Opportunity: Notice of Intent

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), on behalf of the Bureau of Education Acquisition Office, Albuquerque, NM intends to award a sole source purchase order to Blackboard, Inc., Small Business, for renewal of Blackboard subscription that hosted proprietary course delivery platform that is used to enhance and offer class instruction via internet and virtual classrooms at the BIE-Haskell Indian Nations University, 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66046 in accordance with authority of 10 U.S.C.2304(c )(1) and FAR 6.302-1 "Only One Source and No Other Supplies or Services will Satisfy Agency Requirements". The Government anticipants to award of a five (5) year contract consisting of a base plus four (04) option years which may be exercised unilaterally by the government subject to a successful past performance and the availability of current year funding. The annual renewal of services consists of course delivery, completing accreditation commitments and fulfilling the core mission of the university. Hosted services provide higher rates of connectivity, completes and maintenance on servers, and maintains cyber-security that the University cannot provide. Blackboard, Inc., is a propriety system that no other company can offer, nor can any other company duplicate services provided by Blackboard, Inc., and this company has develop specialized software, create unique program attributes. It would be overly disruptive, burdensome, and additional costs to the government if a different learning management system was introduced to the University. This is a notice of intent and not a request for competitive proposals. No solicitation is available for this requirement. If a firm believes that BIA should not pursue this procurement, it should submit a capability statement and pricing information for the requirement by 5:00 P.M. (MST) on January 31, 2020 via email at Charmaine.williams-james@bia.gov. A determination by the Government to compete this proposed contract, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.