Annual Membership at UMD Data Research Center

The Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued a Special Notice regarding an annual membership procurement at the University of Maryland Data Research Center. The notice indicates AHRQ's intent to sole source a contract directly to the University of Maryland - College Park for exclusive access to their Research Data Center (RDC). Utilizing the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), the Contracting Officer has determined that only one source is reasonably available for this opportunity. The procurement will provide AHRQ researchers with special sworn status to access both MEPS insurance component data and Census data. This Special Notice is not a request for proposals but rather a notification of the agency's intended sole-source procurement.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to secure annual membership access to a unique research data facility that provides critical data access for AHRQ researchers. The contract will be a firm-fixed-price arrangement with a base period of 12 months and three additional one-year options, totaling a potential four-year engagement valued at $230,720. The sole-source justification is predicated on the Maryland RDC being the only vendor capable of providing access to both MEPS-IC microdata and Census data, particularly following the closure of the Census Headquarters Research Data Center. Eligibility is effectively limited to the University of Maryland, as they are the sole provider meeting AHRQ's specific research data access requirements. The contract is set to be effective January 1, 2025, with a Notice of Intent to Award to be posted on FedBizOpps. The acquisition is categorized under NAICS 518210 for Computing Infrastructure Providers and PSC DC10 for IT and Telecom Data Center services.