Scientific, Operations and Administrative Resources (SOAR) Support Services Contract Program

The Scientific, Operations and Administrative Resources (SOAR) Support Services Contract Program is a multiple-award Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract managed by the National Institutes of Health under the Department of Health and Human Services, with primary operations based in Bethesda, Maryland. The program supports all 29 NIH institutes and centers by providing specialized scientific, technical, and administrative services critical to biomedical research, clinical trials, and public health initiatives. A non-competitive extension has been justified under FAR 6.102-1 and HHSAR 306.103-1 due to the unique and highly specialized capabilities of the five current contractors—Axle Informatics LLC, Gap Solutions, Inc., Kelly Services, Inc., Guidehouse Digital LLC, and 22nd Century Technologies, Inc.—whose uninterrupted services are essential to avoid severe disruption to ongoing, high-value research efforts. The modification extends the ordering period through June 21, 2027, and the performance period for task orders through June 20, 2028, ensuring seamless continuity during the transition to a future competitive procurement. Services are delivered on an anytime, reasonable order basis, with performance occurring at NIH locations nationwide and at contractor sites in Virginia, Maryland, and Michigan. The contract has a total estimated value range of $1.43 billion obligated to $3.6 billion maximum potential value across all five IDIQ contracts, supported by appropriate funding through CLINs tied to specific task orders. Key personnel must include skilled professionals in labor categories such as Bioinformatics Scientists, Clinical Research Coordinators, Molecular Biologists, and Registered Nurses, with contractors required to comply with NIH’s security protocols, including PIV badge issuance and access control. Pricing is based on historical rates and competitive benchmarks among existing contractors, but not determined through a lowest price technically acceptable or trade-off evaluation framework. No formal inspection criteria, packaging specifications, invoicing procedures, or payment office details are provided, and no offeror-level certifications, socioeconomic status representations, or clause-specific FAR language are included in the documentation. The effort is administratively driven by the NIH Office of Acquisitions, with primary coordination via Kishan Patel and Matt Lear, and the entire action is documented in a Justification and Approval (J&A) document, reflecting a sole-source extension warranted by mission-critical continuity, specialized expertise, and the prohibitive risks of interruption.