Purchase Order 75N98026P00187

The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $102,524.85 firm fixed-price purchase order to Friends of Patients at the NIH, Inc. (doing business as Friends At NIH) for nightly lodging services supporting transplant post-discharge research participants at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The contract, effective April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, requires the contractor to provide fully furnished apartments with utilities included, located within one mile of the Clinical Center and accessible via NIH shuttle routes. The procurement was conducted without a set-aside designation and serves bone marrow transplant patients enrolled in clinical trials who must remain in the local area for up to 100 days following their procedures for required follow-up care and monitoring. Friends At NIH, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, is the incumbent contractor and demonstrated its capability to manage a portfolio of three dedicated apartments (studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units) to accommodate patients and their caregivers, with an anticipated annual caseload of 12 to 15 patients.

The contract establishes a fixed daily rate structure that does not exceed the General Services Administration per diem rate for the local area, with pricing guaranteed throughout the contract year regardless of seasonal fluctuations. Friends At NIH must maintain detailed monthly reservation reporting, including specific information on occupancy dates, protocols, and billing amounts, with all administrative coordination restricted to authorized National Cancer Institute and Clinical Research Center representatives. This procurement reflects the National Cancer Institute's commitment to supporting critical clinical research infrastructure by ensuring patients have accessible, affordable temporary housing that enables them to complete their medically necessary post-transplant care without interruption.