The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking proposals for a $40 billion, 15-year IT contract – including health, biomedical, and general services – as it integrates its medical systems with the agency’s broader IT infrastructure.
“Medical systems are increasingly integrated within a broader IT architecture, requiring a systems approach to their implementation and a sound infrastructure for their operation,” NIH explained in a March 27 draft request for proposals (RFP).
The CIO-Solutions and Partners (CIO-SP4) opportunity is a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity governmentwide acquisition contract with a five-year optional period, totaling a 15-year period of performance managed by the NIH Acquisition and Assessment Center (NIHAAC).
“The focus of this contract is to provide to government agencies a mechanism for quick ordering of needed IT solutions and services at equitable and reasonable prices, to give qualified small businesses a greater opportunity to participate in these requirements, and as a result, give government agencies a mechanism to help meet their socio-economic contracting goals,” the proposal states.
Any qualified government contracting officer will be able to grant multi-year task orders with options under CIO-SP4. Contractors not awarded task orders have a “minimum guarantee” of $250.
NIH is soliciting feedback on its draft RFP through May 15. The final version – when vendors can begin to submit their proposals – isn’t expected until the end of the calendar year. Proposals will likely be due in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2021.