USGS Intent to Award Notice: Public Library of Science (PLOS)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Office of Acquisitions and Grants has published an Intent to Award Notice for a sole source contract with the Public Library of Science (PLOS). This special notice indicates USGS's intention to award a one-year firm-fixed-price contract to PLOS for publishing services, effective from April 17, 2026 through April 16, 2027. The notice is categorized under Periodical Publishers (NAICS 513120) and Support-Administrative Library services (PSC R605). Interested vendors who believe they can provide equivalent services are invited to submit concerns or proposals to the Contracting Officer, Leah Williams, by the deadline of 5:00 PM ET on April 15, 2026. This sole source procurement reflects USGS's specific requirements that may limit competition in the publishing services market.

The primary objective of this contract is to establish an unlimited gold open access publishing arrangement enabling USGS authors to publish an unrestricted number of articles across nine specified PLOS journals without incurring individual Article Processing Charges. The contract requires PLOS to provide perpetual access to peer-reviewed open access research in earth sciences, environmental sciences, water resources, and related public health and ecosystem impact areas aligned with USGS mission priorities, with content indexed by major services including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Potential competitors must demonstrate they offer a fully open, flat fee publishing model with consolidated payments and predictable annual costs, and must support simultaneous multi-user access from both on-network and remote locations. The sole source justification emphasizes that PLOS is positioned as the only publisher meeting the government's minimum requirements for an integrated, flat fee arrangement covering the specified journal portfolio and disciplinary scope. Interested parties must contact the Contracting Officer by April 15, 2026 to express their capability to provide equivalent services.