SOLE SOURCE SPECIAL NOTICE

This is a SOLE SOURCE Special Notice in support of a planned SOLE-SOURCE acquisition—by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Office of Public Affairs has a need for a three-year subscription to services provided by Politico Pro and Energy & Environment News service. That planned award would have one Base Year and two Option Years. Its estimated aggregate grand total value, as counted across that Base Year and all Options Years, is approximately $64,780.00.

1.  IDENTIFICATION OF AGENCY AND CONTRACTING ACTIVITY AGENCY REQUIRING ACTIVITY: The Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Office of the Public Affairs, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, DC 20590. The contracting activity is the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary (OST), Acquisition Services Division (M-63), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, DC 20590.

2.  DESCRIPTION OF CONTEMPLATED SOLE-SOURCE PROCUREMENT ACTION

The Office of the Secretary of Transportation, the Office of Public Affairs, has a need for a specialized news coverage service.  This action would provide the Politico Pro and Energy & Environment News service with a Base Year plus two Option Years running from approximately June 20, 2026, through approximately June 19, 2029, if DOT exercises both Option Years of that now-contemplated new contract with Politico Pro and Energy & Environment News. Such a sole-source award is necessary to give DOT employees access to a legislative news cycle that impacts Transportation.  In addition, the Politico Pro is the exclusive provider legislative and regulatory environment where timely awareness of policy developments, appropriations activity, oversight priorities, and stakeholder dynamics is essential to executing statutory responsibilities effectively and responsibly uniquely qualified to meet the requirements of the Office of Public Affairs for covering in-depth look at issues in Washington, D.C., and around the nation. Within Energy & Environment, all users will be able to do research, analysis, and report using Energy & Environment non-partisan approach.

3.  DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY’S NEEDS

      POLITICO Pro and Energy & Environment News service provides a single, mission-support platform that integrates:

• Original, specialized policy journalism produced by the nation’s largest policy-focused newsroom

• Federal and state legislative tracking with historical archives

• Regulatory tracking by docket, RIN, and CFR citation

• Appropriations monitoring across major funding vehicles

• Rapid-turnaround congressional hearing transcripts

• Daily-updated congressional and agency directories

• Customizable alerts, team workflows, and shared project tools

• White-glove customer success support to drive adoption and mission impact

Delivered within one subscription environment, this consolidated capability improves situational awareness, strengthens oversight preparedness, and supports efficient stewardship of public resources.

Mission Need

To fulfill statutory and regulatory responsibilities, Cabinet agencies must be able to:

• Monitor legislation, amendments, and policy negotiations in real time

• Track rules, notices, and regulatory actions across the federal landscape

• Prepare leadership briefings, decision memos, and testimony quickly

• Anticipate and respond to congressional oversight with confidence

• Maintain current contact intelligence amid frequent staff transitions

• Reduce duplicative research workflows and fragmented subscriptions

Information delays increase operational risk. Fragmented tools reduce efficiency and slow response time. POLITICO Pro addresses both needs

4.  IDENTIFICATION OF THE STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (Revolutionary FAR Overhaul)

(a) The agency must make publicly available the justification required by 6.104 as required by 10 U.S.C. 3204(f) and 41 U.S.C. 3304(f).

(b) The justification must be made publicly available within 14 days after contract award, except—

(1) Justifications under 6.103-2 must be posted within 30 days after contract award; and

(2) Justifications for brand-name descriptions under 6.103-1(d) must be posted with the solicitation (see part 5).

(c) The justifications must be made publicly available—

(1) At the Government Point of Entry (GPE);

(2) On the website of the agency, which may provide access to the justifications by linking to the GPE; and

(3) For a minimum of 30 days.

(d) Contracting officers must carefully screen all justifications for contractor proprietary data and remove all such data, and such references and citations as are necessary to protect the proprietary data, before making the justifications available for public inspection. Contracting officers must also be guided by the exemptions to disclosure of information contained in the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and the prohibitions against disclosure in part 24 in determining whether the justification, or portions of it, are exempt from posting.

(e) The requirements of paragraphs (a) through (c) do not apply if posting the justification would compromise national security or create other security risks.

5.  DEMONSTRATION THAT THE PROPOSED CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE AUTHORITYCITED

The work that will be covered under this contract is to obtain services to allow the Office of Public Affairs to continue to utilize subscription services provided Energy & Environment News.

Switching to another vendor at this point in the program would require substantial duplication of time and resources already devoted to customizing a new service, which would be unlikely to be an offset and recovered through competition. A new vendor will have to replicate the work DOT has already put in place with Politico Pro and Energy & Environment News is only vendor that can meet DOT’s current needs.

6.  EFFORTS MADE TO OBTAIN COMPETITION, AND WHETHER A NOTICE WAS OR WILL BE PUBLICIZED AS REQUIRED BY FAR SUBPART 5.2 AND, IF NOT, WHICH EXCEPTION UNDER FAR 5.202 APPLIES

If further work is required following the completion of the program, the Government will compete a SOW in which additional offerors will be entertained.

7.  DETERMINATION BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE ANTICIPATED COST TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE:

The Contracting Officer and COR reviewed the proposed rates and determined that they are consistent with the work to be performed. Moreover, each invoice submitted by the contractor during performance of this contract will be scrutinized for allowability, allocability and reasonableness of billed cost in accordance with FAR Part 31. These procedures will ensure that the anticipated cost to the Government is fair and reasonable.

8.  A DESCRIPTION OF MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED AND THE RESULTS OR A STATEMENT OF THE REASON THAT MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT CONDUCTED:

Market research showed there were few companies that offered a full implementation service. Switching to another vendor will require all new materials, rebranding, and marketing.

9.  ANY OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

None

10.  A LIST OF SOURCES, IF ANY, THAT EXPRESSED, IN WRITING, AN INTEREST IN THE ACQUISITION

N/A

11.  A STATEMENT OF THE ACTIONS IF ANY, THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS TO COMPETITION BEFORE ANY SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITION FOR THESE SERVICES:

If further work is required following the completion of the option years, the Government will issue a solicitation that will include the necessary information for a transition plan.

OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND:

Any entity OTHER THAN Politico Pro and Energy & Environment News service which believes that it is fully capable of meeting DOT’s needs and requirements at the high level of thoroughness and quality indispensable to the Department—may attempt to prove that point by e-mailing a Statement of Qualifications to Melinda.Riddick@dot.gov and to l.johnson-keelan@dot.gov no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Time June 12, 2026. Please include 693JK426R600004 Politico Pro and Energy & Environment News in the subject line of your email.