NIMH: Post Mortem Brain and Associated Tissue

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health under the Department of Health and Human Services, is soliciting a Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract for postmortem human brain and associated tissue procurement services, with responses due September 11, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. EDT. No set-aside is used; the procurement is fully competitive.

Place of performance requires cases originating within a 150-mile radius of NIH Bethesda, with delivery to NIH/NIMH, 10 Center Drive, Building 10 Room 4N218B, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. The contractor must review case documents daily to identify eligible donors from licensed Medical Examiner's Offices or hospitals, obtain clinical histories, contact next-of-kin for permission, coordinate brain extraction and tissue procurement, and arrange shipment within 12 hours of extraction and no later than 48 hours after death. Eligible cases include individuals with suspected histories of schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, suicide, bipolar disorder, depression, or individuals without neuropsychiatric disease to serve as controls. The contractor must minimize biochemical tissue degradation and provide an ice-making machine for specimen packaging. NAICS code is 621991 (Blood and Organ Banks); PSC is 6555 (Human Tissue and Cadavers). The $40 million size standard applies. Award will be based on best value considering price, technical capability, past performance, and delivery schedule. Technical evaluation emphasizes annual referral volume, regulatory approvals, facility appropriateness, specimen quality, and identified solutions to operational challenges. Contractors must provide resumes of proposed personnel and at least two past performance references.