NIDDK ITO 2021 Grant Writing Course

PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS

INTRODUCTION

THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NON-COMPETITIVE (NOTICE OF INTENT) SYNOPSIS TO AWARD A CONTRACT OR PURCHASE ORDER WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION.

The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD), in support of the work of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition to Paula Gregory and The University of North Texas Health Science Center Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Fort Worth, TX, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas 76107.

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 611710 with a Size Standard $15.0 M.

REGULATORY AUTHORITY

The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Circular (FAC) 2021-04 effective 1-19-2021.  This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR subpart 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures at an amount not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000) and FAR Subpart 12- Acquisition of Commercial Items. 

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures, Subpart 13.106-1 (b) (1), Soliciting from a single source and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.  Contracts awarded using FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6—Competition Requirements.

PlaceofPerformance

National Institutes of Health

9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda MD 20892

United States

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Participants will learn the concepts and structure necessary to prepare a successful grant proposal.  They will also develop a clear, focused career development plan that includes the resources available at NIH.  The course should include a mock study section that gives participants a chance to review K grant proposals, providing them with a clearer idea what a fully developed grant looks like and allowing them to determine the strengths and weaknesses of individual applications.   Classes will also combine didactic presentations with mini workshops and group discussions, assignments and writing of proposals.  A distance learning component will allow students to submit their writing between in-person class time.  They will receive edits from the course instructor by both e-mail and phone conversations.  The same instructor will prepare the materials, conduct the sessions, do the editing, and provide the one-on-one work with individual fellows to refine their proposals.

The contractor shall provide the following:

Task Area 1: 6-day schedule for Fall 2021: Thursday and Fridays (3 hours/day)

Session 1: Aug 19 & 20; Session 2: Sept 2 & 3 and Session 3: Sept. 16 & 17

Task Area 2:  Students will be able to prepare successful grant proposals with special emphasis on the Career Transition K grant series.

CONTRACTING WITHOUT PROVIDING FOR FULL OR OPEN COMPETITION (INCLUDING BRAND- NAME) DETERMINATION

The determination by the Government to award a contract without providing for full and open competition is based upon the market research conducted as prescribed in FAR Part 10—Market Research.  Only one source is available: Per FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) the Contracting Officer has determined that grant writing is a critical survival skill for anyone who wants a career in biomedical research.  In academic medicine and health sciences grant writing is a skill that is often self-taught or acquired informally by trial and error. Nevertheless, it is a critical skill for post-doctoral and clinical fellows, as well as new junior faculty.  In an increasingly competitive funding climate, the need for new faculty to obtain outside funding support has increased.  In fact, few universities will even interview someone for a faculty level position if they do not have their own ongoing research funding.  Since the mentors of most NIH postdoctoral fellows have little or no experience writing grants, this makes the need for instruction on successful grant writing even more acute.   Paula Gregory has a intimate knowledge of the grant writing process and knowledge of the inner workings of the NIH. 

CLOSING STATEMENT

This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provided feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.  Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement, unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.”

NOTE TO CONTRACTOR: The contractor shall provide a completed copy of FAR 52.204-24 & 52.204-25, "Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment" with their quote in response to this solicitation.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information received will normally be considered solely for the purposes of determining whether to proceed on a non-competitive basis or to conduct a competitive procurement.

 All responses to this notice shall be submitted electronically by 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, on February 15, 2021.

Assessmentof Capability

The contractor will be evaluated on their capability to provide the service to the specifications as stated on the solicitation.