This contract action is for the acquisition of services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority and procedures of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 13.106-1(b).  The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Office of Acquisitions (OA) intends to award a single source purchase order to Duke University, 2200 W. Main St., Durham, North Carolina to develop a time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy (TR-cryo-EM) pipeline to visualize all stages of HIV-1 membrane fusion at near-atomic resolution specifically designed to visualize novel conformations of the HIV fusion machinery that have been missed by more traditional strategies and present novel avenues to design therapeutics.

It has been determined that Duke University is the only source that can meet the requirement, as they have the specialized personnel and equipment necessary to perform the work.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541715 “Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology).” Its associated Small Business Size Standard is 1,000 employees.

NIEHS will solicit and negotiate directly with the Duke University and no solicitation will be issued.  This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals or quotations; however, if an interested party believes they can meet the above requirement, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement which shall be considered by the agency.  The statement must be submitted in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the Government to determine if the party can perform the requirement.  Respondents must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov.  A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.  All interested parties must express their interest or quotation in writing via email to [email protected] by 3:00 pm Eastern time Friday, July 30, 2021.  No faxed documents will be accepted.  If no responsive statements are received within the stated time, an award will be made to Duke University.