Intent to Sole Source ATIS and 3GPP Annual Membership

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a component of the Department of Commerce, has issued a Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source a purchase order for annual memberships to the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The notice pertains to a firm-fixed-price procurement for membership in these critical telecommunications standards bodies. The procurement is specifically for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), which requires these memberships to support its telecommunications infrastructure development. The notice is classified under the Professional Organizations NAICS category and focuses on education/training membership fees. The sole source procurement is being conducted under 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1), indicating unique source availability.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to secure FirstNet's membership in ATIS and 3GPP, which are essential for developing and maintaining public safety communications technologies. These memberships are crucial for complying with the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 and developing mission-critical services for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology. Interested contractors have until November 21, 2024, at 11:00 AM EST to submit capability statements, which the government will review to determine whether to proceed with the sole source award. The memberships are specifically targeted at supporting the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network's technological development. ATIS and 3GPP are recognized as the exclusive standards bodies responsible for creating and evolving LTE technology mandated for FirstNet's use. The procurement represents a strategic investment in maintaining cutting-edge telecommunications standards for public safety communications infrastructure.