NIH to open bidding on major IT contracts

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The National Institutes of Health plans to open bidding July 3 for two major

information technology projects run by the NIH's Information Technology

Acquisition and Assessment Center.

Chief Information Officer Solutions and Partners 2, a $10 billion program,

and Image World, a $15 billion program, are expected to attract hundreds

of bidders, according to Elmer Sembly, outreach manager for the CIO-SP 2

contract.

"We have created a recompete structure that will make it easy for both large

and small businesses to participate as a prime contractor," Sembly said.

Bidding will close on Aug. 3, and NITAAC is expected to make final awards

for the project in August.

"The end of August is our target," Sembly said. "There will be an aggressive

evaluation."

Four years ago, NIH jumped into the government procurement business and

began to offer a wide range of contracts to government agencies in a move

that many said increased competition and helped government agencies get

the biggest bang for their buck.