NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER:

NIH-NIMH-21000002

1. TITLE: University College London Tuition Payment for Doctoral Students

1. CLASSIFICATION CODE:

R -- Professional, administrative, and management support services

1. NAICS CODE: 923110 – ADMINISTRATION OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS

1. RESPONSE DATE:

September 18, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST

1. PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT:

Thien Nguyen

[email protected]

Phone: 301-827-0914

1. DESCRIPTION:

INTRODUCTION

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME).

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) intends to negotiate on a sole source bases with University College of London, Gower Street London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE and SET ASIDE STATUS

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 923110 – Administration of Education Programs.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6—Competition Requirements. FAR Subpart 13.106-1 (b) Soliciting from a single source provides that: For purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, Contracting officers may solicit from one source IF the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name OR industrial mobilization).

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 20019-01 dated December 1, 2018.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The National Institute of Mental Health, (NIMH) Office of Fellowship Training, Division of Intramural Research (DIRP), is responsible for the administration of two graduate programs: NIH-Karolinska Institute (KI) and the University College London (UCL)-NIMH Joint Doctoral Program in Neuroscience.  The office facilitates the process for eligible candidates to interview and gain acceptance into either of the two doctoral programs.  Additionally, the office oversees all administrative processes involved with bringing accepted candidates on as fellows using the Non-FTE appointment mechanism. The KI-NIH and UCL-NIMH programs are designed such that students’ complete requirements for their Ph.D. degree in four years, spending half their time overseas at KI or UCL pursuing research and the remaining time in a NIMH lab continuing their thesis project. The degree is awarded by UCL or KI. 

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Statement of Work below:

Tuition payment for 8 students in the NIMH-UCL Program must be settled to maintain graduate student status and honor the financial commitment of the joint partnership.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Base plus Two Option Years

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND-NAME) DETERMINATION

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted. Specifically, University College of London is the only vendor in the marketplace that can provide the services required by NIMH.

The intended source is:

University College of London

Gower Street London

WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom

CLOSING STATEMENT

THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.

All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number, NIH-NIMH-21000002. Responses must be submitted electronically to Thien Nguyen, Contract Specialist, at [email protected]. and Valerie Whipple, Contracting Officer, at [email protected].  U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.