FEDLINK Information Retrieval Services

The Library of Congress is posting the Request for Proposal (RFP) #LCFDL18R7000, for Information Retrieval Services for the LC/FEDLINK Program. The objective of the solicitation is to establish multiple Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contracts for acquisition of or access to commercial off-the-shelf electronic information resources in many publication formats for the FEDLINK program. FEDLINK is a nationwide interagency consortia sponsored by the Library of Congress. These will be multi-agency contracts (MACs) established in accordance with the Library of Congress (LC) Fiscal Operations Improvement Act, P.L. 106-481, Section 103 (2 U.S.C. 182c.) Any federal entity including the executive branch, the legislative branch, the judicial branch, and independent agencies as well as contractors to government agencies who are authorized to use federal sources of supply may be authorized to place orders under these contracts in accordance with the terms and procedures described in the solicitation.

Contractors shall be capable of providing products/services for ordering agencies with multiple organizational levels and geographic locations nationwide and/or worldwide. The Contractor shall also be capable of handling multiple purchase orders simultaneously. Contracts may be divided into the following lots: Lot 1- Electronic Databases/Publications is the core of this solicitation. Vendors must offer products/services under Lot 1 in order to provide products/services under Lot 3 and must offer products/services under Lot 1 and/or Lot 2 in order to provide products/services under Lot 4. The four lots to be offered are:

Lot 1 - Electronic Databases/Publications. Products under Lot 1 covers publishers and vendors who provide access to commercial off-the-shelf electronic materials in many publication formats: information retrieval databases, current awareness service, federated and content management services, electronic serials, and electronic books.

Lot 2 - Document Delivery Services. Lot 2 vendors provide for published and unpublished materials in response to specific citation requests. Materials typically include journal and newspaper articles, conference papers and proceedings, annual reports, technical reports, dissertations and theses, official legal, financial and patent documents.

Lot 3 - Vendor Associated Publications. Lot 3 vendors and publishers that offer Electronic databases/publications under Lot 1 may also provide their commercial off-the-shelf print, video, microform or multimedia publications.

Lot 4 - Specialized Access/Product Integration. Under Lot 4 vendors that offer commercial electronic databases/publications or document delivery services under Lots 1 and/or Lot 2 may tailor their electronic resources packages for individual customers. Vendors may offer specialized file groupings, access to customer's own files, special interfaces, and research assistance.

The services of book jobbers and serials subscription agents are covered under separate LC/FEDLINK solicitations and are not the subject of this solicitation. This solicitation EXCLUDES general or standard computer or telecommunications equipment not essential for content access or retrieval; furniture and supplies; database development and implementation for customers; and personal services such as on-site reference/research staff.

Vendors are responsible for ensuring that all RFP amendments are received prior to submittal of proposals. Please check this site periodically for amendments or clarifications to the RFP.

All proposals must be submitted as specified in Section L of the solicitation.

For information about the Library of Congress FEDLINK Program, please visit our website at www.loc.gov/flicc.