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R -- CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT SERVICES SOL NLM-SP 98-059/LTN POC Liem T. Nguyen (301) 496-6546 E-MAIL: karen_riggs@ccmail.nlm.nih.gov, liem_nguyen@ccmail.nlm.nih.gov. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Extramural Research (OER), intends to procure on a sole source basis specialized conference management services from Faith Travel Network (FTN), 12221 Brandywine Road, Brandywine, MD, to assist with planning and conducting the NIH Extramural Associates (EA) Program Regional Technical Assistance (TA) Workshop to be held in central Florida in September 1998. The EA Program, OER, conducts an annual Regional TA Workshop for the benefit of its constituent institutions. Specialized conference management services are required to assist OER to (l) recruit eligible applicants for participation in the EA Program, (2) disseminate programmatic information from other NIH institutes and centers, and other Federal agencies, that is relevant to EA-eligible institutions, and (3) conduct a mini grantsmanship workshop focused on preparing an EA Research and Development Award (EARDA) grant application. The need for conducting regional TA workshops is based on the degree of specificity required in the applicants' response to the EARDA Request for Grant Applications (RFA). The workshops contribute to the overall understanding of the RFA process, thereby improving the quality of the applications submitted. The breadth of EA-eligible institutions ( i.e., professional degree granting institutions, graduate and undergraduate minority and women's institutions which award degrees in the biomedical and/or behavioral sciences, and selected community colleges) further underscores the necessity for conducting regional TA workshops. FTN assisted OER in planning and conducting the Regional TA Workshop held in California in May 1997 in which approximately 50 EA-eligible institutions were represented. The knowledge and specialized experience that FTN gained about the EA Program by assisting with the last workshop, especially with regards to eligibility requirements and eligibility status, makes FTN uniquely qualified to accomplish the required conference management support matters relatively independent of EA Program staff input. This is especially important given the limited staff resources in the EA Program and the time constraints that the program staff face in preparing and conducting the September workshop in central Florida. By virtue of its unique experience gained in assisting with the previous workshop, expertise, and staff resources, FTN is the only source that can successfully provide the required specialized conference management support services within the time constraints. This notice of intent is not a Request for Quotations (RFQ) nor is an RFQ available. See Number Note 22. ***** (0124)

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