The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Office of Acquisitions (OA) intends to award a purchase order without providing for full and open competition to Optimal Systems of Rockville, MD. This procurement is for a continuation of services of the current Medical Image Analysis Scientist for the Biomedical and Metabolic Imaging Branch.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code
The intended procurement is classified under NAICS code 541690 with a Size Standard of $19 million.
Regulatory Authority
The resultant contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2025-06 effective October 1, 2025.
This acquisition is conducted under the procedures as prescribed in FAR Subpart 13.106-1(b).
Statutory Authority
This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 1901 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures.
Period of Performance: February 2, 2026, through February 1, 2027
Place of Performance: NIH Main Campus – 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20892
This will be a Firm Fixed Price Order
Objective:
Much of the work carried out in the Biomedical and Metabolic Imaging Branch focuses on developing noninvasive imaging approaches with high spatial (micro-millimeter) and temporal (milliseconds) resolution that allow multi-organ evaluation and analysis to better understand the interplay between atherogenesis and metabolic syndrome in humans. This is being achieved through new chemical spectroscopic techniques of involved organs (e.g. liver, heart and muscles) and improved imaging methodologies such as the development of free breathing methods (important for kids and adolescents) and high contrast techniques without the use of contrast agents. The Biomedical and Metabolic Imaging Branch has championed the creation of a multidisciplinary team of imaging physicists, spectroscopists, and biologists.
In order to accomplish the goals of this program, The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Biomedical and Metabolic Imaging Branch has a requirement to obtain services of a scientist with extensive expertise in biomedical imaging and medical image analysis with demonstrated understanding of, and ability to apply principles, concepts, practices and standards associated with biomedical imaging and medical image analysis. The scientist must demonstrate experience and understanding of techniques directly applicable to the Biomedical and Metabolic Imaging Branch research (medical imaging, image processing, machine learning, etc.) and must be self-motivated and driven to achieve milestones and exceed goals with minimal direction. Furthermore, they must possess a PhD with 20+ years of demonstrated expertise in biomedical imaging and medical image analysis research.
Closing Statement
The current Optimal Systems contractor has extensive required identical expertise in biomedical imaging and medical image analysis and is vital to the study of developing novel medical imaging technologies for the early diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of several chronic diseases related to metabolic disorders and obesity. This is an ongoing project, with several ongoing designing and developing of novel biomedical imaging and image analysis techniques. All of these designing and developing processes are highly complex in nature and require great attention to technical details. The Optimal Systems contractor is currently conducting all of these techniques that require specific knowledge of the history of the development of each technique and the thought process that led to each conclusion. Thus, these unique capabilities can’t be easily replicated in other vendors. Thus, changing personnel will introduce a variable that could compromise the integrity of our ongoing design and developing processes.
This is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this notice. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement.
The offeror/response must include a completed copy of the provision of FAR Clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services.
Applicable Clauses: 52.203-11 Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions
52.203-18 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements—Representation
52.204-7 System for Award Management—Registration
52.240-90 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions—Representations and Certifications
52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights
52.203-19
52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel
52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations
52.212-4 Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial Services
52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns
52.222-3 Convict Labor
52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities
52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons
52.223-23 Sustainable Products and Services
52.226-8 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving
52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management
52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors
52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim
52.233-3 Protest after Award
52.240-91 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions
52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commercial Products and Commercial Services
The offeror must include their Unique Entity ID (UEI), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. Quotations/Responses must be received by January 29, 2026, before 10:00am eastern daylight time via email to robinsti@mail.nih.gov. Attn: Tina Robinson. The quotation must reference “notice number 75N94026Q00036. All responsible sources may submit a quotation, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. Any questions must be sent via email to robinsti@mail.nih.gov and must include notice# 75N94026Q00036 in the subject line of email.
“System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in this solicitation. Contracting officers will rely on representations from offerors based on provisions in the solicitation. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.”
In order to receive an award, contractor must be registered as all awards and have valid certification in the System for Award Management (SAM) @ www.Sam.gov. Lack of valid registration in SAM will make an offeror ineligible for award. FAR Clause: An Offeror is required to be registered in SAM when submitting an offer or quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation.
