R--USGS Intent to Award Notice: Frontiers Media SA
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 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Library has issued an Intent to Award Notice for a sole-source, Firm-Fixed-Price contract to Frontiers Media SA. This contract is for publishing services, establishing a flat fee agreement for eligible USGS authors to publish open access (OA) articles. This notice serves as a justification for a non-competitive award, not a solicitation for proposals.
Scope of Work
The contract aims to secure publishing services that include:
- A flat fee, unlimited publishing arrangement for eligible USGS authors.
- Coverage of high-impact journals relevant to USGS mission areas.
- Publication of all accepted articles by eligible USGS authors without individual Article Processing Charge (APC) payments.
- Consolidated invoicing and reporting for central tracking of publishing output and compliance with federal OA requirements.
- Perpetual access to OA original research and peer-reviewed articles across specified disciplines.
- Simultaneous access for multiple users from various locations, on or off the USGS network/VPN.
Contract & Timeline
- Contract Type: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)
- Anticipated Period of Performance: May 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027
- Published Date: April 22, 2026
Set-Aside
None (Sole Source Justification)
Submission & Evaluation
This is a justification for a sole source award, not a request for proposals. However, vendors who believe they possess similar technical expertise and can provide the specified services are invited to contact the Contracting Officer, Leah Williams, via email at leah_williams@ios.doi.gov. Responses must be received no later than 9:00 AM EDT on Monday, April 27, 2026.
Additional Notes
The USGS has a history of publishing approximately 150 OA articles with Frontiers between 2013 and 2025. Market research conducted by the USGS indicated that Frontiers is currently the only digital publisher capable of meeting the specific requirements for a flat fee, unlimited publishing, and perpetual access model. The USGS Library plans to continue monitoring the market for future competitive opportunities.