Notice of Intent to Sole Source- Institutional Membership for the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC)

The Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), intends to negotiate a firm fixed price purchase order, on a sole source basis, with Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) under other than full and open competition by the authority of FAR subpart 13.1 using the authority in FAR 13.106-1(b) Not Exceeding Simplified Acquisition Threshold. EBRC 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 is a public benefit corporation focused on research and the overall advancement of the engineering of biological systems, known as engineering biology.

The annual membership fee covers services to the members of the EBRC.  The EBRC collaborates with an alliance of academic researchers and their respective institutions (collectively, “Academic Partners”), industrial researchers, policymakers, funders, and public stakeholders with respect to the field of engineering biology.

This is a sole source requirement as EBRC is a unique not-for-profit organization which provides many technical benefits to NIST. The organization is the designated source disseminating the available research content, administering membership benefits and collecting the annual fee.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 813920, and the size standard is $16.5 Million.

No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. The Government will consider responses received by 3:00 p.m. (EST) on December 13, 2019. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to Harry.Brubaker@NIST.gov. No telephone requests will be honored.

A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future.