NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE

The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Agricultural Library (NAL) intends to issue an award to the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) on a sole source basis. Award will be made pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 and 41 USC 253(c)(1), only one responsible source and no other supplies or services with satisfy agency needs.

The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is an international consortium of more than 240 college, university, and independent research libraries that makes available through interlibrary loan and digital delivery approximately five million publications, archives, and collections and one million digital resources to its member libraries to supplement their humanities, science, and social science holdings. Founded in 1949, CRL supports original research and inspired teaching in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences by preserving and making available to scholars a wealth of rare and uncommon primary source materials from all world regions.

The National Agricultural Library is mandated (7 U.S.C. 3101) to serve as the primary agricultural information resource of the United States. As a consequence of these activities, NAL is recognized as a major research library in the United States. This research library is applicable to about 125 of the over 120,000 libraries in the United States.

In support of its operations, NAL monitors issues that affect research libraries, changes in information policy, and effective training for research librarians.

THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTES. This notice is for informational purposes only and is not to be constructed as a commitment by the Government. Potential sources who believe they can provide the services listed above are invited to submit substantiating documentation in writing to the identified point of contact. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. A determination by the Government to compete this proposed contact based on responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government.

The Point of Contact for this action is Angela Wingert and any response must be emailed to angela.wingert@usda.gov.