Expanded Food Nutrient Data (beyond USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) data) and Support Services

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. The NAICS code for this procurement is 541380 (Food testing laboratories or services) and the PSC code is B529 (Special Studies - Scientific Data). Background: The NIH Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) initiative calls for side-by-side use of the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool, the Mobile Food Record (mFR) and the Automatic Ingestion Monitor (AIM) to assess dietary intake using free-living and controlled feeding studies. The NIH Office of Nutrition Research (ONR) wants to expand the databases used by these tools to include additional nutrients not included in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) that are currently in use. Purpose and Objectives: Although the ASA24, mFR, and AIM tools currently include the 65 nutrients of the USDA FNDDS, additional nutrients are needed to facilitate key analyses. This is a critical information source for the researchers, clinicians and administrative staff of NIH and the wider research community. The purpose of this notice is to identify potential sources that can provide a database of food nutrient information for certain additional nutrients that are NOT covered by the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) for use in these tools as well as product updates and customer support services. Project Requirements: 1. The NIH has a requirement for food nutrient information that exceeds that which is currently included in the USDA FNDDS database, to include - at a minimum - the following: Fatty acids (trans fatty acids), Carbohydrates (fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose), Specific amino acids (trypotophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cystine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, arginine, histidine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, serine), Minerals (manganese), Isoflavones (daidzein, genistein, glycitein, coumestrol, biochanin A, formononetin, secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, lariciresinol, pinoresinol), Sugar alcohols (erythritol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, malitol, mannitol, pinitol, sorbitol, xylitol), Other food components (acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, tagatose, phytic acid, oxalic acid, 3-methylhistidine, sucrose polyester, betaine). NIH is seeking a source that has these nutrients in their current database; this requirement is NOT for the development of such a database. 2. NIH requires that this nutrient data be provided to NIH for incorporation into its ASA24, mFR, and AIM tools. 3. As part of this procurement, NIH also requires maintenance services in the form of periodic database updates, customer support services to NIH staff using the database and interface, as well as database training materials and documentation. Anticipated Period of Performance: It is anticipated that a firm, fixed price contract with a period of performance of five (5) years (a base year, plus four option years) will be awarded. The anticipated start date is May 1, 2023. A single award is anticipated. Capability Statement/Information Sought: Respondents must be qualified and present a capability statement that speaks to all requirements set forth in this notice. The Capability Statement will be evaluated based on the information provided in relation to the project requirements and the current capability and capacity to: 1) perform the work described in this notice; 2) demonstrate staff education, experience, expertise, and knowledge; 3) provide evidence of prior completed projects and Government contracts of a similar nature; 4) demonstrate corporate experience; and 5) any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirement. Instructions for Submission of Capability Statements: 1. Information Submission Instructions: Interested qualified business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement, not to exceed 15 total single-spaced pages, including all attachments, (using a 12-point font size at a minimum), which clearly details the firms ability to perform the specific requirements described above. Please provide your UEI number, organization name, address, point of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone, fax numbers, and email addresses. 2. Delivery Point: Capability statements sent in response to this Sources Sought notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Paula Wilkison, Contracting Officer, at paula.wilkison@nih.gov either in MS Word, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The email subject line must specify the notice number, HHS-NIH-NCI-SS-PCPSB-00003-39. Facsimile and telephone responses will not be accepted. 3. Due Date/Time for Submission: Electronically submitted, tailored, capability statements are due no later than November 18, 2022, 4:00PM Eastern Time. Capability statements received after that date and time will not be considered for purposes of this market research. DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. CONFIDENTIALITY: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).