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PTAG Intent to Sole Source – Tango “On-the-Spot” Award Cards

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ACQ-27-0160Federal

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Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office intends to award a sole source FAR 12 Purchase Order to Tango Card, Inc. to support the Employee On-The-Spot Award program. This contract provides electronic and virtual gift cards, allowing employees to select from various merchants and enabling administrators to manage distribution and purchasing through an online portal. The procurement is being conducted under the Alternative Competition Method using the unique authority of the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act and the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines. Tango Card, Inc. was selected because it is the only identified vendor capable of providing the required employee selection and electronic transmission features while maintaining a centralized administrative portal. Utilizing the existing portal ensures continuity of data, avoids additional setup costs, and meets federal accounting requirements for tracking and reporting. This notice is not a request for proposals, and any inquiries must be submitted to the designated points of contact by August 27, 2026.

General Info

USPTO sole source award to Tango Card for electronic employee gift card services.

Agency

Department Of Commerce PtoView Agency

NAICS

455219 - All Other General Merchandise RetailersView NAICS

Place of Performance

1180, VA, 22314, USA

Set-Aside

NONE

Documents

(1)

ACQ-27-0160++PTAG+Intent+to+SS_+Tango+Card.pdf

PDF

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Timeline

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special-notice

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Organization & Contact Information

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AgencyDepartment Of Commerce Pto
Contacts2 people available
OfficeALEXANDRIA, VA, 22314, USA
Organization / Agency
Department Of Commerce Pto
View Agency Profile
Office AddressALEXANDRIA, VA, 22314, USA
Contacts
Kendall Jones
contact@example.gov
Christopher Ward
contact@example.gov

Full Description

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PTAG Intent to Sole Source – Tango “On-the-Spot” Award Cards


(ACQ-27-0160)


PTAG Part 6.1.1 Synopsis – Intent to Sole Source


The USPTO is conducting this procurement using its unique procurement authority under the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act 35 U.S.C. § 2(b)(4)(A) and the implementing guidelines of the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG). https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-24316. Specifically, the USPTO is using the Alternative Competition Method.  When using its unique procurement authority, the USPTO is exempted from a large number of procurement statutes and various FAR parts. 


As an integral part of “The Employee On-The-Spot Award” program (EOTSAP), The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), /Office of Human Resources (OCAO/OHR), intends to award on a sole source basis a FAR 12 Purchase Order to TANGO CARD, INC. of 4700 42ND AVE SW STE 430A Seattle, WA 981164589. UEI: D872VAJFUCN5. to provide electronic/virtual gift cards and allow the individual employee to select the gift card of their choice from a wide variety of options (merchants), allow for distribution of the gift cards virtually/electronically and allow Human Capital program administrators the ability to administer the overall purchase and distribution of the gift cards on-line.


EOTSAP is an employee recognition program where the employee is awarded a gift card from the available selection on hand, for the specified award dollar amount to recognize the specified employee for day-to-day efforts that exceed their normal performance and is not connected to their annual performance appraisal.


Tango Card, Inc. is the only vendor identified with the capability to permit employee selection of the specific gift card from a variety of businesses and electronically transmit that selected gift card to the employee via email


Tango Card Inc. previously provided gift cards in support of EOTSAP. Through that effort, a centralized administrative portal was established to track all gift card activity, including issuance dates, access dates, and balance changes. Procuring additional cards through Tango Card will allow the new purchases to be incorporated into the existing portal without the need incur associated setup costs.


Using the current active portal also preserves continuity of data across which is critical for consistent tracking, reporting, and oversight. The portal’s existing administrative capabilities, including real-time activation, immediate digital delivery, and automated audit trail generation, are necessary to support strict federal accounting requirements for participant incentives.


Market research indicates that alternative vendors do not offer the same integrated tracking functionality needed to mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse without significant manual workarounds. Transitioning to another vendor would require duplicative administrative setup, creation of redundant tracking systems, and additional transition-related costs.


In addition, the contractor’s proprietary portal has already been reviewed and authorized for use. As a result, Tango Card is uniquely positioned to fulfill this requirement efficiently and without disruption to ongoing operations.


This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, nor will a solicitation be issued to the public.  Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to the following point of contact (POC) and alternate point of contact no later than 9:00 AM ET on Thursday, August 27, 2026.


  • POC: Kendall Jones at Kendall.jones1@uspto.gov
  • Alternate POC: Christopher Ward at  Christopher.ward@uspto.gov
  • NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

PTAG SYNOPSIS STATEMENT


The subject requirement is being procured using the Alternative Competition Method in accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) and the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(4)(A)


DISCLAIMER


All information received in response to this Special Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this special notice.


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