Synthesis and Distribution of Drugs of Abuse and Related Compounds
Updated
Sources Sought from the National Institutes of Health. Due Nov 20, 2026, 1:00 PM (UTC-5), 21 days left.
| Solicitation number | 75N98027R00006SB |
|---|---|
| Agency | National Institutes of Health |
| Office | National Institutes of Health Nida |
| Notice type | Sources Sought |
| Set-aside | Small business |
| Trade (NAICS) | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715) |
| Product or service code | AN11 |
| Posted | Oct 29, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Nov 20, 2026, 1:00 PM (UTC-5) (21 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Description
This is a SMALL BUSINESS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal of abstracts or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses (e.g., 8(a), Veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and women-owned small businesses); (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition; and (4) whether commercials sources and services are available in the marketplace.
Your response to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code 541715 should not submit a response to this notice. This notice is issued to help determine the appropriate acquisition method including small business socioeconomic set aside possibilities and to determine the availability of commercial or non-commercial companies technically capable of meeting the Government's potential requirement.
It is not construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice.
The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Furthermore, it should be noted that any future solicitations that may be issued as a result of this notice, or in response to this requirement, may be issued using a different solicitation number from the one identified above.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences (DTMC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking Capability Statements from Small Business organizations with the demonstrated capability of providing service to support NIDA DTMC with the synthesis and distribution of drugs of abuse and related compounds. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is seeking capability statements from small businesses with the capability to synthesize and distribute drugs of abuse and related compounds.
The NIDA Drug Supply Program has played an important role in promoting and supporting the substance use research by providing a wide variety of authentic, pure, controlled and uncontrolled drugs and other chemical compounds (both unlabeled and labeled with deuterium, tritium, carbon -14, and iodine-125 isotopes) to the drug abuse research community for basic research. To continue to supply authentic and pure drugs and research chemicals, NIDA maintains the drug supply inventory, periodically check chemical purity and supply to research investigators according to the NIDA drug supply guidelines.
Specifically, NIDA plans to continue to: (1) produce, acquire, synthesize and maintain several radio and deuterium labeled and unlabeled drugs of abuse and other chemical substances in its drug supply inventory and distribute them to research investigators upon approval; (2) analyze, test, establish, and maintain the purity of drugs of abuse, and other chemical compounds in the NIDA drug supply inventory and produce updated chemical data sheets; (3) to replenish existing drug supply inventory with depleted drugs and research compounds with the synthesis or acquisition of depleted drug/chemical substances routinely; (4) to identify, acquire, and update the drug supply inventory with newly discovered chemical compounds useful for drug abuse research; (5) to use, maintain, and update the NIDA drug supply data base, known as Drug Inventory Supply Control System (DISCS); and (6) accept and process request packages from researchers; (7) Provide secure storage for all compounds and safe shipment of approved drugs/compounds to research investigators.
Capable vendors must demonstrate the capability to receive the current inventory of hundreds of DEA controlled and uncontrolled drugs, other chemical compounds including peptides (opioid and related neuropeptides) in several kilogram quantities for immediate storage. Many of these compounds will require refrigeration. Some substances are in solution form and therefore require appropriate and secure storage to meet DEA requirements.
Chemical compounds to be synthesized shall include new drugs, drug metabolites and other compounds as directed by NIDA. Specific compounds may include but not be limited to unlabeled compounds as well as compounds labeled with tritium, 125I, 14C, and deuterium and 13C. Representative classes of compounds shall include cannabinoids, hallucinogens, narcotics and antagonists, stimulants, depressants, peptides (opioid and related neuropeptides).
All chemical compounds must be stored under optimum shelf?life conditions and their purity maintained at not less than 95%. Re-purification must be carried out if chemical or radiochemical deterioration occurs. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: To handle controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, it is mandatory that the successful capable vendors possess a DEA Research Registration for Schedules II to V and demonstrate the capability to obtain a DEA registration for Schedule I controlled substances.
INSTRUCTIONS: Based on preliminary market research, the Government has determined that the requirements described herein do not meet the definition of a commercial product or commercial service as defined in RFO 2.101, and therefore, RFO Part 12 procedures are not applicable to this requirement. However, if a capable vendor believes that these services or products qualify as commercial under FAR 2.101, the vendor may submit a written justification for the
The description continues in the official notice.
Contracting contact
- Shaun Rostad · [email protected]
- Joshua T. Lazarus · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 541715, a business counts as small if it has no more than 11 employees (SBA size standard, with exceptions in the notes). This notice is set aside, so only businesses under that size, or in the named program, can bid. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences work, who also hold NIH contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc $791.0 million in this trade
- Leidos Biomedical Research Inc $776.3 million in this trade
- Deloitte Consulting LLP $372.4 million in this trade
- Battelle Memorial Institute $147.4 million in this trade
- Westat, Inc. $88.7 million in this trade
About the buyer
The National Institutes of Health awarded $5.8 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were Leidos Biomedical Research Inc, M. A. Mortenson Company and Deloitte Consulting LLP. See what NIH is buying now.
Who can bid: Small Business set-aside
Total and partial small business set-asides are open to any business under the SBA size standard for the notice's NAICS code.
All open Small Business set-asides.
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences contracts right now
There are 278 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 541715), 49 posted in the last 7 days; 32% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Most of the work with a stated place is in Maryland, District of Columbia and New Mexico. A notice in this trade gives a median of 56 days from posting to deadline; this one gives 22 days.
All open research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences contracts
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Planned contracts from the agencies' procurement forecasts, often months before a solicitation. Plans can change.
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From the award notices agencies publish.