FY 24 Intent To Sole Source - AUL Primo software (6 months)

The 42nd Contracting Squadron at Maxwell AFB, AL intends to award a sole source contract to Ex Libris (USA), Inc. 1350 E Touhy Ave, Ste. 200E, Des Plaines, IL 60018-3307 for the purchase of Primo Software.  The purpose of the 6-month contract for Primo discovery service (FedRAMP Authorized SaaS) online subscription from Ex Libris (USA) Inc is to receive continuing maintenance support. The Primo discovery service online subscription is an educational communication training device to be used for Maxwell's MSFRIC customers, i.e. Air University (AU) students and faculty. The Primo online maintenance and software support provides students and faculty with a quick and easy search and retrieval web tool for the discovery and delivery of AUL’s print, electronic, and digital resources housed in AUL’s Library Services Platform (LSP). It features a one-stop solution for books, journal articles, and digital objects accessed from local and remote resources. The Ex Libris Central Discovery Index, an integral part of Primo, provides access to a mega-aggregation of hundreds of millions of scholarly e-resources of global and regional importance. In addition, Primo discovery service is the sole public interface for faculty and students to access/locate AUL’s resources housed in AUL’s Library Services Platform (LSP). Because Primo utilizes the existing LSP, it allows real-time discovery of records managed in the LSP, where updates in the LSP are indexed automatically and are available in Primo in about 15 minutes for faculty and student access. Maintenance support from Ex Libris (USA) Inc for Primo discovery online subscription is the only known source that can satisfy the Government’s requirement. There is no known source other than Ex Libris that is authorized to provide support for Primo. The unique or specialized nature of this requirement is that Primo discovery service online subscription is already integrated into Air University Library (AUL) system, utilizing the existing FedRAMP-Authorized Library Services Platform (LSP) that manages the library's print, electronic, and digital resources (which includes the vast collection of AU student papers in pdf format). Primo back-office management is unified with that of the LSP’s where administration processes for both are streamlined and simplified. Migrating to a different discovery online subscription offered by any other vendor would require changes to AUL Integrated Library System (ILS) authorization. Due to the FedRAMP requirement, the only other FedRAMPAuthorized discovery solution available is another vendor's integrated LSP and discovery solution, which lacks a FedRAMP component to manage digital resources. Therefore, migrating to the other FedRAMP solution not only requires migrating both discovery and LSP, but AUL would be acquiring a solution that does not even meet AUL’s requirements.

Important Notes: 

1. Integrates with existing library services platform in use, which is Alma, a FedRAMP Authorized SaaS (part of Higher-Ed Platform listed in FedRAMP Marketplace) from Ex Libris (USA) Inc.  Primo management functions to be performed within the Alma platform.

2. Provides real-time discovery of records managed in Alma.  Alma records include those for print, electronic, and digital titles in MARC and Dublin Core format.

3. Includes separate landing pages for the library’s digital collections, journal search by title and ISSN, Citation Linker that allows finding of journal article, journal, or book by citation information, and Browse Search by author, title, subject, and call number.

4. Includes the Ex Libris Central Discovery Index (CDI) that provides the discovery of commercial and open access content.

5. This is not a request for quotes and no solicitation is available.

6.A determination not to compete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received in response to this notice will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

7.Respondents are discouraged from submitting any information deemed competition-sensitive or proprietary.

8.Respondents will not be reimbursed for any costs incurred in responding to this intent to sole source (ISS). Information submitted will not be returned to the respective respondents. 

9.Oral submissions of information will not be considered in response to this ISS. This sole source procurement is under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). This will be a firm-fixed price contract for a projected base period of performance of 30 Sep 2024 – 27 Mar 2025.

To assist the Government in determining if this acquisition is available for competition, please provide the following information:

GENERAL INFORMATION: Company's full name, business size, address, point ofcontact and telephone number

CAPABILITIES: Please address the following regarding your capabilities in meeting therequirement described above.

a.Is your company capable of meeting the entire requirement?

b.If your response above is "Yes", please provide supportingdocumentation that clearly demonstrates your company's ability to meet thisrequirement.

c.Please provide any additional information that the Government should consider indetermining if this requirement should be considered for competition.

If there are any other businesses that can provide the specified services described above,you must respond to this notice before 17 July 2024, 12:00 PM CDT.

POC is Contracting Specialist Sean Johnson at 334-953-2599; email at sean.johnson.54@us.af.mil

Contracting Officer LaChandra Thompson at 334-953-6565; email at lachandra.thompson@us.af.mil

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES:

This acquisition is for the purchase in accordance with (IAW) attached Statement of Requirement (SoR).

DELIVERY INFORMATION: Air University Library, 600 Chennault Circle, Bldg 1405, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 36112.