The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Environmental Information (OEI), intends to execute a commercial electronic journal-magazine online subscription that will be available for EPA employees to access via their EPA virtual desktop library via 4 umbrella EPA Internet Protocol addresses. This is a on a sole source basis with the Nature Publishing Group under the authority of 41.U.S.C. 253 (c), FAR 603-1. The Nature Publishing Group is the sole and exclusive publisher of the scientific journals Nature and Nature Climate Change. OEI manages access to information on the EPA's Intranet site. The period of performance for the base period is October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. This online journal subscription may be paid for using the contracting officer's EPA Purchase Card. Any firm that believes it is also capable of providing the electronic journals online subscription service in response to this notice shall provide a capability statement and th at the firm is challenging the statement that the Nature Publishing Group is the sole publisher and distributor of the scientific journals Nature and Nature Climate Change. This acquisition is consistent with the Agency's top seven priorities to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment. All questions and/or responses shall be directed to Brent Maravilla via email at
[email protected] by September 7, 2012. The contracting officer will not respond to telephone inquiries. The estimated value of the acquisition is $146,275.00 if all option periods are exercised.