Renewal of StarDrop software and database

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), operating under the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, has issued a Notice of Intent to Sole Source for the renewal of StarDrop software and database. The agency intends to award a sole source contract to Optibrium Limited under Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 13.106-1(b), which permits soliciting from a single source when circumstances deem only one source reasonably available. This procurement falls under NAICS code 513210 for Software Publishers with a size standard of 500 employees and PSC code 7A21 for business application software with perpetual licensing. The solicitation number is 75N95025Q00230, and the contract action does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The notice was posted on July 24, 2025, with responses due by August 8, 2025, at 10:00 am Eastern Time.

The purpose of this sole source procurement is to support the NCATS Chemical Genomics Center's drug discovery research capabilities by maintaining access to StarDrop software, which enables rapid identification of effective compounds through screening thousands of small molecules for various human disease targets. While this is not a competitive solicitation, interested parties may submit capability statements to the contracting officer at polina.klimenkova@nih.gov by the August 8 deadline. Respondents must provide comprehensive information including unit pricing, list pricing, shipping costs, delivery periods, payment terms, and required identification numbers such as Unique Entity ID and Taxpayer Identification Number. All potential offerors must maintain active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) and provide business size certification. The procurement supports ongoing translational research initiatives aimed at advancing drug discovery and development across multiple disease areas.