LCFDL20R0026 ER Open Season.pdf

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

2. CONTRACT NO. 3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE 4. ORDER NO. 5. SOLICITATION NO.

LCFDL20R0026

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

14AUG20

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL

a. NAME Christopher Saunders, Contract Specialist

b. TELEPHONE NO. (No collect calls)

(202) 707-9875

8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL TIME

See Section L

9. ISSUED BY CODE 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE: _______ % FOR

Library of Congress FEDLINK Contracts 101 Independence Ave., SE Room LA-215 Washington, DC 20540-4935

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB NAICS:

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

8 (A)

SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB RFP

15. DELIVER TO CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE

Library of Congress FEDLINK Contracts 101 Independence Ave., SE Room LA-215 Washington, DC 20540-4935

17a. CONTRACTOR/ CODE

OFFEROR FACILITY

CODE 18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

DUNS NO:

TELEPHONE NO:

Invoice Processing Platform https://www.ipp.fms.treas.gov See Section G.2.

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER 18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED

SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

FEDLINK Preservation Services

See CONTINUATION PAGE(S)

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED.

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _____

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND

DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY

ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED HEREIN.

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REFERENCE ___________________ OFFER

DATED _________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5),

INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS

TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT)

31c. DATE SIGNED https://www.ipp.fms.treas.gov/

Document Title:

FEDLINK INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

Document Number:

RFP LCFDL20R0026

Page

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUAN

TITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT

PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

32a. QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN RECEIVED INSPECTED ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED ______________________________________

32b. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE 32c. DATE 32d. PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32e. MAILING ADDRESS OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE 32f. TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32g. E-MAIL OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

33. SHIP NUMBER 34. VOUCHER NUMBER 35. AMOUNT VERIFIED

CORRECT FOR

36. PAYMENT

COMPLETE PARTIAL FINAL

37. CHECK NUMBER

PARTIAL FINAL

38. S/R ACCOUNT NO. 39. S/R VOUCHER

NUMBER 40. PAID BY

41a. I CERTIFY THIS ACCOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT 42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERTIFYING OFFICER

42b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42c. DATE REC’D (YY/MM/DD) 42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS

Document Number:

RFP LCFDL20R0026

SECTION B - SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

B.1. This solicitation will result in multiple indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts. Individual orders may be placed on a firm fixed unit prices basis, the cumulative value of which will not exceed the maximum defined in the contract (B.4.) In accordance with 2 U.S.C. § 182c (f)(1)(A), federal entities in the executive branch (including Department of Defense agencies), the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, independent agencies, and federal agency Contractors that are authorized to use federal sources of supply under FAR subpart 51.1 may be authorized to place orders under these contracts in accordance with the terms and procedures herein

The contract period will be for one base year period with four one-year options through 9/30/2025.

Orders placed against the IDIQ contract will be in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Ordering offices do not need to synopsize the requirement. The terms and conditions of the IDIQ contract will be incorporated in any resulting order. In accordance with FAR 16.505, individual orders shall clearly describe all services to be performed or supplies to be delivered so the full cost or price for the performance of the work can be established when the order is placed. Orders shall be within the scope, issued within the period of performance, and be within the maximum value of the contract.

Library of Congress contracting officers may place orders against this contract. The Library of Congress/FEDLINK may transfer some or all of the contract administration functions to the FEDLINK customer agency at any time during the life of the contract. The contract administration functions include, but are not limited to: the exercise of optional contract line item numbers (CLINs), the exercise of the option to extend services, the exercise of the option to extend the term of the contract, and any other contract modifications. The Library of Congress will transfer any and all contract administration functions to the FEDLINK customer agency by written modification of the resulting contract and/or task orders issued against the contract. Upon transfer, the FEDLINK customer agency will assume contract administration functions in accordance with the terms of the contract.

B.2. PRICING SCHEDULE

All products and pricing offered must be associated with the appropriate Contract Line Item Number (CLIN). Offerors shall provide firm-fixed prices for the base and option years. For those offerors that cannot provide firm-fixed pricing beyond the base year, offerors shall indicate a yearly cap on option year prices and explain how the price cap was determined.

CLIN Description Commercial Rate

FEDLINK

Rate

Discount

Base: Period of Performance: October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021

0001 Electronic Databases/Publications (C.3.1) $ $

0002 Document Delivery Services (C.3.2) $ $

0002.1. Rush Orders/Special Delivery Service $ $

0003 Associated Publications (C.3.3.) $ $

0004 Specialized Access/Product Integration (C.3.4) $ $

FEDLINK

Rate

Discount

Option year 1: Period of Performance: October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022

1001 Electronic Databases/Publications (C.3.1) $ $

1002 Document Delivery Services (C.3.2) $ $

1002.1. Rush Orders/Special Delivery Service $ $

1003 Associated Publications (C.3.3.) $ $

1004 Specialized Access/Product Integration (C.3.4) $ $

Document Number:

RFP LCFDL20R0026

FEDLINK

Rate

Discount

Option year 2: Period of Performance: October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023

2001 Electronic Databases/Publications (C.3.1) $ $

2002 Document Delivery Services (C.3.2) $ $

2002.1. Rush Orders/Special Delivery Service $ $

2003 Associated Publications (C.3.3.) $ $

2004 Specialized Access/Product Integration (C.3.4) $ $

FEDLINK

Rate

Discount

Option year 3: Period of Performance: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024

3001 Electronic Databases/Publications (C.3.1) $ $

3002 Document Delivery Services (C.3.2) $ $

3002.1. Rush Orders/Special Delivery Service $ $

3003 Associated Publications (C.3.3.) $ $

3004 Specialized Access/Product Integration (C.3.4) $ $

FEDLINK

Rate

Discount

Option year 4: Period of Performance: October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025

4001 Electronic Databases/Publications (C.3.1) $ $

4002 Document Delivery Services (C.3.2) $ $

4002.1. Rush Orders/Special Delivery Service $ $

4003 Associated Publications (C.3.3.) $ $

4004 Specialized Access/Product Integration (C.3.4) $ $

B.2.1. See also L.2.2. Pricing mechanism or methodology.

B.3. VOLUME DISCOUNTS

Offerors that meet the following criteria are asked to offer sales-volume discounts in addition to the discounts offered in the initial Pricing Proposal in Section B.1.:

Had sales to the Federal government in the previous fiscal year that exceeded $3 million under NAICS codes 511199, 518210, 519120, 519130 and/or 519190.

Offerors are asked to offer sales-volume discounts when total spending through the FEDLINK contracts exceeds the dollar-value thresholds shown in the following table. Sales against these thresholds will be based on the aggregate dollar value of all purchases made by federal agencies and entities, regardless of whether the spending occurs through the Transfer Pay option or the Direct Express option or is made by transaction, subscription, or block. Once a dollar-value threshold is reached, it will automatically be given to all federal agencies and entities. Additional volume discounts will be applicable within 30 days from the end of the calendar month in which the volume threshold is reached. Once a volume discount threshold is reached, and the discount achieved, it carries forward for the life of the contract. Prices do not reset at the beginning of option years. For customers with prepaid or block subscriptions, Contractors must remit the entire discount in U.S. dollars at the end of the next monthly reporting period, consistent with Section G.3.3.(d).

Document Number:

RFP LCFDL20R0026

TIER THRESHHOLD ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT %

Tier 1 125% of prior year sales Tier 2 150% of prior year sales Tier 3 175% of prior year sales Tier 4 200% of prior year sales

B.4. MINIMUM/MAXIMUM:

The guaranteed minimum contract amount for the IDIQ contract is $500.00. The maximum cumulative amount that the Government may order and the contractor shall be required to supply is to be determined (TBD) for the contract awarded under this solicitation.

Document Number:

RFP LCFDL20R0026

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1. BACKGROUND

The LC/FEDLINK revolving fund statute, codified at 2 U.S.C. § 182c (f)(1), authorizes the LC/FEDLINK program to provide the following services on behalf of participating Federal libraries, Federal information centers, other entities of the Federal Government, and the District of Columbia:

• The procurement of commercial information services, publications in any format, and library support services.

• Related accounting services.

• Related education, information, and support services.

With this authorization, LC/FEDLINK establishes centralized IDIQ contracts against which Federal offices in all branches of government (executive, including Department of Defense; legislative; and judicial), independent agencies, and Contractors authorized to use federal sources of supply under FAR part 51 are authorized to place orders. Legal offices, laboratories, information and data centers, analysts, scientists and other end-users in Federal agencies may acquire their electronic resources and publications through LC/FEDLINK. The program also provides accounting services: receiving and processing invoices for Customers who transfer funds to the program and making centralized payments to Contractors.

C.2. SCOPE

The Contractor delivers or provides access to commercial off-the-shelf electronic information resources for the FEDLINK program. Information products and services shall be available for ordering agencies with multiple organizational levels and geographic locations nationwide and/or worldwide.

Contracts may be divided into four lots as follows:

• Lot 1 – Electronic Resources/Databases

• Lot 2 – Document Delivery Services

• Lot 3 – Associated Publications

• Lot 4 – Specialized Access/Product Integration

Contractors must offer products/services under Lot 1 in order to provide products/services under Lot 3, and must offer products/services under Lot 1 and/or Lot 2 in order to provide products/services under Lot 4.

Note that electronic training and online courses are not the focus of this solicitation and are out-of-scope. Only educational, electronic training, and online courses that supplement, support and interact with the products and services offered under Lot 1 are allowed. Such an offering is limited and must be directly related to the products/services offered under Lot 1.

C.3. REQUIREMENTS.

C.3.1. LOT 1 – ELECTRONIC DATABASES/PUBLICATIONS

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. Lot 1 is the core of this contract. It covers publishers and Contractors who provide access to commercial off-the-shelf electronic materials in many publication formats as described below.

The Contractor must provide products and services under either Lot 1 or Lot 2.

(a) Electronic Resources and Information Retrieval Databases. Contractors provide access, search and retrieval of information from electronic databases and other electronic publications installed on a server managed by the Contractor and made available through the Contractor’s search interface. The system may be accessed and search results delivered primarily via the Web, and to a lesser extent dedicated lines/ports or newsfeeds. Access is typically controlled through Internet protocol (IP) addresses, proxy services, or passwords for individual users.

Authorized users can search and retrieve text and data on-demand, view records on their desktop and download or print items in a variety of record formats. Electronic resources and database services may be priced by transaction or subscription.

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(b) Current Awareness Service. Current awareness service allows for the dissemination of information that will keep users well informed and up-to-date in their field of interest in a timely manner. Current awareness service reviews/scans publications, immediately selects information matching the needs of the organization and/or user, and sends the information electronically. Also known as personalized alerts, trackers, SDIs (selective dissemination of information), or table of contents (TOC) services, current awareness services may be directed not only to individuals or a group, but to all users in the organization. Current awareness services may be priced by transaction or subscription.

Profiles may be specific to individuals or groups of associated users, or may be predefined by the Contractor.

Examples are: a scientist might establish an alert for research on environmental toxins; an agency may set up a regular search for citations to articles published by its grantees; a librarian might subscribe to table of contents service for journals used by library customers; a contractor might establish a standard profile for updates on legislative or regulatory action on telecommunications reform.

(c) Federated and Content Integration Services. Federated services employ an information retrieval technology to meet the need of searching multiple disparate content sources with a single query. The search is distributed through various search engines and database and provides a centralized access of Web sites or products and/or other electronic information retrieval systems. Federated services usually provide a common interface or command language for integrated searching, and may offer centralized administration and billing for use of remote fee-for-service or proprietary systems. Systems accessed via federated searching and charges billed through the federated services must fall within the scope of this solicitation. Federated services may be priced by transaction or subscription.

Content integration services involve combining content from disparate sources and providing users with a unified view of and access to that content. Content integration can consolidate content sources under a single interface enabling users to discover, search, navigate, and manipulate consistent content. Integration services may apply taxonomies, uniform tagging, metadata, indexing, ontology and vocabularies to content. The content can be normalized, optimized and migrated to a wide array of end-user applications, platforms, enterprise portals, or content management systems. Content integration services facilitate sharing, discovery, delivery, and usability of content. Content integration services may be priced by quantity (e.g. transaction, blocks, content) or by subscription.

(d) Electronic Journals. Electronic journals (e-journals) are publications that typically include articles, illustrations, and other materials that appear in an issue of a journal, magazine or other periodical publication. While e-journals may be published solely in electronic format, many are electronic versions of traditional print periodicals.

E-journals frequently incorporate hyperlinks or multi-media elements. They are usually provided on a subscription basis to a defined group of users within an organization or to a consortium of institutions. The Contractor shall provide access to an archive or back file issues of the e-journals, by maintaining the files centrally or allowing the subscriber to retain an archival copy.

Note that book jobbers and serials agents are covered by separate LC/FEDLINK solicitations and contracts and are not the subject of this procurement.

(e) Electronic Books. Electronic books (e-books) are monograph publications available in digital form which consist of text and/or images. Electronic books allow patrons to search, borrow, read, and return via the Internet or offeror’s proprietary platform. E-books may be published as full text collections or individual titles. E-books may be electronic versions of print titles, or may be works published solely in electronic format (born digital). E-books frequently incorporate interactive learning tools, such as hyperlinks or multi-media elements. They are usually provided for the institutional library or information center market on a subscription basis. The Contractor typically provides access to e-books while maintaining the files centrally. Library subscribers may incorporate e-book bibliographic records into their existing electronic resources catalogs for users’ desktop or mobile access. E-Book collections, packages and individual titles shall be identified and listed in the Contractor’s proposal.

Note: that demand-driven, commitment or deposit accounts, or related pre-paid purchasing are not the focus of this solicitation and are out-of-scope. Note that book jobbers and serials agents are covered by separate LC/FEDLINK solicitations and contracts and are not the subject of this procurement.

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C.3.1.1. Support Requirements.

(a) IP Addresses. The Contractor shall be responsible for receiving and maintaining IP addresses and shall promptly respond to any changes in IPs which includes new IPs as well as cancellation of IPs. The Contractor shall maintain IP addresses for the Contractor’s databases and other electronic publications until Customer’s funding is exhausted or the Customer cancels subscription. The Contractor shall provide access to content purchased by the Customer.

(b) User IDs, Passwords. If the Contractor does not accept IP addresses, the Contractor shall be responsible for issuing and maintaining user IDs that are necessary to access the Contractor’s databases or other electronic publications. The Contractor shall issue IDs for new Customers or additional users promptly and will keep records of all IDs issued. The Contractor may issue passwords at the time user IDs are issued, or the user will create the password. The Contractor shall establish procedures for Customers to request IDs and will identify any restrictions on use of IDs.

(c) Canceling IDs. Upon Customer request, the Contractor shall promptly cancel individual IDs and terminate charges associated with continued service for those IDs. Except when the Customer’s funding is exhausted, the Contractor shall not terminate IDs without advance notification. The Contractor shall establish procedures for Customers to cancel IDs.

(d) Undelivered or Unacceptable Materials. The Contractor shall provide a way for Customers to “claim” electronic files that are undelivered or unacceptable, such as: undelivered current awareness reports or electronic journal issues normally distributed via e-mail; files corrupted in transmission; or alert or tracker reports that do not match personalized profiles or are outdated.

(e) Subscriptions. Subscriptions may be offered for information retrieval services, electronic books, and electronic journals, as well as for other electronic media. Contractors will describe subscriptions in terms of four elements: what, for whom (i.e. agency, individuals), how much and for how long. Examples might be:

• an agency purchases an institutional subscription for unlimited usage of all files available on the Contractor’s database system for a period not to exceed 12 months or

• an academic institution affiliated with the U.S. military subscribes to an electronic journal for its faculty, staff and students, all of whom will access the journal via the Internet from IP addresses within the same Internet domain.

(1) Subscription Invoicing. The Contractor shall invoice for the entire subscription price when the order is placed or may invoice on a regular periodic basis. When subscriptions are prepaid, they should earn significant discounts for the government. Because a customer may have a subscription that covers some usage (for certain users, certain files, etc.), but may pay transactional prices for other usage, it is very important that all usage associated with the subscription be charged to the subscription and reported against it. Subscription invoices will reflect the delivery order number and date. Double charging for usage by deducting from a subscription amount and charging transactional fees is prohibited. For subscriptions to electronic publications, the Contractor shall provide Customers with a way to determine how much usage there has been under the subscription. This will allow the Customer to determine if the cost per use of the subscription is financially acceptable to continue the subscription, or if the cost per use is financially unacceptable resulting in the cancellation of the subscription.

(2) Subscription cancellation and refunds. When, in the interest of the Government, a Customer finds it necessary to cancel a subscription, a refund is due. The Contractor shall refund the entire subscription price to a Customer who cancels a subscription before the print issues and/or electronic documents are received or information retrieval subscription is accessed. For a Customer who cancels an annual electronic resources or database subscription after usage has begun, the Contractor shall pro-rate the annual subscription price so that the customer only pays for the period of actual usage.

(3) Volume discounts for subscription holders. Consistent with Section G.3.3. Contractors will indicate on invoices when Customers with prepaid subscriptions will receive the volume discounts established under Section B.2. Contractors must remit the entire discount in U.S. dollars at the end of each monthly reporting period to customers with prepaid subscriptions.

(f) E-Metrics Usage Data. The Contractor shall provide to the Customer access to COUNTER-compliant

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Customer usage statistics on a monthly basis for the purpose of product usage analysis.

(1) Format. E-metric usage data must be provided via electronic application-ready format. To facilitate management analysis, data manipulation, and reporting, the data format should allow for easy editing, viewing or importing into a standard database management or spreadsheet program. Report formats should include the user group (or FEDLINK ID if available), IP address or range, access profile within the user community and time period.

(2) Required Fields. E-metrics usage data will include cost-per-use data, full text retrieval, and session-specific data by database and/or publisher with the following minimum elements: number of searches, number of materials accessed and/or supplied (displayed, downloaded, saved/archived) to the user; material type (e.g., citation, abstract, full-text, Web pages, image, audio, video, etc.) and materials source (e.g., locally owned accessible materials, accessible links, etc.).

For initiatives and standards relevant to usage statistics, Contractors should refer to the following publications for current information on the measurement of web-based resources:

• Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources (COUNTER) is an international initiative designed to service librarians, publishers and intermediaries by facilitating the recording and exchange of online usage. The COUNTER Code of Practice provides guidance on data elements to be measured, definitions of these data elements, output report content and format, as well as on data processing and auditing. To have their usage statistics and report designated “COUNTER-compliant,” Contractors must provide usage statistics that conform to the Code of Practice. Additional information may be found at https://www.projectcounter.org/code-of-practice-sections/general-information/

• International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) Guidelines for Statistical Measures of usage of Web- Based Information Resources (October 4, 2006), Additional information may be found at http://icolc.net/statement/guidelines-statistical-measures-usage-web-based-information-resources-1998-revised- 2001-0.

• National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Z39.7-201X Information Services and Use: Metrics & statistics for libraries and information providers – Data Dictionary. For further information, see http://www.niso.org/publications.

(g) Bundled Packages. Contractors that offer bundled packages shall provide the Customer with an itemized list of each component (title by title, database by database, etc.) and itemized pricing in the package. This information provides transparency and assists Customers with price management, analysis and comparison of products, and identifies future purchases.

C.3.2. LOT 2 - DOCUMENT DELIVERY SERVICES.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. Lot 2 covers Contractors who provide copies of published and unpublished materials in response to specific citation requests. Contractors must provide products and services under either Lot 1 or Lot 2. Products/services offered include:

(a) Document Delivery Service. Unless otherwise requested, the Contractor shall provide electronic copies of published and unpublished materials in response to customer specific citation requests. If the Customer requires print copies, the Contractor shall provide it. Materials typically include journal and newspaper articles, conference papers and proceedings, annual reports, technical reports, dissertations and theses, and official legal, financial or patent documents. The Contractor may retrieve or duplicate documents from external sources, such as the original producer of the item. The Contractor may retrieve documents from remote information retrieval files in response to specific citation requests from the customer.

(b) Public Records Searching and Delivery. The Contractor may retrieve official legal, financial, or patent documents as requested by the Customer. This service will include identification, acquisition, and delivery of the official document. The Contractor shall provide the Customer with a statement describing how current the information is and the extent and completeness of the public record search.

(c) Order Verification. The Customer will verify citations before placing document orders. In cases where https://www.projectcounter.org/code-of-practice-sections/general-information/ https://www.projectcounter.org/code-of-practice-sections/general-information/ http://icolc.net/statement/guidelines-statistical-measures-usage-web-based-information-resources-1998-revised-2001-0 http://icolc.net/statement/guidelines-statistical-measures-usage-web-based-information-resources-1998-revised-2001-0 http://www.niso.org/publications

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more complete verification is required, the Customer may authorize the Contractor to establish the accuracy of the bibliographic component of the citation of a requested item. The Contractor may then assess a flat per-item fee for verification.

(d) Copyright Compliance. All items will be provided in accordance with the provisions of U.S. Copyright Law. The Contractor shall clear copyright to allow for customer use contemplated under this contract and resulting order.

(1) Royalty Fees. The Contractor is required to pay all appropriate royalty or copyright royalty fees for the use of the publications provided before the documents are shipped. Such fees may be paid directly to the copyright owner or to a reproduction rights organization. The Contractor may pass-through royalty or copyright fees to the Customer. The Customer will be notified when a royalty or copyright fee is in excess of $25.00 per document and be given the opportunity to cancel the order.

(2) Copyright Compliance Notice. To enable the Customer to identify items purchased through the document service, items supplied by the Contractor shall carry the notice “Document Delivery Service Item.”

C.3.2.1. Support Requirements.

(a) Order Cancellation.

(1) By the Customer. The Customer may cancel an order after placement but before shipment. In such cases, the Contractor may assess a flat charge for canceling the order. When the Customer rejects an order due to late delivery of the requested item or unsatisfactory quality of the document, the Contractor may not assess a cancellation fee.

(2) By the Contractor. The Contractor shall cancel orders that cannot be filled within specified turnaround time. The Contractor shall provide the Customer with a written notice of the cancellation. The notice will be supplied within five working days of the date the order is canceled, or within five working days of the date the Contractor determines that a timely, quality document cannot be supplied. No cancellation fee may be assessed by the Contractor for an order canceled by the Contractor or the Contractor’s agent.

(b) Management Data/Reports. To help the Customer track and manage its document delivery activity, the Contractor shall provide document delivery service “usage” data in electronic format suitable for import into spreadsheet or database management applications. The data will include:

(1) identification information: point of contact, ordering office, ship-to address or ID; and

(2) order information: fiscal year and date of the order, item, quantity, list price, discount, service fee, copyright fee, special delivery fee, extended price.

(c) Delivery. Documents may be delivered electronically, by e-mail, fax (if available), mail or special delivery. The Contractor shall specify regular and rush fulfillment times for processing and delivery of all orders, and will provide accurate and complete materials of satisfactory quality within those time frames regardless of the document’s point of origin.

C.3.3. LOT 3 - ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS. Lot 3 is only open to Contractors who qualify under Lot 1 or Lot 2. Contractors that offer electronic database/publications under Lot 1 may also provide their own commercial-off-the-shelf print, video, microform or multimedia publications. The Contractor shall provide electronic access to its catalog of available publications.

C.3.4. LOT 4 - SPECIALIZED ACCESS / PRODUCT INTEGRATION. Lot 4 is only open to Contractors who qualify under Lot 1 and/or Lot 2. Under Lot 4, Contractors may tailor their electronic publication packages provided under Lot 1 for specific individual Customers. Contractors may work with Customers to provide seamless integration of structured internal and external content into the Customers’ workflow environment (e.g. intranet, extranet, portal, etc.). The Contractor shall address how their Customer-specific products will be updated and maintained. Contractors may provide database searching, translations, training, consultant services, analysis, Document Number:

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research and other professional assistance associated with the electronic information resources they offer.

Professional assistance will be priced on a per-item basis, not an hourly basis (e.g., per search, per summary report, per translation, etc.) Contractors must define costs of products/services offered under Lot 4 with as much specificity as possible including the basis of any custom quotes.

Note that electronic training and online courses are not the focus of this solicitation and are out-of-scope. Only educational, electronic training, and online courses that supplement, support and interact with the products and services offered under Lot 1 are allowed. Such an offering is limited and must be directly related to the products/services offered under Lot 1.

All materials will be provided in accordance with the provisions of U.S. Copyright Law. The Contractor is required to pay all appropriate royalty or copyright royalty fees for the use of or link to full text publications. The Contractor shall provide Customers with a statement that their products and services comply with the copyright provisions.

The Contractor may offer specialized groupings of its existing electronic information retrieval databases/publications, may have a predefined access and pricing formula for picking and choosing among files, and/or may set up a specific grouping as requested by particular Customer. The Contractor may provide access and searching to electronic databases/publications that are created and maintained by the Customer and made available through the Contractor’s system. The Contractor may prepare a special interface to its electronic database/publication for a Customer, such as provide an access and search link between a Customer’s portal and the Contractor’s web-based system; develop ways to reformat database search results so that they are accessible in the Customer’s internal system; or prepare a special menu on the Contractor’s system for the Customer’s end-users to see when accessing the special grouping of files. This does not include custom database creation, nor editing or other maintenance of the Customer’s data or files by the Contractor’s personnel. Customer-specific grouping of files, custom interfaces, and access and searching of Customer-specific material may require a separate statement of work and will be negotiated at the task order level on an individual basis.

The Contractor may provide subject and technical expertise to Customers in searching the Contractor’s electronic resources, collating search results, and translating materials. Research assistance might include, for example:

helping an end-user formulate an efficient search in the Contractor’s database; or searching for current research on a topic requested by the Customer, collating search results, and preparing a synthesis of findings. These services will be described on a fixed-price deliverables basis (e.g., per search, per number of resources accesses, per research report) not on an open-ended time and materials basis. These services may be offered to all Customers at standard prices established in the contract. For selected Customer requirements, services may be described and may require a separate statement of work and will be negotiated on an individual basis. Note: under this contract, research assistance does not cover on-site personal services such as staffing library reference desks or long-term consultant projects.

C.4. FEDLINK REQUIREMENTS FOR PHYSICAL ITEMS ORDERED

The following requirements apply to item orders for documents, print publications or other physical items covered by this contract under Lot 2 and Lot 3.

(a) FULFILLMENT TIME. The Contractor shall specify a standard fulfillment time for processing and delivery of all orders, including those shipped directly from the publication/document source to the Customer. The Contractor shall provide both regular and rush order service including pricing for the service. So that Customer funds are not committed indefinitely, all orders will either be filled or canceled within 120 days.

(b) BACKORDERS. When specifically authorized by the Customer, the Contractor may treat difficult-to-acquire items as backorders. (See fulfillment time above.)

(c) CANCELLATION. The Contractor shall cancel orders that cannot be filled within the specified time frames, unless upon mutual prior agreement between the Customer and the Contractor the fulfillment period is extended.

(d) SHIPPING. Physical items will be shipped FOB destination by best method as determined by the Contractor to insure a timely delivery date. The Government will not be charged for shipping, except when the Customer has authorized a special delivery method. When the Customer has authorized delivery via overnight mail, Document Number:

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messenger service, registered mail, priority mail for overseas shipments, or other such special delivery methods, the Contractor may pass the shipping charge through to the Customer. The Contractor shall supply the Customer with proof of actual shipping costs upon request.

(e) REPLACING PHYSICALLY UNSATISFACTORY ITEMS. The Contractor shall replace, at no additional cost to the Customer, any document or publication the Customer determines is physically unsatisfactory, except when the material is flawed as a direct result of the Customer’s error. Physically unsatisfactory material would include, for example: an electronic file that cannot be read or printed; a photocopy that is illegible, over-reduced, improperly collated, or incomplete; a print publication that is not new, is in poor condition; etc.

(f) UNDELIVERED ITEMS. The Contractor is entirely responsible for materials in transit, including delivery from a remote source. The Contractor shall immediately reissue undelivered items less than $10 in value at no additional cost to the Customer, and will assist Customers in tracing undelivered items of greater value, and if the trace fails to locate the materials, will replace them at no additional cost to the FEDLINK Customer..

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

All physical deliverables required under this contract will be delivered in accordance with standard commercial practices and will be marked with the LC Contract number and the delivery/purchase order number.

FEDLINK may require electronic delivery of deliverables and other documents as well (see also G.3.1.b).

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Inspection and Acceptance will be conducted by FEDLINK agency POCs in accordance with FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items (JAN 2017).

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1. NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. The following solicitation and/or contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference:

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 1)

52.242-15 STOP-WORK ORDER AUG 1989

52.242.17 GOVERNMENT DELAY OF WORK APR 1984

52.247-34 F.O.B. DESTINATION NOV 1991

F.2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. The Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract shall consist of (1) Base Period, with (4) one-year options through September 30, 2025 as follows:

Base Period: Date of Award – September 30, 2021 Option Year I: October 1, 2021– September 30, 2022 Option Year II: October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023 Option Year III: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024 Option Year IV: October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025

F.3. PLACE OF DELIVERY. The place of delivery shall be indicated in each order. All deliveries will be made to the agency as specified in each Order.

F.4. LC52.211-1 DELIVERIES (APR 2015)

All deliveries submitted to the CO or the COR or other Library personnel designated to receive deliverables shall clearly indicate the following information:

a. Agency/Requiring Library Service Unit and MAIL STOP/Room Number

b. Description of information/data being submitted

c. Contract Number

d. Contractor Name and Address

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(End of clause)

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1. LC52.201-3 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION (Apr 2015)

This contract will be administered by:

(a) Library Contracting Officer Christopher Saunders The Library of Congress FEDLINK Contracts Office 101 Independence Ave., S.E.

Washington D.C. 20540-9414 Phone: 202-707-9875 Email: csaunders@loc.gov

(b) Library Contract Specialist

Elinda Deans The Library of Congress FEDLINK Contracts Office 101 Independence Ave., S.E.

Washington D.C. 20540-9414 Phone: 202-707-4848 Email: ehar@loc.gov

(c) Library Contracting Officer Representative (COR)

Lidia Rajeff The Library of Congress FEDLINK Network Operations 101 Independence Ave., S.E.

Washington DC 20540-9414 Phone: 202-707-4942 Email: lraj@loc.gov

Copies of all correspondence concerning the contract shall be provided to the Contracting Officer and the COR at the above address and shall refer to the contract number.

G.1.2. Contracting Officer's Authority. The CO is the only person authorized to issue amendments and modifications to the solicitation/contract, approve changes in any of the requirements under the solicitation/contract, or obligate funds. Notwithstanding any clause/provision contained elsewhere in this contract, the authority to modify the contract remains solely with the CO. If the Contractor makes any contract changes at the direction of any person other than the CO, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increases in charges that may result. The CO has the authority to perform any and all post-award functions in administering and enforcing the contract in accordance with its terms and conditions.

G.1.3. CORs for Orders Issued Under the Contract. For Transfer Pay Customers, the designated COR for orders issued under the contract will be the Customer agency point of contact identified on the order. For Direct Express Customers, the designated COR (if any) for an order issued under the contract will be as identified by the Direct Express Customer agency Contracting Officer or other individual authorized to obligate funds in accordance with agency regulations.

G.2. CUSTOMER USE OF FEDLINK CONTRACTS. LC/FEDLINK provides both contracting and mailto:lraj@loc.gov

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accounting support to Federal agencies and organizations authorized to use federal sources of supply. Together, these organizations are referred to herein as “Customers.” Even though Federal agencies are defined as “Customers”, the Library of Congress and Contractor shall be the parties to any contracts or agreements resulting from the solicitation. The Library of Congress retains the right to exercise any right or enforce any obligation owed to a Customer.

G.2.1. FEDLINK SERVICE OPTIONS. As described below, LC/FEDLINK offers Customers two service options: Transfer Pay and Direct Express.

Contractors are required to offer both the Transfer Pay and Direct Express options to LC/FEDLINK Customers.

Contractors are required to remit the FEDLINK Funding Fee to LC/FEDLINK for all Transfer Pay sales in addition to Direct Express sales.

G.2.1.(a) Transfer Pay. Under the Transfer Pay option, a Customer transfers the estimated annual amount they plan to spend on the Contractor’s products or services, along with a quote from the Contractor that must include the following information: current IDIQ contract CLIN; product number; product name; IDIQ contract price or range;

customer price; and discount applied to customer price. On behalf of the Customer, an LC/FEDLINK Contracting Office issues an order to the Contractor in the service dollar amount specified on the Customer’s IAA. After receiving the delivery order, the Contractor provides service to the Customer and submits the Customer’s invoices to LC/FEDLINK for payment. LC/FEDLINK reviews the invoices, rejects improper ones, and pays acceptable ones.

The Contractor remits a FEDLINK Funding Fee to LC/FEDLINK for Transfer Pay purchases. The Library of Congress and Contractor shall be the parties to all Transfer Pay orders. Transfer Pay processing is described in detail in section G.3.

G.2.1.(b) Direct Express. Under the Direct Express option, Customers send their agency-generated purchase order directly to the Contractor or use a Government commercial purchase card to initiate purchases with the Contractor.

An IAA between the customer and LC/FEDLINK is not required and the Customer does not pay the LC/FEDLINK administrative fee. The Contractor provides service, invoices the Customer directly against the agency purchase order, and is paid directly by the Customer agency. The Contractor remits a FEDLINK Funding Fee to LC/FEDLINK for Direct Express purchases. Direct Express processes are described in detail in section G.4.

FEDLINK contractors should direct interested customers to the FEDLINK website http://www.loc.gov/flicc/ to request Direct Express contract information.

G.2.2. FEDLINK PROGRAM FUNDING FEE.

G.2.2.(a) Fee – 0.75% of All Sales. The Contractor shall pay LC/FEDLINK a program funding fee in the amount of 0.75% (three quarters of one percent) of all federal sales under this contract. The FEDLINK funding fee reimburses the LC/FEDLINK program for the costs of operating the program and recoups the program’s operating costs from ordering activities.

G.2.2.(b) Due Dates. The Contractor must remit the FEDLINK Funding Fee in U.S. dollars within 30 days after the end of each monthly reporting period as established herein. The Contractor shall remit any monies due as a result of the close-out report required at the time the close-out report is submitted. Section G.2.3(a) addresses the reporting requirement.

G.2.2.(c) Payment Method.

The Contractor shall remit the amount due through Pay.gov (via credit card) or through electronic funds transfer via Automated Clearing House (ACH). To ensure that the payments are credited properly, the Contractor must identify the electronic transmission as a “FEDLINK Transfer Pay and Direct Express Fee” and include the following information: company name, contract number(s), service ID, payment amount(s), and report period(s).

G.2.2.(d) Delinquent Payment. If the Contractor fails to pay the full amount of the fee within 45 calendar days after the end of the applicable reporting period, it constitutes a contract debt to the United States Government under the terms of FAR Subpart 32.6. The Government may exercise all rights under the Debt Collection Act of 1982, including withholding or setting off payments and interest on the debt (see FAR 52.232-17, Interest).

G.2.2.(e) Potential Termination for Default. If the Contractor fails to submit sales reports or fails to pay the fee in http://www.loc.gov/flicc/

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a timely manner, the Government may terminate or cancel this contract and all orders issued hereunder. In addition to any other remedies that may be available under law, willful failure or refusal to furnish the required reports, falsification of sales reports, or failure to pay the fee in a timely manner constitutes sufficient cause for terminating the Contractor for cause under the termination provisions of the contract.

G.2.3. CONTRACTOR REPORT OF FEDLINK PROGRAM SALES AND FUNDING FEE.

G.2.3.(a) Monthly Report to LC/FEDLINK. The Contractor shall report the monthly dollar value (in U.S. dollars and rounded to the nearest whole dollar) of all sales under this contract. The Contractor shall adjust this report each month to ensure accuracy, and shall show a cumulative balance by government fiscal year (October – September).

The dollar value of a sale is the price recorded by the Contractor for products and services ordered by a Customer on an LC/FEDLINK order. The reported contract sales value must include the FEDLINK funding fee as referenced in section G.2.2. The report must separately list orders placed by LC/FEDLINK and orders placed directly by agencies. This required report is separate from other required reports described in H.7. Section J contains examples of Direct Express and Transfer Pay reports.

G.2.3.(b) Report Delivery.

The Contractor shall deliver the report to LC/FEDLINK via email to fedlinkdirectexpress@loc.gov. If no sales occur, the Contractor must show zero on the report for each month. The report is due 30 days following the completion of the reporting period. The Contractor must also provide an annual close-out report within 30 days after the government’s fiscal year. The close-out report must cover all sales not shown in the final monthly report and reconcile all errors and credits. The Contractor shall report the last report for the fiscal year mark ‘FINAL’, and account for any corrections. If a contract is modified after the fiscal year, the correction will be made on the first report of the next fiscal year, and identified as previous year adjustment.

G.3. TRANSFER PAY PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS

G.3.1. INITIATING TRANSFER PAY SERVICE.

G.3.1.(a) FEDLINK Delivery Order. LC/FEDLINK will issue Orders to the Contractor for each LC/FEDLINK Customer using the Contractor’s service in the Transfer Pay mode under the LC/FEDLINK contract. Upon receipt of the LC Order, the Contractor shall begin service for the Customer under the terms of the current contract. The Contractor shall not begin or renew any service for any FEDLINK Customer until LC has issued an order for that Customer for that service for the current fiscal year. The Contractor shall not provide products/services to the Customer in excess of the amount indicated on the delivery order. LC/FEDLINK is not liable for products or services provided which exceed the delivery order amount.