Science, Translation, Analysis and Research Support (STARS)

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the NIH, established a Master IDIQ on April 1, 2020 to provide science portfolio management, analysis, and research support to its Division of Extramural Research and Training (DERT). The vehicle was structured as a total small-business set-aside solicitation (75N96020R00004), though actual task-order awards show nearly all work placed competitively without set-aside. The last date to order against the vehicle was March 31, 2025, which has now closed.

The vehicle supports DERT by delivering portfolio assessments, literature reviews, grant-tracking databases, research dissemination methods, scientific meeting logistics, and supporting materials for DERT's research programs in environmental health sciences. Task orders have funded work across service areas including consolidated time-and-materials tasks, business processes support for the Grants Management Branch, website and briefing book maintenance, translational research stories, podcast production, meeting support for specialized research programs (Superfund, geohealth, neurotoxicology, autism and nutrition topics), and newsletter production.

Ordering closed over a year ago, but the vehicle has executed 53 task orders with combined potential value of $8.6 million, of which $7.1 million (83 percent) has been obligated. Avanti Corporation dominates with 30 orders and $4.9 million combined potential value, followed by Mdb, Inc. with 15 orders and $2.5 million, and Ripple Effect Communications, Inc. with 8 orders and $1.2 million. Nearly all work (96 percent of task orders, 51 of 53) has been awarded without set-aside; only two small-business set-aside orders appear in the portfolio. Ordering momentum peaked in 2021 with 17 awards, declining to 5 annually in 2022 and 2023, recovering to 12 in 2024, and tapering to 1 order in 2025 before the vehicle closed. The vast majority of customer demand originates from NIEHS itself (52 of 53 orders, $8.2 million combined potential value); a single order ($483 thousand) funded work for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Most recent task orders under the closed vehicle show typical ceiling values ranging from roughly $20 thousand to $666 thousand, priced as time-and-materials or firm fixed price, with durations typically one to two years.

With the overarching goal of expanding the impact of the DERT scientific portfolio, this IDIQ Task Order contract shall provide service and support to DERT staff by providing technical and logistical support to those who manage the science and grant portfolios, and by participating in the development of methods and tools that enable this work. Methods and tools may include implementing approaches that maintain and enhance collaborations and consortia, augmenting current methods of tracking of research accomplishments, analyzing of grants management processes, and increasing communication internal to DERT and between DERT staff and grantees. The contract will also contribute to ongoing efforts in analysis, evaluation, and assessment of DERT research programs and portfolio areas. Activities will include, but are not limited to, conducting portfolio assessments; completing literature reviews; compiling grantee research findings for analysis and synthesis; maintaining appropriate databases of grant-related information; contributing to the development of methods for enhancing the dissemination and communication of research advances in the format most appropriate for the intended audience; facilitating collaborations and sharing of scientific progress through meetings, workshops, conferences and symposiums; and producing documents, reports, and other materials as directed for each scientific program.