NIH, OPM, 6120 Executive Blvd, Rockville, MD 20892-7260

U -- RESEARCH SUPPORT FOR INTRAMURAL SCIENTISTS AT NIH SOL 263-97-P(BL)-0020 POC Christopher Belt, Contract Specialist, Ph: (301) 402-3067, Fax: (301) 402-3406. NIH intends to procure on a sole source basis to the University of Maryland at College Park, College of Life Sciences, Molecular and Cell Biology Program (MOCB), a contract that would permit foreign students to train in NIH intramural laboratories. The MOCB has established a predoctoral training program in collaboration with research scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Through this program, students are permitted to spend part of their graduate experience working at the NIH. A number of these NIH investigators serve as adjunct faculty in the MOCB program. They participate in the teaching, advising, and mentoring of graduate students who conduct their research in NIH laboratories and receive stipend support through NIH predoctoral fellowships. Specifically, the contractor shall be responsible for the following: receive inquiries about the program from interested students, distribute material, including application information about the program to potential participants, receive and review applications for the training program, submit applications from prospective candidates to NIH ICD's for review and comment, conduct interviews of qualified applicants and distribute appropriate orientation information. The contractor shall also be responsible for screening applicants for doctoral level courses in the Life Sciences, provide the full range of administrative services associated with the admissions process including the issuance of appropriate visas, making arrangements for student housing and transportation. The period performance will be for one (1) twelve month period with options to renew for four (4) successive twelve (12) month periods. It is believed that the University of Maryland at College Park is the sole source for this requirement under the authority of FAR 6.302-1 because of the following: The Molecular and Cell Biology Program in the College of Life Sciences at the University of Maryland at College Park has been selected because of existing alliances and collaborations betweenits faculty and the intramural scientists at the NIH who also have affiliations with this program on an adjunct basis. Furthermore, the close geographical proximity of the two institutions allows for easy access by these students who would participate in this program. Any competing firm that is able to provide the above requirement is invited to demonstrate that capability to the Contract Specialist. See Numbered Note(s) 22. (0008)

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