INTERNET2 MEMBERSHIP AND NETWORK PARTICIPATION 2026

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

Contracting Opportunities Announcement Type: Special Notice

Announcement Number: AMDTCNOI2600190

Subject: Internet2 Membership and Network Participation

Introduction
This is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation.  A solicitation document will not be issued, and quotations will not be requested.  

Purpose
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development, located at 1150 18th Street NW, Ste. 750, Washington DC, 20036-3880.  The purchase order will specifically procure Level 2 membership and network participation to the Internet2 online network.  The period of performance for NIST membership and network participation to the Internet2 network shall be effective from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

Authority
This acquisition is being conducted under the authority of FAR Subpart 13.106(b)(1) allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 813920 – Professional Organizations with a small business size standard of $23.5 million.

Description
The Communication Technology Laboratory (CTL) unites NIST’s many wireless communications efforts into a unified research and development organization. CTL focuses on developing precision instrumentation and creating test protocols, models, and simulation tools to enable a range of emerging wireless technologies. The Internet2 network consists of a vast community of research and education partners that work together to solve technology challenges and develop solutions to advance research, including major U.S. Universities and Government agencies. Internet2 is an approved Standards Organization, as maintained by the NIST Standards Coordination Office (SDO). CTL requires the continuation of membership and network access to the Internet2 network to achieve continued growth and development of policies and practices.

The period of performance for the required membership/participation shall be January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026.

Sole Source Determination
The sole source determination is based on the following:

To access the network to the Internet2 consortium, members must have a physical high-speed network connection to the backbone network of the Internet2, the Abilene Network, and pay membership and network connection fees. The proposed fiber connection is in place from the Gaithersburg campus to the high-speed network provider, Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX), who will in turn connect NIST to the Abilene Network. No other sources exist that can achieve this requirement. Internet2 is the only source network that can fully achieve this requirement and membership and network participation to Internet2 must be purchased directly through the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development.

Information for Interested Parties
Interested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirements listed above for NIST may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing by or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation.

Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Collin Randall, Contract Specialist, at Collin.Randall@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to collin.randall@nist.gov so that they are received no later than November 26, 2025, at 12:00 PM, Eastern Time.

Each response should include the following Business Information:

1. Contractor Name, Address,
2. Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and Email address
3. Contractor SAM Universal Entity Identifier (UEI)
4. Contractor Business Classification (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, hubZone, veteran owned, etc.) as validated in System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must have an active registration in www.SAM.gov.
5. Capability Statement