SAM #PUR260217

Sole Source Notice: NTSB Subscription to Unison Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO) Knowledge Management Service

This notice announces the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) intent to award a sole source contract for a federal acquisition knowledge management service. - Agency: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Acquisition & Lease Management Division - Sole source vendor: Unison Virtual Acquisition Office, LLC - Service: 12-month subscription to the Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO) platform - Key requirements: - Daily acquisition news from over 70 sources - Monthly publications summarizing acquisition developments - Advisories, special reports, and on-call research (up to 8 questions, four-hour effort each) - Quarterly forums and conferences with continuing education units - Access to a web portal with contracting checklists, templates, guidance, laws, regulations, protest decisions, GAO and IG reports, market research database, event listings, and archives - Respondents must submit capability statements demonstrating ability to fully meet all requirements - The government will use responses to determine if a competitive procurement is possible - No product line items; primary service is the VAO subscription - Estimated contract value: $20,000 - $50,000 (based on typical annual subscription pricing) - Period of performance: 12 months - Commercial opportunity for providers of federal acquisition knowledge management solutions

Description

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AN INVITATION FOR BIDS, OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. FURTHER, IT DOES NOT REPRESENT A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FOR COSTS INCURRED IN PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF DATA OR ANY OTHER COSTS INCURRED IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has a requirement for an online federal acquisition knowledge management service. The NTSB intends to enter into a sole source contract under the authority of FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B) with Unison Virtual Acquisition Office LLC for a 12-month subscription to their Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO). NTSB requires an online federal acquisition knowledge management service that (a) keeps NTSB abreast of the changes, challenges, trends, and opportunities in the federal acquisition community, and (b) provides templates, checklists, strategies, analyses and other knowledge tools to enable everyone on our team consistently to navigate the acquisition process right the first time and every time.  The service shall provide the following:

Today’s Acquisition News – acquisition related news from more than 70 different news sources with links to the original source materials.  This news will be sent daily to each user’s inbox, enabling the user stay informed about the latest news of interest to the federal acquisition community in less than 10 minutes a day.

Monthly Publications –publications that summarize the key developments in acquisition for the preceding month and Advisories and Special Reports that provide insightful analysis on specific topics of interest to the acquisition community.  These publications will be sent to users twice a month by e-mail to their inboxes. 

On-Call Research Service – access through phone and/or e-mail to experienced analysts and expert acquisition practitioners to answer up to 8 questions related to acquisition that arise in the course of day-to-day operations (up to a four-hour level-of-effort each). 

Forums and Conferences –quarterly learning and networking opportunities on the most timely of acquisition topics, and an opportunity to earn continuing education units.

Access to the "knowledge management" web portal - on-line source for federal acquisition information and analysis, including access to:

Contracting process and quality checklists, updated as regulations change Samples and templates Government-wide policies and guidance Agencies’ policies and guidance Laws, regulations, protest decisions, GAO and IG reports, and more in a robust reference library A market research database of current interagency contracting vehicles A centralized listing of acquisition events and recognition programs Archives of the news, publications and a snapshot of research inquiry responses

Sources capable of fully satisfying the above requirement are invited to submit a capability statement. At a minimum, this information, which must be prepared specifically in response to this notice must include: (1) identification of company or organization; (2) an assertion of existing, full capability to meet proposed requirements; (3) business/contracts/marketing office point(s) of contact; (4) notification of business size and /or special status; and (5) any additional information that may be useful to the successful procurement of the requirements, if solicited. The capability statement shall adhere to a five (5)-page submission limit plus web links and any specialized product descriptions. The statement of capabilities should include only information that clearly demonstrates the respondent's capabilities, expertise, and experience to provide the requirements described in this notice. General marketing material should not be included. The NTSB prefers that companies do not submit proprietary material. However, the Government recognizes that proprietary data may be a part of your submittal. If so, clearly mark such restricted or proprietary data and present it as an addendum to the non-restricted/non-proprietary information. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, which shall be considered by NTSB. Parties must submit information by the due date listed in this notice. NTSB will not return capability statements and the supporting documentation submitted in response to this notice. Telephone responses and inquiries will not be accepted.

Anticipated Date of Award

A contract is anticipated to be issued no later than September 15, 2026. 

Response Deadline

You may email questions regarding this notice to the issuing office to P. Matt Hazlinsky via email at: matt.hazlinsky@ntsb.gov no later than 4:00pm EST on September 4, 2026. 

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