Notice of Intent
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.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT
The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, USIBWC, Legal Department, located at 4191 N. Mesa St, El Paso, TX 79902, is issuing this Notice of Intent, NOI, to inform industry contractors of the Government’s intent to execute a Sole Source Award under FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, specifically FAR Subpart 13.5, Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items.
The intended Contractor is West Publishing Corporation, 2900 Ames Crossing Rd Suite 100, Eagan, Minnesota 55121, United States.
The United States International Boundary and Water Commission has a bona fide need for proprietary legal research and information services. This procurement is being conducted using commercial item procedures pursuant to FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 13, specifically FAR Subpart 13.106 1 b 1 i, allowing the Contracting Officer to solicit from one source.
The North American Industry Classification System, NAICS, code for this requirement is 513210, Software Publishers. This NAICS code aligns with the contractor’s core business of proprietary legal research software, licensed legal databases, and publisher controlled legal information platforms. The Product Service Code for this requirement is 7A21, IT and Telecom Business Application Software. The Small Business Administration size standard for this sector is 47.0 million dollars.
The justification for sole sourcing with West Publishing Corporation is based on the exclusive ownership and licensing rights to proprietary legal content, editorial analysis, citation tools, and integrated legal research platforms. These products and services cannot be obtained from any other source without violating intellectual property rights, and no alternative product meets the Government’s minimum requirements.
This notice of intent is neither a formal solicitation nor a request for competitive proposals. No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be honored. No award will be made based on unsolicited quotations or offers received in response to this notice. Any response to this notice must show clear, compelling, and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government.
The intent of this synopsis is for informational purposes only. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete this action based on this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.
All inquiries and concerns must be addressed in writing via email to Suzette Smith at suzette.smith@ibwc.gov, with the following information referenced in the subject line, Notice of Intent to Sole Source, Legal Research Software.
All interested parties who are responsible, certified, and capable may identify their interest and may submit a capability statement and letter of interest. Submissions shall be considered by the agency no later than 10:00 AM Mountain Standard Time on January 12, 2026, to suzette.smith@ibwc.gov
Interested parties bear full responsibility to ensure complete transmission and timely receipt.