Scholarship Support Services, FSS Sole Source

The Office of Education within NOAA’s Department of Commerce is procuring scholarship support services under a sole-source, firm-fixed-price contract to administer the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program and the Educational Partnership Program Graduate Fellows Program for the Class of 2026. The contract, identified by solicitation number 1305M426F0042, has a base period of performance from May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027, with an option to extend for an additional year through April 30, 2028. The primary place of performance is Elkridge, Maryland, with administrative oversight managed from the contracting office in Silver Spring, Maryland. The contract includes three contract line items: labor for financial and administrative services, stipend payments for scholars, and reimbursement of travel and other direct costs. Although no specific dollar values are provided, the award rationale emphasizes continuity of service and institutional knowledge, as the incumbent contractor, GMG Management Consulting, has supported these programs for eight years and holds deep familiarity with program-specific workflows, payment schedules, and compliance requirements. Transitioning to a new contractor would impose significant burdens, estimated at 200–300 additional government staff hours, and risks disrupting critical scholarship disbursements and event logistics for approximately 200 annual participants. The sole-source justification cites FAR and GSAM provisions, particularly the modified FAR 52.217-9 clause, which adjusted the option exercise deadline due to prior administrative delays. The contract aligns with funding authorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 and the America COMPETES Act, and pricing is expected to conform to GSA FSS Schedule rates deemed fair and reasonable. No formal evaluation factors, weights, or scoring criteria are documented, but the selection is based on a best-value trade-off approach prioritizing non-price factors such as operational risk, program complexity, and the contractor’s proven performance. The contractor is responsible for end-to-end administration including eligibility verification, stipend disbursements, travel coordination, symposium logistics, and reporting to NOAA, the Department of Commerce, and Congress. No packaging, marking, inspection, or quality standards beyond regulatory compliance are specified. Although the contractor previously held Woman-Owned Small Business certification, no current socioeconomic or size status representations are included in the current action. No COR or COTR is formally named, with technical oversight provided by the Deputy Director of the Office