36C24126Q0309.docx

SUBJECT*

36C24126Q0309 Embase Database VISN1 Library FY26 Intent to Sole Source to LB Software Publisher Elsevier Inc Embase.com Copyrights/Licenses Proprietary to Elsevier Inc.

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

VISN1/VAMC Jamaica Plain

150 South Huntington Avenue

Electronic Delivery

CONTACT INFORMATION

VAMC Brockton Contracting Officer (90C) 940 Belmont Street Brockton MA 02301-5596

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Sherrye Harris sherrye.harris@va.gov

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

Presolicitation Notice Presolicitation Notice

Presolicitation Notice

INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE: PROCUREMENT ELSEVIER EMBASE ONLINE JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTION: 36C24126Q0309

THIS IS NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE FOR B+3 YR ELSEVIER EMBASE ONLINE BIOMEDICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ONLINE JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTION: VISN1 KNOWLEDGE INFORMATION LIBRARY SYSTEM

INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE FOR PURCHASE REQUISITION: This is not a request for competitive proposals. This is not a solicitation or request for offers. No solicitation package is available, and telephone requests will not be honored.

The Department of Veterans Affairs VA Medical Center intends to award a one-time, Firm Fixed Price, Sole Source contract for a B+3 Year Elsevier Embase Biomedical/Pharmacological Online Journal Subscription for the VISN1 Knowledge Information Library System.

This is to be a Name Brand Only Sole Source procurement from the large business Software Publisher Elsevier Inc. VISN1 is progressing to the Elsevier Embase.com online journal subscription. The VISN1 Knowledge Informaiton Library Team selected the Elsevier Embase Online Journal Subscription due to the following capabilities: 1) Ease of Access and Usability: Capability to conduct long-string searches, 2) Frequent updates providing expedited indexing and mapping. 3) Comprehensive and Evidence-based Content: Database offers high number of datasets for abstracts, conference proceedings medical literature, and provides the service in-depth, more granular indexing of drug-related research. The Embase.com systems, copyrights, and licenses are unique and proprietary to Software Publisher Elsevier Inc. There is no small business nor SDVOSB third-party reseller for the required Embase.com online journal subscription.

A Sole Source Letter has been provided by the Software Publisher describing the proprietary and exclusive nature of the Embase.com online journals. Direct procurement of the Elsevier Embase Online Journal Subscription

The authority for applying the Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items of FAR 12 is 41 U.S.C. 1901. This statute is implemented by restricting competition on this procurement via FAR 12.102(a): One reasonably available source.

The intent is to procure these services on a sole source basis. No solicitation will be posted to Contract Opportunities. The primary North American Classification System Code (NAICS) is 513210: Software Publishers. The most current Business Size Rating for this NAICS is $47M.

Capable parties may identify their interests and authorization to respond to this requirement by March 30th at 11:00 AM (EDT).

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed award upon response to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Contracting Officer.

Please submit any follow ups or questions to:

Contracting Officer: Deidra Thomas deidra.thomas@va.gov

STATEMENT OF WORK

B+3 YR Elsevier Embase Online Journal Subscription 03/30/26-03/29/30

A. General Information

1.0 Introduction: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 (VISN 1) requires a base plus three (B+3) option year subscription to the Embase database, a comprehensive biomedical and pharmacological bibliographic database of published literature produced by Elsevier and used for systematic reviews, drug safety monitoring plus evidence-based research work. This will provide availability of Embase to all facilities in VISN 1.

VISN 1’s goal is to ensure uniform accessibility to high quality, clinical, knowledge-based electronic resources across the network to improve clinical decision-making at the point of care.

Performance Period: Four-year, Base-Plus-Three (B+3) Year award with the period of performance as follows: 03/30/26 to 03/29/30 for all VISN1 facility sites.

Objectives The desired goal of VISN1’s access to the Elsevier Embase Online Journal B+3 Year Subscription is to enable library and clinical staff to search international biomedical literature which supports their clinical staff.

· The system will provide designated access to standard knowledge-based clinical information electronic resources.

· The system will provide a centralized subscription purchase capitalizes on the economies of scale offered by vendors

· The system will afford negotiating one license/contract to decrease the current contracting and reviewing efforts that are required at the facility level and thereby avoiding the costs and workload associated with multiple procurements

· The system will provide users the capability and the facility to conduct research via searches accommodating “long string search” capabilities.

· The system will afford reliability, ease, and continuity of search capabilities with minimal disruptions.

Scope of Work: The vendor will provide the two above-identified VISN1 facilities with access to a single web-based biomedical database and search product. Authentication will be through IP address validation on an enterprise basis, eliminating the need for users to enter identification, username and/or password.

Product Scope:

• Over 32 million bibliographic records dating back to 1974

• All MEDLINE citations

• Records indexed from over 8,500 journals—over 3,000 of which are unique to Embase

• International coverage-records drawn from sources published in over 90 countries

• Constant updates-over 1.4 million citations and abstracts added annually

• Fully indexed citations, indexing terms, and codes

• Author-written abstracts for roughly 80% of all citations

• Drug and device indexing by trade name, manufacturer name, clinical trials, and more

• Clinical Queries from McMaster University

The product should include the following:

· Easy-to-use basic and advanced search capabilities

· Direct links to the full text; search results provide links to full text (where available)

· Quick, accurate, up-to-date answers to biomedical research questions

· Comprehensive journal and conference coverage, along with in-depth drug indexing and daily updates; broad-ranging, authoritative coverage of critical drug and disease literature

· Peer-reviewed biomedical science information is not available via Medline (includes indexed records from 2,000 biomedical journals not currently covered by Medline)

· Coverage of drug-related and clinical literature with a particular focus on comprehensive indexing of adverse drug reactions; emphasis on Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) indexing including systematic reviews, and coverage of literature relevant to development and use of medical devices

· Information on topics such as drug development or use, toxicology, drug safety / adverse drug reactions, clinical trials, evidence-based medicine, medical devices, pharmacoeconomics, preclinical reports and basic biomedical science or regulatory affairs

Product Quality: The product is accurate, authoritative, relevant and well recognized in their field.

Usability: Navigation within the product is logical and easy to use. The product provides fast access to subjects and subtopics. Topic linking or indexing retrieves electronic content of high relevance quickly. The product has “user friendly” help and direction aids.

Access, content, support: Product is 508 compliant. (http://www.section508.gov/)

· If product is not 508 compliant, vendor must describe measures being taken to bring product into compliance and date, within 12 months of contract award, that product will be 508 compliant. OR

· If product is not 508 compliant and vendor must describe what steps are being incorporated to make the product 508 compliant.

· Access to be granted through IP address validation on an enterprise basis, eliminating the need for users to enter identification, username and/or password.

· It is required that all authorized remote users (with VPN, dial-up, wireless, etc. access) have access to the product through any VA networked computer and/or CPRS.

· The product is compatible with most standard web browsers, which have cookies enabled. To ensure privacy, the product uses session cookies rather than persistent cookies.

· The product is compatible with the Windows environment.

· All site content and support of the web site is the responsibility of the contractor. This includes tech support for VISN 1 users across the network.

· System downtime is minimal and VA project manager is notified when such occurs.

· Single point of contact for customer service issues is assigned to VA.

· Questions are answered on the same business day.

· Usage statistics are available to the system administrator on an enterprise level.

· The product should be accessible via a variety of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) platforms including smart phones, iPads, and Blackberry.

· The contractor should offer training services. On an as-requested basis, training session (web-based or live) will be set up to train VISN1 library on use of the product.

· Specialized training sessions may be requested for VISN1 library staff.

· Availability of usage statistics at an IP level on a semi-annual basis.

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification for Single Source Awards IAW FAR 13.106-1 For Over Micro-Purchase Threshold but Not Exceeding the SAT

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C241-26-AP-1936

1. Contracting Activity: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 (VISN 1).

2. Brief Description of Supplies/ Services required and the intended use/Estimated Amount: The VISN1 Knowledge Information Library is requesting a B+3 option year subscription to the Elsevier Embase Medical Knowledge Database, a comprehensive Biomedical and Pharmacological bibliographic, online journal database of published literature produced by Elsevier, Inc. and used for systematic reviews, drug safety monitoring plus evidence-based research work. This will provide availability of Embase to all facilities in VISN 1.

3. Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used: The Knowledge Information Library Service is replacing the existing incumbent Embase Platform with the Elsevier Embase Online Journal Subscription. The Knowledge Information Library Team recently performed an iterative review of the library’s clinical databases. The Information Library Service team has assessed Embase via Elsevier’s platform user interface and has determined that the Elsevier Embase will provide the best value to the Government for this Biomedical/Pharmacological online journal. The VISN1 Knowledge Informaiton Library System has evolved from topic focused, systematic searches offered by the incumbent Embase platform seeking an online journal subscription platform that offers improved ease of access and usability, more comprehensive search capabilities, the ability to execute platform searches via long-string searches, and which affords enhanced connective reliability. The library team rated the Elsevier Embase version offering ease of use, maximum coverage of evidence-based biomedical conference abstracts, and international, specialized pharmacological content as he best value to the Government for meeting current Biomedical/Pharmacological research needs.

The VISN1 Library team has been using the incumbent Embase platform for eight (8) years. Feedback from the users of the current Embase version indicates that users are experiencing performance issues, research content limitations, and complexity of access and usability, when conducting Biomedical and Pharmacological research, via the current platform.

· Ease of Access and Usability: During market research and live demonstrations, the Library team found the Elsevier Embase user interface to be easier to access and use. The Elsevier Embase includes specialized search wizards and accommodates “long-string” searches. Although the incumbent platform provides better response when using sophisticated multifile searches, system users indicate that Elsevier Embase.com version best meets current research needs. The Embase.com offers an intuitive interface for searching, exporting, and managing results. The current Embase platform is more versatile for advanced users who want to map multiple databases simultaneously but does not meet the need for ease of access and usability for less complex but more comprehensive search capabilities.

Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used (cont’d):

· Indexing & Mapping: Both Elsevier and the incumbent platform use Emtree, the Elsevier Life Sciences Thesaurus. Indexing between the former and the prospective platform differ slightly. Elsevier, “Embase.com” updates Emtree terms more frequently. The current Embase platform is not as quick.

· Comprehensive and Evidence-Based Content: The team researched different medical journal databases similar to the incumbent platform and the desired Elsevier Embase platforms.

· When compared to similar online biomedical/pharmacological journal platforms, the Elsevier version, “Embase.com” offers twice the number of conference abstracts, with a more expansive, up-to date database for conference proceedings. The “Embase.com” journal compilation includes detailed coverage of literature on medical devices, including safety, efficacy, and regulatory aspects.,

· Additionally, the Elsevier Embase online journal compilation will provide in-depth indexing of drug-related research by providing more granular drug and pharmacology terms than comparable pharmacological databases.

· Reliability and Speed of Response: Users reported that the Elsevier Embase platform will offer less frequent search disruptions and disconnections and will provide longer periods of connectivity compared to the current version of Embase.

The Knowledge Information Systems Team coordinated demonstrations of several comparable Biomedical/Pharmacological online journal platforms. The demonstrations show that the “Embase.com” platform will provide the best value to the Government in meeting current VISN 1 criterion for easy and simple access and usability, and comprehensive and up-to-date evidence-based content for medical and drug research and indexing.

The Library Team reviewed additional similar Medical online journal platforms and conducted comparative analysis to determine which online medical knowledge platform would provide the best value to the VISN1 Knowledge Information Library System. The team study concluded that the journal platforms reviewed were not adequate to provide the level and depth of research information provided by the Elsevier Embase online journal compilation.

Comparative feedback and responses from Knowledge Information Library staff and users rated the “Embase.com” platform as being the Biomedical/Pharmacological online Journal platform best supporting and sustaining current medical knowledge and research requirements. Users rated the Embase.com online journal as best supporting current mission needs for VISN1.

In summary, the market research data collected by VISN1 and the national Knowledge Information Library teams indicate that the Elsevier Embase will best meet VISN1 criteria for a Biomedical/Pharmacological knowledge library database due to its ability to provide VISN 1 Knowledge Information Library medical professionals and users with:

· Ease of access and improved usability.

· High-quality, high-performance, up-to-date online Biomedical/Pharmacological journal compilations offering comprehensive, evidence-based content and in-depth drug research and indexing capabilities, and a broader range of search results.

Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used (cont’d):

· Expanded research capabilities due to the database’s capability to accommodate long-string keyword searches.

· Enhanced capabilities for comprehensive Boolean searching and higher recall.

· Proven reliability: the Embase platform will provide broader research capability with improved connectivity and less research disruptions.

4. Description of market research conducted and results or statement why it was not conducted: The Elsevier Embase online journal is an electronic core literature database for biomedical research, evidence synthesis, and pharmacovigilance. The Embase.com database contains over 32 million data sets; six (6) million datasets are exclusive to this platform. “Embase.com” contains over 8,500 journals with more than 3,000 unique to Embase. This comprehensive database provides international coverage with datasets drawn from published sources in over 90 countries. The Elsevier Embase is constantly updated with over 1.4 million citations and abstracts added annually. Eighty percent (80%) of abstracts citations are author-written, providing updated, credible, and accurate medical knowledge to medical professionals and other VISN1 Knowledge Information System users. Embase also contains in-depth indexing of drug-related research providing more granular drug and pharmacology terms than MeSH in PubMed. It provides drug and medical devise indexing by trade name manufacturer name, and clinical trials. Additionally, Embase includes detailed coverage of literature on medical devices, including safety, efficacy, and regulatory Market Research Findings: Market research conducted by Contracting supports market research provided by the VISN 1 Knowledge information Library Service Team and the Service POC regarding Elsevier Embase’s superior performance as an Online Biomedical/Pharmacological Medical Knowledge database.

· The Elsevier Embase Online Medical Journal is known for ease of access and ease of use. Elsevier Embase provides users with simple, fast, comprehensive searches and enables users to use long-string searches to retrieve desired information.

· “Embase.com” is less complex than the incumbent platform, providing a more intuitive interface for complex/comprehensive Boolean searches, enabling users to retrieve medical knowledge data by using multiple keywords, synonyms, and Boolean operators to obtain desired data.

· Embase.com provides users with an extensive collection of reference materials. This platform offers users the retrieval of more relevant records and provides them with the capability to index more comprehensive, up-to-date content.

· The Elsevier research platform offers higher recall (85.9%) than the current Embase online database for systematic reviews retrieving most or all relevant medical studies.

· Elsevier Embase provides Knowledge Information Library with better connectivity than the current platform. The Embase.com platform offers better session stability and higher session recall reliability, meaning that the Elsevier Embase less frequently drops users from a session, and tends to retain search history better than the current version of Embase during longer idle periods. The Elsevier online journal results in fewer broken sessions and interrupted searches.

Contracting conducted additional market research IAW FAR 10.001 and VAAR 810.001.

· Mandatory Sources: The required Medical Knowledge Information Online Journal Subscriptions cannot be provided by VA inventories, Other Government Agencies, AbilityOne, and per the SAC (Strategic Acquisition Center) and the SCMC (Supply Chain Master Catalogue, are not available from any mandatory SAC contract.

· Contracting conducted additional market research IAW FAR 10.001 and VAAR 810.001.

Contracting conducted additional market research IAW FAR 10.001 and VAAR 810.001 (cont’d):

· Non-Mandatory Contracts: Contracting researched opportunities to acquire the Elsevier Embase Online Journal Subscription via a non-mandatory IDV (Indefinite Delivery Vehicle) contract. Contracting searched the NAC (National Acquisition Center), GSA (General Services Administration) Advantage and GSA e-Library.

· The Elsevier Embase online journal is not available via FSS (Federal Supply Schedules) contract. It is not carried by any NASA (National Aeronautical and Space Agency) SEWP (Solutions Enterprise-Wide Procurement) contract.

· Per the LB (large business) Software Publisher, Elsevier Inc., the “Embase.com” subscription is available on FEDLINK a cross-agency contract. Using FEDLINK would require an inter-agency agreement, which would not provide best value to the Government, due to delay in processing.

· Elsevier indicated that they are working to get the Elsevier Embase online journal subscription on the FSS schedule of a reseller.

· Currently, the Embase Elsevier Annual Online Journal Subscription can feasibly be procured open market, to maintain the start date for the new and sequential B63Onlune Journal subscription.

· SDVOSB Set-Aside: Per VAAR 819.7003(d) an SDVOSB Set-Aside cannot be leveraged. Although the NMR does not apply to a service, without an NMR (Nonmanufacturing Rule) Waiver for NAICS 513210, the LOS (Limitations on Subcontracting) applies. Per the VAAR, an SDVOSB Set-Aside cannot be applied if the NMR and the LOS are not satisfied. There are no known SDVOSB resellers for Embase.com.

· SB Set-Aside: Typically, for requirements under SAT (Simplified Acquisition Threshold), the SBA (Small Business Administration) NMR Exception, FAR 19.502-2(a) could be applied to leverage a Straight SB Set-Aside. The Rule of Two (2) cannot be met; there is no known SB distributor for the Elsevier Embase online journal subscription.

· Sole Source: There is one (1) known authorized reseller for the Elsevier Embase online journal subscription. This reseller is “Other Than Small” business for this NAICS 513210. Per the SBS (Small Business Search) the reseller is similarly situated with the LB OEM. Since there can be no value added to the Embase.com online journal by any reseller, direct procurement from the software publisher offers the best value to the Government and avoids creating a “pass through” relationship. The publishing of the “Embase.com” journal database, copyrights and licensing are exclusive and proprietary to the Software Publisher, Elsevier Inc. The recommendation is for a FAR 12.102(a) sole source to the Software Publisher Elsevier Inc. There is one reasonably available source.

NMR: NMR does not apply to Service NAICS 513210 without value being added by distributor. Without the NMR Waiver, VAAR 819.7003(d) is not satisfied; LOS applies. Per VAAR 819.7003(d), without an NMR Waiver to specifically waive the 4th prong of the NMR an SDVOSB Set-aside cannot be leveraged. An SB Set-Aside could be applied IAW FAR 19.502-2(a) if the Rule of (2) can be met. There are no known SB distributors/resellers.

Recommendation: The recommendation is for a sole source to the LB Software Publisher Elsevier Inc, for a 12.102(a) brand name journal subscription procurement. There is one reasonably available source. Without an NMR Waiver, LOS applies. Per VAAR 819.7003(d) an SDVOSB set-aside cannot be applied. This requirement is eligible for a FAR 19.502-2(a) Straight SB Set-Aside. There are no known SB resellers for “Embase.com;” the SB Rule of (2) is not satisfied. Due to the proprietary nature of copyrights and licensing for online journal electronic publishing, Elsevier, Inc. is the only reasonably available source.

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