Intent to Sole Source Mario Larch

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has issued a Special Notice announcing its intent to make a sole source award to Professor Mario Larch located in Bayreuth, Germany. The Commission plans to award this contract under FAR 6.302-1 authority, which allows for sole source procurement when only one responsible source can satisfy the agency's requirements. The procurement falls under NAICS code 541690 for Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services and PSC code B507 for Special Studies/Analysis- Economic. The Notice was posted on July 17, 2025, with a response deadline of July 21, 2025. Professor Larch previously developed a tariff database for the USITC and is being sought to provide update services for this specialized system.

The purpose of this sole source procurement is to obtain services necessary to update the Commission's international tariff database, which is critical for USITC's quantitative analysis capabilities and statutory compliance under 19 U.S.C. 1332(g). The Commission justifies the sole source approach by emphasizing that Dr. Larch was a key member of the original database development team and possesses unique foundational knowledge about the complex methodology and estimation procedures involved. The justification document indicates that awarding the requirement to another vendor would result in additional time and inefficiencies as they would need to learn the database's intricate systems. This procurement is essential for the Commission to analyze trade agreements and foreign trade barriers as required by law. The estimated contract value is listed as $0.00, and interested parties have until July 21, 2025, to respond to this notice, though the sole source nature limits competition to Professor Larch's specific expertise.