Preclinical Validation of Behavioral Economic Methods for Abuse Potential Assessment

The FDA Office of Acquisitions and Grants Services is issuing a sole-source, firm-fixed-price contract under the 8(a) program to Institutes for Behavior Resources, Inc., for the preclinical validation of behavioral economic methods to assess the abuse potential of novel compounds, particularly those with varying mu-opioid receptor efficacy. This acquisition, identified by solicitation number NOI135740, is conducted under FAR 6.302-1 and FAR Part 13, reflecting a non-competitive award based on the contractor’s unique capability and prior work, with no competitive solicitation or evaluation factors required. The work involves conducting multi-site preclinical studies using animal cohorts to generate and validate both fixed-ratio dose-effect curves and behavioral economic demand curves for test drugs and positive controls, ensuring methodological consistency, statistical power, and reproducibility using the same animals for both data types. The validation framework must align with the methodology established in Banks et al. 2026, and performance is expected to occur primarily at the contractor’s facility in Baltimore, MD, with potential involvement of additional research sites to ensure robustness across environments. The contract is administratively managed by the Office of Acquisitions and Grants Services in Rockville, MD, with Telisha Wilson serving as the primary point of contact for submissions, which are required to be sent via email by the deadline of August 4, 2026. The awardee is a small business certified under the SBA’s 8(a) program, enabling this sole-source award without competing bids, and no pricing details, contract value estimates, or financial accounting codes are specified in the documentation. There is no formal section defining packaging, inspection protocols, delivery terms, or detailed contract clauses, and while the scope emphasizes methodological fidelity and data integrity, specific delivery schedules, payment procedures, or invoicing systems are not outlined. Acceptance of deliverables is contingent upon successful validation of the behavioral economic model under the specified scientific criteria, with oversight maintained by the FDA. The procurement does not include options, security requirements, key personnel designations, or subcontracting obligations, focusing solely on technical execution of validated preclinical protocols to support regulatory assessment of abuse potential.