Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Event Planning Services for the 7th International Conference on Tularemia

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intends to award a Sole Source purchase order to the Tularemia International Society in accordance with FAR Part 6.302-1: only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. FDA requires an international and local organizing committee to make meeting arrangements, including providing web based services, speaker review services, and program content coordination for the International Conference on Tularemia. The Tularemia International Society (TULISOC) is the sole event planner of this unique meeting, which is held only once every three years. FDA considers this rare event to be critical to its mission. That is, the FDA has an ongoing, and even increasing, commitment to facilitating development of medical countermeasures for bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases. Advancing development of medical countermeasures is an explicit goal of this meeting. FDA views this as a rare and unique opportunity to interface with scientists, experts, panelists, policymakers, and other public and private industry leaders in this key area, which is assembled only every three years. As with many professional scientific meetings, the 7th International Conference on Tularemia is intended to illuminate key issues in this fast moving research field. Specifically, the Conference is designed to bring together outstanding scientists worldwide studying pathogenesis, cell biology, genomics, proteomics, animal models, diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, clinical features, ecology, epidemiology and host response to Francisella. The meeting will be comprised of keynote speakers, invited oral presentations, oral presentations selected from abstracts, moderated discussions, and poster presentations. There are no other meetings which highlight and bring together researchers with like interests, and no alternatives to TULISOC for partners to organize this meeting. TULISOC is the lead organization, and only organization, that constituted an international and local organizing committee over two years ago to direct program and policy decisions for this international meeting. FDA looks to forums like these to elucidate areas that continue to plague our citizenry and the world as a whole. The ability of FDA to establish a purchase order with TULISOC, an organization that has ability to bring together outstanding specialists in medical countermeasure product development, is the only path available to fulfilling these aspects of FDA's mission. This notice is not a request for competitive proposals. However, any party that believes it is capable of meeting this requirement as stated herein and in the attached Statement of Work (SOW) may submit a written capability statement that clearly supports and demonstrates their ability to perform the requirement. Capability statements must be received by the response date and time of this notice. Submissions will be reviewed to determine if they can meet the requirement. 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. This procurement is being conducted under negotiated procedures in accordance with FAR Part 12 and Part 13. This action incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect through FAC 2005-58, effective May 18, 2012. See uploaded SOW for a description of the requirement. Response Date: 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), May 25, 2012. Please email any responses to Emily Hunt at Emily.Hunt@fda.hhs.gov. Phone calls will not be accepted or returned.