Heather Kirk February 7, 2023 0 Comments

A research request was recently provided to OS AI from a woman-owned small business provider of administrative, management, and scientific support services looking for details related to a potential FY 2023 competition of this 5-year Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health support contract.  

We at OrangeSlices AI do believe in the need for more and better-informed competition, so provided below are 1) opportunity details provided by the requestor; 2) some key points of contact; 3) related pursuit/capture data; and 4) when possible, projected odds of this contract going back to the incumbent.  

The ask: “We won our first prime contract at NIH in 2022 and we are hoping to expand this year. Any insight into potential partners, win themes and pricing related this [upcoming RFP] out of NIH is appreciated, The focus of this effort is to support the NIH NIAMS requirement “to advance the organization’s mission – to provide IT application development services and support including 1) Day-to-day project and task management, 2) Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Support of NIAMS Database, Applications, and Collaboration Systems and 3) Continuous Iterative Agile Development and Enhancement of Application Infrastructure, Platform and Systems for the success of the NIAMS IT Application Development Program.” 

Competitive Details (if known) related to the predecessor contract: 

  • OS AI Note: This appears to be a recompete of the following contract. Please note this is not confirmed and it is possible that this requirement was changed.  
  • Funding Agency: HHS /NIH NIAMS 
  • Incumbent: Booz Allen Hamilton 
  • Contract Vehicle: This was last competed using GSA FSS as full and open 
  • Of note is that the NAICS codes used during the last competition was 541511   
  • Expected Competition Date: Fiscal Year 2023 – date tbd  
  • OS AI Note: We have been informed that an RFI was recently posted using GSA MAS 
  • Contract Details and Spend to Date for Award ID 75N92018F00253 

** Please note that OS AI will not speculate here as to the accuracy of any scope details provided and/or any current plans related to the timing, details, and likelihood of any recompete.  

Related Data:  

Sample of Key Potential Points of Contact (current or past): 

  • Vinton Grant, Contracts, NIH –  vinton.grant@nih.hhs.gov 
  • Derek Bowks, Contracts, NIH – derek.bowks@nih.gov  
  • La’Tanya Burton, Chief Information Officer, Scientific Information Technology Branch, NIAMS 
  • Darrick Akiyama, Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO), NIAMS 
  • Kaleb Zewdie, Lead Software Engineer, NIAMS with Booz Allen  

What are the odds of the incumbent company winning this contract as a Prime again?  

The OS AI Bot calculates the odds the incumbent wins this contract back is 55% if this is competed full and open. There were two bidders on this the last time it was competed. 

OS AI Notes: Small Business should take note of two things on this one – 1) NIH has a very active small business advocate in Anita Allen, who is charged with reviewing all procurements and pushing for small business set-aside actions. Take advantage of this – If you make her aware of this or any other NIH procurement [provide specific contract details], she can help to influence the direction of an effort and 2) SBA is expected to propose a rule change to the Rule of Two soon that would expand set-aside opportunities and prevent agencies from evading the Rule of Two. This comes on the heels of a Court of Federal Claims decision in 2020 which held that agencies cannot avoid the Rule of Two by deciding on an IDIQ contract awarded to large businesses. This may not come into play here, but it is worth reminding an acquisition official about the COFC ruling as any agency trying to run afoul of the rule of two runs the risk of seeing a challenge that could derail their ability to get a contract in place.  

Looking for an 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone or SDVOSB to partner with at NIH? Click Here 

You can filter the list by several key indicators, to include socio-economic status, NAICS, Contract vehicle, etc.  

If you are a small business with capabilities and socio-economic status that might support this effort, comment below and we will add you to the list. 

Firms drawing the most attention: 

Included below is a list of the large and small companies we have noted as drawing the most views by Government and industry leaders on the OrangeSlices AI consultant directory over the past 90 days and that bring direct past performance and/or related relationships in support of NIH and/or NIAMS.  

** An Elev8 GovCon Honoree, noted for a corporate culture that demonstrates excellence, making the company a beacon for talent, for partners, and for clients.      

We cannot and will not speculate here as to the reasons for the increased interest, but whether it is a company evaluating them as a potential partner; a federal acquisition leader doing their due diligence; or a consultant weighing their next job move, this group of companies has been receiving increased interest. 

Please note that the research requestor for this item received a Premium OS AI Opp Segment report including 1) known details about how/if/when/where this contract will be competed; 2) a list of the top companies that are in position to win today (as well as those who have been making key investments and moves of late to position for a win); and 3) a detailed list of the top potential opportunity influencers any potential bidder will want to get to know.  

About OrangeSlices AI  

Developed by a team of government and industry contracting subject matter experts, the OrangeSlices AI data driven platform is a publicly available searchable listing of the top information technology and consulting services contractors doing business with the Federal government today. Driven by a robust and comprehensive set of authoritative and trusted data sources, the OS.ai tool is intended to help government and industry leaders find the right partner to help deliver on the important missions of the Federal government. Learn more about how you can engage with OS AI here.   

 

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