7A--AZtec Mineral Software & Database

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Office of Acquisitions and Grants has issued a Special Notice regarding a sole-source purchase order for AZtec Mineral software and its accompanying database. The notice pertains to specialized mineralogy software developed by Oxford Instruments America, Inc., which provides advanced ore characterization and data analysis capabilities. The software is considered proprietary, with no alternative sources capable of providing the same technological solution. This Special Notice is being published to satisfy Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements for transparency in procurement processes, specifically Subpart 5.101(a)(2) and FAR 5.2. The opportunity is categorized under NAICS code 513210 for Software Publishers and falls under the PSC category of Business Application Software.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to inform potential vendors about the USGS's intent to award a purchase order directly to Oxford Instruments America, Inc. for their unique AZtec Mineral software and ClassDB database. While the notice is not a competitive solicitation, the agency will accept responses from interested parties until May 12, 2025, at 5:00pm PT. All submissions must be made exclusively via electronic mail to eadam@usgs.gov, with hardcopy or web portal submissions being explicitly rejected. The software enables sophisticated mineral analysis, including ore characterization, metal recovery data, process yield characterization, and automated analysis of solid rock sections. Contractors interested in responding should carefully review the detailed requirements and understand that the final determination of competition remains solely at the government's discretion. The procurement will be conducted using simplified acquisition procedures under FAR Parts 12 and 13, focusing on the acquisition of commercial items.