Sage mod for options - JA FY25 revisions Redacted.pdf

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION

April 2021 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 2 of 8

I. Contracting Activity.

This justification and approval to request authority for Other Than Full and Open Competition supports requirements generated for the the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Library Council. The contracting activity for this requirement is the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Information Technology Section (AFRL/PZLET).

AFRL/PZLET

Bldg. 45 2130 8th Street

WPAFB, OH 45433-7288

II. Nature and/or description of the action being processed.

Due to circumstances described herein, the activity requests authority to procure electronic access to SAGE STM journal collection, using Other Than Full and Open Competition in accordance with AFFARS 5313.501 - U.S.C. 230b, Implementation of Simplified Acquisition Procedures (41 U.S.C. 1901). This individual action will result in the award of a new amendment to the - - - Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract.

The requiring activity seeks to add three twelve-month option years to the award. The individual price of each option year is as follows - Option Year 1: $ Option Year 2: $ Option Year 3: $ The total price of the three options added is $ The total price including the base year is $

The current subscription will expire on 31 DEC 2024. The subscription period of performance will run from 1 JAN 2025 to 31 DEC 2025. This subscription will be purchased with FY25 3600 DoD Funds. This sole source requirement will be acquired from the following organization:

Journals Sales Manager SAGE Publishing Ph:

III. Description of supplies/services required to meet agency needs.

The proposed effort covered by this individual Justification and Approval is an amendment to add three twelve-month option years to contract - - - for the Sage STM journal collection, which hosts SAGE Publishing content. The amended subscription period of performance for Option Year 1 will run from 1 JAN 2025 to 31 DEC 2025. The AFRL Library Council has a requirement for an online physics literature database that meets the laboratory's mission to "lead the discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace forces." The AFRL libraries support civilian, contractor, and military personnel, primarily scientists and engineers (S&Es), assigned to the eight AFRL technical directorates which include Aerospace Systems, Airman Systems, Directed Energy, Information, Materials and Manufacturing, Munitions, Sensors, and Space Vehicles and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The AFRL libraries provide research materials, including databases, electronic books, journals and other services, to all AFRL S&Es. The AFRL Library Council is a consortium that exists to create partnerships among the libraries at the various sites hosting AFRL elements. The different locations are Arlington, VA, Edwards AFB, Eglin AFB, Fort Sam Houston, Kirtland AFB, Rome Research Site, and Wright-Patterson AFB. They cooperatively acquire materials that are made available to civilian, contractor, and military employees across the laboratory. The required database will help the AFRL Library Council meet the above mission by providing the library users with research materials to meet the requirements of the Air Force Research Laboratory's research and development goals.

This resource needs a highly-focused scope on the field of physics and allied areas and to offer a tailored collection of electronic reference resources for scientists and engineers (S&Es) that provides access to full-text titles, primarily peer-reviewed journals. Due to the differing research missions of the individual AFRL technical directorates that the libraries support, the required database needs to be all-inclusive of the different materials and allow S&Es the ability to effectively and efficiently research the required physics topics. The SAGE STM journal collection, needs to be made available through the individual AFRL libraries' websites or intranet sites via the EZproxy authentication service, as well

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

April 2021 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 3 of 8 as, provide its own interface that can be accessed through an independent website (https://www.sagepub.com). This resource needs to allow material to be downloaded to provide offline access in situations with low or no internet access. The resource needs to provide online research tools from professionally curated and/or peer-reviewed sources that offer trusted information in abstracts, articles, and electronic journals with a focus on the subject areas listed above.

Sage Publications have determined the anticipated costs and CLIN structure below:

CLIN 1001 (Option Year 1) Quantity Unit Price SAGE STM Journal Subscription 2025 1 $ CLIN 2001 (Option Year 2) SAGE STM Journal Subscription 2026 1 $ CLIN 3001 (Option Year 3) SAGE STM Journal Subscription 2026 1 $

IV. Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition.

AFFARS 5313.501 - 10 U.S.C. 2302b Implementation of Simplified Acquisition Procedures (41 U.S.C. 1901)

V. Demonstration that the contractor's unique qualifications or nature of the acquisition requires the use of the authority cited above (applicability of authority).

AFRL library users require up-to-date, real-time access to an electronic reference resource focused on the many sub-fields of physics, specifically, relating to aerospace engineering and materials science. Sage STM journal collections, offers exclusive content not available from any other vendor in the market via their SAGE Publishing database, which is available for unlimited simultaneous user access, and features full-text content that can be downloaded for offline use.

The Sage STM journal collection, is only available from SAGE publishing Topics covered in this subscription include all aspects of the field of physics. The SAGE STM journal collection provides access to in-depth, peer-reviewed research in the area of physics and allied fields. No other vendor is able to provide the expansive collection of academic literature required by the libraries.

Sage STM journal collection, is vital to the ongoing mission, outlined in detail in section III, of AFRL. There is no other collection of peer-reviewed academic literature in the field of physics comparable to the copyrighted content of the Sage STM journal collections, provided by SAGE publishing. The depth and breadth of their database is an essential quality to the AFRL libraries' requirements. This subscription will need to meet the information needs of a wide variety of AFRL scientists and engineers (S&Es). This resource will provide information and data to technical libraries serving all eight AFRL technical directorates and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). AFRL's requirement is for a subscription database that meets the demands of high level technical services. The subscription must offer the collection and services to meet the needs of a broad user base, provide high quality resources, and be accessible in all locations. The depth and breadth of Sage STM journal collection, make it the only feasible supplier that can meet the AFRL libraries' needs and provide customers with an all-inclusive STM journal collection. There are not comparable STEM journals in the market that would cover all of these aspects of the field of physics, engineering, biosciences, and chemistry in one place with the same functionality and access.

SAGE publishing has exclusive legal copyright to its interfaces and publications, requiring the transfer of copyright from the authors of each article it publishes. These sources are vital to the users of the AFRL Library consortium, and to the effectiveness of the technical database. The market research did not provide for any known replacement of the curated content provided by SAGE Publications. The proposed sole source is the only known source capable of providing the supplies for this requirement. Without this sole source acquisition the AFRL library users and staff will not have access to critical, one of a kind content.

Three Option Years are being added due to the fact that Sage Publications has exclusive legal copyright to its interfaces and data sets, as well as exclusively owning some of the included full-text content. The publisher does not market their web products through any other distributors, so the content is not available from any other source, Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

April 2021 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 4 of 8 thereby making this a sole source acquisition year after year. The specific research articles, via the SAGE STM library subscription database, are vital to the users of the AFRL Library consortium and to the effectiveness of the technical database. The acquisition of this database is essential to ensure comprehensive coverage of critical information, as it contains content that is not available through other channels. Without this database, the AFRL library's collection would be incomplete, and users and staff would be unable to access vital, unique information necessary to support their R&D work, ultimately hindering their ability to fulfill their requirements.

VI. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable.

A Sources sought notice was posted on SAM.gov (System for Award Management) from 1 December - 8 December requesting any interested firms to submit a capabilities package indicating their capability to provide the requirement.

The synopsis outlined minimum characteristics a similar product would have to meet to fulfill the requirement as described in sections III. and V. above. One response from an interested vendor (VESQU, LLC.) was received. After reviewing the capabilities statement, it was found that SAGE is the best value for the Government due to its unique offering of perpetual access to copyrighted content, ensuring indefinite and uninterrupted use. Unlike VESQU, LLC.

which cannot transfer copyright ownership, SAGE guarantees long-term access without the need for annual renewals or the risk of subscription gaps. This arrangement is not only cost-efffective but also ensures the highest quality and reliability of content, making SAGE the optimal choice for the Government's journal acquisition needs.

An intent to award sole source was posted on SAM.gov from 17 January to 18 January advising industry of the intent of the government to award sole source and requesting any interested firms to submit a capabilities package indicating their capability to provide the requirement. The synopsis outlined minimum characteristics a similar product would have to meet to fulfill the requirement as described in sections III. and V. above. No viable responses were received.

AFRL surveyed the market for vendors to determine if competition was available for the requirement. The library used publishers' advertisements, professional conferences, vendor demonstrations, customer suggestions and new publication reviews to conduct its surveys. No viable vendors were found.

VII. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The Contracting Officer has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government will be determined fair and reasonable based on price analysis techniques including comparison with proposed prices to historical prices paid and/or comparison to competitive published price lists.

VIII. Description of the market research conducted and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

As described in Section VI above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, was conducted by synopsis of the proposed acquisition, advising industry of the pending acquisition and soliciting inquiries from interested parties.

Moreover, AFRL surveyed the market in order to determine if competition was obtainable. The library reviewed advertisements, new publications, and available conferences to ensure the course of action for a sole source acquisition was the most appropriate moving forward.

IX. Any other facts supporting the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition.

None.

X. List of any sources that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.

A Sources sought notice was posted on SAM.gov (System for Award Management) from 1 December - 8 December requesting any interested firms to submit a capabilities package indicating their capability to provide the requirement. The synopsis outlined minimum characteristics a similar product would have to meet to fulfill the requirement as described in sections III. and V. above. One response from an interested vendor (VESQU, LLC.) was received. After reviewing the

Sole Source (Including Brand Name) Justification - Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items

April 2021 CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION Page 5 of 8 capabilities statement, it was found that SAGE is the best value for the Government due to its unique offering of perpetual access to copyrighted content, ensuring indefinite and uninterrupted use. Unlike VESQU, LLC. which cannot transfer copyright ownership, SAGE guarantees long-term access without the need for annual renewals or the risk of subscription gaps. This arrangement is not only cost-efffective but also ensures the highest quality and reliability of content, making SAGE the optimal choice for the Government's journal acquisition needs.

XI. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required.

The contracting activity will post a Sources Sought and Intent to Award Sole Source on SAM.gov, as described in Section VI above, in order to obtain competition. If acceptable responses are received, the contracting activity will modify its strategy accordingly.

AFRL will keep an open dialog with the users/patrons and evaluate statistics to determine the necessity to use this resource to supplement its collection of research databases. AFRL will continue to survey the market for vendors to obtain competition in databases. The library will use publishers' advertisements, professional conferences, vendor demonstrations, customer suggestions and new publication reviews in conducting its surveys.

XII. Certification by the Contracting Officer.

As evidenced by my signature above, I have determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

XIII. Certification by the technical/requirements personnel.

As evidenced by my (our) signature(s) above, I (we) certify that any supporting data contained herein, which is my (our) responsibility, is both accurate and complete.