B524--Intent to Sole Source - Best Approximating Models (BAM) Caus VHA Office of Academic Affiliations
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
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 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), specifically the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), has issued an Intent to Sole Source for Best Approximating Models (BAM) Causal Modeling. This notice indicates the intent to award a firm-fixed-price contract to Professor Steven Henley of Martingale Research Corporation for specialized statistical analysis. Responses regarding this sole source intent are due March 16, 2026.
Scope of Work
The requirement is to compute Best Approximating Models (BAM) estimates of causal associations between health professions trainees and clinical workload in VA teaching settings. This analysis is crucial for OAA to determine VA's performance in its education mission. Key tasks include:
- Specifying, estimating, and assessing the statistical performance of four models.
- Estimating physician residents/fellows' contributed outpatient care workload by program specialty.
- Utilizing de-identified VA CDW files.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Intent to Sole Source (leading to a Firm-Fixed-Price contract)
- Authority: FAR 6.302-1 (Sole Source)
- Period of Performance: One base year, not to exceed 12 months following award.
- Response Due: March 16, 2026, 10:00 AM ET
- Published: February 26, 2026
- Solicitation Number: 36C24526Q0323
Evaluation
The Government anticipates the solicitation response and Independent Cost Estimate to be comparable with the follow-on contract to justify fair and reasonable pricing. The sole source justification cites Professor Steven Henley's unique qualifications, data, analytic skills, and developed software as evidenced by a substantial peer-reviewed publication record and NIH SBIR award.
Additional Notes
The contracting office is the VA Maryland Health Care System, Perry Point MD. The point of contact for additional information is Robert O'Keefe Jr. at robert.okeefejr@va.gov.