SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Extramural Planning Services
- Notice Date
- 1/18/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Office of Acquisitions, Office of Management P.O. Box 12874, 79 T.W. Alexander Dr, Bldg 4401, RTP, NC, 27709, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- DLV70032
- Response Due
- 1/25/2007
- Archive Date
- 2/9/2007
- Description
- The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Dr. Anne Sassaman, Durham, NC 27711 pursuant to 41 U.S.C.253(c)(1)--Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. This purchase is for consultant services as per the following statement of work which outlines services to be provided by Dr. Anne Sassaman in support of the NIH Extramural Title 42 Committee established to implement policies for extramural staff. Statement of Work Provide expert consultant services in support of the NIH Extramural Title 42 Committee (ETFC), a new NIH-wide group established to implement policies for extramural/policy staff on title 42 appointments. This work will consist of preparing background material for regular meetings of the committee regarding the establishment of new T42 positions; appointment of new recruits to a T42 position or transfer of existing staff from T5 appointments to T42; analysis of information provided by NIH Institutes/centers in relation to established criteria; and strategy recommendations for consideration by the NIH committee.Period of performance: Period of three (3) years from date of award Labor Hours NTE: ~160 hours per year Travel: Actual reimbursement to be based on the current government per diem rates for an estimated 2 trips to Bethesda for 3 years, one day each. Deliverables: By no later than December 31, 2007, provide an annual summary of service to the ETFC established to implement policies for extramural/policy staff on title 42 appointments, including copies of background material prepared for regular meetings of the committee regarding the establishment of new T42 positions; appointments of new T42 recruits or transfer of existing staff from T5 appointments to T42; and analyses of NIEHS-provided information in relation to established criteria and recommendations provided to the NIH committee. Sole Source Justification: The objective of this procurement is to obtain the services of a consultant to guide, assist, and facilitate OER/OD NIH staff for a three year ?on call? period to complete the Statement of Work attached hereto. The sole source proposed for this work is Dr. Anne Sassaman, and this sole source justification results from the fact that Dr. Sassaman?s qualifications for this particular task are unique, as follows: To the best of the Agency?s knowledge, no other contractor has the level of experience and skills and historical knowledge of current and past NIH extramural activities as required for optimal performance of the T42 analyses and support to the NIH for the following reasons. The projects described in the statement of work require an extensive hands-on working knowledge of responsibilities of senior extramural scientific positions and the history and intent of using the Title 42 mechanism for certain positions. Of paramount importance is a historical knowledge of the variety of positions that could possibly be included under Title 42, the various organizational structures used by the Institutes and Centers (ICs) to perform functions included as ?extramural? for the purposes of this activity, and the factors considered by NIH and DHHS as critical for determining the appropriate use of the Title 42 appointment for non-intramural scientists at the NIH. Thus, in order to perform the described tasks, any other contractor would need to first develop an extensive historical background and current working knowledge of a broad range of issues related to Title 42 versus Title 5 appointment mechanisms as they relate to specific positions within the NIH extramural staff. For example, an extensive understanding of the missions and complexities of NIH ICs and the different organizational structures that would go into decisions related to the different categories for NIH Extramural Title 42 designation as well as the proposed salaries or salary ranges is critical for the performance of these duties. The contractor must be able to analyze proposed appointments and to prepare a justification for consideration of the ETFC in relation to established criteria as well as decisions on previous candidates for consistency and fairness. Without that knowledge, the contractor would have to rely upon NIH staff to assume the extensive burden of explaining goals and historical issues, to bring the contractor up to speed in advance of beginning the activities under this contract. In addition, these projects must be started quickly in accordance with NIH timeframes, to ensure that related proposed appointments and conversions are handled efficiently and without undue delay, as this could affect recruitment of senior-level scientific staff into extramural positions. Only a contractor with significant and current hands-on experience with NIH could conduct this work in the timeframe available to the Agency for its completion. Unique Qualifications of Dr. Anne Sassaman: The proposed contractor, Dr. Anne Sassaman, has the unique qualifications necessary to perform the range of tasks involved in this contract without the need to spend an inordinate amount of time identifying and understanding the Agency?s positions and expectations in these matters. First and foremost, Dr. Sassaman has thirty-two (32) years of Federal service, over 30 of which are at the NIH. For the most recent twenty (20) years, she served NIEHS, first as a member of the Senior Executive Service and then as a Title 42 scientist, as the Director of the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training. Over this period she represented the NIEHS on the NIH Extramural Policy Management Committee where she worked with other extramural directors on NIH-wide program and policy issues. She served on a number of working groups that gave her extensive knowledge of structure and responsibilities of scientific positions in other ICs and was involved in numerous presentations and discussions as Title 42 was inaugurated for extramural positions. Through these discussions she has unique and thorough knowledge of the various issues that resulted in a census of all current extramural Title 42 employees, development of a structure for various levels of seniority/responsibility/pay scales, and criteria for review of positions according to this new framework. The ETFC is responsible for overseeing this process, and Dr. Sassaman is intimately familiar with the work and responsibilities of this committee. Her knowledge is current and extensive and provides her with unique qualifications for this task. Her broad range of very specialized experience is a necessity in completing the tasks described in the Statement of Work. This hands-on NIEHS and NIH leadership experience make her uniquely qualified to provide expert counsel and support for the NIH-wide project described above. Dr. Anne Sassaman is also the only consultant known to the Institute who also has the specific management skills necessary for this project in the timeframe required. Her expert skills, coupled with her extended past and present knowledge of NIH and especially issues related to Title 42 appointments will ensure mission continuity and optimal outcomes for the OER/OD NIH project in accordance with timeframes that cannot be extended. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability. Respond to this requirement by submitting written capabilities/specifications to the Contracting Specialist at the address stated above. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, all responses received within 8 days from the date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract action based upon responses to this notice is solely with the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. If no affirmative responses are received within 8 days of this notice to determine whether a qualified source is more advantageous to the Government, an order will be placed with Dr. Ann Sassaman. The NAICS Code/Size is 541690/$6.5M. This procurement is to be processed using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in conjunction with FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items and is not expected to exceed the Simplified Acquisition threshold of $100,000. There is no solicitation package available. For any questions regarding this announcement, please contact Dee Lunney via email lunney@niehs.nih.gov.*****
- Place of Performance
- Address: NIEHS, 111 TW Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC
- Zip Code: 27709
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 27709
- Record
- SN01214415-W 20070120/070119092509 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |