Support for the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM).

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION OR A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS.

The purpose of this announcement is to notify all interested parties that the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) intends to extend Contract HHSN273201500013C with Inotiv on a sole-source basis pursuant to 10 U.S.C 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source. The objective is to extend the term of the contract with the award of one (1) 3-month base, with three 1-month options, for a total potential period of performance of six months. This extension will ensure continuation of mission critical support pending approval of organizational restructuring.

This notice is being published by NIEHS in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 5.201 and 5.204 requiring notice of a proposed contract action. This is NOT a request for competitive proposals. The statutory authority for this sole source action is 41 U.S.C.3304(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Award is subject to approval of the Justification and Approval for Sole Source (J&A).

BACKGROUND

The current contractor provides Support for the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM). The purpose of this effort is to provide continued scientific, logistical, and administrative support necessary to carryout the goals and objectives of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) and the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), a congressionally mandated activity supporting advancing non-animal models.

Inotiv is considered the only contractor that has a comprehensive understanding of the current technologies used and can meet the NIH needs during the potential 6-month period. Award to another source during the same period of performance would result in substantial gap in service due to transition and ramp-up times, disruption to supporting a congressionally mandated committee requiring specialized expertise, inability to retain key toxicological databases and computational resources, unnecessary costs to the Government, and unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency's requirements and could not be expected to be recovered through competition. By utilizing the incumbent contractor for this sole source action, the NIH can continue day-to-day operations and avoid disruptions to mission essential work.

Once the Justification and Approval for Sole Source (J&A) is approved, this action will extend the period of performance of contract HHSN273201500013C for 3 months, with additional options for a total potential period of performance of 6 months. The revised period of performance will be from date of modification award, through up to 6 months. This extension will increase the contract value accordingly. The current contractor, Inotiv, is considered the only contractor that can meet the NIH needs during the extension’s required period of performance.

Notwithstanding the stated intent, if firms believe they can fully meet the Government's requirement they may submit a written capabilities statement (NOT TO EXCEED 3 PAGES). The capabilities statement must contain sufficient documentation to establish a bona fide capability to fulfill the requirement and must be received by the response date listed in this posting. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. NIEHS will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this notice.

Questions regarding this notice can be sent via email to Ms. Melissa Gentry at gentry1@niehs.nih.gov. ONLY EMAIL RESPONSES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Thank you for your interest.