Blackboard Licenses and Annual Subscriptions - Justification for Exception to Fair Opportunity
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Department of the Army, MICC-Fort Leavenworth, has issued a Justification for Exception to Fair Opportunity for Blackboard licenses and annual subscriptions. This requirement supports ArmyU and T2COM at Fort Leavenworth, KS, by maintaining their existing learning management system (LMS) to deliver educational materials and programs of instruction. The estimated value is $9.5 million over approximately five years. This procurement is justified under FAR 16.505(a)(4) due to items being peculiar to one manufacturer.
Scope of Work
This requirement is for the provision of Blackboard licenses and annual subscriptions. These are essential to:
- Support the U.S. Army University (ArmyU) and its subordinate colleges.
- Deliver educational materials through the existing Blackboard LMS.
- Enable the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command (T2COM) to accomplish the Army Learning Model (ALM) mission.
- Integrate with existing systems and maintain academic accreditation and security requirements.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Delivery Order
- Estimated Value: $9.5 million
- Period of Performance: Approximately 5 years (Base year + 4 option years), from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2031.
- Funding Source: Operations and Maintenance (OMA) funds.
- Published Date: March 27, 2026
Procurement & Justification
- The procurement will be conducted through the Army's Digital Marketplace, a mandatory source.
- Fair opportunity will be provided to all Information Technology Enterprise Solutions Software 2 (ITES-SW2) contract holders.
- Market research identified Anthology as the sole manufacturer for the required Blackboard products.
- The justification cites FAR 16.505(a)(4), items peculiar to one manufacturer, as the authority for the exception to fair opportunity.
- A pre-solicitation notice is not required as this is a delivery order under an existing contract.
Eligibility / Set-Aside
- This procurement is not a small business set-aside.
- Competition will be sought among ITES-SW2 contract holders on the Army's Digital Marketplace.
Additional Notes
A Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination has been made. The requiring activity is ArmyU, and the contracting activity is MICC-Fort Leavenworth.