JA-NIAID-24-2228208 - Justification and Approval.pdf

supporting global health research initiatives and helping to lead the way toward medical discoveries and advancements that save lives and promote improved healthier standards of living from a global perspective.

In order to obtain basic and applied research and highly skilled medical and scientific researchers, the NIH has developed the NIH-wide NGDP consisting of a set of affiliated doctoral programs for highly accomplished biomedical research students devoted to careers in basic, translational, or clinical biomedical research by allowing outstanding American and European Union college graduates to engage in accelerated PhD research through collaborative projects between an NIH intramural laboratory and laboratories at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge. In collaboration with the NIAID Division of Intramural Research, the foundation programs of the NGDP are the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars program and the NIH MD/PhD Partnership Training Program.

This project is a follow-on to purchase order 75N93023P01171 with the University of Cambridge. Previous NIAID purchases have been open market, non-competitive acquisitions.

Contract/Order No.: 75N93023P01171 Agency: NIH/NIAID Vendor: The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge Award Date: 8/29/2023 Period of Performance: 9/1/2023 – 8/31/2024 Total Value: $298,000.00 Description: University of Cambridge New & Continuing Scholars of the Oxford-Cambridge University Doctoral Program

Contract/Order No.: 75N93022P01132 Agency: NIH/NIAID Vendor: The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge Award Date: 9/7/2022 Period of Performance: 9/14/2022 – 9/13/2023 Total Value: $312,000.00

Contract/Order No.: 75N93021P01323

Vendor: The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge Award Date: 9/8/2021 Period of Performance: 9/14/2021 – 9/13/2022 Total Value: $326,000.00

Contract/Order No.: 75N93020P01338

Vendor: The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge Award Date: 9/10/2020 Period of Performance: 9/14/2020 – 9/13/2021 Total Value: $369,999.66

3. Description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value).

a. Project title.

Oxford-Cambridge University Doctoral Partnership Training Program – University of Cambridge

b. Project description.

The University of Cambridge shall provide graduate-level training and research for 35 students for the 2024-2025 academic year. The University shall provide for the following functions:

1. Shared core values (NIH and University)

a. Advance the NIH mission of global outreach and training by contributing internationally collaborative research in areas of emerging and infectious disease, global health, and international medicine.

b. Common government pursuit of public health care and health care initiatives.

2. University requirements

a. The partnering University must have a tutorial system where faculty fellows teach students in groups of one to three on a weekly basis. The tutorial system is uniquely required for the student training in the International PhD Program because there is no formal didactic component required for degree completion. The tutorial system will allow students to receive direct feedback on their NIH projects. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss the published literature and to learn how to think critically like a scientist.

b. University provides access to classes for students virtually online or safely in-person.

c. Shared training between the NIH and the University.

Students spend a maximum of two years at the partner institution. The remaining two years of PhD experiential work must be spent at the NIH.

d. Demonstrated emphasis on quality research with supplemental coursework and skills enrichment opportunities available but not mandatory.

e. The students in the graduate partnership program work collaboratively in any one of the 27 Institutes and centers that make up the NIH. These include but not limited to:

NCI-CCR, NCI-DCEG, NEI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAAA,

NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIDDK,

NIMH, NINDS, NLM, VRC, NCATS, CIT, NIEHS, CC. The degree conferring institution that partners with the NIH must have a pool of researchers that the research expertise found at the NIH. The partnering institution must have various schools and program that are available as training environments (centers).

f. Demonstrated evidence of academic history of scientific research and training spanning seven to eight centuries.

g. Common requirements for mentorship and training of graduate students.

h. Demonstrated performance: evidence of students who have successfully completed doctoral degrees through a partnership-training program.

i. Abundant opportunities to form collaborations between Principal Investigators based on common program missions and shared biomedical interests in global health and medicine.

j. Existing network of published principal investigators

k. Common access to contemporary and technologically advanced research facilities.

l. Opportunity for international collaboration and intellectual transfer without language barriers. English must be spoken exclusively in NIH laboratories.

m. Infrastructure and staff dedicated to international training collaborations.

n. Research specialties in infectious disease, cancer, immunology, neurology, vaccine research, genomics, child health, and human development.

o. Clinical aspect integrated into graduate training with hospitals located on University campus.

3. Administrative oversight

a. Supervision of existing student participants who have been accepted into the NIH University of Oxford- Cambridge Scholars Program and who are continuing training for the 2024-2025 academic scholastic year.

i. The 2024 scholastic enrollment of existing students shall consist of 35 participants.

b. Reviewing University application packages for matriculating students to ensure that all admission documents have been received, reviewed, and validated.

c. Informing students of Visa requirements.

d. Notifying student program participants of his/her acceptance to the university and college.

e. Provision of research opportunities in University laboratories with qualified faculty members who will serve as mentors and advisors to the students in the program.

f. Participation and support of annual research colloquia and other program activities.

g. Facilitation of the entry of U.S. students into the full college life of the University as members of the Colleges at the University.

h. Provision of University housing for students in the program.

Requirement type.

Research & development (R&D) R & D support services Support services (non-R&D) Supplies/equipment Information technology (IT) Construction Architect-engineer (A & E) services Design-build

X Other (specify): Training Program

Type of action.

New requirement X Follow-on: 75N93023P01171

Other (specify): ______________________

Proposed contract/order type.

X Firm-fixed-price Other fixed-price (specify, e.g., fixed-price award-fee, fixed-price incentive-fee): __________ Cost-plus-fixed-fee Other cost reimbursement (specify, e.g., cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee): ___________ Time and materials Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity or requirements): ___________ Other (specify): ___________ Completion Form Term form

Acquisition identification number. AMBIS 2228208.

c. Total estimated dollar value and performance/delivery period.

The estimated period of performance is September 23, 2024 – September 22, 2025. The total estimated cost for this contract

4. Identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition

X This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 United

States Code (U.S.C.) 1901 as set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.501(a)(1)(ii).

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of section 4202 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 (41 U.S.C. 428a).

5. Demonstration that the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited.

a. Name and address of the proposed contractor(s).

University of Cambridge Research Operations Office Greenwich House, Madingley Road Cambridge CB3 0TX United Kingdom

b. Nature of the acquisition and proposed unique qualifications of the contractor(s).

For decades, the intramural program of the NIH, which is the largest biomedical research complex in the world, had no organized training program for doctoral students. In 1999, Dr. Harold Varmus, then Director of the NIH, and Dr. Michael Gottesman, Deputy Director for Intramural Research, decided to establish a formal training process for doctoral students within intramural NIH. Effectively, this opened research opportunities in over 1,200 laboratories encompassing nearly every area of biomedical research. Program founders decided to undertake the development of new training programs as "partnerships" with research universities to promote inter-institutional collaboration and to ensure the students a world-class education by building on the success of existing programs. In 2000, the concept of the NIH-Cambridge Partnership was developed. A Memorandum of Understanding between the NIH and the University of Cambridge was established to codify the partnership. Since then, more than 80 students have enrolled and are successfully completing this program. Students covered under this Statement of Work are enrolled or committed to enroll at the University of Cambridge, and the work cannot be transferred elsewhere.

The Fellows have been identified by a review committee and have been accepted in the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program and have been attending the University of Cambridge. The NIH selected the University of Cambridge as a doctoral partnership training program based upon a set of criteria that engendered a high degree of confidence in a set of shared core values of the two institutions. The University of Cambridge offers the following features that significantly influenced the decision to establish the partnership program:

Long academic history, especially in science Less didactic tradition than US universities Outstanding contemporary research facilities Distinct UK culture—perhaps more reflective Europe based but no language barrier Collaborative international projects Individualized interdisciplinary training Two research mentors

6. Description of the efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable. Indicate whether a FedBizOpps notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies

As required by FAR 5.2, a Pre-Solicitation Notice of Intent (NOI) to Sole Source (ID: NOI-NIAID-24-2228208) was publicized on the Federal Contract Opportunity site www.SAM.gov on August 20, 2024 announcing the Government’s intent.

The announcement indicated the reasoning for awarding the purchase order without competition. The notice closed on September 3, 2024 and no responses to the NOI were received.

7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the anticipated cost/price to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The techniques identified at FAR 13.106-3(a)(2) will be used to ensure award will be at a fair and reasonable price. NIAID will consider the Independent Government Estimate, market research, comparison with tuition rates from similar universities, and quoted prices found reasonable on previous contracts as determining factors for price reasonableness. A final determination by the Contracting Officer will be conducted prior to award of a purchase order.

8. Description of the market research conducted (see FAR Part 10) and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

Market research was completed September 3, 2024 as the Contract Specialist viewed the Required Sources, Federal Supply Schedules, NIH Strategic Sources and Commercial Websites and found there are no other vendors who can provide the required doctoral partnership training program. This is a continuation of students already enrolled into the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program by selection committee. All Fellows have been accepted into the University of