Post-award J&A Notice - Oxford M&PS Journals
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 Air Force has posted a Justification and Approval (J&A) notice for a Class J&A covering future sole-source library subscription and archive purchases for a duration of five (5) years. This J&A specifically includes the procurement of Oxford M&PS Journals for AFIT. This action fulfills FAR 5.406 and FAR 6.305(a) requirements.
Purpose & Scope
This J&A justifies the use of Other Than Full and Open Competition for acquiring online scientific and engineering literature databases. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Library Council, along with entities like AFOSR, AFIT, AFTAC, NASIC, AEDC, 711 HPW, and ACC, requires continuous, simultaneous access to these resources to support critical research, development, and warfighting missions.
Key requirements include:
- Unlimited, simultaneous access to peer-reviewed academic literature across various scientific and engineering disciplines.
- Ability to download full-text content for offline use and access from any location.
- Compatibility with existing authentication services.
- Subscriptions to current scientific journals and archival databases.
- Support for Open Access publishing options for Scientists & Engineers.
Contract Details
- Type: Multiple stand-alone Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) purchase orders.
- Duration: Orders will primarily have twelve (12) month base periods with potential option years. All contract actions must be executed within five years of the J&A approval date.
- Funding: Operations & Maintenance and Research, Development, Test, & Evaluation funds.
- Set-Aside: This is a sole-source justification based on FAR 6.302-1 (Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements). Small businesses are generally restricted due to copyrights and licenses, and no independent small businesses were found to offer comparable breadth of proprietary knowledge.
- Place of Performance: Cary, NC, United States (for administrative purposes, services are online).
Evaluation & Market Research
This document is a justification for sole-source acquisition and not a solicitation for proposals. Market research, including a Sources Sought notice and RFI, was conducted but did not identify any viable vendors capable of meeting the comprehensive requirements.
Additional Information
A separate Excel spreadsheet, "Publisher list.xlsx," provides a reference list of vendors and their associated Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) codes, which may be relevant for understanding the scope of publishers covered by this Class J&A. The anticipated budget for all contract actions under this J&A is detailed within the full document.