Sources Sought
Digital Repository Platform and Physical Library Management System
Department of Transportation · Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
AI summaryThe Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), part of the Department of Transportation, is asking vendors for information on a web-based online library for liquefied natural gas (LNG) safety standards, plus a system to request and track physical books. This is a sources sought notice (market research, not a solicitation or an order), with no set-aside. Responses are due by the response due date of November 16, 2026, 11:00 AM Eastern. More in the summary
Market research, not a bid. Replying is free and tells Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration who could do this work. Send a short reply to the contracting contact; no price is needed. See the contact
AI summary Beta
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), part of the Department of Transportation, is asking vendors for information on a web-based online library for liquefied natural gas (LNG) safety standards, plus a system to request and track physical books. This is a sources sought notice (market research, not a solicitation or an order), with no set-aside. Responses are due by the response due date of November 16, 2026, 11:00 AM Eastern.
Things to watch (5)
From the version posted Oct 20, 2026.
- Worth checking: Market research only, not an order. Responses are not offers and the Government will not pay for them; a later solicitation, if any, would have its own rules and dates.
- Worth checking: No submission method given. The notice and RFI do not say how or where to send a response (email address, portal or contact); ask the contracting office before the response due date.
- Worth checking: Large list of standards to host. Appendix A lists 223 documents from many publishers (API, NFPA, ASME, ISA and others); publisher licensing for hosting and download is your issue to explain.
Show all 5Show fewer
- Minor: User groups listed inconsistently. The RFI says four user communities but lists five, and its access-rights table leaves out external non-federal users; ask which rights those users get.
- Minor: Custom build plus long-term support. Besides a ready-made platform, the Government wants custom modules and ongoing maintenance, so cost responses must cover both.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- 20261020-RFI-Digital-Repository-and-Physical-Library-Platform-Final.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- A web-hosted digital repository (online library) of industry standards, regulations and reference documents on LNG facility safety
- Full-text search, tagging and filters, plus per-document download on/off switches to follow publisher copyright rules (digital rights management, DRM)
- Access by IP address check or username and password, and sign-in through the agency's identity provider (SAML 2.0, OAuth or single sign-on)
- Customization A: portal to search and request physical books held at the National LNG Center of Excellence, with a staff fulfillment queue
- Customization B: log of virtual and on-site visitors; Customization C: dashboard of views, downloads, search terms, concurrent sessions and CSV/PDF reports
- Handle many users at once across the United States, with 99.9% uptime
- Ongoing maintenance and technical support: platform updates, performance tuning, bug fixes and security patches
- Four user groups with different rights: DOT staff, other federal and state inspectors, outside users and McNeese State University students, plus PHMSA admin staff
- Place of performance
- Washington, DC, USA (per SAM.gov); physical books are held at the National LNG Center of Excellence facility
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- Offers due
- November 16, 2026, 11:00 AM Eastern
What to include when you submit
- Send a written response covering five sections: corporate overview and experience, technical architecture and solution design, custom development strategy, project management and implementation timeline, and cost proposal
- Corporate overview: give your qualifications in digital repository implementations and client references from higher education or government agencies
- Custom development strategy: give concrete plans for Customization A (physical book request system) and Customization B (visitor logging system)
- Project plan: include a work breakdown structure (WBS) with milestones, testing phases, user training plan and enablement resources, and final go-live rollout
- Cost proposal: itemize software licensing or subscription fees, custom module development, web hosting and server infrastructure, ongoing technical support, user training, and routine maintenance
Not in the notice text
- How and where to send a response is not stated
- Contract type, length of the work, any option periods and the Government's budget are not given
- Whether a solicitation will follow, and whether it will be set aside for small businesses
- Number of users, number of documents to load, and the schedule for go-live are not stated
- How responses will be used or scored is not stated
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside. Any business can reply: this is market research, and no bid is being taken yet.
- To respond, send a short reply to the contracting contact near the top of this page. No price is needed.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Office
- 693JK3 Acquisition Services Div., Washington, DC
- Product/service code
- R499 · Support – Professional: Other
- Business type
- IT, software & telecom (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541512)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
Terms on this notice: Sources sought notice
Full notice text from SAM.gov
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is seeking information from interested parties and potential vendors and systems integrators to implement a web-based Digital Repository (Virtual Library) Platform integrated with specialized Physical Library Management functionality. The primary purpose of this platform is to serve as a centralized hub providing standardized access to industry consensus standards, regulatory documentation, and reference literature applicable to LNG facility safety. The platform should allow access through IP verification or username/password, support concurrent users, and not require any additional software to be installed on the user’s computer or server. The solution must seamlessly handle distinct tier-based access controls across geographically dispersed stakeholder groups, support concurrent platform usage, enforce digital rights management (DRM), track visitor engagement, and provide administrative reporting for PHMSA management. FAR Part 10, Market Research is hereby referenced and applies. DISCLAIMER: THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. This Request for Information (RFI) / Sources Sought notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a formal solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), or Invitation for Bids (IFB). In accordance with FAR 15.201(e) and FAR 52.215-3, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responding to this RFI is strictly voluntary. The Government will not pay or reimburse respondents for any information submitted, preparation costs, or administrative expenses incurred in responding to this notice. All information received will be treated as information only. See attached RFI Notification for more requirement details.
Similar open opportunities
- Request for Information - Enterprise Learning Management System (LMS) of Record with a Learning Experience Platform (LXP)This is a sources sought notice and request for information (RFI), not a request for offers: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is gathering input on buying a…
- VA-27-00015330 - Mission-Oriented Services for Application Integration and Capabilities (MOSAIC)The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Technology Acquisition Center NJ, is asking industry for ideas through a request for information (RFI) on a planned future contract…
- Mortgage-Backed Securities Operations & Analytics (MBSOA)Sources sought notice 86615527MBSOA is for holders of the GSA Aliant 3 government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC: a ready-made contract that agencies buy through) only.
- UAS and Tracr II Interface Control Document (ICD) ComplianceThe Army's Product Manager Tactical Training System (PdM TTS) is gathering information on how Group 1 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, small drones) can meet the interface control…
- FEMA Request for Information - Direct Housing Modernization CapabilitiesFEMA's Office of Direct Housing Operations is asking industry for information (a request for information, or RFI: market research, not a bid) on software that finds rental homes…