NHGRI Clinical Research Support RFQ.pdf

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 1 of 11

COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION

(1) Action Code: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

(2) Date: October 26, 2026

(3) Year: 2026

(4) Contracting Office Zip Code: 20892

(5) Classification Code: R499

(6) NAICS Code: 541690

(7) Small Business Size Standard: $19 Million

(8) Contracting Office Address:

Office of Acquisitions and Logistics Management R&D Branch B 6701 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892

(9) Title: Clinical Research Support and Collaboration for NHGRI Protocols

(10) Proposed Solicitation Number: 75N98026R00034

(11) Closing Response Date: November 13, 2026 no later than 12:00pm Eastern Time

(12) Contact Point: Noelle Decenzo, Contracting Officer and Jennifer Henselmann, Contract Specialist

(13) Type of Contract/Contract Line Item Number(s):

This will be an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity type contract with an ordering period of three years: 1/01/2027 – 12/31/2029. This will be a single award. Task Orders will be issued in the four (4) task areas described in the Statement of Work. The task orders will be time and materials.

(14) Contract Award Date: 1/01/2027

(15) Description:

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in RFO Part 12 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) The solicitation number is 75N98026R00034 and the solicitation is issued as a

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 2 of 11 request for quotation (RFQ).

(iii) The solicitation document and the incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2026-01 effective 03/13/2026 and the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Parts and Deviations.

(iv) THIS REQUIREMENT IS SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESS. This acquisition is being conducted using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 12.

(v) The Office of Acquisitions and Logistics Management (OALM) on behalf of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) intends to award an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract for services in accordance with the following information:

Statement of Work (SOW):

See attached SOW (Attachment 2) for a description of the required tasks.

Place of Performance:

Primarily at the Contractor’s site with some travel to the NHGRI located at the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD as noted in the SOW.

Period of Performance:

The ordering period of performance is three (3) years.

HHS Security And Privacy Language For Information And It Procurements:

HHS Security and Privacy Language for Information and Information Technology Procurements is applicable to this solicitation and the following information is provided to assist in proposal preparation.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO OFFERORS: The following information shall be addressed in a separate section of the Technical Proposal entitled "Information Security." The contractor will be provided with a Government laptop and will have access to Government systems as described in the SOW.

See Attachment 6 for IT Security and Privacy Clauses.

Evaluation of Quotations

The award will be made on a competitive best value basis, using the “tradeoff’ approach among price-cost and non-price-cost factors. The Government may elect to award to other than the lowest priced offeror, or other than the highest rated technical quote. In either case, a tradeoff will be conducted. The government reserves such right of flexibility in conducting the evaluation as necessary to assure an award to the contractor providing the best value to the government.

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 3 of 11

Evaluation Criteria

The Government will use adjectival ratings to assess its level of confidence that the offering contractor will successfully perform all requirements using the evaluation criteria defined herein.

Offerors shall provide sufficient information for the Government to determine its level of confidence in the ability of the Offeror to perform the requirements of the solicitation based on an assessment of relevant experience from the contractor.

The Government will evaluate using the following confidence factor ratings:

Adjectival Rating Description

High Confidence The Government has high confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with little or no Government intervention.

Some Confidence The Government has some confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with some Government intervention.

Low Confidence The Government has low confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, or will be successful in performing the contract even with Government intervention.

A low confidence rating means the Government has low confidence that the Offeror understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, or will be successful in performing the contract even with Government intervention. Proposal responses with a low confidence level pose a potential disruption of schedule, increase in price, likelihood for increased Government oversight, ineffectiveness of risk mitigation strategies, or degradation of performance. Therefore, an offeror with a low confidence rating in any of the criteria during the technical evaluation will be excluded from award due to the level of risk it presents.

The following technical evaluation criteria will be used to assess the technical quote. See Attachment 3 for a description of each criterion.

• Criteria 1: Personnel

• Criteria 2: Technical and Management Approach

• Criteria 3: Offeror Experience

• Criteria 4: Past Performance

Cost / Price Evaluation

Price-cost will be evaluated separately from other non-price-cost factors, and will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. The total evaluated price will be evaluated for reasonableness in terms of consistency

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 4 of 11 with labor categories; level of effort, in that the proposed labor mix and labor hours are based on reasonable assumptions; and consistency with the technical approach, in that the prices are consistent with and reflect the proposed staffing requirement.

Although technical factors are of paramount consideration in the award, cost/price is also important to the overall contract award decision. All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. The Government intends to make an award to that offeror whose quotation provides the best overall value to the Government.

Reporting Requirements

All reports shall be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer.

These reports shall be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Additional information about testing documents for Section 508 compliance, including guidance and specific checklists, by application, can be found at: https://www.hhs.gov/web/section- 508/index.html and at: https://www.section508.gov/create/documents , "Create Accessible Documents."

See Attachment 4 for Reporting Requirements.

(vi) The provision at RFO Clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this acquisition. Responses to provisions that require Offeror completion of information, representations, and certifications (other than those collected via the System for Award Management (SAM)) shall be provided.

(vii) The provision at RFO Clause 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Products and Commercial

Services applies to this acquisition.

(viii) RFO clause at 52.212-4, Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial

Services with Alternate I, including the following subparagraphs, apply to this acquisition.

This solicitation incorporates the following clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically as follows: RFO Clauses at: https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul . HHSAR Clauses at: https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/part-352-solicitation-provisions-contract-clauses/index.html .

RFO Clause 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (June 2020), with Alternate I (Nov 2021) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 4655).

RFO Clause 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Nov 2025) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

RFO Clause 52.204-15, Service Contract Reporting Requirements for Indefinite-Delivery Contracts (Nov 2025) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

RFO Clause 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Nov 2025) (31 U.S.C. 6101 https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/index.html https://www.section508.gov/create/documents https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/part-352-solicitation-provisions-contract-clauses/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/part-352-solicitation-provisions-contract-clauses/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/part-352-solicitation-provisions-contract-clauses/index.html

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 5 of 11 note).

RFO Clause 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation (Nov 2025);

RFO Clause 52.222-3, Convict Labor (Nov 2025);

RFO Clause 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Nov 2025);

RFO Clause 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2025);

52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Jun 2020);

RFO Clause 52.222-90, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors (APR 2026) RFO Clause 52.224-3 Privacy Training (Jan 2017);

RFO Clause 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer – System for Award Management (Oct 2018) RFO Clause 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Nov 2025 RFO Clause 52.240-91, Security Prohibitions and Exclusions (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.240-92, Security Requirements (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.240-93, Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems (Nov 2025) RFO Clause 52.242-5, Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Jan 2017) RFO Clause 52.242-15, Stop Work Order (August 1989) Alternate I (April 1984) RFO Clause 52.242-17, Government Delay of Work (April 1984).

RFO Clause 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services—Requirements (Nov 2025)

Addendum to RFO 52.212-4

(1) Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

Name [To be completed in the award document] Telephone:

E-mail

a. The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will represent the Government for the purpose of this contract.

b. The COR is responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance.

c. The Contracting Officer is the only person with authority to act as agent of the

Government under this contract. Only the Contracting Officer has authority to: (1)

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 6 of 11 direct or negotiate any changes in the statement of work; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor for any costs incurred during the performance of this contract; or (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of this contract.

d. The Government may unilaterally change the COR designation.

(2) Post Award Evaluation of Contractor Performance

Contractor Performance Evaluations

Interim and final evaluations of Contractor performance will be prepared on this contract in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.15. The final performance evaluation will be prepared at the time of completion of work. In addition to the final evaluation, interim evaluations will be prepared annually. Evaluations will be prepared at the contract level, not for each individual task order.

Interim and final evaluations will be provided to the Contractor as soon as practicable after completion of the evaluation. The Contractor will be permitted thirty days to review the document and to submit additional information or a rebutting statement. If agreement cannot be reached between the parties, the matter will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting Officer, whose decision will be final.

Copies of the evaluations, Contractor responses, and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used to support future award decisions.

Electronic Access to Contractor Performance Evaluations

Contractors may access evaluations through a secure Web site for review and comment at the following address: http://www.cpars.gov .

(3) Key Personnel

The key personnel specified in this contract are considered to be essential to work performance. At least 30 days prior to diverting any of the specified individuals to other programs or contracts (or as soon as possible, if an individual must be replaced, for example, as a result of leaving the employ of the Contractor), the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and shall submit comprehensive justification for the diversion or replacement request (including proposed substitutions for key personnel) to permit evaluation by the Government of the impact on performance under this contract. The Contractor shall not divert or otherwise replace any key personnel without the written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Government may modify the contract to add or delete key personnel at the request of the Contractor or Government.

(End of Clause)

The following individual(s) is/are considered to be essential to the work being performed hereunder:

http://www.cpars.gov/

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 7 of 11

[To be completed in the award document]

(4) Non-Personal Services and Inherently Government Functions

a. Pursuant to FAR 37.1, no personal services shall be performed under this contract. All work requirements shall flow only from the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to the Contractor’s Project Manager. No Contractor employee will be directly supervised by the Government. All individual employee assignments, and daily work direction, shall be given by the applicable employee supervisor. If the Contractor believes any Government action or communication has been given that would create a personal services relationship between the Government and any Contractor employee, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of this communication or action.

b. Pursuant to FAR 7.5, the Contractor shall not perform any inherently governmental actions under this contract. No Contractor employee shall hold him or herself out to be a Government employee, agent, or representative. No Contractor employee shall state orally or in writing at any time that he or she is acting on behalf of the Government. In all communications with third parties in connection with this contract, Contractor employees shall identify themselves as Contractor employees and specify the name of the company for which they work.

In all communications with other Government contractors in connection with this contract, the Contractor employee shall state that they have no authority to in any way change the contract and that if the other contractor believes this communication to be a direction to change their contract, they should notify the Contracting Officer for that contract and not carry out the direction until a clarification has been issued by the Contracting Officer.

(5) Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) Provisions

Prices

a. This is an Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) type contract as contemplated by FAR 13.5. The contractor shall be reimbursed by the Government in an amount not less than a total of $50,000 (minimum) nor more than a total of $4,000,000 (maximum) for successful performance.

b. The prices set forth in this section will cover the estimated period of January 1, 2027 through the expiration date of the contract.

c. The Government will issue task orders based on the work described in the Statement of Work.

Task Order Procedures

a. All task orders against the ID/IQ are subject to the terms and conditions of the contract. In the event of a conflict between the task order and the contract, the contract shall take precedence. All changes made to the contractor’s ID/IQ will apply to each task order.

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 8 of 11

b. The task orders issued will be firm fixed-price (FFP) or time and materials (T&M).

c. The contractor shall furnish all services in accordance with the specific requirements outlined in the task orders issued.

d. A Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP) will be sent to the contractor and the RFTOP will include a SOW/PWS detailing the requirement.

e. The contractor will be instructed to submit a quote based on the requirement.

f. The contractor is encouraged to provide price reductions.

g. The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to negotiate costs or prices under an individual task order.

h. Task orders will be issued on the Optional Form (OF) 347. Each individual task order is funded separately. The issuance of the task order by the Contracting Officer authorizes the contractor to begin work.

i. Only the Contract Specialist or Contracting Officer specified herein are authorized to issue task orders under the ID/IQ.

RFO Clause 52.216-18, Ordering (November 2025), is applicable to this acquisition.

a. Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities designated in the Schedule. Such orders may be issued from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2029.

b. All delivery orders or task orders are subject to the terms and conditions of this contract.

In the event of conflict between a delivery order or task order and this contract, the contract shall control.

c. If mailed, a delivery order or task order is considered "issued" when the Government deposits the order in the mail. Orders may be issued orally, by facsimile, or by electronic commerce methods only if authorized in the Schedule.

RFO Clause 52.216-19, Order Limitation (November 2025), is applicable to this acquisition.

a. Minimum Order. When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less $50,000, the Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies or services under the contract.

b. Maximum Order. The Contractor is not obligated to honor –

1. Any order for a single item in excess of the total contract value.

2. Any order for a combination of items in excess of the total contract value; or

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 9 of 11

3. A series of orders from the same ordering office within thirty (30) calendar days that together call for quantities exceeding the limitation in subparagraph (1) or (2) above.

c. If this is a requirements contract (i.e., includes the Requirements clause at subsection

52.216-21 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)), the Government is not required to order a part of any one requirement from the Contractor if that requirement exceeds the maximum-order limitations in paragraph (b) above.

d. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c) above, the Contractor shall honor any order exceeding the maximum order limitations in paragraph (b), unless that order (or orders) is returned to the ordering office within thirty (30) days after issuance, with written notice stating the Contractor's intent not to ship the item (or items) called for and the reasons.

Upon receiving this notice, the Government may acquire the supplies or services from another source.

RFO Clause 52.216-22, Indefinite Quantity (November 2025)

a. This is an indefinite-quantity contract for the supplies or services specified and effective for the period stated, in the Schedule. The quantities of supplies and services specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract.

b. Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. The Contractor shall furnish to the Government, when and if ordered, the supplies or services specified in the Schedule up to and including the quantity designated in the Schedule as the "maximum." The Government shall order at least the quantity of supplies or services designated in the Schedule as the "minimum."

c. Except for any limitations on quantities in the Order Limitations clause or in the

Schedule, there is no limit on the number of orders that may be issued. The Government may issue orders requiring delivery to multiple destinations or performance at multiple locations.

d. Any order issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by the Contractor within the time specified in the order. The contract shall govern the Contractor's and Government's rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract's effective period; provided that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after one year after the contract expiration date.

RFO Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services (November 2025)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 10 of 11 within the period of performance of the contract.

(End of clause)

In accordance with RFO Clause 52.217-8, the Government may require continued performance of services within the limits and rates specified in the contract. The rates shall be determined to be the loaded hourly rates of each applicable CLIN as stated in Section B of the award of the CLIN which corresponds with the most recently awarded task order. Evaluation of proposed loaded hourly rates constitutes evaluation of the rates used for options exercised under this clause.

(xi) Instructions

Requests for Clarification

Requests for clarification may be submitted electronically to Noelle Decenzo (noelle.decenzo@nih.gov) and Jennifer Henslmann (jennifer.henselmann@nih.gov) no later than 12:00PM EST on October 29, 2026.

When submitting requests for clarification, offerors must cite the relevant section, paragraph, and page number. Questions should be written in a way that enables clear understanding of the issues or concerns. Statements expressing opinions, sentiments, or conjectures are not considered valid inquiries and will not be provided a response. Further, offerors are reminded that the Contracting Officer will not address hypothetical questions aimed at receiving a potential “evaluation decision.”

Offerors may submit no more than ten (10) questions for clarification. Written responses to questions will be provided to all offerors as soon as practicable. Responses will not disclose proprietary information of the offerors. Requests to extend the due date will not be granted.

Notice of Intent

Offerors are asked to review this RFQ and provide the below information electronically to the

Contracting Officer at (noelle.decenzo@nih.gov) and Contract Specialist at (jennifer.henselmann@nih.gov) no later than close of business on October 29, 2026. Choose one of the following options:

o Do intend to submit a quotation o Do not intend to submit a quotation

Your expression of intent is not binding but will assist in planning for evaluation.

Submission Instructions and Due Date

Proposals in Response to this solicitation are due on November 13th, 2026, by 12:00PM EST.

The Price-Cost proposal shall be submitted separately from the technical proposal. Please provide searchable electronic copies only.

mailto:noelle.decenzo@nih.gov mailto:jennifer.henselmann@nih.gov mailto:noelle.decenzo@nih.gov mailto:jennifer.henselmann@nih.gov

RFQ No. 75N98026R00034 Page 11 of 11

Proposals shall be submitted via eCPS. See Attachment 1 for Proposal Submission instructions.

All responsible offerors may submit a quote, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency.

Any quote, modification, or revision that is received at the designated Government office after the exact date and time specified for receipt of quotations is “late” and will not be considered.

Quotations received “late” will not be evaluated or considered for award and will be returned to the offeror.

Content/Format of Response

See Attachment 1 for Instructions for Volume I - Technical Quotation and Volume II – Price

Quotation.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment 1: Packaging and Delivery of Proposals for Use with the NIH electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) Website Attachment 2: Statement of Work (Parent and Task Orders) Attachment 3: Technical Evaluation Criteria Attachment 4: Reporting Requirements Attachment 5: Section K - Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors Attachment 6: IT Security and Privacy Clauses Attachment 7: Electronic Invoicing Instructions for NIH Contractors/Vendors