Class Sole Source for USUHS Accreditations

USU intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with the following organizations:

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
• Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP)
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
• Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC)
• Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)
• Council on the Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)
• Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metro Area (CUWMA)
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

The primary purpose of this notice is to improve small business access to acquisition information and enhance competition by identifying contracting and subcontracting opportunities, as applicable.

Requirement: 

The USU, chartered by an act of Congress on September 21, 1972 as the nation's only federal health sciences university, requires certain accreditations and memberships in order to maintain its status as institution of higher education and meet its mission requirements. Accreditations and professional organizational memberships covered under this class sole source notice include the following:

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): Annual membership in a professional organization for medical colleges in the United States to include the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LSME), the accreditation body for medical schools, during survey years.

Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program (AAHRPP): Annual membership supporting compliance with ethical standards in human research through evaluation of the Human Research Protection Program.

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): ACGME provides accreditation for United States graduate medical education (residency and fellowship) programs. 

Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC): AAALAC evaluates organizations that use animals in research, teaching or testing and is a requirement to comply with applicable local and national laws that regulate animal research.

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH): Annual membership with professional organization representing schools of public health and academic programs in the area of public health with medical colleges in the United States. 

Council on the Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA): Annual membership and accreditation fee for nurse anesthesia programs within the United States. 

Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metro Area (CUWMA): Annual membership fee for regional association for medical colleges and academic programs within the Washington metro area. 

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE): MSCHE is a regional accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) that serves as an independent voice in higher education. MSCHE establishes equitable standards for accreditation with member institutions that advance the impact of accreditation in the ever-changing landscape of higher education and promotes educational excellence through innovation across diverse institutions. 

The above listed organizations each offer a unique membership and/or accreditation for which there is no equivalent that will meet the Government's requirements.

In accordance with 5.207(c)(16)(i), all responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. The determination not to compete these proposed contract actions is solely within the discretion of the Government.  However, all responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation demonstrating the ability to provide the requested services, which shall be considered by the agency before the intended award date. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. No requests are capability briefings will be honored.

Responses to this notice must demonstrate clear and convincing evidence that: 1)competition would be advantageous to the Government, 2) competition would not be cost or time prohibitive, and 3) the interested potential Offeror can meet the needs of the Government as stated above. Information received will be considered for the purposes of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by responding to this notice. Responses must be received via email at shea.foster@usuhs.edu by 3:00 PM Eastern Time on 06 June 2025.