A post-holiday catchup on health award activity

National Institutes of Health

NIH's organization responsible for investing in breakthrough technologies and solutions with the potential for transforming medicine and health will turn two years old in March.

In conjunction with that mission, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is also looking to the industrial base for support in its operational and business functions.

ARPA-H awarded a five-year, $500 million contract vehicle on Dec. 22 for broad advisory and assistance services to these five companies: Amentum, Booz Allen Hamilton, ECS Federal, Noblis and Strategic Analysis.

The Strategic Technical ARPA-H Talent Support contract's key focus areas also include the agency's financial, acquisition, administrative and legislative affairs functions. The STATS contract also has requirements for rapid surge support across multiple, concurrent task orders.

U.S. Agency for International Development

Seven companies won seats on a 10-year, $2.2 billion contract vehicle to work with USAID's global health office on carrying out capacity building efforts at the local and national levels.

USAID calls this contract the Comprehensive Technical Assistance for Health Supply Chain and Pharmaceutical Management IDIQ program, or Comprehensive TA in the shorthand.

Comprehensive TA's awardee group comprises of Bixal Solutions, Chemonics, Development Alternatives, Guidehouse, JSI Research and Training Institute, Management Sciences for Health, and Panagora Group. USAID received 11 proposals in total and made the awards on Dec. 20.

The contract is part of USAID's broader NextGen effort to help partner countries strengthen supply chain systems and pharmaceutical services at the local level. The goal is to ensure that citizens have reliable access to health commodities.

USAID, Take 2

USAID chose an initial group of seven companies at the end of October for a seven-year, $800 million contract vehicle covering broad professional services in Mexico and Central America.

This second group of eight companies received their selections approximately two weeks later: Banyan Global, Democracy International, Environmental Incentives, International Business Initiatives, Jefferson Consulting Group, Linc, Making Cents Consulting, Panagora Group and Sibley International.

Round one of awards saw 13 companies submit proposals and the second round involved 18 bids, so it is little surprise that two firms protested their exclusion from the overall awardee group.

The Government Accountability Office dismissed both challenges in late December and Nathan Associates got what all protestors want: a re-evaluation of its bid and an award. USAID finalized the award to Nathan Associates on Dec. 27.

IOS Partners also protested, but has not achieved the same outcome as of this story's publication.