NBACC Expansion Pre-Conceptual Design

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was mandated to provide the Federal Government’s response to terrorist attacks and major disasters, through The Homeland Security Act of 2002. As an element of that, the DHS identified the need for the National Biodefense Analysis & Countermeasures Centers (NBACC) program, to establish modern secure biocontainment facilities and provide technologies, products, and capabilities to support the DHS in fulfilling responsibilities in respect to terrorist attacks and major disasters involving human and agricultural biological threat agents (BTA). NBACC is a one-of-a-kind facility dedicated to defending the nation against biological threats.  The NBACC facility is located on the National Interagency Biodefense Campus (NIBC) at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Growing demands for research and forensics have pushed the capabilities of the facility to its limits and expansion is necessary to ensure that it can fulfill its mission. The expansion of the threat landscape requires additional infrastructure within NBACC to maintain relevant threat characterization capabilities to address the risks the advancing biotechnology landscape poses to the Nation. The landscape of the biological threats is continually evolving, and efforts to keep pace with them require ongoing adaption and investment. S&T ONL anticipates that the NBACC expansion will be connected and adjacent to the existing NBACC structure at Fort Detrick, Maryland. S&T ONL estimates that the expansion will include approximately 40,000 square feet of Biological Safety Level 3 space, 10,000 square feet of administrative space, and 5,000 square feet of Sensitive Compartment Information Facility (SCIF) space.

The objective of the NBACC Expansion Pre-Conceptual Design is to provide information on conceptual layouts that will enable the NBACC program to perform an alternatives analysis. This progression requires that the project team better understand the size, features, and location of the building (relative to the existing facility) as well as the schedule and budget to complete the project through turnover to operations. S&T ONL is seeking information on qualified entities that can support the following types of activities in support of an expansion of the NBACC:

• Conduct workshops and design charettes with key stakeholders to determine user needs. 
• Document the requirements for the NBACC expansion, including information about workflows inside of the facility and individual laboratory spaces.
• Develop one or more conceptual layouts to the new building(s) that addresses the requirements and fits the physical and other site constraints.
• Develop a schedule and cost estimate for the detailed design, construction, commissioning, and start-up.

The estimated period of performance for the pre-conceptual design is 6 months.

This is not a solicitation announcement. This notice neither constitutes a Request for Proposal, nor does it restrict the DHS S&T, Acquisition Directorate to the ultimate acquisition approach. No contract will be awarded from this announcement and requests for solicitation will not receive a response. No reimbursement will be made for any cost associated with responding to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents is voluntary but may be used by the Government to inform its acquisition strategy.