FY_19_Sole_Source_Justification_SciFinder_Final.pdf

Control No: 19-50

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Memorandum for Record – Limiting Competition at or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold

1. Contracting Activity: Army Contracting Command - ACC Warren INSCOM – NGIC is the procuring activity for this action.

2. Description of Action: The National Ground Intelligence Center has an FY 19 requirement for Enterprise access to the SciFinder Database Renewal via the Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the American Chemical Society.

Nature: ☐ New Requirement ☒ Follow-on Requirement

Contract Vehicle: ☒ Purchase Order Number: W26MT991631902

☐ Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Number:

☐ Order/BPA# _______ against FSS Contract #_____ _________

☐ Order #___________ against Multiple Award IDIQ Contract Name or

☐ Order #_______ against a single award IDC Contract

☐ Modification # _______ to existing PO/TO/DO/Call Order

Pricing/Contract Type: ☒ Fixed Price ☐ Time & Materials/Labor Hours ☐ Cost

Reimbursable ☐ Hybrid

Funds: ☒ Operations & Maintenance, Army (OMA) ☐ Other Funds:

Brand Name/Sole Source Buy: ☒ Yes ☐ No

American Chemcial Society (CAGE Code: 019P5; DUNS: 045082633) 2540 Olentangy River Road Columbus, Ohio 43202

3. Description of Services or Supplies: This request provides funding for a period of 12-months for SciFinder Enterprise subscription. This subscription renewal for SciFinder will be supporting NGIC S&T analysts' requirements. It will provide the analyst with the ability to research worldwide developments in the application of chemical, biological and physical sciences. SciFinder provides unique functions for the tracking and analysis of the development/modifications to chemical and biological compounds, especially those that can be used as Chemical Based Weapons (CBW) or terrorist weapons. This research leads to military offensive and defensive capabilities.

Estimated total contract value is $68,355.00.

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Period of performance: 9/30/2019 – 9/29/2020

4. Authority Cited: FAR 13.106-1(b) For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold: Contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization).

5. Reason for Authority Cited: The database Scifinder produced by the Checmical Abstracts Service is the only product with the required content and search functionality.

Procurement of these services is necessary to provide open source information from a broad array of topics in chemistry, chemical reactions, and associated sciences worldwide.

SciFinder is the only product that has that capability and meets the requirement. No other product has the scientific content with the required search capabilities. SciFinder provides access to the world's largest and most reliable collection of chemistry and related science information. No other database provides the scope and depth of information available from this database. SciFinder has unique search and output features that help scientists filter and isolate the millions of scientific publications that have been published throughout history. This database has been identified by academics at universities throughout the world as the most thorough in scientific search capabilities and output utility. In addition, access to data within SciFinder will assist to avoid disruptive technology surprise by emboldening S&T analysis, network and nodal analysis and the fusion of traditional intelligence data sources with non-traditional open-source intelligence resources. As such, it is a unique source to be used in support of NGIC requirements for the study of foreign defense systems and weapons and general military intelligence issues. Further, IEEE, SPIE, and Science Direct companies have data that is utilized in our analysis, but use of only IEEE, SPIE, Science Direct data is not appropriate because they do not provide the same content as SciFinder, leaving SciFinder as the only provider who has the data necessary to complete our intelligence products/analysis.

The SciFinder Database is a heavily used resource in the scientific and academic world. This unique resource is subscribed to by numerous special and academic military libraries as well as civilian institutions. The American Chemical Society is currently the only organization in the world able to produce and offer the product known as SciFinder. ACS owns and controls all of the proprietary rights in this product.

6. Publicizing Contract Actions: For FAR Part 13 actions, the public display and synopsis requirements of FAR 5.101 and FAR 5.203 ☐ do not apply due to the $25,000 threshold, ☒ apply and will be followed, or ☐ do not apply due to an exception at 5.202

Requirement to post justification in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(b)(3), FAR 13.105(c), or FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)

☐ Action is NOT a brand name restriction and is under $150K, no posting required

☐ Action is a brand name restriction, under $30K, no posting required

☒ Action is a brand name restriction, over $30K. It will be redacted and posted with the solicitation.

☐ Action is a brand name restriction over $30K but will not be posted due to exception:

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☐ FAR 6.305(f)

☐ FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(ii)(A)

☐ FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(ii)(B)

☐ FAR 8.405-6(b)(3)(ii)(C)

☐ FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii(C)

7. Market Research: IAW FAR part 10, market research was conducted by JoAnna Berry on June 17, 2019 on subject requirement under North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code 519130 "Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals " to determine if the items could be procured as commercial items using procedures outlined FAR Par 12. It was determined that the requirement could be procured commercially. Market research was conducted via internet searches on google, GSA, and CHESS. Results included the link to Scifinder as well as links to universities detailing Scifinder as the source for the type of literature (chemical and associated sciences) with the required search functionality. GSA or CHESS searches identified zero vendors who were capable of meeting NGIC’s requirement. NGIC recommends issuing a sole source notice on FedBizOpps and awarding this requirement as a sole source to American Chemical Society, the sole provider of the SciFinder Database. This will be a firm fixed price contract.

8. Other Facts: Previous award: contract # W911W5-18-P-0035. The award was made to American Chemical Society with a total dollar value of $93,995.00. Cage code: 019P5. Period of Performance: 30 September 2018 through 29 September 2019. American Chemical Society is a large business under NAICS code 519130.

9. The Technical POC for this action is JoAnna Berry, joanna.p.berry.civ@mail.mil, 434-951- 1766.

10. Contracting Officer Certification: I hereby determine that the anticipated cost or price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based upon historical pricing data.

I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief, and that completing this purchase as a sole source is in the best interest of the Government.

Additionally, I approve this justification to limit competition subject to the availability of funds and provided that the services or supplies herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.

Typed Name: Rebecca B. Beaudry Date:

Title: Contracting Officer Signature: __________________________________________________________ mailto:joanna.p.berry.civ@mail.mil