The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) 2020 Conference

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE ORDER (PO): The United States Department of Education (the Department), White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), intends to award a sole source purchase order to JW MARRIOTT WASHINGTON DC, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 for hotel meeting space, rooms, and related conference support services for the 2021 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference.  The PO will be a follow-on award to PO# 91990820P0005 to the RENAISSANCE WASHINGTON DC DOWNTOWN hotel (Renaissance), which was awarded for 2020 conference support and modified to provide support for the 2021 event when the pandemic cancelled the 2020 conference.  Due to planned construction at the Renaissance, unknown at the time of contract award, the Marriott and the Department have agreed to move the 2021 HBCU conference to a different Marriott property with capacity to meet the 2021 HBCU requirement.  In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b), soliciting from a single source, HBCU intends to make a noncompetitive award to the JW Marriott as the only source 'reasonably available'.  Because the event is scheduled for a little over 11 weeks away, moving the event to JW Marriott via a noncompetitive award is the most advantageous acquisition strategy.  The JW Marriott property is within close proximity of the Renaissance, can meet the needs of the upcoming event, including adequate meeting room space (8-10 breakout rooms), over 400 hundred sleeping rooms and over 1000 room nights, and can take advantage of the registration and other planning work already completed.  Note that PO# 91990820P0005 was competed under Solicitation HBCU-2020-01, previously posted to FedBizOpps.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. 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. Written responses must include sufficient information to establish capability to fulfill the requirement. Any responses to this notice of contract shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer via email.