Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity

This document is a Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity (J&A) submitted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NINDS) for Fiscal Year 26.

The acquisition involves a two-month extension to an existing task order (75N95023F00001) under the LTASC III multiple award IDIQ contract (75N98023D00020) with Brandan Enterprises, Inc. (BEI). The extension runs from April 24, 2026, through June 23, 2026, and provides administrative support services to the Division of Intramural Research at NINDS. The services include one full-time Senior Administrative Assistant and twelve Executive Assistants (totaling 12 hours of manager support) who coordinate patient appointments, maintain regulatory documentation, process travel and financial actions, manage supplies and equipment, and support hiring and onboarding. Work is conducted at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, during 8-hour shifts between 7:00 AM and 5:30 PM on weekdays. The pricing structure is Time & Materials, and funds come from the Intramural Administrative Management Branch, Division of Intramural Research within NINDS.

The J&A justifies the exception to fair opportunity under FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(A), citing urgent agency need that would result in unacceptable delays. The document asserts that introducing a new vendor would require onboarding, security clearances, and training that would exceed the 60-day extension period itself, causing operational disruption. The rationale emphasizes that service discontinuity would impair mission-critical research and patient care, delay research outcomes, disrupt more than 80 intramural laboratories, and force federal scientists away from primary duties. The contractor's pricing is based on established labor rates under the LTASC III parent contract and determined to be fair and reasonable through historical pricing comparison. The extension allows the government time to execute a competitive task order through a new TORP once the LTASC III vehicle becomes available for issuing solicitations.