Simian Vaccine Evaluation Units

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) established a Master IDIQ on April 1, 2020, to provide nonhuman primate resources for preclinical evaluation of AIDS vaccines and prevention strategies, with ordering authority extending through March 31, 2027 (8 months remaining).

The vehicle supports vaccine studies across a full spectrum of NIAID-funded research programs, including R01 investigator-initiated grants, HIVRAD (HIV Vaccine Research and Design), IPCAVD (Integrated Preclinical-Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development), and NHP Consortium awards. Task orders fund administrative and technical support, nonhuman primate maintenance in ABSL2 and ABSL2/3 facilities, operation of a breeding colony, and individual vaccine study contracts. Pricing structures split between cost-no-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee arrangements.

The vehicle is a three-award multiple-award IDIQ with no set-aside designation. Three universities hold all task orders: The Administrators of Tulane Educational Fund (8 orders, $22.2 million combined potential value), University of Louisiana at Lafayette (5 orders, $18.5 million combined potential value), and Bioqual, Inc. (6 orders, $10.1 million combined potential value). All orders fund NIAID internally; customer concentration is 100 percent within a single agency.

Activity has slowed significantly since award. The vehicle issued 10 task orders in 2020, then 3 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 1 in 2023, and 1 in 2024. The most recent order (Study 222, $1.7 million ceiling, cost-no-fee) issued September 13, 2024. Of the $50.8 million combined potential value across 19 task orders, $46.3 million (91 percent) is obligated, leaving roughly $4.5 million of unobligated ceiling. Individual study task orders typically range from $1.7 million to $3.7 million ceiling value over 18- to 48-month performance periods. Administrative and infrastructure task orders (support, maintenance, breeding colony) are larger, with the breeding-colony order valued at $13.4 million through March 31, 2027.

The NIAID Simian Vaccine Evaluation Unit (SVEU) contracts shall provide nonhuman primate resources that primarily support preclinical evaluation of AIDS vaccines and prevention strategies. The SVEUs conduct studies in support of vaccines being developed by a wide range of investigators. These studies complement NIAID-supported basic vaccine research and vaccine evaluation studies funded through R01 (investigator-initiated research) grants, HIVRAD (HIV Vaccine Research and Design Program) grants, IPCAVD (Integrated Preclinical-Clinical AIDS Vaccine Development) grants, and NHP Consortium awards. The SVEUs also perform studies of candidate vaccines offered by companies or other researchers.