Research Library Annual Membership

PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE –

Notice of Intent to Sole Source

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER:  75N98026Q00209
2. TITLE:  Association of Research Libraries Membership

1. RESPONSE DATE: April 24, 2026, at 3 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

1. PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

John Johnson

667-312-5580

                      Johnsonjr@mail.nih.gov

1. INTRODUCTION:

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) intends to negotiate and award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition to The Association of Research Libraries. The purpose of this acquisition will be to provide National Library of Medicine (NLM) with an annual membership.

1. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

NAICS Code 813920 - Professional Organizations - $23.5 Million SBA Size Standard. This acquisition is NOT set aside for small businesses.

1. REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-07 dated 08-29-2024.

This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items at an amount exceeding the SAT and not exceeding $7 million.

1. STATUTORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items and the statutory authority of FAR 6.302-1—Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements 41 U.S.C. 3304 (a)(1).

1. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT:

1. 1. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of this requirement is to provide the National Library of Medicine (NLM) with their annual membership for member dues. The previous order was PO # 75N97024P00111.

1. 1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

NLM anticipates a firm fixed price purchase order. This requirement shall consist of annual membership fees for a period of one year from the date of the award.

1. 1. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:

The contractor will perform the mouse colony breeding service following the below procedures:

 The Association of Research Libraries is a nonprofit membership organization comprising the leading research libraries in North America. Funding for the organization is from member dues. ARL’s mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. The Association’s importance and distinction is born from its membership and the nature of the institutions represented. The National Library of Medicine, as a large research library, has been a member of ARL since 1948.

1. CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. Specifically, The Association of Research Libraries is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the services required by NLM. Therefore, The Association of Research Libraries is the only source reasonably available to continue the required membership.

In accordance with FAR part 10, extensive market research was conducted to reach this determination. Additionally, contacts with knowledgeable individuals both in industry and Government, as well as reviews of available product literature, revealed no other sources. Finally, a review of the GSA Advantage, Dynamic Small Business Search, and previous government acquisitions returned no results that meet all of the requirements. Therefore, only The Association of Research Libraries is capable of meeting the needs of this requirement.

The intended source is:

The Association of Research Libraries

1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 1200,

Washington, DC 20036

1. CLOSING STATEMENT

THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested

parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response.

Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), the

Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, 75N98026Q00209. Responses must be submitted electronically to John Johnson, Program Specialist, johnsonjr@mail.nih.gov.