Notice_of_Intent_SS_2_17_26.pdf

Title: Notice of Intent to Sole Source – Extension of Ordering Period for IDIQ Contract and Increase to IDIQ Ceiling for Contract HHSN273201600003I, Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. (SSS), DLH, LLC

Reference Number: HHSN273201600003I

Description

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT MODIFICATION

WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION

OR A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS.

The purpose of this announcement is for the Support Services for Epidemiology Program, within the National Institute of Environmental Health Services (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health, to issue a modification to the existing Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract number HHSN273201600003I on a sole source basis, under the authority of 41 U.S.C. §3304(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1: Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements and FAR 6.301-1(a)(2)(ii) to extend the ordering period of the existing IDIQ contract and increase the IDIQ ceiling with Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. (SSS), DLH, LLC (shall be used throughout this document), entitled “Support Services for Epidemiology.”

The objective is to extend the ordering period and increase the IDIQ ceiling to ensure continuation of mission critical research while the NIH procurement team continues to pursue the re-competition of these services under a new full and open cost reimbursement contract.

The proposed twenty-four (24) month extension of the ordering period is necessary to prevent a lapse in continuity of critical services essential to the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch and Support Services for Epidemiology IDIQ Contract which executes the operational work related to Epidemiology Studies. The Epidemiology Branch addresses the mission of NIEHS by carrying out research on the effects of the environment on human health. The research covers a wide range of conditions with potential links to environmental exposures. Studies address health across the lifespan from pregnancy and child development to chronic diseases of aging.

This action is necessary to ensure the success of this IDIQ contract so the current contractor, DLH, LLC can continue with the work as they provide specialized facilities, capabilities, and expertise critical to meet Division of Intramural Research (DIR) program needs. DLH, LLC will continue services including research, managerial/programmatic, IT and regulatory infrastructure for all ongoing studies and support services. In addition, DLH, LLC provides epidemiological, scientific, technical, data management, managerial, clerical, and statistical support to Principal Investigators within the Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Research (NIEHS). The contract also requires DLH, LLC to assist the Government by identifying and enrolling subjects, and administering, managing, and conducting epidemiological studies.

Based on DLH, LLC experience, infrastructure, and knowledge they can mobilize quickly to handle any new work that may be required under new Task Orders. As DLH, LLC currently manages all open task orders, they are essential to this success of this contract.

The ordering period will be extended by twenty four (24) months to from June 29, 2026 to June 29, 2028. The IDIQ ceiling will be increased by $20,000,000.00 from $112,000,000.00 to $132,000,000.00. An extension of the ordering period and increase in the IDIQ ceiling is required to complete critical activities in support of the Epidemiology Branch and ensure continuity of services without disruption while the NIH procurement team continues to pursue the re-competition of these services under a new full and open cost reimbursement contract.

DLH, LLC is the incumbent contractor and possesses unique qualifications and experience essential to maintain continuity of operations. The contract requires uninterrupted continuity of highly specialized scientific, laboratory, data, regulatory, and IT operations that are deeply embedded within ongoing NIEHS Epidemiology Branch studies. The incumbent contractor uniquely possesses historical knowledge, validated infrastructure, regulatory continuity, custodial responsibility for data and biospecimens, and operational readiness necessary to meet these requirements without unacceptable risk to human subjects, data integrity, or mission execution. DLH, LLC’s responsibilities include but are not limited to the following activities:

• The Epidemiology Branch (EB) Principal Investigators require uninterrupted support across long-running, active studies, many of which are already underway and rely on historically developed workflows, protocols, and datasets.

• The contractor must work in a collaborative role, executing PI-directed analyses requiring long-standing trust, scientific alignment, and familiarity with EB decision-making norms that cannot be rapidly replicated.

• The requirement of this contract explicitly references historical EB studies and stored biological samples, requiring prior knowledge of study lineage, consent constraints, and analytic decisions accumulated over many years.

• The contractor is responsible for managing and monitoring stored biologic samples from historical EB studies, including reconciliation across repositories and legacy systems with functions inherently tied to the incumbent’s custodial role.

• The SOW mandates use and maintenance of existing databases, freezer monitoring systems, laboratory inventories, and study management systems, all of which are incumbent-operated and validated.

• The contractor must maintain BSI-II (or EB-approved) specimen inventory systems, including annual inventory reconciliation across contracts and studies and transitioning this responsibility would pose significant data integrity risk.

• The SOW requires operation of a FIPS 199 Moderate computing environment with full NIH/HHS security artifacts (ISSP, POA&M, PIAs, ERA/ETA), already established by the incumbent.

• The contractor must maintain 24/7 monitored biorepository freezers, backup generators, alarm systems, and emergency response procedures representing sunk infrastructure and validated SOPs.

• The SOW requires on-site BSL-II laboratory space capable of DNA extraction, aliquoting, cryopreservation, and omics sample preparation, capabilities already accredited and operational under the incumbent.

• The contractor is responsible for IRB submissions, continuing reviews, OMB approvals, and Certificates of Confidentiality, requiring historical knowledge of protocol amendments and regulatory precedent.

• The SOW requires detailed documentation of every scientific and operational decision, including logs of analytic changes affecting ongoing studies, records that are incumbent-maintained.

• The contractor must maintain compliance with Privacy Act, HIPAA, NIH web policies, and Section 508, all embedded within incumbent-designed systems and workflows.

• The Government requires rapid response to national disasters or public health emergencies, necessitating a contractor already operational and familiar with EB response mechanisms.

• Disruption of the contract would jeopardize ongoing subject recruitment, retention, biospecimen integrity, and longitudinal follow-up.

• The program requires simultaneous expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, bioinformatics, GIS, omics, industrial hygiene, laboratory operations, data linkage, and secure IT, a complex integration already demonstrated by the incumbent.

• The SOW requires oversight of international field sites, including translation, foreign IRB coordination, specimen analysis, and relationships already established by the incumbent.

• The contractor maintains trusted relationships with external collaborators, laboratories, and registries, which are not transferable without significant disruption.

Transitioning to a new contractor would cause significant disruptions for the Epidemiology Branch and Principal Investigators as DLH, LLC executes the operational work for Epidemiology Studies. This poses a risk to public health as the studies under this IDIQ support the NIEHS mission and carry out research on the effects of the environment on human health. The time it would take to transition to a new contractor would cause interruptions in research, management, IT and regulatory infrastructure for all ongoing NIEHS studies and support services. Interruption in these activities would result in unacceptable and costly delays in vital areas such as subject enrollment, administration, management and conducting epidemiological studies. It is critical that the Epidemiology Support Services provided by DLH, LLC not be interrupted, as their work is essential to the success of the Epidemiology Studies and the overall success of the NIEHS mission.

The loss of acquired experience and knowledge from ongoing activities would cause considerable loss to Government investment if support is not continued under the current contractor, DLH, LLC.

There will not be a solicitation of Request for Proposals (RFP) issued as a result of this announcement. Any responses or inquiries to this notice must demonstrate clear and convincing evidence that competition will be advantageous to the Government. All information received from this notice shall be used for planning and market research purposes only.

The statutory authority for this sole source action is implemented by FAR 6.302-1. Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency’s requirements. The award is subject to approval of the Justification and Approval for Sole Source (J&A).

Once the J&A is approved, this action will serve to change the IDIQ contract’s ordering period and IDIQ ceiling via a modification to the contract. Notwithstanding the stated intent, if other organizations believe they can fully meet the Government’s requirement, they must submit a written capabilities statement. The capabilities statement must contain sufficient documentation to establish a bona fide capability to fulfill the requirement and must be received by the response date listed in this posting. A determination not to compete with this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.

NIH will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to tis notice. Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made, nor will respondents be notified of the evaluation of the information received. Interested parties may respond and provide a capability statement no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), March 4, 2026, via email to Sarah Bank, Contracting Officer, at sarah.bank@nih.gov and Lisa Schaupp, Contracting Officer, at lisa.schaupp@nih.gov. Emails must reference the announcement number in the subject line. This is not an RFP, and this announcement does not commit the Government to award a contract. The reference number to be used is

HHSN273201600003I.

mailto:sarah.bank@nih.gov mailto:lisa.schaupp@nih.gov