Redacted Brand Name Justification-Endnote.pdf

EndNote Research Reporting Software Licenses and Maintenance Support Services

Control Number VA-26-00045430

JUSTIFICATION

FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Procurement Acquisition and Logistics Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown, New Jersey 07724

2. Description of Action: This proposed action is for a firm-fixed-price (FFP) delivery order (DO) issued under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) to acquire the brand name EndNote Research Reporting Software Licenses and Maintenance Support Services.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information Technology (OIT), Service Delivery and Engineering, End User Operations (EUO) has a requirement to renew 1,250 Endnote annual software licenses and maintenance support services currently utilized by various sites across EUO with an optional task for up an additional 3,600 licenses to support growth. Endnote, a citation software, used by VA to run references for all journal articles and grant applications. Endnote allows for the management of a massive number of references that are readily available to VA, as well as allowing for collaborative work and communication within the organization, specifically with the various Research Departments across the VA. This effort will also co-maintenance support for VA Medical Centers across the country. Endnote Software maintenance support includes technical software support, software updates, patches, phone and email support, and on-line self-help.

The Endnote software maintenance support will consist of a 12-month base period of performance from May 31, 2026 to May 30, 2027 with two 12-month option periods for continued support services and optional task for up to an additional 3,600 licenses to support growth in user base.

4. Statutory Authority: Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul VA Deviation Subpart 16.507-7, the following brand name requirement is being justified and approved as an exception to fair opportunity under the statutory authority of Section 41 U.S.C. 4106(c)(2) as implemented by FAR Subpart 16.507-6(b)(2), is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: EndNote reference libraries, including all existing VA reference files, saved searches, attachments, and associated documentation, are maintained in proprietary data structures that cannot be fully migrated to another system without significant risk of data loss, corruption, or loss of

Control Number VA-26-00045430 functionality. This interoperability of the system with current VA clinical information is a requirement of VA. Transitioning to an alternative solution would require extensive data conversion, validation, and user retraining, which would disrupt ongoing research operations, delay grant applications and journal submissions, and jeopardize critical research data supporting Veteran care improvements. Based on current operations and market research, the estimated transition is expected to take more than a year to restore full operational capability, with associated costs including new licensing, data migration services, system integration, and workforce retraining to result in substantial additional expenditures estimated to cost over $2 million. This estimate reflects over 5 months for just the mechanical migration effort. Additional time would also be required to bring a new reference management system to operational readiness. To reach functional parity with current EndNote capabilities, the VA would require additional time for enterprise configuration, security validation, workflow rebuilding, user retraining, and resetting of publication and grant development processes. With all of these activities it is estimated to be well over a year before a replacement solution could operate at the level currently supported by EndNote. During this extended period, VA would face substantial disruptions to ongoing research, systematic reviews, manuscript preparation, collaboration workflows, and grant application deadlines, posing significant risks to mission critical research operations.

Only Clarivate, the developer of EndNote, and its authorized resellers can provide the required software licenses and maintenance support due to exclusive access to proprietary source code. This support includes updates, security patches, and technical assistance necessary to maintain system functionality and security compliance. No third-party vendors can provide equivalent services. Failure to procure continued support would prevent access to critical updates and troubleshooting, increasing the risk of system degradation, security vulnerabilities, and operational disruption. Accordingly, procurement of brand-name EndNote software and maintenance support from authorized sources is essential to ensure uninterrupted system operability, data integrity, and continued support of mission-critical VA research activities.

EndNote reference libraries, including all VA reference files, saved searches, attachments, and associated documentation, are maintained in proprietary data structures that cannot be migrated to another system without significant risk of data loss, corruption, or loss of functionality. Continued interoperability with existing VA clinical and research systems is a critical requirement. Transitioning to an alternative solution would require extensive data conversion, validation, system integration, and user retraining, resulting in disruption to ongoing research operations, delays in grant applications and journal submissions, and risks to critical research supporting Veteran care improvements. Market research indicates that the initial data migration effort alone would take approximately 5 months; however, achieving full operational capability and functional parity would require an additional 10 months for enterprise configuration, security validation, workflow reconstruction, and user adoption, resulting in a total transition timeline of approximately 15 months. The estimated cost of transition, including migration, integration, licensing, and training, is projected to cost up to $3 million, representing a significant duplication of cost to the Government.

Only Clarivate, the developer of EndNote, and its authorized resellers can provide the required licenses and maintenance support due to exclusive access to proprietary

Control Number VA-26-00045430 source code. No other vendors can provide equivalent updates, security patches, or technical support necessary to maintain system functionality and compliance. Clarivate without unacceptable delays and duplication of cost. Failure to procure continued support would result in loss of critical system updates, increased security vulnerabilities, and disruption to mission-critical research activities. Accordingly, procurement of brand-name EndNote software and maintenance support is essential to ensure uninterrupted operations, data integrity, and continued support of VA research functions.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in Section 8 of this justification. This effort did not yield any additional resources that could meet the Government's requirements. However, the undersigned VA technical representative determined that limited competition is available among authorized resellers for brand name Endnote Software maintenance and technical support. In accordance with FAR Overhaul VA Deviation 5.301 and 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D), this action will be synopsized within 14 days of award on the SAM.gov page and the justification will be made publicly available. In addition, in accordance with 16.505(a)(4(iii)(A), this Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity will be posted on the NASA SEWP V website with the solicitation.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: To remove or overcome barriers to competition in future acquisitions for this requirement, the agency will work with the program office to continue to perform market research to consider and ascertain if any other sources can provide these services in the future.

8. Market Research: Market research was conducted in February and March 2026 by VA technical subject matter experts to identify potential sources capable of meeting

-of-operations requirements. As part of this effort, VA evaluated comparable reference management solutions, including Zotero, Mendeley, and RefWorks. Technical evaluation determined that none of the reviewed products can fully meet VA requirements. Specifically, EndNote libraries are maintained in proprietary file structures that include indexed reference data and linked content (e.g., PDFs, annotations, and metadata) that cannot be fully preserved or replicated using standard export formats. Migration to an alternative solution would require labor-intensive manual processes, including data export, re-linking of attachments, validation, and error correction, with a high likelihood of data loss or degradation of functionality. As a result, alternative products cannot provide a viable solution without significant duplication of cost, extended transition timelines, and unacceptable risk to the integrity and usability of VA research data.

Additionally, in March 2026 the TAC conducted market research by using the Provider Look Up Tool on the NASA SEWP V GWAC website. The tool revealed multiple resellers of EndNote Software Licenses, including several verified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) resellers. Additionally, NASA SEWP V GWAC has a dynamic catalog where line items can be added based on customer requests; therefore, as long as the required item or service is within scope of the NASA SEWP V GWAC, items and services can be added to a NASA SEWP V GWAC catalog on a daily basis. Therefore, based on the results of the market research, there is

Control Number VA-26-00045430 reasonable expectation that limited competition exists among certified SDVOSBs.

9. Other Facts: N/A

Control Number VA-26-00045430

10. Technical and Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief

11. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable. Contracts awarded on NASA SEWP V GWAC have already been determined to be fair and reasonable. Price competition is anticipated as there are multiple potential vendors on NASA SEWP V GWAC. Finally, the successful quote will be compared to the Independent Government Cost Estimate.

12. Procuring Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Control Number VA-26-00045430

Approval

In my role as procuring activity Advocate for Competition, based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the acquisition of brand name EndNote Research Reporting Software Licenses and Maintenance Support Services, on an other than full and open competition basis pursuant to the statutory authority cited in Section 4 above, subject to availability of funds, and provided that the services herein described have otherwise been