Product for online literature searching capability

Trade Agreement: Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid Attachment: None Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Vendor Name and Address: Dialog LLC 2250 Perimeter Park Suite 300 Morrisville North Carolina United States 27560 Nature of Requirements: BACKGROUND Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) is an agency of the Canadian Department of National Defence responding to the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces. The mission of DRDC is to ensure that the Canadian Forces remain scientifically and operationally relevant. The agency is made up of eight research centres located across Canada with a corporate office in Ottawa. With a broad scientific program, DRDC actively collaborates with industry, international allies, academia, other government departments and the national security community. OBJECTIVE The DRDC library system supports the information needs of the agency's scientific, technical, and corporate personnel. The provision of library services includes performing literature searches for clients (DRDC staff). The objective of this contract is to provide DRDC with a product for online literature searching capability in support of DRDC programs and activities.

Literature searches provide researchers with vital knowledge related to their fields of study, both of what has already been published on their topics of interest and also, by inference, of topics that have not been previously studied by others. DESCRIPTION The product for online literature searching capability must provide access to multiple databases. Search results from the product must be of a scholarly level and contain, at a minimum, full bibliographic citations and also abstracts for the vast majority of citations. Whenever possible, the citations should include the full text of the articles. The product must be multi-disciplinary and contain within it access to databases that cover fields of study such as medicine, biosciences, psychology, engineering, sociology, military studies, transportation, aerospace, computers, electronics, education, history, language and linguistics, business and industrial relations, mathematics, pharmacology, physics, textiles, and toxicology. In addition, it must provide access to information about patents, trademarks, dissertations, translations, newspapers and conference papers and also provide directories to periodicals, books and companies. ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN) The purpose of this ACAN is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for these goods to Dialog LLC, Morrisville, North Carolina. Before awarding a contract, however, the government provides other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the fifteen calendar day posting period. If other potential suppliers submit statements of capabilities during the fifteen calendar day posting period that meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either the government's electronic tendering service or through traditional means, in order to award the contract. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier. REQUIREMENT Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), on behalf of its Client, Defence R&D Canada, intends to enter into a sole source contract with Dialog LLC, for the supply of an online literature searching capability product. Deliverables 1) Provide 7 logins (or sub-accounts) for the DRDC account. Optional Requirement: The contract will also include irrevocable options to exercise, at the sole discretion of the Crown, two (2) additional periods of one (1) year each to renew the subscription. MANDATORY FEATURES / REQUIREMENTS The required functionality of the product: (1) Ability to search in all parts of the product at one time (for example, search in several databases at once) and then combine all of the results into one set and remove any duplicates; (2) Ability to search for cited references, i.e., a researcher already has an article and wants to find out who else has cited this article; (3) Ability to confine search terms to certain fields, i.e. look only for authors, title words, descriptors, etc. (4) Each article must be assigned descriptors, i.e. key words that descriptively index the article; (5) Ability to email neat, easily readable search results to the researchers; (6) The data must be updated on a regular, frequent basis, preferably daily, weekly or monthly; (7) Ability to construct complex search strategies, i.e. perform smaller searches and then combine their results into more complex searches - Boolean logic is mandatory; (8) Ability to save search strategies for future use; (9) Capability for selective dissemination of information. Librarians must be able to set up a search strategy and then save it and have it run periodically, searching for new citations that meet their search criteria. (10) Access to such databases (or databases equivalent to, or data equivalent to the data contained in such databases) as Medline, EI Compendex, Inspec, NTIS, ERIC, PsycINFO, SciSearch, Social SciSearch, ABI/Inform, Dissertation Abstracts Online, Transportation Research Information Services, Inside Conferences, World Textiles, EMBASE, Wilson Applied Science and Technology Abstracts, PASCAL, MathSci, World Translations Index, Derwent World Patents Index, Wilson Humanities Abstracts, McGraw-Hill Companies Publications Online, and Jane's Defence and Aerospace News/Analysis. The contractor must be able to: (11) Invoice DRDC on a monthly basis for the actual use of the product (that is to say pay-as-you-go) up to and not exceeding the maximum value of the contract. DRDC does not want a deposit account. (12) Charge for individual citations on a gradual scale of costs. That is to say that DRDC pays little or nothing for the titles of citations and then more if the full bibliographic citation and the abstract for selected items are chosen. (13) Provide DRDC with documentation and/or an itemized invoice to track the cost of the searches in the product on a monthly basis. This documentation should be sent via mail or email to the DRDC Technical Authority, or be available online. (14) Provide each DRDC centre with a separate log-in so that DRDC research labs can track the usage of the product per centre. The contractor should provide 7 logins (or sub-accounts) for the DRDC account. (15) The product must be available via password login on the internet through the DRDC network and remotely for library personnel that telecommute. This means username/password access as per #14. (16) Product training and technical support on an as needed basis; for example, ensuring access via password, database searching instructions and/or guides. Dialog LLC is the only known online literature searching capability product that can meet all of the above mandatory requirements. Section 6 of the Government Contract Regulations is being invoked in this procurement as only one person or firm is capable of performing the contract.

Annex 502.3(E)(1)(c) of AIT is applicable on the basis of limited tendering due to reasons when, contracts with the only supplier able to meet the bid requirements, including contracts to ensure compatibility with existing products, to recognize exclusive rights, such as exclusive licences, copyright and patent rights, or to maintain specialized products that must be maintained by the manufacturer or its representative.

The conditions of the developer's shrink-wrap license are not acceptable to the Crown. the proposed Contractor must have the authority to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract and the related licensing terms including, but not limited to; limitation of liability, indemnification, transferability of license, termination/refund to the Crown.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to meet the specified requirements may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the Contracting Authority identified in this Notice on or before the closing date of this Notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

The closing date and time for accepting statements of capabilities is 3 July 2012 @ 5:00pm Eastern Time.

Inquiries and statements of capabilities are to be directed to

Rob Picco, Supply Team Leader Commercial Acquisition and Supply Management Sector (CASMS)

Place du Portage III, 6B3 - 30 11 Laurier Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0S5

Tel: 819-956-9564 Fax: 819-956-8799 Email: robert.picco@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority may then proceed with the award. However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this Notice on or before the closing date of this Notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile transmission, on the covering page.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.