Notice of Intent to Sole Source: Firstgrain.com Subscription

This notice is being published in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 5.101, as established by the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), requiring dissemination of information for proposed contract actions. This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract and is not a request for competitive quotes/proposals.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC" or "Commission”) intends to award a contract to Firstgrain, Inc. for a subscription renewal of Firstgrain.com (Firstgrain) on a sole source basis.  The anticipated contract will have a period of performance of one (1) year.  

CFTC currently uses Firstgrain.com as a research resource for data and information on the rice market.  In carrying out the agency’s mission, CFTC requires access to real-time, in-depth news, information and data. Specifically, Firstgrain provides detailed information on the full rice market through all areas such as rice producers, rice millers and rice marketers.  This allows users to make better, more informed decisions on the rice market opportunities through published strategies and analysis.  A subscription to Firstgrain will provide the necessary information, data and analytics to support CFTC’s mission for market regulation.  The Government intends to procure this requirement under to RFO FAR 12.102(b), as authorized by 41 U.S.C. 1901.  The identified vendor is the sole provider of the required information and data required by CFTC.  Therefore, this vendor is the only known source that will satisfy the agency requirements. 

THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS nor a solicitation of offers. However, the Government will consider written responses from all responsible sources received by 3:00pm ET, October 3, 2025. Written responses must include sufficient information to establish capability to fulfill the requirement. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of Market Research. A determination not to compete this requirement is solely at the discretion of the Government. No formal solicitation package is available. The Government will not be responsible for any costs of preparation in response to this announcement.