Trusted Internet Circuits and WAN Connectivity

The purpose of this edit is to revise this pre-solicitation notice to extend the period of performance and rational for executing a sole source procurement.

In accordance with the procedures required by Simplified Acquisition Procedures provided by FAR 13.106 (1)(b) and FAR 13.501(a) this is a Notice of Intent to solicit with only one source.  It is NOT a Request for Quotes or Proposals.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) on behalf of the Center for Information Technology (CIT), National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to solicit and award a non-competitive contract to Century Link to support Trusted Internet Connection circuits in three locations and Wide Area Network A&B (redundant) support between the Indian Health Service in New Mexico, Center for Disease Control in Georgia, and connection tot the Center for Medicaid Services in Virginia, Food and Drug Administration in Virgia,and NIH in Bethesda and North Carolina. The NIH Network (NIH) consists of the NIH backbone network, providing mission critical high- speed, highly- available network infrastructure for NIH, other Government Agencies, and a growing number of local area networks supporting the NIH’s Office of the Director and 28 ICs. NIH acts as the network operator for Department of Health and Human Services Operating Divisions (OpDivs), and other government agencies. NIH interconnects the NIH and other operating centers with the commodity Internet and the Internet2 research network. NIH also supports local area networks collocated on the NIH campus (9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland), numerous off-campus sites located in or close to the National Capital Region, field offices across the U.S., and disaster recovery centers. The data and information carried by NIH and the operating centers varies widely and includes biomedical research, clinical, financial, and administrative data.

The proposed contract is for IT IP services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source in accordance with Simplified Acquisition procedures under FAR Part 13. This award is anticipated for the period of March 1, 2020 through April 30, 2020 with the option for an additional six (6) months of service if needed to transition to a new competitive award.

Level 3/Century Link has provided WAN Cloud A and B and TIC circuit support for the referenced locations since 2012 and 2014. In accordance with FAR 13.106, urgent and compelling circumstances exist to limit competition at this time and extend these critical services with the current vendor. The current contract(s) are expiring and being recompeted as a part of a larger consolidation of multiple awards providing trusted internet connections and WAN A and WAN B support for a base and option years. Market research was conducted under NLM-20-000078 which was posted to SamBeta.Gov for the long-term recompetition, but it was later determined through discussions with CIT and DHHS that an active solicitation is currently underway utilizing the GSA EIS contract vehicle. To avoid duplication of effort, the market research related to NLM-20-000078 is no longer necessary. That requirement is being cancelled and continued services will be added to the DHHS  award once executed. The purpose of this notice is to advise vendors of the additional need for services based on new knowledge.   

he Contractor shall maintain full functionality of the NIH and TIC Internet Connectivity and Wide Area Network at a 99.999 percent reliability and availability which includes distributed denial of service support for the period of performance as described. The existing services are also revised to include a necessary increase in bandwith for various locations due to the surge in volume activity due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic

Current service locations for this requirement are:

National Institutes of Health

9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, MD 20892

National Institutes of Health - NIEHS

111 TW Alexander Dr. Bldg 101

Research Park Triangle, NC 27709

Food and Drug Admin. (FDA)

44480 Hastings Dr.,

Ashburn, VA 20147

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

1600 Clifton Rd.NE, Bldg. 21,

Atlanta, GA 30329

Indian Health Services (HIS)

1011 Indian School Rd. NW,

Albuquerque, NM 87104

Center for Medicaid Services

18155 Technology Dr

Culpeper, VA 22701

Level 3/Century Link is the current provider for trusted internet circuit connections as well as Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) mitigation for the CIT who manages the network infrastructure support for the DHHS and its various OP/DIVS as referenced above. Level 3/Century Link possesses significant skills and experience that are crucial to meet the Government's requirements during the proposed extension period. The original awards were procured through TW Telecom which was assumed by Level 3 who subsequently merged with Century Link; therefore, at this time, Level 3/Century Link is the only Tier 1 provider with a known, reliable, point of presence in the above locations, with the ability to provide immediate, secure redundant IP connections supported by two circuits at each location and redundant (A and B) WAN coverage between all circuits. Loss of internet support would have a devastating impact on each agency’s ability to conduct internal and external operations including providing critical access to information and support to the general public in all areas of mission performance. In addition, the network infrastructure supplied by CIT serves as the required fail-safe back-up for other smaller local networks managed by Institutes and divisions within HHS and NIH.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. Any party interested in responding to this notice will need to submit a quote detailing technical data sufficient to determine their capacity to provide immediate access to the same level of Tier 1 service provided by the existing vendor. A determination by the Government to not compete this proposed contract is solely within the discretion of the Government, and any information or quotes received in response to this notice will be considered by the agency solely for the purpose of making this decision.

The Government/NIH/NLM will not be responsible for paying for any of the costs incurred and associated with the development of any responses submitted to this posting.

The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) associated with this requirement is 517311 (Wired Telecommunications Carriers) and the small business size standard is 1,500 employees. 

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference. Full text may be found at https://www.acquisition.gov/Far.

FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items

FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes and Executive orders

Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

In accordance with the procedures required by Simplified Acquisition Procedures provided by FAR 13.106 (1)(b) and FAR 13.501(a) this is a Notice of Intent to solicit with only one source.  It is NOT a Request for Quotes or Proposals.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) on behalf of the Center for Information Technology (CIT), National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to solicit and award a non-competitive contract to Century Link to support Trusted Internet Connection circuits in three locations and Wide Area Network A&B (redundant) support between the Indian Health Service in New Mexico, Center for Disease Control in Georgia, and connection tot the Center for Medicaid Services in Virginia, Food and Drug Administration in Virgia,and NIH in Bethesda and North Carolina. The NIH Network (NIH) consists of the NIH backbone network, providing mission critical high- speed, highly- available network infrastructure for NIH, other Government Agencies, and a growing number of local area networks supporting the NIH’s Office of the Director and 28 ICs. NIH acts as the network operator for Department of Health and Human Services Operating Divisions (OpDivs), and other government agencies. NIH interconnects the NIH and other operating centers with the commodity Internet and the Internet2 research network. NIH also supports local area networks collocated on the NIH campus (9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland), numerous off-campus sites located in or close to the National Capital Region, field offices across the U.S., and disaster recovery centers. The data and information carried by NIH and the operating centers varies widely and includes biomedical research, clinical, financial, and administrative data.

The proposed contract is for IT IP services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source in accordance with Simplified Acquisition procedures under FAR Part 13. This award is anticipated for the period of March 1, 2020 through April 30, 2020 with the option for an additional two months of service if needed for transition to a new competitive award.

Level 3/Century Link has provided WAN Cloud A and B and TIC circuit support for the referenced locations since 2012 and 2014. In accordance with FAR 13.106, urgent and compelling circumstances exist to limit competition at this time and extend these critical services with the current vendor. The current contract(s) are expiring and being recompeted as a part of a larger consolidation of multiple awards providing trusted internet connections and WAN A and WAN B support for a base and option years. Market research has been conducted under NLM-20-000078 which was posted to SamBeta.Gov for the long-term recompetition. Responses received from that market research is being used to assist the Government with determining an appropriate procurement strategy which is still under review.

The Contractor shall maintain full functionality of the NIH and TIC Internet Connectivity and Wide Area Network at a 99.999 percent reliability and availability which includes distributed denial of service support for the period of performance as described.

Current service locations for this requirement are:

National Institutes of Health

9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, MD 20892

National Institutes of Health - NIEHS

111 TW Alexander Dr. Bldg 101

Research Park Triangle, NC 27709

Food and Drug Admin. (FDA)

44480 Hastings Dr.,

Ashburn, VA 20147

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

1600 Clifton Rd.NE, Bldg. 21,

Atlanta, GA 30329

Indian Health Services (HIS)

1011 Indian School Rd. NW,

Albuquerque, NM 87104

Center for Medicaid Services

18155 Technology Dr

Culpeper, VA 22701

Level 3/Century Link is the current provider for trusted internet circuit connections as well as Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) mitigation for the CIT who manages the network infrastructure support for the DHHS and its various OP/DIVS as referenced above. Level 3/Century Link possesses significant skills and experience that are crucial to meet the Government's requirements during the proposed extension period. The original awards were procured through TW Telecom which was assumed by Level 3 who subsequently merged with Century Link; therefore, at this time, Level 3/Century Link is the only Tier 1 provider with a known, reliable, point of presence in the above locations, with the ability to provide immediate, secure redundant IP connections supported by two circuits at each location and redundant (A and B) WAN coverage between all circuits. Loss of internet support would have a devastating impact on each agency’s ability to conduct internal and external operations including providing critical access to information and support to the general public in all areas of mission performance. In addition, the network infrastructure supplied by CIT serves as the required fail-safe back-up for other smaller local networks managed by Institutes and divisions within HHS and NIH.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. Any party interested in responding to this notice will need to submit a quote detailing technical data sufficient to determine their capacity to provide immediate access to the same level of Tier 1 service provided by the existing vendor. A determination by the Government to not compete this proposed contract is solely within the discretion of the Government, and any information or quotes received in response to this notice will be considered by the agency solely for the purpose of making this decision.

The Government/NIH/NLM will not be responsible for paying for any of the costs incurred and associated with the development of any responses submitted to this posting.

The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) associated with this requirement is 517311 (Wired Telecommunications Carriers) and the small business size standard is 1,500 employees. 

The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference. Full text may be found at https://www.acquisition.gov/Far.

FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items

FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes and Executive orders

Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).