National Cancer Institute, Research Contracts Branch, PSAS, 6120 Executive Blvd, EPS/Room 638, Bethesda, MD 20892-7227

99 -- METAPHRASE SOFTWARE LICENSE SOL RFQ-NCI-00116 DUE 052300 POC Cynthia Brown, Purchasing Agent, 301-402-4509, Todd Cole, Contracting Officer The National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Informatics, plans to procure proprietary commercial software licenses for a vocabulary server that is integrated into the NCI Enterprise Vocabulary System (NCIEVS). The software license is available from Ontyx, In., DBA Apelon, Inc. (formerly Lexical Technology Incorporated, 100 Danbury Road, Suite 201, Ridgefield, CT 06877. In 1997, the National Cancer Institute embarked on an effort to improve and extend scientific coding of grants and applications. A software system, called a "coding engine" was ultimately designed and built to support the coding activities of NCI. The system became operational in 1998. This prototype coding engine was based on the proprietary software system Metaphrase from Lexical Technology Incorporated. Metaphrase was used by physicians in the clinical setting prior to the coding engines development. In selecting Metaphrase, no other products with comparable capabilities were available and the software was acquired under the established development contract, NO2-CO-81037. During 1998, NCI utilized Metaphrase as the basis of an NCI-wide system, the NCI Enterprise Vocabulary System (NCIEVS), to support uniform scientific and administrative coding of scientific grant applications, research contracts and intramural projects. Consequently, under a competitive contract NO2-LM-7-2731, Subcontract SC-96-CERTAN-011, NCI licensed two copies of this proprietary, commercial software. Operation of the noted systems requires renewal of the Metaphrase licenses. If NCI were not to renew the Metaphrase licenses. NCIEVS and several NCI systems that depend on NCIEVS would be degraded or rendered inoperable. Metaphrase is the only software known to the NCI Project Officer that can satisfy this requirement. This is not a request for competitive solicitation. However, if any interested party believes it can meet the above requirement, they may submit a statement of capabilities to demonstrate equivalency to the proprietary, commercially available Metaphrase product. All information furnished shall be in writing and must contain information in sufficient detail to allow the NCI Project Officer to determine if the party can meet the above requirement. Capability statements must be received in the Contracting Office by 1:00 PM EST (local Washington, D.C. time) on May 23, 2000. If you have any questions, please contact Cynthia Brown, Purchasing Agent on (301) 402-4509. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Please reference RFQ-NCI-00116. Fax copies of capability statements will not be accepted. Posted 05/05/00 (W-SN451902). (0126)

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