Sole Source JA_Bloomberg_Redacted.pdf

1100 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20527 Office +1 202.336.8400 dfc.gov Sole Source Justification

FAR 13.5 IAW 41 U.S.C 1901

1. CONTRACTING ACTIVITY

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Office of Acquisitions 1100 New York Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20527

2. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF ACTION BEING APPROVED

Sole Source Purchase Order to Bloomberg Finance, L.P. for Bloomberg Terminal subscriptions (Bloomberg OPEN shared access and Bloomberg Anywhere licenses).

3. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THEAGENCY’S NEEDS

(Including Estimated Value)

DFC requires a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) financial data & analysis online information system subscription (the “Platform”) providing transparency to financial markets and fast access to news, data, and unique insight. DFC requires a broad and deep product that can meet the needs of our current activities and provide financial information resources for innovating into new products, markets, processes, and geographies.

The Platform shall provide worldwide financial data across all asset classes, whether traded or privately placed, on its proprietary secure network. Financial data must be integrated with a news platform covering both breaking news and analysis of longer-term trends and developments. Timely emerging and frontier market data is of particular interest to us.

The Period of Performance (POP) will be for 1 base-year and one 1-year option periods.

The estimated value, including the option years, is

4. STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

FAR 6.302-1 ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE AND NO OTHER SUPPLIES OR

SERVICES WILL SATISFY AGENCY REQURIEMENTS

a. Authority: 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1)

b. Application: (1) There is a reasonable basis to conclude that the agency’s minimum needs

Office +1 202.336.8400 dfc.gov can only be satisfied by (i) Unique services available from only one source with unique capabilities.

This request is for the approval to award directly to Bloomberg Finance, L.P. due to is unique capabilities required to meet the agency’s requirement for the subscription to of a Financial Data & Analysis Online Information System.

5. DEMONSTRATION OF CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS

Unique Capabilities of Bloomberg Include:

a. Exclusive Provision & No Authorized Resellers

Bloomberg Finance, L.P. is the only vendor authorized to provide Bloomberg Terminal web-based subscriptions; there are no resellers.

b. Comprehensive & Proprietary Integration of Data and News Full integration of financial market data with Bloomberg’s global news service (over 5,000 articles per day) covering finance, government, politics, and law.

Exclusive in-terminal access to Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Economics, Bloomberg Intelligence, Bloomberg Government, and BloombergNEF content— information not available from general Bloomberg News subscriptions or other providers.

c. Proprietary Analytics & Modeling Advanced proprietary tools such as {PORT} (portfolio monitoring), {MARS} (multi-asset risk analytics), {EQS} (equity screening), and BQuant data science platform, all leveraging Bloomberg’s historical and real-time datasets. These capabilities are mission-critical to DFC's investment evaluation, structuring, monitoring, and risk assessment workstreams.

d. DFC Customization & Workflow Integration DFC developed custom worksheets with Bloomberg’s proprietary formulas for fixed income analysis. Their recreation outside Bloomberg is impractical and would disrupt operations.

e. Availability of Cost-Effective Shared Access Model Bloomberg’s OPEN shared terminal option enables agency-wide access for staff with occasional needs, an offering not observed among comparable services.

While other financial data platforms offer partial coverage or isolated analytical tools, none deliver Bloomberg’s depth, breadth, and seamless integration of proprietary datasets, global real-time news, and advanced analytics within a single secure environment. Comparable services often require multiple subscriptions and third party integrations to approximate Bloomberg’s functionality, resulting in fragmented workflows, gaps in emerging/frontier market data, and the absence of in platform access to specialized content such as Bloomberg

Office +1 202.336.8400 dfc.gov Law, Economics, Intelligence, Government, and NEF. Bloomberg uniquely combines these elements in one cohesive system, eliminating inefficiencies and ensuring mission critical analysis and reporting can be conducted without interruption.

6. EFFORTS MADE TO SOLICIT AS MANY POTENTIAL SOURCES AS

PRACTICABLE

DFC tested other platforms and data providers but found that none could replicate Bloomberg’s comprehensive, integrated, and proprietary suite of tools and datasets. Efforts included:

a. Literature review of alternative financial data platforms

b. Consultation with in-agency experts with relevant experience in government and the private sector

c. Vendor demonstration and user trials of other financial data and news solutions

All alternatives failed to deliver equivalent integration of proprietary news, analytics, and datasets within a single platform.

This justification will be made publicly via the Government Point of Entry (GPE) for both awareness and opportunity to remove barriers to competition.

7. DETERMINATION BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE

ANTICIPATED COST TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND

REASONABLE

The anticipated cost to the Government is Fair and Reasonable based on review of preliminary budgeting quote, comparison of historical pricing data from prior government purchases, and comparisons against commercial market rates for similar systems with less capabilities.

8. DESCRIPTION OF THE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED

DFC reviewed a range of other financial data platforms but found none that matched Bloomberg’s full range of integrated data, proprietary tools, and real-time market coverage.

This research included reviewing industry information, consulting with internal experts, and testing other vendors’ products through demos and trials. Searches in FPDS-NG showed that about 96% of government Bloomberg contracts are sole source to Bloomberg Finance, L.P., confirming its unique position in the market.

9. STATEMENT OF ACTIONS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO COMPETITION

DFC will continue to perform tactical and strategic market research for the availability of similar subscription in the open market. If possible, future acquisitions of a similar nature will be openly competed.

Office +1 202.336.8400 dfc.gov

10. TECHNICAL OR REQUIREMENTS PERSONNEL CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that the requirement does not exceed the Government’s minimum needs or schedule requirements, the services procured are essential to the Government’s requirements, and market research has indicated that other companies’ similar services and capabilities are lacking the unique combination of education, experience, and skill needed to fulfill the agency’s needs.

11. CONTRACTING OFFICER STATEMENT THAT JUSTIFICATION IS ACCURATE

AND COMPLETE

I hereby certify that this document is accurate and complete to the bet of my knowledge and belief.