Overview
The National Institutes of Health Electronic Commodity Store (NIH/ECS3) contract is a Government-Wide Acquisition Vehicle (GWAC) for indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) of thousands of commercial IT products and services. This contract is known among government buyers for its flexible terms, wide range of use and huge product lists. Commodity categories include:
- Desktops
- Servers
- Laptop computers
- Peripheral equipment
- Networking and telecommunications products
The contract includes maintenance, warranty, installation and other IT services, as well as terms for leasing.
Using the NIH Electronic Computer Store III
There is a .5% processing fee cited as a separate, firm fixed price line item on the first page of the order. If the order is cancelled before the work commences by Force 3, the NIH processing fee will not be charged. The NIH processing fee is not refundable. If the scope and price are reduced, the processing fee will not be reduced. Delivery order modifications resulting in additional monetary obligations are assessed the NIH .5% processing fee. The subtotal of the order for the number of items purchased, NIH .5% processing fee and grand total for the order must appear as separate lines and both have to appear on the first page of the order. The customer’s Accountable Management Official (AMO) or appropriate authorized representative must sign the order. A copy of the delivery order must be sent to the ECS III Financial Team at the National Institute of Health, 6011 Executive Blvd, Room 641G, Rockville, Maryland, 20892.
Completing the Standard Form 279
For information on Contract Vehicles, teaming agreements and past performance, contact the Force 3 Contracts Department.
Fair Opportunity
FAR 16.505(b)(1) provides that each contractor shall be given a fair opportunity to be considered for each order exceeding $3,000 issued under multiple Delivery Order contracts. The FAR states that the method to obtain fair opportunity is at the discretion of the CO and that the CO must document the rationale for placement and price of each order. The SEWP online Class Search/RFQ tool is provided to assist in this activity and to augment the required decision documentation required by FAR 16.505(b). The search capability will provide a summary comparison of the requirements based on part numbers. The SEWP RFQ tool will automatically include the vendors within a selected class in the RFQ/search process. The RFQ tool will e-mail an RFQ to the vendors with various options for a reply. Please bear in mind that fair opportunity is only required within a specific class, and not across all classes.
FORCE 3 CONTACT:
Cheryl Hill, GWAC Program Manager
chill@force3.com
Edwina Wright, Contracts Manager
contracts@force3.com
CONTRACTING OFFICER:
Christopher E. Cunningham, MBA
Contracting Officer – ECS III
6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 501
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301) 496-6529
Christopher.Cunningham2@nih.gov
https://nitaac.nih.gov/nitaac/
