America 250 State Fair

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a civilian agency within the Department of Commerce, published this Special Notice on April 9, 2026, announcing its intention to award a sole-source contract to Vu Technologies for the design of a festival-scale "House of Innovation" exhibit at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This Notice of Intent is issued under the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) Section 6.1.1 and utilizes the Alternative Competition Method authorized under the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act. The USPTO is exempt from the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) for this procurement, with statutory authority documented in Federal Register notice 2013-24316. Interested parties may contact Yen Nguyen, Contract Specialist, or Emalee Gawrelski, Contracting Officer, for additional information regarding this procurement.

The primary objective of this procurement is to design and develop a festival-scale "House of Innovation" exhibit that will showcase innovation and intellectual property at a major national event. The estimated performance period runs from May 13, 2026, through July 12, 2026, for the base contract period, with a deadline of April 13, 2026, for submissions related to this Notice of Intent. Vu Technologies has been identified as the sole-source awardee based on its unique qualifications, specifically its direct prior involvement in developing and implementing proprietary exhibit components supporting existing exhibit infrastructure in Alexandria, Virginia, which demonstrates specialized expertise and continuity for this project. This procurement falls under NAICS code 512110 (Motion Picture and Video Production), indicating the technical nature of the exhibit design work required. As this is a sole-source contract under an exemption from standard competitive procurement rules, other contractors are not eligible to compete for this specific opportunity.