Notice of Intent_ v2 FINAL.pdf

SAM.GOV ANNOUNCEMENT: Special Notice

CLASSIFICATION CODE: D - Information Technology and Telecommunications Services

SUBJECT: Ceiling Increase of NIST NIST Text Retrieval Conference (TREC), Text Retrieval Conference Video Retrieval Evaluation (TRECVID) and Text Analysis Conference (TAC) Contractor Support Services Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Contract.

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 1333ND21QNB770420

CONTACT POINTS: Cowins, Robert, Contract Specialist (301) 975-8335

Wong, Hing Pan, Contracting Officer (301) 975-6289

DESCRIPTION: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division (AMD), intends to issue a bilateral modification to IDIQ Contract No. 1333ND21DNB770031, awarded to Trec Assessors, LLC. The modification will raise the contract ceiling from $1.5 million to $2.1 million. under the authority of FAR 52.212-4(c) and pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 and statutory authority 41 USC 3304(a)(1). The services provided under this contract will continue to be utilized by the NIST Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), in Gaithersburg, MD.

This contract supports the NIST Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) in Gaithersburg, MD, with technical evaluations in natural language processing and multimedia understanding, particularly for the TREC program. These evaluations are critical for benchmarking the performance of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Since the contract’s award on September 20, 2021, evolving federal AI initiatives including the Executive Order on Advancing AI Education (April 2025) have significantly increased demand for these services.

Current projections show the contract ceiling will be exceeded prior to the contract end date (September 30, 2026), necessitating an increase to meet expanded requirements during years 4 and 5.

Trec Assessors, LLC, the incumbent contractor, is deeply integrated in these efforts and continues to provide specialized support vital to the success of NIST’s AI programs. In 2024, NIST consolidated its TAC and TRECVID efforts under the broader TREC umbrella, reflecting the convergence of AI technologies across tasks and domains.

A recompete for the successor contract is currently in planning, with Sources Sought Notice No. AMDTC- 25-0004 expected in Q4 FY2025. Increasing the current contract ceiling will ensure uninterrupted service during this transition period. A failure to do so would risk service delays, degraded performance, and loss of institutional knowledge during the handoff to a new vendor.

The anticipated contractual action will be a bilateral modification to IDIQ Contract number 1333ND21DNB770031, with Trec Assessors, LLC to increase the ceiling amount of the contract from $1.5M to $2.1M. There will be no changes or extensions to the IDIQ’s ordering period, as NIST intends to separately compete and award a successor contract vehicle(s) in time to allow for a transition to the new contract vehicle(s).

***** The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541990 - All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, with a small business size standard of 19.5 million dollars in annual revenue.

****** A determination by the Government whether to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

*****No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for quotations. Interested parties that believe they can satisfy the requirements listed above must identify their capability in writing before the response date of this notice. Only responses received by 05/19/2025, 12:00 p.m., EST will be considered by the government. Responses shall be submitted via email to robert.cowins@nist.gov or hingpan.wong@nist.gov .

Contracting Office Address:

NIST

100 Bureau Drive Bldg. 301, Mail Stop 1640 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-0001 mailto:robert.cowins@nist.gov mailto:hingpan.wong@nist.gov