Support for Development, Maintenance and Distribution of Identifiers for Research Resources to Serve Replicable, Reproducible and Generalizable Biomedical Research

This contract, solicited under number 75N98026Q00384, is a Firm Fixed Price award issued by the National Institutes of Health Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, Department of Health and Human Services, to support the development, maintenance, and distribution of identifiers for research resources aimed at enabling replicable, reproducible, and generalizable biomedical research. The acquisition is set aside exclusively for Women-Owned Small Businesses under NAICS Code 541690 and is being conducted under the procedures of FAR Parts 12 and 13, treating it as a commercial item procurement. The contract has a one-year base period beginning August 29, 2026, and includes four additional one-year option periods extending through August 28, 2031, with a potential unilateral six-month extension permitted under FAR 52.217-8. Performance will occur remotely from the contractor’s own facilities, with all work performed using the contractor’s equipment and personnel, though the primary point of contact and administrative oversight resides in Bethesda, Maryland. The contractor is required to deliver a comprehensive set of services including maintaining an integrated index and databases, conducting annual outreach to twelve scientific journals and exhibiting at one major scientific meeting, integrating new approach methodologies focused initially on human-derived cell repositories, performing analysis and rigor evaluations of research resources, and developing future analytical features and dashboards while procuring cloud and hosting services compliant with federal IT standards. Key deliverables include a kick-off meeting within fifteen days of award, a Quality Control Plan updated within thirty days, annual statistical reports in CSV or XML format, and timely updates to resource and reporting features in a public-facing dashboard. Evaluation will be based on a best-value trade-off methodology, with technical approach, personnel qualifications, organizational capacity, and past performance weighted more heavily than cost. Proposals must be submitted in three volumes addressing technical approach, past performance, and business price/cost, with resumes for key personnel limited to two pages each. The contractor must also comply with stringent organizational conflict of interest rules prohibiting participation in related competing procurements for one year post-performance, safeguard government materials, implement a transition plan thirty days prior to contract end, and adhere to HHSAR 352.239-74 on Section 508 accessibility and FAR 52.227-14 on data rights. All submissions must be emailed to the Contracting Officer by June 1, 2026, and