R--USGS Intent to Award Notice: Public Library of Science (PLOS)
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) has issued an Intent to Award Notice for a sole source, Firm-Fixed-Price contract to the Public Library of Science (PLOS). This agreement will allow USGS authors to publish an unlimited number of gold open access (OA) articles in specific PLOS journals. Vendors who believe they can provide similar services are invited to express interest by April 15, 2026.
Scope of Work
This contract aims to establish an annual flat fee arrangement for eligible USGS scientists to publish OA articles without individual Article Processing Charge (APC) payments. Key requirements include:
- Unlimited publishing in nine specific PLOS journals: PLOS One, PLOS Complex Systems, PLOS Water, PLOS Climate, PLOS Pathogens, PLOS Genetics, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Digital Health, and PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- Coverage for all accepted articles by eligible USGS authors, including all article types.
- Consolidated invoicing and reporting for tracking USGS publishing output and compliance with federal OA requirements.
- Perpetual access to OA original research and peer-reviewed articles relevant to earth and environmental sciences, geosciences, water resources, and related public health and ecosystem impacts.
- Journals must be indexed by major services (e.g., Crossref, PubMed, Web of Science).
- Simultaneous access for multiple users from various locations.
Contract & Timeline
- Contract Type: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)
- Period of Performance: Anticipated April 17, 2026 – April 16, 2027
- Notice Published: April 2, 2026
Eligibility / Set-Aside
This is a sole source justification, indicating an intent to award to PLOS. However, vendors who believe they possess similar technical expertise and can provide the same services are invited to contact the Contracting Officer, Leah Williams (leah_williams@ios.doi.gov), no later than 5:00 PM ES on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to express interest.
Additional Notes
The justification for other than full and open competition is based on PLOS being the sole publisher and authorized source of the required nine journals, with proprietary content not available elsewhere. Market research did not identify any other sources offering a comparable flat fee, unlimited OA, perpetual access publishing arrangement. The USGS Library will continue to monitor the market for future competitive opportunities.