Sole Source Notice 5745 for DirectCourse subscription

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) has issued a Sole Source Notice for a subscription renewal to Elsevier's DirectCourse online trainings and certification program specifically for Direct Support Professional (DSP) staff. This procurement is a non-competitive procurement mandated by a collective bargaining agreement requiring ODHS to provide access to the College of Direct Support curriculum for qualifying staff in the Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU). The goods and services include online training modules, certification programs, and access to digital learning resources exclusively provided by Elsevier. The procurement is structured as a subscription renewal, with the first initial purchase dating back to 2016 following binding arbitration on certification training requirements. The sole source justification is predicated on Elsevier being the only vendor capable of providing the specific DirectCourse trainings required by the collective bargaining agreement. The notice was posted on December 8, 2023, with a response deadline of December 14, 2023, indicating a very short procurement timeline. Market research conducted by ODHS confirmed no alternative vendors can provide equivalent services.

The procurement appears to have no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. Elsevier is identified as the incumbent and sole source vendor for this contract. The estimated maximum contract value is $450,000, which includes prior spending and covers future subscription periods. The subscription enables SACU staff to achieve higher certification levels, which directly impacts employee compensation and their ability to provide advanced patient support services. No competitive bidding process is involved due to the sole source determination. The contract aims to maintain continuity of training resources and prevent potential disruption to existing employee certification efforts. Changing vendors would potentially result in lost training data and interrupt the current certification progression for DSP staff. The procurement is specifically targeted at maintaining the existing training infrastructure provided by Elsevier's DirectCourse platform.