Notice to Sole Source for Underwriters Laboratory Subscription

This is a notice of intent to solicit and award a sole source contract under the authority of FAR 6.302-1 “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements”. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) on behalf of the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) hereby issues this notice of intent to award a sole source contract to Comm2000 Inc. for an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) subscription service. 

The marketplace of standardization services in the US is decentralized but managed by industry consortia, trade associations and professional societies. These consortia, associations and societies are typically focused on specific technologies, services, or industry sectors.  By construction, these domains or sectors are non-overlapping.  

Comm2000 is the only source reasonably available to access a subscription for the UL subscription required.

Comm2000 Inc. is located at 151 Eastern Avenue, Benseville, IL60106.

Background

The standards program in S&T provides technical assistance and policy guidance to the DHS Components on the development of voluntary consensus standards that meets their needs.  Standards supports the development of consensus-based measures – from basic specifications to performance criteria – that give DHS and its customers confidence that technology and systems will perform as required.  The S&T Directorate works across DHS and with numerous external partners to build consensus and encourage the adoption of needed, voluntary standards. Many of the DHS Components work across U.S. borders and internationally, therefore the standards that they use must have global relevance.   

As a global company with more than 120 years of expertise, UL works with customers and stakeholders to help them navigate market complexity. UL brings clarity and empowers trust to support the responsible design, production, marketing and purchase of the goods, solutions, and innovations of today and tomorrow. They connect people to safer, more secure, more sustainable products, services, experiences and environments – enabling smarter choices and better lives. Access to UL standards is invaluable to employees of DHS, as they cover a wide-range of homeland security enterprise-related topics.

Scope

DHS S&T’s acquisition of this subscription includes the following:

• Access subscription service through the dedicated website in either PDF or HTML format
• PDF files that are watermarked with user info and date/time of download
• HTML access for research, easily accessible for individual users
• Tracking of the download activity or HTML usage and detailed reporting, as needed

Period of Performance: The subscription is for 12 months after date of award and two (2) 12-month Optional subscription periods (e.g., 36 months).

A determination by the Government not to compete based upon responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government.

This is a notice of the intent to award a sole source contract. It is published for informational purposes only and not a request for competitive proposals. Therefore, no solicitation document exists for this requirement.  Any firm believing that they can fulfill the requirement may be considered by the agency. Interested parties may identify their interest and capabilities in response to this synopsis. All questions and/or comments regarding this notice shall be addressed in writing to the Contracting Officer, Danette.Williams@hq.dhs.gov  by January 22, 2024 by 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time.  Questions by phone will not be considered.