The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) intends to award a contract to Argus Media, Inc., on a sole source basis, for the Argus Media databases subscription. The Argus Media databases subscription will provide the CFTC with data, news and insights across multiple commodity asset classes – namely for the petrochemicals, fertilizers, transportation, environmental, and biofuels sectors in a customizable web-based platform.  For environmental markets, there is no known alternative source that provides price and news coverage of all major environmental markets in the US and Canada in a single source. Argus Media, Inc. is the provider of the primary industry index for SO2 and NOx allowance prices, and necessary information, data, and analytics to support CFTC’s mission for market regulation and enforcement.

The anticipated contract will have a period of performance of twelve (12) months. The identified vendor is the sole provider of the needed services. Therefore, per FAR 6.302-1, this vendor is the only responsible source identified as reasonably available that will satisfy the agency requirements.  THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS and a solicitation will not be issued.  However, the Government will consider responses from all responsible sources received by the date and time identified above.  Written responses must include sufficient information to establish capability to fulfill the requirement.  Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.  Any responses received will only be considered for the purposes of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in lieu of the sole source described in this notice, and such determination shall be made at the sole discretion of the CFTC.