NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND COORDINATION SUPPORT TO THE INTEGRATED CONSORTIUM OF LABORATORY NETWORKS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), hereby announces its intent to issue a sole source, contract award to Association of Public Health Laboratories, Inc. (APHL), 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1000, Bethesda, MD 20814. OPO contemplates a fixed price contract with a one-year base period plus four (4) one-year option periods. 

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

DHS’ Office of Health Security (OHS), Health, Food, and Agriculture Resilience Directorate (HFARD) requires technical and coordination support to strengthen the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN), a partnership of federally supported analytical laboratory networks providing capabilities across chemical, biological, radiological, and other threats to humans, animals, food, and the environment. Under the contemplated contract, APHL will engage state, local, and territorial public health laboratories in ICLN exercises, technical working groups, response planning, and incident coordination, and facilitate information sharing and communication between ICLN leadership, federal partners, and public health laboratories. 

A contract action is contemplated on a sole source basis under the authority of Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) 6.103-1, Only One Responsible Source, and 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1). Based on market research and program needs, APHL has been identified as the only responsible source capable of meeting DHS’s requirements for this effort because APHL is the only national organization that specifically represents governmental public health laboratories (state, local, and territorial) that perform testing of public health significance. These laboratories are central to national public health laboratory response and are key non-federal partners for ICLN member networks. Additionally, APHL maintains long-standing operational relationships with governmental public health laboratories nationwide, including established incident management structures, committees, advisory groups, and communication platforms specifically tailored to public health laboratory operations. Further, APHL currently serves as a coordinating center for laboratory response during public health emergencies, providing incident management, subject matter expertise, and communications support to public health laboratories and federal partners.

Other national associations (e.g., those representing state or local health officials more broadly) do not have the same direct membership, governance structures, and technical focus on public health laboratory operations that are essential to this requirement. The core of this requirement is the ability to directly leverage APHL’s unique membership, governance, and coordination mechanisms to engage public health laboratories in ICLN activities—capabilities that are not reasonably available from any other source.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Interested parties who believe they possess the capabilities to satisfy this requirement may submit a capability statement demonstrating their abilities to meet this requirement.  Responses to the information requested below are to be emailed to Evelyn Dean, evelyn.dean@hq.dhs.gov and must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 7, 2026.  No telephone calls will be accepted.  Please respond with your:

• Organization name
• Organization type (e.g., business, university, etc.)
• Socio-economic status (e.g., Veteran-Owned, Woman-Owned, Disadvantaged Small Business, 8(a), etc.)
• Point-of-contact (including name, telephone number & email address)
• SAM UEI number
• Capability statement
• If applicable, number(s) for your exsiting contract(s) (e.g., GSA MAS, GWAC, etc.) which could be leveraged for these services

DISCLAIMERS

This Notice of Intent to Sole Source does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this notice that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly in accordance with Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) subsection 15.101(c). Responses to this notice are not offers/proposals and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses incurred associated with responding to this RFI.  DHS assumes no responsibility for any costs incurred associated with the preparation of responses submitted as a result of this notice.

This Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source is for planning purposes ONLY. The results of this notice will assist in the development of (1) the requirement, and (2) the acquisition strategy (e.g., small business set-aside, full and open competition, etc.). The determination of whether to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.