCLC products to manage and maintain library records and services in support of establishing the best scientific foundation possible to help guide decisions and evaluate actions critical to the USGS mission. Comprehensive, accurate, and consistent access to bibliographic records, lending and borrowing options, seamless authentication, and access to peer-reviewed scientific literature is critical to fulfilling this mission.

The total anticipated period of performance is as follows:

FY26 Base Year: 07/01/2026 ¿ 06/30/2027
FY27 Option Year 1: 07/01/2027 ¿ 06/30/2028
FY28 Option Year 2: 07/01/2028 ¿ 06/30/2029
FY29 Option Year 3: 07/01/2029 ¿ 06/30/2030
FY30 Option Year 4: 07/01/2030 ¿ 06/30/2031

The USGS is aware of no other source that can provide the above. Therefore, it intends to make an award to Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (dba. OCLC, Inc.) unless it is contacted by any vendor who believes they have similar technical expertise and can provide the same service(s). Vendors are invited to contact the Contract Specialist, Miranda Blankenship, via email at Miranda_blankenship@ios.doi.gov no later than 1:00 PM EDT, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, with an affirmative answer.

Sole Source Justification States the Following Parts:

Contracting Agency and Activity. The Department of the Interior (DOI), United States Geological Survey (USGS) Library, plans to contract on a sole source basis.

Nature of Action Being Approved. This action is to execute a 5-year (base and four option years) sole source Purchase Order to OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (dba. OCLC, Inc.)

Description of Supplies or Services. The USGS Library has a continued need to purchase the following OCLC proprietary library technology services:
¿ WorldCat Discovery & FirstSearch
¿ Cataloging & Metadata Subscription
¿ WorldShare Interlibrary Loan & Tipasa Upgrade (with IFM)
¿ EZproxy (Hosted) & EZproxy Analytics

These subscriptions support USGS Library operations for cataloging, metadata creation, resource sharing, proxy authentication, and discovery of scientific literature for researchers, scientists, and federal staff.

This procurement will be for a 12-month base period that will run, July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and will include four 12-month option years.

Statutory Authority. The proposed action may be awarded on a sole source basis in accordance with: FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) ¿Only One Source Reasonable Available¿

Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5. The USGS Library¿s mission depends on authoritative access to scientific literature, seamless authentication, high-quality bibliographic metadata, and efficient interlibrary resource sharing. To meet these needs, the Library must acquire proprietary OCLC services, as OCLC is the sole producer, owner, and distributor of its platform and data products.

a. OCLC¿s Global Cooperative Is Unique and Not Replicable
OCLC operates WorldCat, the world¿s largest union catalog with cooperative, continuously updated library holdings. As of October 2025, it contains over 609 million bibliographic records and 3.58 billion
local holdings, contributed by approximately 16,000 member libraries across more than 100 countries. The WorldCat platform serves as the foundation for other subscription OCLC services (such as cataloging, resources sharing, collection management, and analytics). WorldCat Discovery and FirstSearch layer on this foundation by providing a unified, cloud-based search interface for both general users and staff which taps into a central index of 3,100+ e-content collections via the WorldCat knowledge base. Local items are surfaced first, and licensed electronic content and interlibrary loan links are seamlessly integrated, improving discovery for all USGS patrons. There isn¿t the option to remove individual components from the WorldCat package; therefore, the USGS Library is required to purchase the bundle.

b. Cataloging & Metadata Subscription
The USGS Library relies on OCLC¿s cataloging ecosystem for cataloging, record enhancement, and updates that maintain collection discoverability. The Cataloging & Metadata Subscription confers access to and participation in the WorldCat cooperative, enabling copy and original cataloging with substantial per-record time savings. The Library currently has a significant portion of its catalog represented in WorldCat (~367,852 records and growing), making continued participation essential for maintaining visibility and consistency. OCLC has also incorporated AI-driven metadata improvement processes into its cataloging and data-management environment that help identify duplicate records, correct inconsistencies, and add updated identifiers across WorldCat. These AI advancements provide the USGS Library with benefits such as faster creation of standards-compliant records, streamlined subject and authority heading assignment, and less local work needed to maintain records.

c. WorldShare Interlibrary Loan & Tipasa Upgrade (with IFM)
OCLC operates the largest global resource-sharing network, WorldShare Interlibrary Loan (ILL), which provides direct access to 10,000+ ILL partners for facilitating the borrowing and lending of library materials. Tipasa is OCLC¿s upgraded ILL platform with a modernized interface that automates request-to-delivery workflows, integrates more seamlessly with local systems, and significantly improves both staff efficiency and patron experience. Tipasa¿s tracked copyright management and enhanced routing and fulfillment tools reduce manual processing, improve turnaround time, and better support USGS researchers who operate across multiple locations and require rapid access to specialized resources. The Interlibrary Loan Fee Management (IFM) feature is an additional function enabling libraries to easily reconcile all ILL fees monthly and pay through OCLC¿s invoice system. This service is part of the WorldShare ILL package.

d. EZproxy (hosted) & EZproxy Analytics
EZproxy Analytics is a hosted service commonly used by large academic and federal library systems to authenticate affiliated users and provide access to subscription-based electronic database resources and full-text electronic content. Use of EZproxy enables the library to move away from IP authenticated access towards user credentials and role-based access management that leverages USGS/DOI Active Directory to provide single sign-on for USGS scientists. Since the initial procurement of EZproxy in 2018, OCLC has interfaced the product with WorldCat allowing users to integrate their user authentication with license management and streamlined access to the collections and services of WorldCat. This integration into OCLC¿s proprietary platform makes EZproxy the most economical and sensible choice for the USGS Library being that we have a need to purchase the WorldCat license and
these two proprietary pieces have been integrated. EZproxy Analytics aids the USGS Library in providing enhanced usage metrics and analytics to USGS Senior leadership for better informed decision support.

In FY2025, OCLC¿s AI-enhanced workflows within all of its services resulted in approximately 410,000 hours of reduced user wait time and 13,600 staff hours saved across the global cooperative. The USGS Library participates in OCLC¿s shared infrastructure for discovery, interlibrary loan, and metadata management, these efficiency gains extend directly to our operations. These improvements are specific to OCLC¿s exclusive stewardship of WorldCat, its global resource-sharing network, and its proprietary AI optimization tools; no other vendor can reproduce these capabilities or deliver comparable benefits.

Incorporating such AI-driven capabilities supports the Administration¿s direction for federal agencies to adopt responsible, mission-enhancing AI, as outlined in OMB M-21-06, OMB M-23-18, and OMB M-24-10. These memoranda encourage agencies to use AI to improve service delivery, modernize operations, and deploy trustworthy systems that generate measurable operational improvements. OCLC¿s AI-enabled efficiencies directly align with those expectations by improving turnaround times, reducing staff workload, and strengthening access to bibliographical, literary, and scientific information within a secure, well-established system widely used across the federal library community.

Efforts to Identify Additional Sources Including Market Research. The USGS Library conducted market research to determine whether any other commercial or government source could provide services comparable to OCLC¿s discovery tools, cataloging and metadata services, interlibrary loan platform, and hosted authentication solutions. This research included internet searches; reviews of discussions on professional library listservs, forums, and online communities¿including those representing federal and government libraries¿where emerging technologies, vendor experiences, and system limitations are frequently shared; and conversations with peer librarians about their evaluations of alternative products.
The findings showed that no other single vendor can provide the combination of functionalities, FEDRAMP capabilities, and integrated infrastructure required to support USGS Library operations. While the Library considered whether portions of the requirement could be separated for limited competition, disaggregation would result in loss of interoperability, higher cost, reduced service performance, and the inability to meet mission needs. As a result, no practical competitive alternative exists for these services.

Future Plans to Permit Competition: The USGS Library will review requirements annually and will compete the requirement if alternative products emerge that meet mission needs.