N66001-21-Q-6120 – Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source to IHS Markit.

This synopsis is hereby issued in accordance with FAR Part 5.201. The purpose of this
synopsis is to announce the Department of the Navy, Naval Information Warfare Center
(NIWC) Pacific's intent to award a commercial, Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order on a
noncompetitive basis with IHS Markit. (CAGE: U8279) of the Capitol Building 3rd Floor, of
Oldbury Bracknell, Berkshire.

The requirement is for IHS's online subscription platforms. These platforms include IHS's
Engineering Workbench, Haystack BOM Intelligence and Parts Intelligence subscriptions.
The required period of performance will be for a twelve month base period and three, 12-
month options.

The Government intends to negotiate solely with IHS under the authority of FAR Part
13.5, Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The justification is
as follows. IHS is the only source that meets the Government's critical requirements. IHS
allows library staff to select a custom set of standards accessible from one platform, with
the ability to download a PDF. There are hundreds of organizations that develop
standards. Each organization can provide thousands of standards with updates. A custom
central database is required so that users can save time accessing what they need to
download and to reduce costs and administrative burden. If the Government were to
purchase all of the required collections directly from each organization, there would be a
significant cost increase due to the administrative work for each purchase. Library staff
would have to maintain access to several platforms. In addition, engineers would have to
search each platform for required standards, which would take time.

IHS is the only source that integrates standards into parts and logistics information.
Haystack is used to locate sources of supply for required parts. To ensure compliance, it
is required to review any specifications, drawings and standard data correlating to the
part. A central database with the capability to easily link to the standards outline for the
part is required to save users time. Without this feature, users would have to search
multiple platforms for the required information, then go back to the standards collection
to find what they need.

Based on the approved Justification and Approval (J&A) (which will be posted after
award), the agency has identified only one responsible source and no other supplier will
satisfy agency requirements.

The applicable NAICS Code is 519130 "Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web
Search Portals" and the business size standard is 1,000 employees.

Please be advised that the aforementioned information is anticipatory in nature and is not
binding.

This notice is not a request for competitive quotes; however, interested parties may
identify their interest and capabilities in response to this synopsis, and must clearly show
the firm's ability to be responsive without compromising quality, accuracy, and reliability.
Capability statements, comments, questions, or concerns regarding this notice shall be
submitted via e-mail ONLY to james.davenport4@navy.mil by 01 FEB 2021. All responses
received before this date will be considered by the Government for the purpose of
determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the
Government not to compete with this proposed contract based upon responses to this
notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

To respond to this announcement, you must be registered to the NIWC E-Commerce
website at https://e-commerce.sscno.nmci.navy.mil and upload your inquiry under NIWC
Pacific/Simplified Acquisitions/N66001-21-Q-6120.

All responding vendors must be registered to the System for Award Management (SAM).
Information can be found at https://www.sam.gov. Complete SAM registration means a
registered DUNS and CAGE Code numbers. Questions by phone or fax will not be
considered.

Cognizant Contracting Office: NIWC Pacific, 53560 Hull St. San Diego, CA 92152.
Contract Specialist: James Davenport, james.davenport4@navy.mil
Contracting Officer: Ryan Daniels, ryan.t.daniels@navy.mil