Education & Training Services/Oxford-Cambridge University Partnership Program

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), intends to negotiate with the Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge, Research Operation Office, Greenwich House, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0TX, United Kingdom on an other that full and open competition basis for the payment of tuition and fees for NIH Fellows new incoming and continuing to participate in a doctorate program as a part of the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Training Program of the NIH-Wide Global Doctoral Partnership (NGDP).  The NIH Fellows roster consist of eight (8) new incoming and twenty-five (25) continuing.  This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 – Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.501(a)(1).

Only one award will be made as a result of this notice.  This will be awarded as a firm-fixed price type of contract.

The period of performance is one (1) year from date of award and acceptance. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is one of the premier Federal agencies responsible for conducting and supporting global health research initiatives and helping to lead the way toward medical discoveries and advancements that save lives and promote improved healthier standards of living from a global perspective.  In order to obtain basic and applied research and highly skilled medical and scientific researchers, the NIH has developed the NIH-wide NGDP consisting of a set of affiliated doctoral programs for highly accomplished biomedical research students devoted to careers in basic, translational, or clinical biomedical research by allowing outstanding American and European Union college graduates to engage in accelerated PhD research through collaborative projects between an NIH intramural laboratory and laboratories at the University of Cambridge.  In collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, the foundation programs of the NGDP are the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, the NIH MD/Ph.D. Partnership Training Program, and the NIH Wellcome Trust Program.  The NIH will provide, through its offices and investigators, graduate-level training and research for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year for new incoming and continuing students in the 2020-2021 academic year under coordinated mentors at the NIH and University of Cambridge.  To disrupt a student in their field of study would mean starting the educational processes from the beginning, which would be costly to the Government.  The Government has invested in the new and continuing students to complete their program in four (4) years, which would lead to more time and funding for completion if they were to start the process over. 

The statutory authority for this sole source requirement is 41 U.S.C. 253 (c) (1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1 only one source available, no substitutions possible.  THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTATIONS.  All responsible sources who can provide the service of Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Training Program of the NIH-Wide Global Doctoral Partnership may submit a response that could be considered by email (subject line to reference NIAID-NOI-20-2030846) to Tonia Alexander at talexander@niaid.nih.gov, by 11:00 am eastern standard daylight time Thursday, September 3, 2020.  All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow NIAID to determine if it can meet the above unique specifications described herein.  A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon response to this notice, is soley within the discretion of the Government.  Any response received after the closing date and time of this notice will be late and will not be considered.