LSJ NIAMS Follow on TO - Management Technical Logistical Admin MBnn redacted_Redacted.pdf

understanding, causes, incidence, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin. They are key partners of the NIAMS, and serve as the voices of the patients and professionals for whom NIAMS works. Every two years, NIAMS sponsors a high-profile, day-long activity called the NIAMS Coalition Outreach and Education (O&E) Meeting. This event brings together 100 organizations that seek to work with NIAMS and each other to raise awareness of research on diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin. These coalition members and the combined hundreds of thousands of constituents they represent greatly value the opportunity to visit campus, share patient and provider perspectives, meet with NIAMS and NIH staff, and discuss the latest research advances and initiatives. Attendees share what they learn at the O&E meeting with their stakeholders, the media, the public, and policymakers. This spread of information about NIAMS research and training activities is highly beneficial to the institute.

The O&E meeting requires tremendous effort and 12-18 months to plan.

This planning includes, but is not limited to, inviting and confirming speakers;

reserving meeting space; booking travel and hotel accommodations;

developing and managing the meeting registration website; developing email distribution lists to inform registrants about important meeting updates;

drafting, editing, and printing meeting materials; and managing meeting-day logistics. Post-meeting activities include a debriefing session, survey, and reports that allow NIAMS to analyze meeting success and develop a “lessons learned” document to help plan subsequent O&E meetings. The vendor’s highest workload takes place right before, during, and after the meeting. After the meeting, the vendor polls attendees; assesses successes and areas of improvement; and creates a lessons learned document that is reviewed with NIAMS to improve efforts for the following year. In addition, other follow-up items related to the meeting can result (of note, those follow-up actions are unknown until after the meeting takes place).

The current vendor has assisted with planning several prior O&E meetings and is already well underway with planning the next event in September 2023, which will be the first in-person meeting since 2019.

The current award was competitively awarded via GSA to IQ Solutions, Inc. The award featured a base plus four option periods with a period of performance from January 15, 2018 through January 14, 2023.

Without a follow-on task order in place, NIAMS risks transitioning to a new vendor mere weeks before this important event. If that occurs, NIAMS would lose all of the historical knowledge and expertise of the current vendor, requiring the need to spend significant time and effort bringing a new vendor up-to-speed. That situation would increase costs, place an unmanageable burden on SCOB staff, and could result in delays, errors, missed deadlines, duplication of effort, and/or an erosion in the meeting’s effectiveness and attendee engagement. Any degradation in the planning or execution of this hallmark event would jeopardize NIAMS’s reputation and relationship with its coalition partners.

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

a. Project title. Support Services for two National Information Clearinghouses

b. Project description.

The proposed follow-on task order provides continuity of service during the critical weeks immediately before, during, and after the NIAMS Coalition O&E meeting.

Requirement type.

X Support services (non-research & development).

Supplies/equipment Information technology (IT) Other (specify):

Type of action.

New requirement

X Follow-on

Proposed contract/order type.

Firm-fixed-price

X Time and materials Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity, or requirements):

Acquisition identification number.

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

12-month POP Jan 15, 2023 – January 14, 2024

4. Identification of the justification rationale [see 8.405-6(a) and (b)] and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed vendor’s unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service.

a. Acquisition authority.

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple Award Schedule Program. In accordance with Federal area for September 2023. Hotel blocks are being reserved at a fast pace and supplies are dwindling. Any delays in booking travel and hotel accommodations such as those that can occur when onboarding a new vendor could result in cost increases for the government (as prices typically increase as the meeting date looms closer) or a lack of availability.

Additionally, the current vendor has years of experience communicating the requirements of this meeting to both vendors and registrants. While the current vendor can organize travel for the O&E meeting independently because of their extensive experience, a transition would require substantial orientation and a more hands-on approach from NIAMS staff to bring a new vendor up-to-speed on nuances such as hotel and shuttle requirements and restrictions, sponsorship limitations, and contingency strategies for various scenarios related to travel arrangements for the O&E meeting.

8. Statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the restricted consideration before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

a. Removal of barriers to competition It is advantageous to continue with the incumbent vendor to prevent a lapse in current services. However, NIAMS will recompete this task order for a full competition under the appropriate contract vehicle upon the expiration of the follow-on task order. As part of the recompete process, the program office and the Contracting Officer will conduct market research to determine if there are other sources available that can provide the services required. An award will only be made if it is shown that the anticipated cost to the government is fair and reasonable.

This justification will be posted in accordance with FAR 5.301 within 14 days after placing the order in accordance per FAR 8.405-6(a)(2).

b. Listing of sources, if any, that expressed an interest, in writing, in the acquisition.

None.