Applied Research and Methods Library

The Government Accountability Office Applied Research and Methods Library serves as a specialized information resource center supporting the analytical and research functions of the GAO, the federal government's premier audit institution. This library division falls under the GAO's Applied Research and Methods team, which develops and applies advanced methodologies for government accountability investigations and assessments. The library provides GAO analysts and researchers with access to specialized databases, subscription services, and information resources necessary to conduct thorough examinations of federal programs, policies, and expenditures as mandated by Congress.

The contract award data reveals that the Applied Research and Methods Library primarily invests in specialized information services and database subscriptions to support GAO's research capabilities. Recent significant procurements include a $1,086,960 five-year contract with Politico, LLC for electronic access to Politico Pro political news media services, and a $607,296 agreement with EBSCO Information Services for database subscriptions to Ageline/CINAHL and Business/EconLit resources through June 2029. Additionally, the library contracted with Cirium, a division of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, for $236,823.84 to provide aviation industry data services over a five-year period, enabling access to fleet data, flight scheduling information, and analytical tools for congressional aviation industry analyses.

The library also maintains contracts for complementary information resources including an $81,542.72 five-year delivery order with LexisNexis for access to Accurint for Government and batch transactional services. Smaller procurements include a short-term $3,809 extension of EBSCO CINAHL and AGELINE subscriptions and a $3,169.95 purchase order awarded to KO Health Technologies LLC, a small disadvantaged business, for news clipping services. These contracts collectively demonstrate the library's focus on acquiring comprehensive research tools spanning political, business, aviation, health, and government information domains to support GAO's evidence-based accountability mission and analytical requirements.