Management and Support of an Archives and Repository Contract for the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Divisions of Translational Toxicology (DTT) and Intramural Research (DIR)

"Management and Support of an Archives and Repository Contract for the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Divisions of Translational Toxicology (DTT) and Intramural Research (DIR)”

This notice announces the intended release of solicitation number 75N96024R00001. 

This pre-solicitation notice follows a Request for Information / Sources Sought notice that was released on December 22, 2022 under notice number NIH-NIEHS-2022-RFI-SS-AARC.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is a multidisciplinary research institution with the primary mission to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives. NIEHS focuses on basic science, disease-oriented research, global environmental and population health, clinical research, and multidisciplinary training for researchers. The mission of the NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease. In-house research at NIEHS is conducted by investigators in the Division of the Translational Toxicology  (DTT) and the Division of Intramural Research (DIR). 

The NIEHS intends to negotiate and award a contract for research support services in a central, searchable location for storage, management and maintenance of data, hard copy study materials, and biological and environmental samples--e.g., wet-tissue preserved or fixed in formalin, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks, histological glass slides, frozen tissue, biological and environmental samples, film (e.g., Kodachrome) slides, digital (still) images, digital whole-slide scans, analog and electronic data, and microfiche.

MANDATORY QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Mandatory qualification criteria will apply to this requirement.  The qualification criteria establish conditions that must be met at the time of receipt of Final Proposal Revisions by the Contracting Officer in order for the proposal to be considered any further for award.  The following Mandatory Qualification Criteria apply to this requirement:

Geographic Proximity - The Contractor shall establish and maintain offices, equipment, and technical facilities, including laboratory facilities, within a 25-minute drive of the main campus of the NIEHS located at 111 T.W. Alexander Dr., Durham, NC 27709, for the duration of the contract performance period. The facilities must be fully operational and ready to initiate transition activities by the date of contract award. The facilities shall be co-located within the same building or business complex. All facilities shall be subject to approval by the Contracting Officer as to suitability and adequacy.

Conformance to Section 508 Standards - Electronic documents and reports are anticipated to be included in the deliverables of the resultant contract. Requirements for accessibility based on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) will apply to this procurement. Products, platforms, and services delivered as part of this work statement that are identified as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), or contain ICT, must conform to the Revised 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D.

Organizations submitting proposals will be required to demonstrate compliance with the established ICT accessibility standards by preparing a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) (Version 2.4 or later) and an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). The VPAT will be used to complete the ACR. Additional information about the VPAT can be found at: https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat.

OTHER IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS 

Key Personnel - The Project Director, Archives/Frozen Tissue Bank Manager, Repository Manager and Pathologists are considered key personnel and shall be employees of the contractor.

Contract Type and Contractor’s Accounting System - It is anticipated that the resultant contract will be a cost reimbursement type contract.  Therefore, to be considered for an award under the resultant solicitation, the offeror’s accounting system and practices must be adequate and suitable for accumulating costs under government contracts.  Offerors will be required to provide evidence of the accounting system being adequate and the proposal shall include a certification that the offeror’s accounting system meets all of the specifications outlined in the solicitation for an adequate accounting system, in accordance with FAR 16.301-3, 16.403-1, and in compliance with FAR Part 31.

NOTICE TO OFFERORS 

This notice is not a Request for Proposals and does not commit the Government to award a contract.

A solicitation may or not be issued. The estimated issue date of the solicitation is 15 days from the date of this notice. Proposals will be due on or about 30 days after the solicitation release date.

The solicitation is anticipated to result in one (1) award to an offeror capable of performing all aspects of the work described in the SOW. This contract is expected to consist of a single award, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development services. It is anticipated that award  will be on or before March 2024 for a base period of one-year, plus four (4) successive one-year option periods.  The proposed contract is anticipated to be issued using full and open competition. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 493120 with a corresponding size standard of $36.5. The Government intends to make an award using the procedures for competitive negotiated acquisitions as authorized in FAR Part 15.

The solicitation will only be available electronically and must be accessed through the Sam.gov website (www.sam.gov). All information required for submission of a proposal will be contained in the electronic solicitation package.  It is the offeror’s responsibility to monitor the above website for the release of this solicitation and amendments, if any. All responsible sources may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. Proposals must be submitted through the NIH electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) system. Detailed submission instructions will be provided upon issuance of the solicitation.  All questions regarding this acquisition shall be submitted in writing via email to: Julie.bardo@nih.gov. Please reference the solicitation number #75N96024R00001 and project title on your written request. TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.