NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE - Spectrum Business (fiber broadband internet services) 89303325PEM000247

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management (EM) Consolidated Business Center (CBC), intends to award a contract to Spectrum Business, operating legally under Charter Communications Operating, LLC (Spectrum) on a sole source basis. The services provided by Spectrum support the EMCBC offices at ETEC and EMCBC-NY by providing dedicated fiber broadband internet services as required. The authority permitting this sole source acquisition without full and open competition is prescribed by FAR 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency s requirements. The DOE/EMCBC will procure the unrestricted dedicated internet services of an internet service provider (ISP) which shall be a last mile provider and be capable of complying with all technical requirements as required. This notice serves as a Notice of Intent to award a contract and is not a request for proposals or quotations. No requests for capability briefings will be considered. A solicitation package will not be posted publicly and requests for copies of the solicitation in response to this notice will not be honored or acknowledged. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether conducting a competitive procurement in the future would be in the best interest of the Government. Responsible sources that believe they can perform these services in their entirety must submit a written notification of interest and capability statement by 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on August 19, 2025. All information submitted should support the firm s ability to provide all the required services and must be furnished at no cost or obligation to the Government. Responses shall be submitted via e-mail to the following address: Christopher.nettle@emcbc.doe.gov Telephone requests or inquires will not be accepted. Contracting Office Address: DOE EMCBC 550 Main Street, Room 7-010 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Primary Point of Contact: Christopher P. Nettle Contract Specialist DOE EMCBCChristopher.nettle@emcbc.doe.gov Alternate Point of Contact: Chris McFarland Contracting Officer DOE EMCBC Chris.mcfarland@emcbc.doe.gov

Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition Contracting Activity: Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) Requiring Offices: Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center - New York (EMCBC-NY) and Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) July 28, 2025 Contracting Activity: The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM), Consolidated Business Center (CBC), Office of Contracting intends to contract through other than full and open competition. This document provides the justification and approval for the use of non competitive procedures pursuant to 41 USC 3304(a)(1) and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1(a)(2). Nature of Action Being Approved: The action being approved is the negotiation of a non-competitive acquisition for terrestrial fiber connection and Dedicated Internet services for EMCBC-NY (2425 River Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309) and ETEC (980 Enchanted Way, Suite 108, Simi Valley, CA 93065) supplied by Spectrum Enterprise for a performance period of 60 months. Description of Services Required to Meet the Agency's Needs: The DOE/EMCBC will procure terrestrial fiber cable installation and Internet services for EMCBC-NY and ETEC offices. The Internet connectivity bandwidth requirements at the offices located in Niskayuna, NY and Simi Valley, CA have exceeded the capacity of the service currently installed there. Therefore, the EMCBC is in need of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) contractor to provide upgraded Internet services connectivity and support to these offices. Services must meet all of the technical specifications designated in the Statement of Work (SOW) and include a 24-hour/7 day per week technical support system. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition: The authority for this action is 41 USC 3304(a)(1) and FAR 6.302-1(a)(2). These authorities provide that full and open competition need not be obtained when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source, and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Demonstration of the Proposed Contractor's Unique Qualifications: At present, only one commercial internet service provider (Spectrum Enterprise) has the capability to provide service to the EMCBC-NY and ETEC site locations requiring a terrestrial fiber connection. Efforts to Solicit Additional Sources/Competition: Other providers could install their own underground infrastructure wiring at the EMCBC-NY and ETEC offices, but due to the location of both the EMCBC-NY and ETEC offices, Spectrum Enterprise is the only provider that owns their terrestrial fiber connection service and has the capability of servicing both sites. Determination as to Reasonableness of Cost: The total estimated cost for the performance period of five (5) years is approximately $80,000.00. The planned contract will be structured as a Firm-Fixed Price contract. The Government will establish the reasonableness of the Contractor's proposed price based on a comparison of historical prices paid for the same or similar services. The price will be negotiated at the time of award. Market Research: Spectrum Enterprise is the sole provider of terrestrial fiber connection service at the EMCBC-NY and ETEC offices. Market Research indicated several other broadband providers that service one or both locations; Verizon Wireless, ATT Wireless and Star2Star. These solutions do not offer wired broadband service that can provide enterprise level internet with adequate speeds. Both EMCBC-NY and ETEC require bi-directional speeds of 100Mb/s or higher to perform their daily functions. Spectrum Enterprise is the sole ISP that supplies communications capable of this. Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other Than Full and Open Competition: There are no additional facts. Listing of nterested Sources: Spectrum Enterprise 550 North Continental Blvd, Suite 250, El Segundo, CA 90245 Actions to Overcome Barriers to Competition: The internet service provider (ISP) industry is heavily dominated by a fairly select group of businesses. Service area rights and extremely high cost to install new infrastructure also play into this regional business market control. Current industry conditions impede new businesses from establishing a solid foundation in the ISP market. Although it i: The goal of the Department of Energy, the Office of Environmental Management and its Consolidated Business Center to provide for competition to the maximum extent practicable, this requirement is best served to be procured through other than Full and Open Competition.