Encyclopedia Subscription

Notice of Intent to Awrd Sole Source The 773d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (773 ESS) intends to award a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) purchase order to a single source, Encyclopedia Britannica, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) (only one source reasonably available) on or about 1 September 2023. The period of performance (PoP) shall be from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2026. PSC: 7630 NAICS: 516210 Small Business Size Standard: $47 million Subscription: Encyclopedia Subscription Supplier: Encyclopedia Britannica Product Description: The DoD library consortium requires access to a reputable digital encyclopedia. In addition to an encyclopedia, the database needs to provide over 3.25 million images (including rights cleared for customer usage), article history (showing changes and updates), news feeds to New York Times & BBC, Interactive work atlas, famous quotations search, collegiate dictionary, American History records, world data analyst, and an academic and school encyclopedia. This database is a vital reference tool for DoD personnel and their families and provides access to high quality information critical to meeting the Department of the Air Force Library Program and DoD Library Consortium's mission as stated in AFI 34-250 and DoDI 1015.10, to support military and voluntary education programs in the DoD. Encyclopedia Britannica has exclusive legal copyrights. The publisher does not market their publications through distributors so they are not available from any other source. Product Characteristics an Equal Item Must Meet to Be Considered - Must be able to provide online research tools from professionally curated sources that offer trusted information for a balanced, global perspective and insights - Must be able to provide a password and username authenticated URL for access - It includes over 87,000 articles, over 23,000 biographies and over 44,600 images and maps, 2,150 animations, videos and sound clips - Fit for serious academic studies about also fit for general studies - Primary sources can be accessed directly from the articles - Must include over 3.25 million images from over 60 leading collections - Must provide access to digital Encyclopedia Britannica Academic, Britannica Original Sources and Image collection - Must be able to interface with all four (4) DoD service branch libraries and Military OneSource websites using industry standard authentication methods to ensure only eligible patrons can access resources from any internet connected computer browsers and mobile devices - Must work with contract Point of Contact to establish authentication methods to provide optimal accessibility for all eligible patrons - Security between the Website and server must be Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 - Must be able to supply or allow retrieval of database usage statistics by Branch of Service (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Military OneSource/Other, and Navy) - Must have HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) with long duration deployed on the servers to mitigate/prevent man-in-the-middle attacks - Website certificates should be RSA 2048-bits (SHA256withRSA) This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the Government. The Government will consider responses received by 25 August 2023, 3:00 PM, CST for this notice. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct a full and open competitive procurement or a small business set aside competitive procurement. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this announcement. If the Government decides to compete this requirement, a synopsis shall be issued utilizing the combined synopsis/solicitation procedure identified in FAR 12.603. If this effort becomes a Small Business Set-Aside, FAR 52.219-14, Limitation on Subcontracting, will apply. Therefore, small businesses that want to be considered for a small business set-aside should demonstrate how they intend to comply. A determination not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Contractors Should Be Aware of the Following Information: 1. Contractors must include the following information: Points of contact, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers. Identification as a large U.S. business, a small U.S. business, or a foreign business. Please note that size indicated should be based on the NAICS code for this effort listed above. Identification of any other socioeconomic status including Women-Owned Small Business, Economically Disadvantaged Small Business, 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small Business or HUBZone. Company CAGE Code and UEI. 2. If this posting specifically references brand name products, offerors are encouraged to suggest products other than those specifically referenced. Responses must address how the alternate product meets the product characteristics specified above. 3. Submitted information shall be UNCLASSIFIED. 4. Responses are limited to 10 pages in a Microsoft Word or PDF compatible format. Responses shall be e-mailed to Mr. Ernest Medina at contact@example.gov no later than 25 August 2023 at 3:00 PM CST.