Modification to Extend Services for Scientific, Operations and Administrative Resources (SOAR) Contract Program

SOL #: OLAO-SSD-SOAR-NOIPre-Solicitation

Overview

Buyer

Health And Human Services

National Institutes Of Health

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIDA

Bethesda, MD, 20892, United States

Place of Performance

Bethesda, MD

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

PSC

Other Professional Services (R499)

Set Aside

No set aside specified

Original Source

https://sam.gov/opp/1cc85de296814d4094fa5561d20f3901/view

Timeline

Posted

Feb 18, 2026

Last Updated

Feb 24, 2026

Response Deadline

Mar 5, 2026, 10:00 PM

Qualification Details

Fit reasons

NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.

Risks

Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.

Next steps

Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.

Quick Summary

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a presolicitation notice for a non-competitive modification to extend services under the existing Scientific, Operations and Administrative Resources (SOAR) Contract Program. This action aims to ensure continuity of critical scientific professional services while NIH finalizes its strategy for a competitive follow-on acquisition. Responses from interested parties are due by March 5, 2027.

Scope of Work

The SOAR program provides specialized scientific professional services and highly specialized staff (e.g., Bioinformatics Scientists, Statisticians, Molecular Biologists) to support NIH's biomedical research mission across all 29 NIH organizations, including ARPA-H. The extension is necessary to maintain operations and prevent disruption to ongoing research, patient diagnostics, and treatments during the transition to new procurement mechanisms.

Contract & Timeline

Type: Presolicitation for non-competitive modifications to extend existing Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts.
Current IDIQ Holders: Axle Informatics LLC, GAP Solutions, Inc., Kelly Services, Inc., Guidehouse Digital LLC, and 22nd Century Technologies, Inc.
Combined Maximum Value: $3,600,713,546 (remains unchanged).
Extension Details:
- Basic ordering period extended by 12 months (June 22, 2026 – June 21, 2027).
- Two optional 6-month ordering period extensions (June 22, 2027 – December 21, 2027; December 22, 2027 – June 21, 2028).
- Task orders may extend up to 36 months past the extended IDIQ ordering period.
Projected Award: April 2026.
Response Due: March 5, 2027, 5:00 PM EST.
Published: February 24, 2026.

Rationale for Non-Competitive Action

The extension is justified under FAR 6.103-1 (Only one responsible source) due to the unique and highly specialized nature of the services and the critical need for continuity. The current contract holders are uniquely qualified to provide these services without disruption, and transitioning to new vendors for an interim period would be inefficient, costly, and jeopardize ongoing research. This extension provides the minimum time needed for HHS and NIH to finalize their competitive follow-on strategy.

Action Items

This is not a request for competitive proposals. However, interested parties may submit a capability statement to demonstrate their ability to fulfill the requirement. Submissions must include unit price, list price, shipping/handling, delivery period, prompt payment terms, F.O.B. Point, DUNS, UEIN, and business size certification. Active SAM.gov registration is required.