BETASAM SSJ UNDER SAT.docx

Single Source/Brand Name Justification United States Department of Agriculture FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – Simplified Acquisitions

1. Identification of the agency and the contracting office.

USDA, ARS, APD, Acquisition Branch 5601 Sunnyside Ave, MS 5116 Beltsville, MD 20705-5116

2. Description of supply or service required to meet the agency’s needs.

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) is configuring and implementing a single solution to streamline research activity tracking and analysis as part of NAL’s mission to acquire, curate, and disseminate information needed to facilitate the creation of agricultural knowledge. Digital Science’s Symplectic Elements and its interaction with Dimensions provides a unique, reliable product suite to capture, curate, analyze and make available ARS and USDA research activities and outputs. In FY21, extensive work continued on customizing and configuring the Symplectic Elements and Dimensions products and we plan to continue the work. These products are used together to capture USDA research activities and output. They also provide a way for NAL and some USDA staff to reuse these data for public display and/or reporting.

3. The rationale or circumstances for limiting competition.

Digital Science, Inc.’s Symplectic Elements product is uniquely able to provide the research activity information needed by ARS and USDA to curate scientific outputs and assess impact. The data gathered through the product, working seemlessly with Dimensions, will inform decision making about agency research funding and collaboration. It provides streamlined workflows for gathering and maintaining data and minimizes administrative burden by providing simplified mechanisms used to report and share research findings. This solution is the sole provider of such a robust, integrated solution.

4. A description of the market research conducted and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Broad research for a research information management solution has determined that this product meets NAL needs and is within budget for such a system. The product must be hosted, provided the ability to obtain and interact with data from multiple external sources in a nonbiased way, and allow for the provision of a modernized public and internal search and discovery interface. NAL has evaluated other services and they do not allow as much flexibility and customizability when importing, managing, analyzing, and displaying research outputs as this system.

5. Estimated price, including all options, if applicable.

The total estimated price is $245,296 for this year of use of these services (September 30, 2021September 29, 2022).

6. Recommended source(s).

Digital Science Research Solutions, Inc.

Monika Dunbar, Director, North American Non-Profit Funders and Governments 625 Massachusetts Ave, 2nd floor Cambridge, MA 02139 (202) 681-2144 monika@uberresearch.com

DUNS: 069967429

Template for Single Source or Brand Name Justification under SAT, March 2019

Template for Single Source or Brand Name Justification under SAT, March 2019

Template for Single Source or Brand Name Justification under SAT, March 2019