R -- Process Payments

Amendment: Please note the additional information in paragraph 2 regarding the location. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business or HUBZone small businesses that can provide the following service: The Contractor shall have knowledge of preparing and administering payments to research volunteers and be knowledgeable about the issues associated with payment of said volunteers. The Contractor shall support the participation of American Indians and non-Indians who volunteer for approved medical research projects conducted by the NIDDK. The Contractor shall be responsible for paying these individuals, including writing and issuing checks, maintaining payment files, and satisfying the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service with respect to reporting earned income. The Phoenix Epidemiology & Clinical Research Branch (PECRB) conducts research related to Type 2 diabetes and its complications. Many of the diseases of interest to NIDDK are more common among American Indians than in the general U.S. population. The services of a contactor are required to facilitate the participation of the volunteers. PECRB has permanent research facilities in two locations: 1) the Phoenix Indian Medical Center (PIMC) in Phoenix, Arizona; and 2) the Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital (HHK) on the Gila River Indian Community at Sacaton, Arizona. Prompt payment is essential for both the recruitment and retention of volunteers as study participants. Consequently, on-site payment to volunteers on the day of hospital discharge or at the completion of outpatient studies is a requirement of the contract. This request is for interested firms with the capability of providing the service as listed above and to submit a capability statement. The capability statement will assist the Government to determine, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b), whether or not this procurement will be set-aside for any of the small business programs described above. The intended procurement will be classified under North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) code 522310 with a size standard of $6.5M. All respondents are requested to identify their firm?s size and type of business. Interested firms responding to this market survey must provide a capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills and capability to fulfill the Government?s requirements for the above. The capability statement shall be in sufficient enough detail, but not to exceed 20 pages, so that the Government can determine the experience and capability of your firm to provide the requirements above. Your capability statement must be received at the following address by no later than close of business (5:00p.m. local time at designated location) on July 16, 2007. The address is: NIH, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 742, Bethesda, MD 20817. Responses by fax or e-mail WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for information solicited.