Notice of Intent - ScholarOne.pdf

Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source Contract

Title: Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source – ScholarOne Licenses Renewal

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Operating Division: Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR) Contracting O ice: O ice of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS)

NAICS Code: 541519 – Other Computer Related Services PSC Code: 7A21 - IT and Telecom - Business application software (perpetual license software)

Notice

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR), O ice of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS), intends to award a sole-source, firm-fixed-price contract to Silverchair Science + Communications, LLC (“Silverchair”) for the renewal of annual subscriptions and licenses for the following commercial software products:

• ScholarOne Manuscripts Annual Subscription

• Web of Science Reviewer Locator for Publishers

The anticipated contract will consist of a one-year base period from 07/30/2026 through 07/29/2027, with one (1) one-year option period from 07/30/2027 through 07/29/2028.

This acquisition is being conducted using the authority of FAR 12.102, Restricting Competition, under the procedures of FAR Part 12.

Description of Requirement

The requirement is for the annual renewal of subscriptions and licenses supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) journal's electronic manuscript submission and peer review system.

The required platform must support the complete manuscript lifecycle, including:

• Online submission of manuscripts, revisions, author checklists, graphics, photographs, appendices, and multimedia files;

• Management and tracking of the peer review process;

• Electronic routing and review of submitted materials and proofs;

• Submission of reviewer recommendations and editorial comments;

• Communication among authors, editors, reviewers, and production sta throughout the editorial workflow; and

• Management and tracking of post-acceptance workflows through copy editing and production.

Sole-Source Rationale

Silverchair acquired the ScholarOne platform from Clarivate in 2024 and is the owner of the ScholarOne Manuscripts platform and the associated Reviewer Locator product. The Government's requirement is for the renewal of existing ScholarOne services supporting the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. Based on market research, Silverchair is the only known source capable of providing the required subscriptions, software licenses, and continued access to the existing ScholarOne platform, including compatibility with the journal's established configuration and legacy content.

Responses to this Notice

This notice is not a request for competitive quotations or proposals. It is a notice of the Government's intent to award a sole-source contract.

Interested parties may submit a capability statement demonstrating their ability to satisfy the Government's requirement. Capability statements must clearly demonstrate the vendor's ability to provide the required products and services described above, including the ability to provide the ScholarOne Manuscripts platform and Web of Science Reviewer Locator (or an equivalent capability that fully satisfies the Government's minimum requirements without disruption to ongoing operations).

Capability statements shall be submitted electronically within three (3) calendar days of the date this notice is posted.

Responses shall be submitted via email to the Contract Specialist:

Matthew Fein, matthew.fein@hhs.gov

The Government will review all timely responses received solely for the purpose of determining whether another responsible source is capable of meeting the Government's requirement. Responses that do not su iciently demonstrate the capability to satisfy the Government's requirements may not be considered.

If no a irmative responses are received that demonstrate the capability to meet the Government's requirements, HHS intends to proceed with award to Silverchair without further notice.