Public Information and Communications Services II (PICS II)

The National Institutes of Health established Public Information and Communications Services II (PICS II), a Master IDIQ with a $1.2 billion shared ceiling, on December 14, 2018. Ordering closed on December 16, 2024, making this vehicle no longer active for new task orders.

The vehicle served as the successor to NIH Public Information and Communication (2012–2016) and procured media, communications, and information dissemination services for NIH's component institutes and centers. Task orders addressed internal and external communications needs including web services, strategic marketing, public health campaigns, outreach support, conference logistics, and specialized communications for research initiatives. Scope ranged from discrete graphic design and website remediation efforts to multi-million-dollar campaign platforms. The vehicle funded work across government and external organizations as well; one delivery order supported Indian Health Service communications strategy, and several supported HHS agencies beyond NIH (FDA, SAMHSA, OASH).

Competition concentrated heavily among five prime contractors. Fors Marsh Group LLC dominated by potential value, holding $1.1 billion across 24 orders (78% of combined task-order potential value), while IQ Solutions, Inc. led by order count with 38 awards totaling $123.5 million. Palladian Partners, Inc. held 19 orders worth $107.6 million. Scientific Consulting Group Inc., Lumina Corps Inc., and Betah Associates rounded out the field. The remaining four awardees occupied a long tail of modest activity. Ordering concentrated primarily through the NIH Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations, which placed 47 of 106 orders valued at $1.26 billion. The National Institute on Drug Abuse accounted for 19 orders totaling $50 million; the remaining customer base spread across other NIH institutes and some non-NIH federal organizations.

All 106 task orders carried unrestricted (no set-aside) status. Combined task-order potential value reached $1.41 billion, with 100% obligated by the final ordering date. Task order values ranged widely: small discrete efforts ($29,611 to $300,000), typical operations-support contracts ($500,000 to $5 million), and several mega-orders, including Fors Marsh Group's pan-respiratory virus public education campaign at $143.8 million and a large COVID-19 reopening campaign also to Fors Marsh at $300 million. Pricing structures included firm fixed price, time and materials, labor hours, and fixed price level of effort. Ordering sustained steady momentum through the vehicle's life, averaging roughly 13–14 orders per fiscal year with 14 orders in 2020, 20 in 2021, 12 in 2022, 13 in 2023, and 19 in 2024.

Master IDIQ issued by the National Institutes of Health to enable its component Institutes and Centers to achieve and maintain high quality performance in the areas of media, communication, and information dissemination and technology by purchasing superior communication goods and services, especially where this expertise does not exist in-house.