LSJ - RSC Specialized Scientific Support Contract-Sam_gov__Redacted.pdf

This modification will change the Task Areas for the Limited RSC Specialized Scientific Services Contract to include tasks 3-5 as listed below (task Areas 1-2 were awarded in the base award):

Task Area 1 – Scientific and Technical Support Services

Task Area 2 – Facilities and Equipment Maintenance

Task Area 3 – Advanced and Emerging Research Technologies Services

Task Area 4 – High Content Imaging Support and Data Analysis Services

Task Area 5 – Other Advanced Specialized Support Services

b. Project Background.

The Research Services Core (RSC) contract supported the intramural Division of Preclinical Innovation (DPI) at NCATS under a Task Order (75N95023A00001/75N95025F00010) against GSA FSS Contract Number GS-35F023GA. The RSC Specialized Services Contract expired on 31 O 2025.

As a result, NIDA awarded order 75N95026F00001 ($590,915.68) as a sole source against GSA Contract GS-35F-023GA on 10/31/2025 in accordance with OMB guidance that a new contract can be signed in advance of an appropriation, only in limited circumstances, after agency staff have coordinated with agency counsel to establish whether an exception may be appropriately invoked. Due to these restrictions in contracting during the lapse of federal funding the full scope of the RSC Specialized Services Contract could not be recompeted. Instead, a limited statement of work was awarded to support critical RSC needs for a period of 90 days (11/1/2025 - 1/29/2026) to protect safety of life and property, maintain critical services to mitigate risk of NCATS chemical library of over 500,000 compounds (including Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Scheduled Substances and the National Toxicology Program collection of toxicants, and to maintain critical equipment.

NCATS DPI (Intramural) houses nearly 300 scientists, including medicinal chemists, biologists, and informaticians who collaborate with disease experts worldwide to discover potential therapeutics and translate those into more treatments, for all people, more quickly. RSC is a fundamental research and infrastructure core that manages technical capabilities and services, chemical repositories and storage, and complex instrumentation necessary to enable high-throughput screening platforms, pre-clinical drug discovery, and advanced translational science. RSC is comprised of four groups: Automation, Sample Management, Automated Cell Technologies, and Scientific Imaging Support. These four groups operate as a supportive unit to cover the current and future needs of DPI scientists in their efforts to develop novel therapeutics for a variety of human disease areas.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs (including the Estimated Value).

a. Project Title - NCATS Research Services Core (RSC) Limited Specialized Scientific Services

b. Project Description. See tasks listed above under 2. Acquisition Purpose and Objectives.

Requirement Type.

Support services Supplies/equipment Information technology (IT) Other (specify): ____________________

Type of Action.

New requirement

Follow-on Other (specify): Modification to existing contract, and adding an option period

Proposed Contract/Order Type.

Firm-fixed-price Time and materials

Indefinite delivery (specify whether indefinite quantity, definite quantity, or requirements): ___________

Other (specify):

Acquisition Identification Number.

POTS ID: 26-000105

c. Total Estimated Dollar Value and Performance/Delivery Period.

New Total Contract Amount: $3,085,433.04 (Current Amount $590,915.68.

Increase of $2,494,517.36 broke out as follows:

Increase of $1,681,772.32 for 6-month period of performance.

Increase of $812,745.04 for 2-month option period.

4. Identification of the Justification Rationale see FAR Part 8 and GSAR 538.7104-3 Sole source justifications and, if applicable, a demonstration of the proposed contractor’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. Consideration of schedule contractors will be restricted to fewer than the number required by GSAR 538.7104-3 Sole source justifications, (ii) Only one source is capable of providing the products, services, or solution required at the level of quality required because the products, services, or solutions are unique or highly specialized.

Orders placed or BPAs established against FSS contracts are exempt from the requirements in FAR part 6. However, an ordering activity must justify its action when awarding on a sole source basis in accordance with this subsection.

Demonstration of the proposed contractor(s) unique qualifications to provide the required supply or service:

Axle Informatics, LLC is the only source capable of providing the highly specialized services required without disrupting NCATS operations. The prior order lapsed due to administrative delays caused by the lapse in federal appropriations, even though the requirement remained. Funding is now available, and this modification restores the unfunded portions of order 75N95023A00001/75N95025F00010 under the same GSA FSS contract. Because work was abruptly halted, the incumbent is the only contractor able to seamlessly and immediately resume performance.

Awarding to another contractor now would delay research, increase costs, and negatively impact ongoing NCATS/NIH intramural programs. Only emergency life-safety services could continue during the appropriations lapse, causing critical RSC functions to stop at the end of October. This modification reinstates all essential services.

Axle Informatics is uniquely qualified to support the Research Services Core (RSC) in automation, complex experimental design, and large-scale data analysis. Many of NCATS’ platforms, pipelines, and methods were developed in-house and are not used elsewhere, making Axle’s existing knowledge indispensable. Their staff automation programmers, engineers, and data specialists have supported these custom systems for years, and no other vendor currently has comparable expertise.

supports NCATS’ intramural research programs, including tissue-printing experiments that generate terabytes of imaging data requiring machine-learning–based analysis, as well as high-throughput screening producing over one million data points per experiment. The custom data pipelines enabling this work were built for NCATS and are maintained by contractor. Several large datasets remain unanalyzed due to the service interruption and must be processed by the team most familiar with these systems.

These services are essential to maintaining NCATS research capabilities, government-owned equipment, and safe handling of hazardous materials. RSC supports more than 80% of NCATS’ intramural research portfolio, representing over $80 million annually.

To avoid further gaps in service and protect critical scientific operations, Axle Informatics is the only contractor able to immediately resume performance at the required level.

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

Axle Informatics, LLC 6116 Executive Blvd Ste 400 North Bethesda, MD 20852

5. Determination by the ordering activity Contracting Officer that the order represents the best value consistent with FAR and GSAR.

Since GSA has already determined the prices of the supplies and services under FSS contracts, including rates for services offered at fixed hourly rates, to be fair and reasonable; and by placing an order against a schedule contract using the procedures in FAR 8.405, the ordering activity CO has concluded that the order represents the best value (see FAR 2.101) and results in the lowest overall cost alternative. Additionally, the Government will seek discounts, evaluate the proposed price prior to award against its GSA schedule, historical rates, and historical actual invoiced costs.

6. Description of the market research conducted among schedule holders and the results, or a statement of the reasons market research was not conducted.

This is a proposed contract modification to an existing award and we re-evaluated the market on 11/19/2025. The Government reviewed the marketplace and determined that based on the nature of services it could be obtained through commercial services and procedures. The Government Program Team in accordance with FAR 10, applied personal knowledge in procuring supplies/services of this type, contacted knowledgeable individuals in Government and industry, queried the Government-wide database of contracts and other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies.

Additionally, in accordance with GSAM/R 537.7104-3(b)(3), this Limited Source Justification will be made publicly available within 14 days after award on a Government-wide point of entry for a minimum of 30 days. The Government will be posting on SAM.gov.

7. Any other facts supporting the justification.

None.

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. We do anticipate future needs for the same type of services. We plan to continue to examine ways to increase competition, while balancing small business goals, and category management.

b. Listing of sources, if any, that expressed an interest, in writing, in the acquisition. No other sources have expressed an interest, in writing, in the proposed acquisition.

9. Program Office Certification.

This is to certify that the portions of this justification that have been developed by the undersigned program office personnel, including supporting information and/or data verifying the Government’s minimum needs or requirements, or other rationale for limited sources, are accurate and complete.

*The Head of the Sponsoring program is the individual at least one level above the Project Officer’s Immediate Supervisor

10. Contracting Officer Certification.

This is to certify that the justification for the proposed acquisition has been reviewed and that to the best of my knowledge and belief the information and/or data provided to support the rationale and recommendation for approval is accurate and complete.

11. Chief of the Contracting Office and Head of the Contracting Activity Signature(s).

12. Competition Advocate Signature.