Gastroenterology Fellowship Program

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation number is NIH-NICHD-16-067 and is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation/contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-70. The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code is 611310 and the business size standard is $27.5M. However, this solicitation is not set aside for small business. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) intends to award a purchase order to University of Maryland Medical Center Corporation, 250 W Pratt Street, Suite 1400, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1595. This is pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1)-Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Since 2005, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Intramural Research Program has been working with the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Maryland to administer an American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited joint Gastroenterology Fellowship Program (referred to herein as - the Program'). This program is designated the University of Maryland/National Institutes of Health Gastroenterology/Hepatology Scholars Program. To justify board certification, it is required that the NIDDK component of the fellowship program be part of an accredited gastroenterology training program. Therefore, this component of the contract supports the association of the Fellowship Program with a center with an established Gl training program. A major component of the gastroenterology fellowship training program involves their participation in provision of consultation services for patients with Gl disorders followed in protocols sponsored by various other NIH departments. These consultations require the constant availability of state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic services. The University of Maryland will provide 2 fellows annually. Fellows accepted into the Program will complete their first year of training at the University of Maryland School of Medicine campus in Baltimore, Md. After completing their first year of training, fellows will complete two subsequent years of gastroenterology training in the NIDDK intramural program at the Clinical Research Center on the campus in Bethesda, Md. The offeror must include a completed copy of the provision of FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items with its offer. The provisions of FAR Clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items; FAR Clause 52.212-2, Evaluation; FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items; and FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items - Deviation for Simplified Acquisitions applies to this acquisition. The offeror must include their Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. The clauses are available in full text at http://www.acquisition.gov/far/. Interested vendors capable of providing the required/actual equipment in this synopsis should submit a copy of their quotation to the below address or via email to contact@example.gov. Offers must also be accompanied by descriptive literature, delivery timeframe, warranties, and/or other information that demonstrates that the offer meets all of the foregoing requirements. Quotations will be due fifteen (15) calendar days from the publication date of this synopsis or by July 7, 2016 by 10:00am EST. via email or postal mail. The quotation must reference Solicitation number NIH-NICHD-16-067. Quotations sent by postal mail or other mailing services must be submitted to the following address: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710B Rockledge Drive, Room 1161B MSC 7000, Bethesda, MD 20852 Attention: Amber Harris, by the date and time mentioned above. Any questions must be sent via email to contact@example.gov and must include Solicitation number NIH-NICHD-16-067 in the subject line of email. Faxed copies/responses will not be accepted. ? TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA A. EVALUATION FACTORS General Offerors are advised that an award under this solicitation shall be made to the Offeror whose proposal is determined by the Government to represent the best value to meet the Government's needs. The major evaluation factors for this solicitation include two parts which shall hold equal merit in determining best overall value to the Government. The two parts are as follows: 1) Technical Evaluation - which encompasses experience and past performance of demonstrating the ability to meet the specifications factors listed (see Section B below); 2) Cost/Price Evaluation proposal will be evaluated for realism and reasonableness. B. TECHNICAL EVALUATION Offerors proposals shall be evaluated on the factors listed below and shall receive an overall rating of, Exceptional Acceptability; Acceptable or Unacceptable. Only proposals that are determined to be Acceptable shall be eligible and considered for award. The definition that will be used in evaluating and rating the criterion is as follows: - Exceptional Acceptability: Equipment exceeds the specified performance or capabilities in a beneficial way has no major weaknesses or deficiencies. - Acceptable: Equipment meets specification standards and any weaknesses or deficiencies are considered minor and are readily correctable or acceptable in meeting the overall requirement. - Unacceptable: Equipment fails to meet the specification(s) and the weaknesses and/or deficiencies are considered uncorrectable without major revisions and would potentially subject the Government to overall risks in performance - either in time and/or money. 1) Technical Factors Offerors shall be evaluated in accordance with the factors set forth below: i) Understanding and Compliance with Requirements 20 POINTS The proposal should address each aspect of the Statement of Work in sufficient detail to demonstrate a clear understanding of the requirement. Offeror will be evaluated on the adequacy and effectiveness of the described technical approach. ii) Soundness of approach Corporate Experience and Capabilities 40 POINTS The offeror must demonstrate participation in the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited joint Gastroenterology Fellowship Program. The proposal must clearly indicate that the offeror has performed adequate planning to accomplish the tasks as defined in the Statement of Work. iii) Personnel 40 POINTS The offeror must demonstrate the qualifications of personnel as being eligible participants in the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited joint Gastroenterology Fellowship Program and provide resumes for all proposed personnel. C. COST/PRICE EVALUATION: Offeror's proposed price shall be evaluated on realism and reasonable for the Government. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. Normally, price reasonableness is established through adequate price competition, but may also be determined through cost and price analysis techniques as described in FAR 15.404. Realism will be evaluated only on the offeror(s) inputs which the Government will use to determine the most probable cost/price for the equipment in a manner consistent with the offeror's proposal. Cost/Price realism analysis will be conducted in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(d). The result of the cost/price realism analysis will be considered in the making the best value tradeoff decision. D. ADDITIONAL EVALUATION FACTORS (These factors will not be evaluated.) Past Performance The Government will evaluate the quality of the offeror's past performance based on information obtained from references provided by the offeror, as well as other relevant past performance information obtained from other sources known to the Government. Evaluation of past performance will be a subjective assessment based on consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances. It will not be based on absolute standards of acceptable performance. The Government is seeking to determine whether the offeror has consistently demonstrated a commitment to customer satisfaction and timely delivery of services at fair and reasonable prices. The assessment of the offeror's past performance will be used as a means of evaluating the capability of the offeror. Thus, an offeror with an exceptional record of past performance may receive a more favorable evaluation than if it has an acceptable record. Past performance will not be scored, but the Government's conclusions about overall quality of the offeror's past performance will be influential in determining the merits of the offeror's proposal and in selecting the offeror whose proposal is considered most advantageous to the Government. By past performance, the Government means the offeror's record of conforming to specifications and to standards of good workmanship; the offeror's record of forecasting and controlling costs; the offeror's adherence to contract schedules, including the administrative aspects of performance; the offeror's reputation for reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; and generally, the Offeror's business-like concern for the interest of the customer. The Government will consider the number or severity of an offeror's problems, the effectiveness of corrective actions taken, the offeror's overall work record, and the age and relevance of past performance information. The lack of a performance record may result in an unknown performance risk assessment, which will neither be used to the advantage or disadvantage of the offeror.