Track II Nuclear Treaty Verification Technology Dialogues

Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract

General Information
Document Type: PreSolicitation Notice
Solicitation Number:
Posted Date: TBD
Original Response Date: TBD
Current Response Date: TBD
Original Archive Date: Automatic, 15 days after response date
Current Archive Date: Automatic, on specified date
Classification Code: A - Research & Development
Set Aside: N/A
NAICS Code: 541- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services/541712 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)

Contracting Office Address
Defense Threat Reduction Agency, ATTN: J4CRT, 8725 John J. Kingman, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201
Description
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) intends to negotiate and award a Contract on a sole-source basis to the National Academy of Sciences, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, for an effort entitled "TRACK II Nuclear Treaty Verification Technology Dialogues." The statutory authority for this non-competitive action is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source.

The scope of this effort is to support a set of formal dialogues with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Science Group, to include a maximum of 3 per year, to address complex and evolving science and technology (S&T) challenges, to implement current and emerging applications and approaches, and to provide confidence building measures to assure reciprocal information gathering and implementation.

The National Academy of Sciences is the only responsible source capable of fulfilling this requirement. The NAS and the Soviet Academy of Sciences began cooperating on scientific matters of mutual interest in the late 1950s. CISAC began its security dialogue with the Soviet Academy in 1981, when prominent academy members in both countries who had access at the highest levels of their governments concluded that the lack of government-to-government communication on nuclear weapons issues served neither countries interests. From the Cold War to the present day with the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) as its partner, CISAC has helped to promote mutual understanding. CISAC stays in close contact with U.S. leadership on nuclear issues, explores issues at the frontiers of what the governments can do on an official basis, and develops opportunities for bilateral cooperation. CISAC seeks to transition those opportunities to official channels (e.g., NAS-RAS CISAC ideas for fissile material disposition, research reactor conversion, and other matters were briefed to the highest levels of the two governments and resulted in joint programs). The topics of the CISAC dialogue meetings in this project have been developed between the NAS and RAS groups with suggestions and consultations with their governments, and focus on key security questions on the path toward verifiable reductions of nuclear arms, a strengthened nuclear nonproliferation regime, and a better secured world nuclear enterprise to prevent nuclear terrorism.

As a result of its long history of engagement in scientist-to-scientist level exchanges with foreign governmental bodies on behalf of the United States government, the NAS is the only entity which is capable of assuring "audience acceptance" of the intended foreign interlocutors. Thus it is determined that NAS is the only available U.S. entity that can empanel foreign government scientists in bilateral dialogues without the formal diplomatic and other constraints relating to information sharing.

This notice of contract action is not a request for competitive proposals; no formal request for quotation will be issued as a result of this announcement. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which shall be considered by the Government. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by responding to this notice. A determination to proceed with this effort on a sole source basis based upon capability statements received and evaluated in response to this announcement is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Point of Contact
Point of Contact -Nazy Layne-Cunningham, nazanin.layne-cunningham@dtra.mil Contract Specialist, 703-767-3574;

Secondary Point of Contact- Debra L. Mudd, Debra.Mudd@dtra.mil.
Contracting Officer, 703-767-8770