Currence_JOFOC_REDACTED_REVISED.pdf

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JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Identification Number: 89703026AAR000002

1. Identification of the agency and contracting activity.

The Contracting Activity is for the Department of Energy (DOE), Washington Headquarters.

Additional offices may be added at any time in the future.

The nature and/or description of the action being approved, i.e., sole source, limited competition, establishment of a new source, etc.

Contracting without providing for full and open competition. The Government anticipates a Blanket Purchase Agreement to Currence.

A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs.

The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA- E), requires a web-based Technology Commercialization and Market Intelligence Platform provided as a subscription service under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). The platform will support DOE's mission by providing comprehensive, current, and integrated market intelligence to evaluate energy technology commercialization, assess competitive landscapes, conduct due diligence, and monitor the progress of technologies funded by the agency.

The required platform shall provide continuously updated data and analytical capabilities covering companies, projects, investments, financing rounds, technologies, and supply chains across the energy and industrial sectors, including power, grid, data centers, fuels, and related industries. The platform must integrate proprietary business data with expert analyst-produced sector research, market maps, technology profiles, commercialization readiness assessments, and competitive intelligence to support informed decision-making and strategic investment planning.

The contractor shall provide a secure, web-based platform that is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, with robust search and retrieval functionality, data analytics and reporting tools, downloadable CSV exports, and an Application Programming Interface (API) that enables automated bulk access to datasets for integration into DOE's internal systems. Required datasets include company profiles, investment and financing information, technology profiles, project data, and supply chain information. The platform must also support competitor mapping through a multi-level

JOFOC | 7/15/2026

Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585 | 202.586.5000 | Energy.gov technology taxonomy, link projects to funding entities, provide expert analyst research and consultation, and continuously update its data and functionality in accordance with industry best practices. Terminal-based solutions are not acceptable.

The contractor shall furnish all personnel, software, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and non-personal services necessary to provide the subscription platform, maintain data quality and system availability, and perform all services required under the BPA throughout the period of performance.

2. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

This action is conducted under the procedures of Federal Acquisitio

3. A statement demonstrating the unique qualifications of the proposed contractor or the nature of the action requiring the use of the authority.

Currence possesses unique qualifications that make it the only known source capable of satisfying ARPA- E's requir platform.

Because these capabilities are proprietary, integrated into a single platform, and not available from any other known commercial provider, Currence is uniquely qualified to meet ARPA-E's requirements without unacceptable duplication of effort or loss of functionality.

Failure to support this requirement would adversely affect operations for DOE. If the services are not provided, DOE’s visibility into innovative technology companies and relevant market trends as well as

Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585 | 202.586.5000 | Energy.gov understanding of and anticipating emerging trends will be hampered, increasing the risk of mission failure to an unacceptable level.

4. A description of efforts to ensure that offers were solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable. Include whether or not a Sam.gov announcement was made and what response, if any, was received, or include the exception under FAR 5.202 if not synopsizing. Describe whether any additional or similar requirements are anticipated in the future.

On 6/26/26, a “Notice of Intent to Sole Source” on SAM.gov for 7 days in accordance with FAR 5.203(a)- Publicizing and Response Time. Responses from industry due by 10am on 7/6/2026, an appropriate time for a commercial item. ARPA-E received no additional capability statements in response to the notice.

Currence submitted a capability statement in response to the notice describing its proprietary platform and demonstrating its ability to provide the required integrated capability, including an energy-specific technology taxonomy, connected market intelligence data, bulk API access, downloadable datasets, and expert analyst support. The capability statement further demonstrated that these capabilities are delivered through a single proprietary platform and are not available through a combination of commercial products or services.

5. The anticipated dollar value of the proposed acquisition, including options if applicable, and a determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The anticipated price for this order will be fair and reasonable. The Government will compare the proposed pricing to the independent Government cost estimate (IGCE), Current market prices for comparable technology commercialization and market intelligence platforms and/or historical prices using the price analysis techniques described in FAR 15.404-1. Certified cost or pricing data are not required for this action in accordance with FAR 15.402 and FAR 15.403, as applicable.

6. A description of the market research conducted and the results.

The Government conducted market research to determine whether commercial sources other than Currence could satisfy the requirement for an integrated Technology Commercialization and Market Intelligence Platform supporting the Department of Energy's energy technology commercialization, due diligence, and market analysis activities. Market research included a review of existing Federal acquisition vehicles, historical contract actions, other government resources, and commercially available market intelligence platforms.

The Government first evaluated whether the requirement could be satisfied through existing government resources or interagency agreements. This review determined that contractual restrictions prevented other Federal agencies from sharing comparable data, and that available government resources did not provide the specialized energy-sector market intelligence, commercialization assessments, and integrated analytical capabilities required by ARPA-E.

The Government conducted a search of the General Services Administration (GSA) eLibrary to identify vendors offering comparable services under applicable Schedule contracts. The search confirmed that Currence is not a GSA Schedule holder and that the requirement could not be satisfied through an existing GSA contract vehicle. A review of the System for Award Management (SAM) identified only one previous Federal procurement for the Currence platform, a sole-source award issued by the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). ARPA-E

Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585 | 202.586.5000 | Energy.gov attempted to contact the contracting personnel associated with that acquisition to obtain additional information regarding the procurement; however, those individuals were no longer employed by the Federal Government.

The Government also evaluated commercially available market intelligence providers and research organizations to determine whether any offered an eq that capability that cannot be replicated through multiple vendors or commercially available alternatives.

To further assess the availability of capable sources, the Government published a Notice of Intent to Sole Source on SAM.gov on June 26, 2026, in accordance with FAR 5.203(a), providing a seven-day response period. The Government received one response—from Currence—which demonstrated its ability to satisfy the Government's minimum requirements. No additional sources were identified through the notice that could provide the required integrated capability. Based on the market research conducted, the Government concluded that Currence is the only known source capable of meeting all of the mandatory functional requirements for this acquisition.

7. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition.

N/A currently.

8. A listing of any sources that expressed a written interest in the acquisition.

In response to the Government's Notice of Intent to Sole Source, published on SAM.gov on June 26, 2026, one vendor submitted a written capability statement expressing interest in the acquisition:

Currence – Submitted a capability statement demonstrating its ability to provide an integrated Technology Commercialization and Market Intelligence Platform that satisfies the Government's requirements, including

The capability statement asserted that these capabilities are delivered through a single proprietary platform and are not available through other commercial sources.

No other vendors submitted capability statements or otherwise expressed written interest in the acquisition during the response period established by the Notice of Intent to Sole Source.

9. A statement of any actions the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition, if subsequent acquisitions are anticipated.

ARPA-E is constantly doing market research and due diligence with regard to its data subscriptions. This process allows ARPA-E the ability to decrease sole-source procurements and exercise every effort to assure a competitive acquisition in accordance with the Competition in contracting Act of 1984 and applicable DOE Orders in future acquisitions.

Certification