PreSol-10 Memo for Record_Sole Source_SpringerNature.pdf

MEMO FOR RECORD

Sole Source Determination – Springer Nature

89243122PSC000199

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) plans to contract by means other than full and open competition. This requirement is being procured in accordance with FAR 13.106(b) and with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 6.302, as promulgated by 41 U.S.C. 3304.

The proposed action is for access to 17 required Springer Nature journals. Contract type will be a firm‐ fixed price for a one‐year subscription.

1. Nature Biotechnology

2. Nature Chemical Biology

3. Nature Chemistry

4. Nature Climate Change

5. Nature Energy

6. Nature Geoscience

7. Nature Materials

8. Nature Methods

9. Nature Nanotechnology

10. Nature Photonics

11. Nature Physics

12. Nature US Edition

13. Scientific American

14. Scientific American Plus

15. Archives: Nature Plants

16. Archives: Nature Microbiology

17. Nature.com Complete

OSTI requires online access to the Springer Nature journals for the Office of Science. Access is restricted to the Office of Science via a direct link provided to OSTI. Access is only provided to the Office of Science Program Offices, Laboratories and partners and is not publicly accessible.

These journals provide specialized research information for DOE scientists and researchers. The publications provided by Springer Nature are copyrighted and proprietary. The journals include published articles that contain work performed by DOE. This allows program managers to see what research has been performed so there is no duplication in research efforts. Only Springer Nature can deliver immediate electronic access to the most recent and previous issues of the journals. No other sources are authorized to provide online access as required. There are no other known sources with equivalent capabilities. Therefore, there is no anticipated area of competition. A notice of intent to issue a sole‐source award has been posted on beta.SAM.gov.

The anticipated subscription period is January 1, 2022 ‐ December 31, 2022. The estimated cost is $91,893.72 and reflects a 29% increase from the 2021 rate of $71,045.20. The increase includes the addition of two new journal titles (24%): 1) Nature Plants and 2) Nature Microbiology at a cost of $16,957.00. The remaining increase is due to a 5% increase for the other 15 journal titles. The applicable NAICS Code: 511199, All Other Publishers, with a size standard of 500 employees.

Market research was conducted in accordance with FAR Part 10 and included GSA Library searches for contractors that could provide access to the required online journals. The results of this research indicated that Springer Nature was the only viable source. Therefore, there is no anticipated area of competition.

Mary C. Halterman, Contracting Officer Date