[Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on May 25, 2001] [Printed Issue Date: May 31, 2001] From the Commerce Business Daily Online via GPO Access [cbdnet.access.gpo.gov] PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS SUBPART: SERVICES CLASSCOD: D--Information Technology Services, including Telecommunication Services OFFADD: Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition and Logistics Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 3571, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-3571 SUBJECT: D--COORDINATION AND MANAGEMENT OF .US TOP LEVEL DOMAIN (USTLD) SOL SB1335-01-Q-0740 DUE 072601 POC Joseph Widdup, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 975-6324, Fax (301) 975-8884, Email joseph.widdup@nist.gov - Alba Sanchez, Contracting Officer, Phone (301) 975-6344, Fax (301) 975-8884, Email alba.sanchez@nist.gov DESC: The U. S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to issue a written solicitation (Request for Quotations) pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, on behalf of DOC, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for services to establish centralized management and coordination of the registry, registrar (where specified), database, and information services for the .us top level domain (usTLD). The solicitation Number is SB1335-01-Q-0740 and will not be a small business set-aside. The solicitation will result in a single, no-cost (to the Government) purchase order for the work currently being performed on behalf of DOC NTIA in the usTLD and for future expansion of the services available in usTLD. The Contractor will be permitted to charge fees to third parties for performance of the requirements of the purchase order. The purchase order will contain a base period of four years and two one-year options to extend the term of the contract. The usTLD is the country code top level domain (ccTLD) of the Internet domain name system (DNS) that corresponds to the United States. Individuals and organizations may currently request a delegation from the usTLD Administrator to provide registry and registrar services for a particular locality or localities. Local governments and community-based organizations typically use the usTLD, although some commercial names have been assigned. Where registration for a locality has not been delegated, the current usTLD Administrator itself provides necessary registry and registrar services. The usTLD is a widely distributed registry, currently with over 8000 sub-domain delegations to over 800 individuals and entities that maintain a registry and provide registration services for commercial, educational, and governmental entities. While the locality-based usTLD structure has not attracted high levels of registration and utilization in comparison to other ccTLD's, it is popular with its current base of users. During consultations with the public on the administration of the usTLD, a considerable number of parties expressed a desire for the continued operation and support of the locality-based usTLD structure. However, the general absence of less hierarchical registration opportunities in the usTLD has limited the domain's attractiveness to users. It has been suggested that a more generic space would greatly increase the utility of the usTLD. Therefore, this request for proposals not only encompasses the existing functions of the usTLD, but also functions that will facilitate the registration of second level domains directly under the usTLD (such as example.us). Notwithstanding the fact that some of the administrative responsibilities for the locality-based usTLD structure require the registry to act as a registrar in certain limited circumstances, in order to encourage competition in domain name registration services, the Contractor will not be permitted to act as both the registry and a registrar in the expanded usTLD space. The following is a summary of the work required under the purchase order awarded pursuant to this solicitation. The Contractor will be required to perform four categories of functions: (1) core registry functions; (2) core policy requirements; (3) locality-based usTLD structure functions; and (4) development of services offered in an expanded usTLD space. The Contractor must perform the required services for this acquisition as a prime Contractor, not as an agent or subcontractor. (The provision of the required services may be accomplished through coordinating the resources and services provided by entities other than the prime Contractor.) The Contractor must be (a) incorporated within one of the fifty states of the United States of America or (b) organized under a law of a state of the United States of America. The Contractor must possess and maintain through the performance of this acquisition a physical address within the United States and must be able to demonstrate that all primary registry services will remain within the United States. The competitive solicitation, solicitation amendments, and all questions and answers related to this procurement will be made available via the Internet at http://www.fedbizops.gov . The solicitation, SB1335-01-Q-0740, is anticipated for release to the vendor community on or about June 11, 2001 and will only be available via the Internet at the above web site. Potential offerors are responsible for accessing the web site. Interested parties must respond to the solicitation in order to be considered for award of any resultant purchase order. There is no written solicitation document available, telephone requests will not be honored, and no bidders list will be maintained. Potential offerors shall direct all questions concerning the solicitation via email only to Joseph.Widdup@nist.gov All responsible sources may submit a Quotation, which will be considered. LINKURL: http://www.eps.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/SB1335-01-Q-0740/listing.html LINKDESC: Visit this URL for the latest information about this notice CITE: (D-145 SN50N260)