RFP Announcement: Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Biological Resource Respository (MID-BRR) - RFP NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2009053

Notice Number: NOT-AI-09-033

Key Dates
Release Date:  April 20, 2009

Issued by
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), (http://www.niaid.nih.gov)

Introduction

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) supports research related to the basic understanding of microbiology and immunology leading to the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and medical diagnostics for the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of infectious and immune-mediated diseases. The NIAID, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases has a requirement to establish a central repository that will provide one-stop shopping for research materials for the broad community of microbiology and infectious diseases researchers. The repository will receive, acquire, authenticate, produce, preserve, store and distribute most of the approximately 15,000 unique organisms and reagents needed to comprise the comprehensive collection. It will also distribute materials produced by other research service programs and Government-supported research projects.

Description

Research supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), strives to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent the myriad of infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases that threaten millions of human lives. The NIAID Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) supports extramural research to control and prevent diseases caused by all infectious agents other than HIV, including research to counter bioterrorism. This includes basic and applied research to develop and evaluate therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics that is funded through a variety of research grants and contracts. 

Toward this aim, DMID supports an array of research services. Included are programs that make preclinical and clinical translational research services, as well as organisms and state-of the art reagents, DNA sequencing, data and analytic tools, and biocontainment and core facilities, available to investigators (http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/research/resources/dmid/). For the most part, these services are currently provided through multiple, specialized programs. DMID seeks now, however, to adopt an integrated approach to the provision of services by creating unified, comprehensive, coordinated programs. This strategy is being employed to: advance science by promoting cross-fertilization across and within disciplines and approaches; serve the research community more conveniently; achieve efficient use of resources through economy of scale and avoidance of duplication; and provide the flexibility needed to respond to changing priorities.

Accordingly, DMID is establishing the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Biological Research Resources Program (hereinafter called the Biological Research Resources Program). The Biological Research Resources Program will integrate and consolidate the functions currently carried out by numerous NIAID-supported repositories (http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/research/resources/dmid/repos.htm). Of these currently supported programs, five concentrate on targeted groups of bacteria (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, resistant staphylococci, respiratory pathogens, and mycobacteria responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy); one is dedicated to emerging viruses and arboviruses; one focuses on Aspergillus species; and three are dedicated to individual parasites (filarial worms, schistosomes, and plasmodia). Another program focuses on NIAID Category A, B and C Priority Pathogens (http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/BiodefenseRelated/Biodefense/research/CatA.htm). This program provides a comprehensive collection of research materials, including those deposited by other Government-supported research projects, to be made available to the biodefense and emerging infectious disease scientific communities.  Together, these collections contain approximately 15,000 unique catalog items and more than a half million units for distribution.

The Biological Research Resources Program is designed not only to meet the currently defined needs of scientific communities, but also to meet emerging needs for research materials as they are identified. The Biological Research Resources Program comprises multiple components. The Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Biological Resources Repository (MID-BRR) will serve as a central repository that will provide one-stop shopping for the broad community of microbiology and infectious diseases researchers. The MID-BRR will receive, acquire, authenticate, produce, preserve, store and distribute most of the organisms and reagents needed to comprise the comprehensive collection.

A separate and complementary Request for Proposal (RFP) has been solicited for the Animal Models of Infectious Diseases program, which will provide the capacity to ensure a supply for the MID-BRR of organisms that must be grown in animals as well as reagents integral to research on these organisms. The Animal Models of Infectious Diseases program will work closely with the MID-BRR.

The MID-BRR will also serve as a repository for research materials produced by other Government-supported research projects and research service programs. The MID-BRR Contractor is expected to interact with these programs as well.

For the purposes of this contract, research materials include both organisms and reagents:

The contract will include Options to Increase the Level-of-Effort in increments that may increase the total level-of-effort by a maximum of 28 FTEs per year.

A total level of effort of 56 FTEs per year (116,480 total direct labor hours per year based on a Work Year of 2080 hours) for a period of performance of seven years (Base period plus six, one-year Options) is required.  In addition, during any year of the contract, contractors must also be able to respond to requests to provide additional effort based on the exercise of Options in increments of 2 FTEs, 5 FTEs or 10 FTEs, up to a maximum of 28 FTEs per year.  Contractors must provide, for example, the following labor mix:

Professional Support:  Project/Program Manager(s), Director(s) of Collections, Director(s) of Science
Technicians and Support:  Technical Manager(s), Collection Scientist(s), Regulatory Specialist(s), Compliance Director(s), Marketing Manager(s), Field Acquisition Specialist(s), Technical Writer(s), Biologist(s)
Non-Professional Support:  Operations Technician(s), Quality Systems Technician(s), Technical Service Representative(s), Customer Support staff(s), Clerical

It is anticipated that up to one cost reimbursement-type contract will be awarded for a period of one Base Year plus Options to Extend the Term for up to six additional one-year periodsyears, beginning approximately March 31, 2010.  RFP NIH-NIAID-DMID-FY-2009 will be available electronically on or about April 23, 2009 and may be accessed at http://www.fbo.gov/.  Only electronic copies of the RFP will be available.  All information required for the submission of an offer will be contained in the RFP.  Responses to this RFP will be due approximately July 23, 2009. 

Any responsible offeror may submit a proposal that will be considered by the Government, however, this notice does not commit the Government to the award of a contract.  No collect calls will be accepted.  No facsimile submissions will be accepted.

Inquiries

Direct inquiries and technical issues to:

Nicole Gordon
Contract Specialist
Office of Acquisitions, Division of Extramural Activities, NIAID, NIH, DHHS
6700-B Rockledge Drive, Room 3214, MSC 7612
Bethesda, MD  20892-7612 (Express mail:  Use Zip Code 20817-7612)
Phone 301-402-4925
Fax 301-402-0972
Email gordonn@niaid.nih.gov

Nichele Robinson
Contracting Officer
Office of Acquisitions, Division of Extramural Activities, NIAID, NIH, DHHS
6700-B Rockledge Drive, Room 3214, MSC 7612
Bethesda, MD  20892-7612 (Express mail:  Use Zip Code 20817-7612)
Phone 301-402-2234
Fax 301-402-0972
Email robinsonnc@niaid.nih.gov

Contracting Office Address

Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Division of Extramural Activities
Office of Acquisitions
6700-B Rockledge Drive
Room 3214, MSC 7612
Bethesda, MD  20892-7612

 


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