Sole Source Acquisition for AI Management Systems Including Westlaw and CoCounsel

The U.S. Department of Transportation, -fixed-price sole source task order against General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contract No. GS-02F-026DA. The award will be made to West Publishing Corporation (d/b/a West, a Thomson Reuters business). 3. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE AGENCY’S NEEDS The agency requires the procurement of Westlaw Advantage, an online legal research platform providing comprehensive access to state and federal case law, statutes, administrative materials, and exclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered research tools. The total

period of performance is five years, consisting of one base year and four option years, from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. ● Base Year: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 ($412,800.00) ● Option Year 1: July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028 ($445,819.68) ● Option Year 2: July 1, 2028 – June 30, 2029 ($481,487.16) ● Option Year 3: July 1, 2029 – June 30, 2030 ($520,008.12) ● Option Year 4: July 1, 2030 – June 30, 2031 ($560,523.96) Total Estimated Cost: $2,420,638.92. 4. IDENTIFICATION OF THE STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (Revolutionary FAR Overhaul) Orders placed against FSS contracts are exempt from the standard

requirements of FAR Part 6; however, ordering activities must justify sole source FSS awards in writing. Because this acquisition exceeds the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), this justification is executed under the statutory exception defined in GSAR 538.7104-3(b)(1)(ii): "Only one source is capable of providing the products, services, or solution required at the level of quality required because the products, services, or solutions are unique or highly specialized" . Furthermore, this justification aligns with GSAR 538.7104-4, as Westlaw Advantage contains features peculiar to one manufacturer. 5. DEMONSTRATION THAT THE PROPOSED CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OR THE NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES USE OF THE AUTHORITYCITED Westlaw Advantage is uniquely qualified and is the only product capable of meeting the agency's specific legal research needs due to its exclusive features, proprietary AI tools, and unmatched editorial content: Exclusive AI Capabilities & Certifications: Thomson West is the only online legal research provider possessing ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification for AI Management Systems, ensuring responsible and transparent AI operations. ● Deep Research: An exclusive agentic AI tool that emulates expert research methods, creating a multi-step research plan while utilizing Westlaw's proprietary content (like the Key Number System and KeyCite). It includes "Deep Research Verify," a trusted verification layer that validates AI-generated research against authoritative sources. ● Litigation Document Analyzer: This unique tool detects mischaracterizations of law within entire uploaded briefs and automatically suggests additional arguments and defenses backed by supporting authority. ● Claims Explorer & AI Jurisdictional Surveys: Westlaw Advantage exclusively offers Claims Explorer, which quickly identifies relevant claims and defenses based on case facts, and AI Jurisdictional Surveys, which creates comprehensive cross-jurisdictional legal surveys with citations in minutes. ● Exclusive Analytical Content: Only Westlaw Advantage provides access to the full American Jurisprudence (Am Jur) product line, all six series of the American Law Reports (ALR), the National Reporter System, Black’s Law Dictionary, and Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice and Procedure. Proprietary Enhancements: The West Key Number System (the master system of U.S. law) and the KeyCite Citator Service (which includes exclusive features like "KeyCite Cited With" and "KeyCite Overruled in Part") are proprietary innovations not available through any other provider. While other legal research platforms exist, no other legal research platform offers these specific tools or access to these proprietary databases that DOT attorneys have determined are indispensable to their work. Thus, no other vendor can meet DOT’s needs. 6. Determination by the

Contracting Officer That the Anticipated Cost Will Be Fair and Reasonable Under FAR 538.7102-2(d)(2), the ordering activity is not required to make a fair and reasonable price determination at the order level, as FSS contract

pricing has already been determined to be fair and reasonable by GSA. The

Contracting Officer has reviewed the fixed monthly rates provided under GSA Schedule. 7. Description of Market Research Conducted: Market research was conducted in accordance with GSAR 538.7104-4(b)(1) to evaluate whether other companies' similar products could be modified to meet the agency's