Advanced Network connectivity for content distribution experimentation

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Part 12, utilizing FAR 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This announcement constitutes the formal Request for Quotation (RFQ) and a written solicitation WILL NOT be issued. This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect in the March 2005 FAR Revision, including all FAR Circulars issued as of the date of this synopsis. This solicitation is being issued on a sole source basis under FAR Part 6.302 as sole source solicitation notification under NLM-09-007(RS). It is the intent of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), to negotiate on a sole source basis with the Mid-Atlantic Crossroads, College Park, MD to provide advanced high-performance connectivity services to both the domestic and international research and development community. Research and development of advanced connectivity for biomedical information distribution is one of the missions of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). To that end NLM requires high-performance connectivity at speeds up to 10 Gbps to data stores and resources available through current connectivity at the University of Maryland/Mid-Atlantic Crossroads consortium (MAX). This is required in order to enable experiments with strategies for content distribution of genomic and other research biomedical databases through exchange of data with domestic and international biomedical researchers via ultra high-performance advanced communication systems. This high-performance 10 Gbps connectivity will need to continue into the foreseeable future so that the NLM can continue to effectively and quickly communicate with research partners domestically and internationally at the highest possible speeds. Many NLM research partners domestically and internationally access its resources via high-performance connections at their respective institutions which in turn connect with their regional aggregation points which in turn connect to their national research and education networks all of which enables continued collaboration and advances in biomedical research and development supported by the NLM through its own high-performance connections. Title: Advanced Network connectivity for content distribution experimentation Performance Period: One year after date of award. NLM plans to build upon its continued use of the cost-effective Next Generation Internet/Internet2 services available through the Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) organization, part of the University of Maryland College Park, for high-performance access to local data stores located at the NIH Consolidated Collocation Site (NCCS). The Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) organization, part of the University of Maryland, is the only known provider of advanced high-performance connectivity services to both the domestic and international research and development community and as such is uniquely qualified for this work because of their background, expertise, and peering arrangements with regional, domestic and international research and education institutions, networks and projects. All interested parties shall submit electronic responses to Ryan Singletary at ryan.singletary@nih.gov. Responses must be received no later than 3:00 PM EDT on November 7, 2008. Please reference solicitation number NLM-09-007(RS) on all correspondence to this notice.