Ansys Lumerical Licenses

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), operating under the Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research, has issued a Special Notice of Intent to Award a sole source contract for Ansys Lumerical Licenses. This notice, referenced as N00173-25-Q-1301277120, was posted on October 1, 2025, and explicitly states that it is not a request for competitive proposals or solicitation for offers. The procurement falls under NAICS code 513210 (Software Publishers) with a large business size standard and utilizes Federal Supply Code 7B20. The purchase will be conducted using Simplified Acquisition Procedures under FAR 13.106-1(b) for acquisitions not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold of $350,000. NRL has determined that Ansys, Inc. is the only responsible source capable of satisfying the agency's requirements for these specialized software licenses.

The purpose of this notice is to inform the contracting community of NRL's intent to proceed with a sole source award while providing a brief opportunity for interested parties to demonstrate why competition might be advantageous to the government. Potential contractors have until October 3, 2025, to respond and must provide clear and convincing evidence that competition would benefit the government. Responses will be considered solely to determine whether a competitive procurement should be conducted instead of the planned sole source award. The government retains full discretion in deciding whether to proceed competitively based on any responses received, and no reimbursement will be provided for costs associated with submitting capability information. All correspondence must reference the notice number N00173-25-Q-1301277120 in the subject line, and the government will not honor email requests for solicitation packages since none are available.