Notice of Intent to Sole Source – RAILROAD CLEANERS

The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIH-CC), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, issued a Notice of Intent on December 23, 2025 to sole source a bridge contract for laundry and cleaning services to Railroad Cleaners. This special notice announces the agency's intention to negotiate on an other than full and open competition basis rather than conduct a competitive procurement. The sole source procurement is being justified under FAR 6.302-1, citing Railroad Cleaners as the only responsible source capable of meeting the agency's urgent requirements. The contract will provide essential cleaning and laundry services across three NIH facilities: Clinical Center Building 10, The Children's Inn Building 62, and Family Lodge Building 65. This is a temporary bridge arrangement designed to maintain service continuity until a new comprehensive contract can be fully competed and awarded through standard procurement procedures.

The purpose of this sole source bridge contract is to ensure uninterrupted laundry and cleaning services critical to patient safety and regulatory compliance at NIH facilities during the transition period between contracts. The contract period runs from December 28, 2025 through February 28, 2026, with an estimated annual volume of approximately 1,361,600 pounds of laundry requiring pickup, cleaning, sanitizing, pressing, folding, and return within 24 hours. Interested parties may submit comments referencing the Notice of Intent number to the Contract Specialist, Ryssa Nix, at Ryssa.nix@nih.gov before the close date of December 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST. Railroad Cleaners is eligible as the incumbent contractor due to its over seven years of laundry service experience with NIH, current performance of these services, and possession of required Joint Commission and NIH Infection Control Guidelines accreditations. The bridge contract is valued at $180,000, with a fair and reasonable price determination of $80,000, and will be processed under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.