Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source -Encyclopedia Britanica

The Department of the Air Force issued a Notice of Intent to Award a sole-source, Firm-Fixed-Price contract to Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. under FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) authority on August 24, 2026, with a response deadline of August 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM CST and scheduled award date of August 28, 2026.

The 772d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron is procuring a subscription to the digital version of Encyclopaedia Britannica with unlimited simultaneous access and unlimited user access for Department of the Air Force libraries across all service branches. The requirement encompasses the Britannica Library, School and Academic Editions, Britannica Original Sources, and ImageQuest products, delivered via authenticated web-based access with 24/7 availability, mobile applications, audio editions, podcasts, digital newsletters, and exclusive online content. The contract spans one base year plus three one-year option periods.

Encyclopaedia Britannica is determined to be the only responsible source capable of meeting requirements based on exclusive intellectual property rights and proprietary content ownership. Market research conducted July 16–24, 2026 via a Sources Sought Notice on SAM.gov requested capability statements demonstrating ability to provide over 87,000 articles, 23,000 biographies, 44,600 images and maps, and 2,150 multimedia items; two vendors responded, but only Encyclopaedia Britannica demonstrated legal authority to publish and distribute the proprietary content.

All responsible sources are invited to submit capability statements, proposals, or quotations to Contracting Specialist Homer Rios (Homer.Rios@us.af.mil) and Contracting Officer Gustavo Guadron (gustavo.guadron@us.af.mil). Submissions are limited to 10 pages in Microsoft Word or PDF format and must include points of contact, business size classification, socioeconomic status designations, CAGE Code, and UEI. Offerors are encouraged to propose alternate products meeting specified characteristics. The contract is classified under PSC 7630 and NAICS 519290, with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.