STIC Chemical RFI Final 14May2024.pdf

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC)

Request for Information

USPTO-STIC-CHEM-14May2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS & DATA REQUEST

Attachment 1: Required Content

Attachment 2: Information Retrieval and Storage

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is conducting market research to expand its understanding of the market for certain chemistry content. The USPTO’s Scientific Technical Information Center (STIC) is supported by over a dozen large contracts with content providers, aggregators, and subscription services. A significant portion of that total investment procures and maintains specialized tools for searching chemical formulas, Markush structures, and numeric properties. In order to maximize the value from the USPTO’s investment and to reduce the STIC financial outlay, the USPTO is seeking to expand the number of sources for its Chemistry data portfolio.

This document supports the USPTO’s market research efforts in support of STIC. This is not a Request for Quotes (RFQ)/Request for Proposals (RFP).

The USPTO may use the results obtained from this RFI to support one or more future procurements. Moreover, if a procurement is warranted, then the response to this RFI will be used for the purpose of determining whether a competitive or sole source procurement is appropriate (see Special Procurement Authority Notice below). Additionally, the USPTO may use the results obtained from this RFI to make a small business set-aside determination. This means that if you are a small business and you are able to provide the content described below, your response may be critical in determining whether to set aside any future requirement in part or in total for small businesses. Any small business provider of the content described in this document is strongly encouraged to respond to this RFI.

Special Procurement Authority Notice: If this this market research results in the solicitation and award of one or more contracts, then the procurement team reserves the right to conduct a procurement using the following authority: “The subject requirement is being procured using the Alternative Competition Method in accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) and the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (35 U.S.C.

2(b)(4)(A)).” Market research obtained above may be used to determine the extent to which one or more small businesses are capable of satisfying the agency’s need and thus eligible to participate in any alternative competition as applicable.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS & DATA REQUEST

Response Package:

General: The USPTO requests a written response submitted in one PDF file to the questions described below. There are no formatting, page length, or other restrictions on your response other than the cover page, and you may include charts, diagrams, video links, and any other information that you wish in the response. Please note that a generic capability statement response is not helpful and will not be reviewed. The USPTO has specific content needs and seeks to understand new markets to fulfill those needs.

Cover Page: Please include the following information on your cover page:

• Company name, address, and UEI number (if you do not have a UEI please note)

• Company small business status (e.g. WOSB, SDVOSB, 8(a), HUBZone, etc.). Please include “OTSB” if you are not a small business concern.

• Points of contact for questions.

Submission: Please submit your responses to the following individuals by the date and time listed below:

Michelle Ellis, Contract Specialist, Michelle.Ellis@USPTO.gov

Frederick Porter, Contracting Officer, Frederick.Porter@USPTO.gov

Submission Date and Time:

All responses must be received by 13June2024 no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Key Questions:

1) What sources (open source, commercial, non-commercial, academic, etc.) exist for the information documented in Attachment 1?

2) If you are able to provide any of the content described in Attachment 1, can that content be procured a la carte or must the content be acquired in a bundle?

3) For the content described in Attachment 1, you are able to provide, please indicate the dates of coverage included.

4) If you are a content source but have never contracted with the Federal Government previously, are you able to do so? If not, what barriers exist to prevent you from contracting with the Federal Government?

5) What retrieval mechanisms/systems exist for the data as specified in Attachment 2?

6) What, if anything, can the USPTO do to encourage non-traditional sources of information to allow USPTO to access the information described in Attachment 1?

7) Is there a mechanism for the USPTO to acquire outright the data referenced in

Attachment 1? If ownership is possible, what mechanisms exist to ensure that information is constantly and consistently updated? How often would data be updated?

8) What, if anything, can the USPTO do to support the teaming of academic/industry/small business partners in order to provide a single source for the information included in Attachment 1?

9) Is there any enabling activity that the USPTO may undertake to bring a new source to market for the content specified in Attachment 1?

10) If you do offer content described in Attachment 1, is that content available on any Federal Supply Schedule or Government Wide Acquisition Contract?

11) Are you able to provide tiered access to the content described in Attachment 1 with varying levels of capabilities described in Attachment 2?

12) What, if any, additional information do you have to share with the USPTO as it relates to these objectives or any other aspect related to the information described in Attachments 1 and 2?

Attachment 1: Required Content

The USPTO requires the following content:

1.1 Bibliographic database of chemical abstracts, including structures, biosequences, and

Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry number identifiers, covering analytical chemistry, applied chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, macromolecular chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and general materials science. Sources of information to include journals, patents, conference proceedings, books, dissertations, reviews, technical disclosures, web pre-prints, and meeting abstracts.

1.2 Chemical reaction database, including CAS Registry number identifiers, covering synthetic organic research, including organometallics, total syntheses of natural products and biotransformation reactions. Sources of information to include journals, patents, reaction collection of All-Union Institute of Scientific and Technical Information Academy of the Sciences of the USSR (VINII) and the German Zentrale Informationsverarbeitung Chemie, Berlin (ZIC), Core reactions database from Institut National de la Propriete Industrielle (INPI), Biotransformations database compiled under the direction of Professor Doctor Klauss Kieslich, Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (EROS), Wiley reactions collections, Selected Organic Reaction Database (SORD), and Ph.D. Dissertations.

1.3 Directory and substance database of chemical catalogs, including structures and CAS

Registry number identifiers, covering catalog information for the substance provided by the supplier (e.g. catalog name, chemical and trade names, grade information, CAS Registry number, structure diagram, properties), company names and addresses as well as supplier information and products and services. Sources of information to include catalogs and chemical libraries worldwide.

1.4 Directory, substance, and inventory database of regulated chemicals listings including CAS

Registry number identifiers, substance inventories, regulatory lists, and dangerous chemicals.

Including substance identity information, inventory status, source of information, and summaries of regulatory activity, reports, and other compliance information. Sources of information to include 1985 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory and supplements and updates from US Government Federal Register, web sites, official government lists, gazettes, newsletters, bulletins, and electronic data feeds, as well as recognized US and International inventories and regulatory lists such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Hazardous Substances List, Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Regulations, European Union (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restrictions of Chemicals (REACH) – list of Registered Substances, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS), etc.

1.5 Bibliographic database including CAS Registry number identifiers covering information related to the chemical business industry. Sources of information to include government publications, journals, newsletters, newspapers, special reports, and trade magazines.

1.6 Markush structure database including CAS Registry number identifiers of structure records for patents as well as Markush structures derived from INPI. Markush structures of organic and organometallic molecules must be searchable and patent reference information must be displayable. Sources of information to include patents found in database referenced in 1.1 through 1.5 above, English language patents, French and German patents, Japanese patents, Russian patents, Korean patents, and Institute National de la Propriete Industrielle (INPI) data.

1.7 Numeric and structure database covering all types of inorganic and organic substances, including alloys, coordination compounds, minerals, polymers, salts, high throughput screening (HST) compounds as well as nucleic acid and protein sequences. Substances included must be:

• Identified as coming from a reputable source, including, but not limited to, patents, journals, chemical catalogs, and substance collections on the web.

• Described in largely unambiguous terms.

• Characterized by physical methods or described in a patent document example or claim.

• Consistent with the laws of atomic covalent organization.

• Content must include CAS Registry numbers, index names from database described in

1.1 through 1.5 above, commonly used chemical names and trade names, molecular formulas, structure diagrams, biosequence data, alloy composition tables, classes for polymers, ring analysis data, experimental and predicted property data and tags, spectra, list of databases and regulatory listings containing information on the substances, and displayable information for the most recent references for the substances. Sources of information to include CAS Registry system, GenBank, and special collections of substance data.

1.8 Bibliographic toxicology database including CAS Registry number identifiers covering adverse drug reactions, air pollution, animal venom, antidotes, carcinogenesis via chemicals, drug evaluations, environmental pollution, food contamination, mutagenesis, occupational hazards, pesticides and herbicides, radiation teratology, toxicological analysis, and waste disposal. Sources of information to include Aneuploidy file, Biosis, Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) abstracts, ClinicalTrials.gov, Clinical Research Investigative Studies Program (CRISP) toxicology research projects, Development and Reproductive toxicology (DART) development and reproductive toxicology file, EMIC environmental mutagen information center file, Epidemiology Information System (EPIDEM), Environmental Teratology Information Center (ETIC) file, Federal Research in Progress (FEDRIP), Health Aspects of Pesticides Abstract Bulletin (HAPAB), Hazardous Materials Technical Center (HMTC), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) register of clinical trial numbers, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Pesticide Abstracts (PESTAB), Poisonous Plants Bibliography (PPBIB), Swedish National Chemicals Inspectorate database (RISKLINE), and Toxic Substances Control Act Test Submissions (TSCATS).

Attachment 2: Information Retrieval and Storage

Search and Retrieval. The USPTO requires a contractor to provide access to a platform that allows for users to search databases defined in Attachment 1 using one uniform retrieval language including Boolean operators, proximity operators and allowing for truncation of terms, including simultaneous left and right truncation (SLART). Text, numeric property, chemical structure, and bio-sequence searches must all be supported as well as limiting results to certain time periods. Users should be able to search using all traditional bibliographic access points including, but not limited to, subject terms, controlled vocabulary/thesaurus, titles, and authors’ names. Users should be able to search across multiple databases or files with one query, crossfile search (i.e. take the same search and apply it to a different set of databases or files without retyping the query), and build on a search after a result set has been returned. Users should be able to use answers obtained in one search as search terms in another file (e.g. CAS Registry numbers).

2.3 Users will be able to prepare a core structure and optionally add R-Groups, repeating groups, variable attachment points, and other variables that may represent Markush groups when searching structures and substructures. Additionally, a user may control where optional substitution is located on the core structure.

2.4 Users will have the ability to control all element counts on variable groups, such as heterocyclic variables and hydrocarbon variables when searching structures and substructures. Users will have the ability to draw structure “fragments” to represent any moieties for optional R-Group definitions. Users will be able to search patent database with structure to identify art with relevant Markush structures in the claims, even if specific substance is not described.

2.5 Search results – Retrieved citations displayed in default as well as user-defined format.

Retrieved compounds, bibliographic citations, and patents will indicate database entry date.

Users will be able to remove duplicate hits from retrieved answer set. Users will be able to save result files temporarily or for a set period of time, with a user-defined unique identifier.

Users will be able to delete answer sets with system automatically renumbering retrieved answer sets.