FINAL-_JandA_for_IHS_Redacted_Redacted.pdf

Single Source Justification (Simplified Acquisition)

SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE

March 2018 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 1 of 3

In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b) and AFFARS 5313.106-1(b) this is a justification for other than full and open competition for a sole source acquisition. The proposed effort covered by this individual Justification and Approval is for a twelve (12) month subscription to the IHS's Engineering Workbench (EW) database. The Scott Civil Engineers, included in the Air Force Library Program, has a requirement for an online engineering reference database that meets the libraries mission to provide quality and technically capable materials as stated in AFI 34-150 and the DoD libraries program mission 1015.10. The libraries support military personnel assigned to contingency operations, remote sites, and military missions IAW DoDI 1015.10, Military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs. The program provides professional military and voluntary education program materials and services. The libraries also provide facilities, resources, and services to enhance the quality of life, and provide regeneration and resiliency for authorized customers. The required database will help the Scott AFB Civil Engineers meet the above mission by providing the library users with educational materials while also enhancing the personnel's quality of life.

Civil Engineers at Scott AFB require access to Engineering Workbench from IHS Markit. The resource required must provide access to a broad range of engineering standards, codes, specifications, applied technical references, engineering periodicals, patents, patent applications and enterprise knowledge sources. The solution must provide an intuitive search function with the ability to easily filter results. The product must support a global community of information exchange, convey peer reviewed research, globally endorsed standards, patents, industry trends, and a provider of timely metrics and analytics. It must serve a community of research scientists, engineers, and prominent government agencies, world renowned universities, along with private industries, and financial institutions. The Scott Research Library require the product to include a repository of US and International patents. It must include a single point search interface with a smart "Google" algorithmic search design. It must represent technical and engineering industry standards. The Scott Research Library require the product to have the capability to meet multi-layered authentication to achieve its mission. It needs to include ISO 9000 US military specifications and standards and OSHA standards, Underwriter Laboratories (UL), German, British and standards from other leading industrial nations. It must include immediate access to an organic governing body with responsibility for industry respective standards endorsement. Finally, the product must include a platform for access to timely, current peer reviewed information forum. Engineering Workbench provided by IHS is the only known source that can meet the mission requirements of the AF Libraries and Scott Civil Engineers.

Engineering Workbench, a subsidiary of IHS Markit, offers a superior solution to meet technical and engineering information requirements. Engineering Workbench supports a global community of scientific and technical information exchange, data analysis, thousands of US and International patents, peer reviewed research, in depth journal coverage, and extensive citation and full-text monograph coverage. Engineering Workbench offers a "Google-like" search engine to allow a researcher to explore the latest journal findings, patents, eBooks, along with respective

March 2018 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 2 of 3 agency or corporate sources, along with both codes and standards. The solution proves access to drawings, part numbers, manufacturing instructions, product serial numbers, and product configurations. Engineering Workbench supports multiple languages including English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. Sophisticated indexing is automatic and updates in real-time based upon respective research requirements while giving the user the capability to filter research requirements.

The 38 Cyberspace Readiness Squadron (CYRS) provides the Active Duty and Air National Guard 3D1X7 Cable Antenna community with available commercial standards due to the Air Force rescinding the majority of the Standard Installation Practices Technical Orders (SIPTO), in an effort to align Air Force standards with commercial standards.

The rescission of the SIPTO's created a void with each engineering solution, offering multiple products that did not adhere to the proper commercial standards. The 38 CYRS serves as the focal point for multiple organizations throughout the Air Force, to include the 15 National Guard Engineering and Installation units (EI), the only Active Duty EI Unit, and the EI training team, Lightning Force Academy.

The IHS Markit database provides a centralized location for the engineers and installers to reference on the multiple projects that are currently taking place within USSTRATCOM, AFCENT, USSOCOM JTF's and AFAFRICA AORs.

Additionally, this resource will serve to ensure the EI Project Engineering training requirements are being met.

Without access to IHS Markits database, future Command, Control, Communications, and Computer systems designs and installations will experience a severe degradation in quality and reliability, as well as significant training shortfalls within this community.

IHS Markit specializes in the defense industry and delivers commercial standards in real-time, allowing for trusted and relevant information and delivering the technicians the technical information required to design and implement C4 systems across the Air Force. Through their Engineering Workbench solution, they provide single-point access to essential technical knowledge. Their unique search functions save engineers and technicians hours by quickly finding the information needed pertaining to standards. This database houses technical knowledge within and outside of our organization, allowing content access to authorized users only. The repository is the only one with the key ability to decipher relevant information that is not based on popularity or advertisements. Specifically, IHS Markit is the only solution that bridges the Department of Defense industry standards and the commercial industry standards, which creates a single-point of reference for those involved with C4 Systems Installation and Design. Therefore, IHS Markit is the only known source able to satisfy the Government's requirements.

Market research confirms that IHS Markitwatch is the only known source that can satisfy the Government's requirements and is intended to to support the Air Forces Library Program quality of life efforts.

An intent to award on a sole source basis notice was posted on Federal Business Opportunity Net and no qualified responses that could meet the requirement were received. The proposed sole source is the only known source able to satisfy the Government's requirements.

AFSVC/SVPL will keep an open dialog with the users/patrons and evaluate statistics to determine the necessity to use this resource to supplement its collection of research databases. AFSVC/SVPL will continue to survey the market for vendors to obtain competition in databases. The library uses publishers' advertisements, professional conferences, vendor demonstrations, customer suggestions and new publication reviews in conducting its surveys.

AFSVC/SVPL will attempt to obtain competition whenever possible by use of professional journals and trade exhibits. The AFSVC/SVPL personnel will continue to keep up-to-date and review new research databases to

March 2018 SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE Page 3 of 3 determine if another source will meet the needs of the students, faculty, and staff. We will also keep an open dialog with our patrons and usage statistics to determine the necessity for future purposes.