Subscription Services for NLM (Sole Source)

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is issuing a pre-solicitation notice for subscription services for the National Library of Medicine (NLM) through a sole-source bridge contract with EBSCO Information Services LLC. The procurement involves comprehensive subscription management services for approximately 7,100 biomedical literature subscriptions in both print and electronic formats from various multinational, commercial, governmental, and non-commercial publishers worldwide. Key contract requirements include placing new and renewal subscription orders within 5 working days, providing consolidation services for print issues with shipping to NLM, maintaining an online system with detailed tracking capabilities, submitting monthly invoices in both paper and electronic EDI formats, and delivering weekly status reports. The contractor must also handle claims for missing issues, maintain accurate pricing and bibliographic information, and develop contingency plans to ensure service continuity. The Request for Proposals (RFP) is planned to be issued via SAM.gov on or about September 22, 2025, under solicitation number 75N94025R00010, utilizing FAR 6.302-1 authority for single-source procurement.

This procurement does not include any set-aside designations and will be awarded as a sole-source contract to EBSCO Information Services LLC, indicating they are the incumbent contractor for these services. The contract period of performance is structured as a bridge contract lasting at least 6 months, from September 29, 2025, to March 31, 2026, with the potential for an additional 6-month extension to ensure uninterrupted service continuity. The scope encompasses managing approximately 7,100 biomedical literature subscriptions, representing a substantial volume of publications that requires sophisticated tracking and management systems. While specific contract values are not disclosed in the pre-solicitation notice, the scale of managing over 7,000 subscriptions suggests a significant financial commitment. The online system requirements include comprehensive functionality for bibliographic information, pricing models, order details, invoice tracking, search capabilities, and data export functions to support NLM's operations effectively.