NOTICE OF INTENT to Sole Source SOLICITATION NUMBER: NIMH-23-004457-NOI TITLE: NIMH-University College London Tuition Payment for Doctoral Students CLASSIFICATION CODE: R -- Professional, administrative, and management support services NAICS CODE: 923110 - Administration of Education Programs RESPONSE DATE: 8/11/23 PRIMARY POINTS OF CONTACT: Kyle Miller
[email protected] Christine Frate
[email protected] 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 for tuition payments for up to 7 University College London students. 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) 2023-04 dated June 02, 2022. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT 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. The NIMH- University College London Doctoral Program currently has up to 7 graduate students whose tuition is due for fiscal year 2024. As a provision of the MOU agreement between NIMH and UCL, NIMH must provide a scholarship for fee support at the permitted level for overseas study by the federal government. By satisfying this financial obligation, the NIH will be contributing to the educational and professional development of rising neuroscientists who have the capacity to become independent investigators. 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. NIMH-UCL Program is based with the University of London which has graduate students specifically enrolled in the program which will consist of joint doctoral training program with co-mentors based at the NIH and at UCL. 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, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Unique Entity Identifier ID (UEI), 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, NIMH-23-004457-NOI. Responses must be submitted electronically to Kyle Miller, Contract Specialist, at
[email protected] and Christine Frate, Contracting Officer, at
[email protected]. U.S. Mail and fax responses will not be accepted.