Publication_J_A_FAR_13_5_1.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION FOR ACQUISITION UNDER THE

SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

1. Contracting Agency and Activity. The Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, USGS Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center (WHCMSC).

2. Nature of Action Being Approved A new, one-time, firm fixed-price award on a noncompetitive basis to the American Chemical Society (ACS) for the publication of USGS manuscripts under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license in the Energy & Fuels Scientific Results Volume (SRV).

3. Description of Supplies or Services. The requirement is to publish eight (8) USGS manuscripts under the CC BY 4.0 license, granting immediate open access and allowing others to freely share and build upon the work with proper attribution.

4. Estimated Dollar Value.

5. Statutory Authority. The proposed action may be awarded on a sole source basis under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) – only one source reasonably available.

6. Rationale Supporting Use of Citation in No. 5. ACS Energy & Fuels is uniquely positioned to host a comprehensive, project-managed collection of gas hydrate research, thanks to its broad scope, strong reputation, and established practice of publishing thematic issues in energy science.

Approved manuscripts will be included in a Special Research Virtual Issue (SRV), which enables coordinated publication of multiple interrelated papers from a large-scale research project—ensuring integration, accessibility, and impact.

Publishing USGS findings in other venues would fragment the research, making it harder for stakeholders to locate relevant data and diminishing the ability of USGS publications to contribute effectively to understanding and managing gas hydrates in nature and as a potential energy resource. The ACS Energy & Fuels SRV is a curated compilation designed to aggregate scientific results from specific programs or agencies into a single, cohesive volume. Most other journals do not offer this structured, program-focused approach; instead, they follow a continuous publication model.

7. Other Information. Publishing with ACS Energy & Fuels SRV satisfies the requirements of Executive and Secretarial Orders regarding unleashing energy in America and specifically in Alaska (E.O. 14153, 14154, 14156; S.O. 3417, 3418, 3422). Also publishing with ACS satisfies requirements of White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Public Access Policy requires that agencies make federally funded research results publicly accessible and aligns with USGS 2023 Public Access Plan under Survey Manual 1100.4.3 and the USGS 2023 Public Access Plan requirements.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) considers employee signatures to be Personal Protected Information, and therefore all employee signatures have been redacted. By posting this document, the Contracting Officer attests all appropriate signatures have been obtained.