--Notice of Intent to Negotiate on a Sole-Source Basis

The U.S. EPA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis, under the authority of the FAR 6.302-1 with National Academies of Science (NAS) to provide technical and analytical support to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Office of the Science Advisor (OSA), under contract titled ?Ensuring Credible Science for Science-Based Decision-Making at EPA?, EP-C-09-003, which ordering period expires December 31, 2013, to extend the period of performance for the task order titled ?Conduct a Public Workshop and a Scientific Peer Review of EPA?s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program?s external review draft document entitled ?Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer and Non-Cancer Effects of Oral Exposures)? by 17 months, until May 31, 2015. The contractor shall provide services to support EPA in accomplishing various tasks in the development of a toxicological review of the human health effects resulting from oral exposure to inorganic arsenic including holding a public workshop and reviewing the draft IRIS Toxicological Assessment of Inorganic Arsenic. The contractor shall hold a public workshop on scientific issues that may influence the health assessment of the cancer and non-cancer effects of oral exposure to inorganic arsenic. The overall goal of the public workshop would be to develop an interim report informed by the public workshop that provides recommendations based on the current state of the science for issues that may impact the health assessment of inorganic arsenic. The contractor shall also establish an expert panel following their procedures on committee composition, balance and conflict of interest, to review of EPA?s IRIS Toxicological Assessment of Inorganic Arsenic. The expert panel shall develop, reflecting the panel?s consensus where possible, a final report on their review and evaluation of the EPA document, focusing on the potential for adverse effects resulting from oral exposure to inorganic arsenic at environmental levels. The overall goal of this NAS review is to seek input on: (1) whether the scientific literature on inorganic arsenic was adequately evaluated by EPA; (2) whether appropriate methods were used to derive cancer risk estimates and non-cancer reference values; and (3) whether the dose-response relationships between inorganic arsenic and cancer and non-cancer effects were appropriately estimated and characterized. EPA believes that NAS, with its experience in working the current contract, is uniquely qualified for this short term additional effort and NAS is the only responsible source able to perform this 17-month effort due to its combination of research expertise and familiarity with the data for ongoing projects required to meet EPA?s critical deadlines. Furthermore, the NAS review of EPA?s draft Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer and Non-Cancer Effects of Oral Exposures) was mandated by Congress in rider language in the fiscal year 2012 Federal Budget. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. However, any firm believing itself capable of meeting this EPA requirement must submit technical documentation to establish its assertion. This documentation must be submitted to the POC within 15 days of the electronic posting of this notice. Telephone requests will not be honored. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the EPA. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement or to proceed on a sole source basis. The anticipated award date of this task order is July 16, 2012.