Infopro Digital Sole Source Justification_Redacted.pdf

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

100 F STREET, NE

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

OFFICE OF

ACQUISITIONS

SOLE SOURCE (BRAND NAME) JUSTIFICATION UNDER SIMPLIFIED

PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) 13.5

Requisition Number:

Procurement Title: Risk.net & WatersTechnology.com Subscription

JUSTIFICATION NUMBER:

1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE AGENCY AND THE CONTRACTING ACTIVITY

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Acquisitions 100 F Street, NE Washington, DC 20549

2. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING APPROVED

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Infopro Digital Inc., 55 Broad Street Floor 22, New York, New York 10004 for access via the internet to brand name proprietary content on Risk.net and WatersTechnology.com.

This contract is for a base year and four (4) twelve (12) month option years. This award will be Firm Fixed Price (FFP).

3. A DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE

AGENCY’S NEEDS (INCLUDING THE ESTIMATED VALUE)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires direct access via the Internet to proprietary content on the websites Risk.net and WatersTechnology.com, published by InfoPro Digital Inc.

a) Online access to Risk.net (Standard and Management) publications is needed for an unlimited number of SEC staff and contractors. Risk.net publications produce articles related to the measurement, modelling and management of financial risks. The coverage encompasses banks, as well as other types of financial services firms, such as asset managers and insurers. These publications cover issues such as operational risk, legal risk, risk culture and governance, market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, counterparty risk, risk transfer, risk modelling, valuation and prudential regulation. In addition, these publications provide in-depth coverage of the markets across the derivative, interest rate, credit, foreign exchange and structured products asset classes.

Related to regulations, these publications provide topical, in-depth news and analysis on the content and implications of regulations, focusing on rules affecting risk transfer and risk management for banks and buy-side firms. Also, there is coverage on investing, by covering risk management, markets and regulation from the point of view of the buy-side. That includes asset managers, insurers, pension funds and hedge funds. Risk management coverage focuses on market risk, following the work of asset managers and hedge funds to model, understand and manage investment risk on behalf of customers.

The Risk.net publications to be accessed are:

Asia Risk Custody Risk Energy Risk Hedge Funds Review Insurance Risk Operational Risk & Regulation Risk Structured Products Technical Papers Journal of Network Theory in Finance Journal of Financial Market Structures Journal of Computational Finance Journal of Risk Journal of Credit Risk Journal of Operational Risk Journal of Risk Model Validation Journal of Investment Strategies Journal of Energy Markets

b) Online access to WatersTechnology.com publications is needed for SEC staff members and contractors. WatersTechnology.com coverage includes financial services industry’s technology and data-related information, delivering deep-dive investigative pieces, regularly breaking news that affect tech and data professionals.

WatersTechnology.com covers the market and reference data spaces closely by informing about the data and platform providers, and by explaining how banks, asset managers and exchanges are improving their processes and systems, while responding to regulatory changes.

The WatersTechnology.com publications to be accessed are:

Inside Market Data Inside Reference Data Buy-Side Technology Sell-side Technology Waters magazine

The content shall be searchable and include archived articles. It shall include the full-text of the publications, breaking news, in-depth analysis, and features on the financial market technology industry and international financial risk management sector.

The estimated value for the base year is . The total estimated value for the contract (5 years) is .

4. AN IDENTIFICATION OF STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING SOLE

SOURCE ACQUISITION

FAR subpart 13.5 in accordance with 41 U.S.C. § 1901.

5. A DEMONSTRATION OF CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE

NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED

InfoPro Digital is the only source that can provide direct access to their proprietary content on Risk.net and WatersTechnology.com websites that is required by the SEC.

SEC staff require access to the proprietary content to aid in meeting the SEC’s mission to maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets and to protect investors. Meeting this mission requires effective monitoring of markets, market participants, and potential market disruptions. Access to the content on Risk.net and WatersTechnology.com is critical for achieving this objective. The in-depth coverage of various financial risks and their trends in the financial industry and financial regulations are critical for SEC to monitor financial markets in accordance with SEC missions to protect investors, ensure market integrity and support responsible capital formation through risk-focused strategies that: (1) improve compliance; (2) prevent fraud; (3) monitor risk; and (4) inform policy. It is also critical to conduct investigations into possible violations of the federal securities laws; to prosecute the Commission’s civil suits in the federal courts as well as in its administrative proceedings; to inform rule-making initiatives, identify and monitor risks, improve industry practices and pursue misconduct. Access to the broadest source of well-known and reputable news, company, and markets information related to financial risk, its monitoring and management critical to efficiently and effectively monitoring, sharing, and understanding the latest news and market trends and for identifying emerging systemic threats, all necessary for providing effective monitoring of markets, market participants and potential market disruptions.

Additionally, the SEC requires access to Risk.net and WatersTechnology because US and world financial industry executives, information professionals, leading financial and law firms are using Risk.net and WatersTechnology.com as a primary source of financial risk management news and analysis. As the SEC regulates and interacts with many players of financial industry, it is imperative that SEC staff has access to the same information as financial industry key players. The suite of Risk.net and WatersTechnology.com journals permit the ongoing monitoring and identification of emerging systemic threats.