NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE - SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SAFETY TEAM (NCST) INVESTIGATION OF THE CHAMPLAIN TOWERS SOUTH PARTIAL COLLAPSE

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE
Support Services for the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Investigation of the Champlain Towers South Partial Collapse

Announcement Type: Special Notice
Announcement Number: NIST-NOI-26-7300449
PSC Code: R425
Subject: Support Services for NCST Investigation of the Champlain Towers South Partial Collapse
 

Introduction
This is a notice of intent, not a request for a quotation. A solicitation document will not be issued and quotations will not be requested.

Purpose
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with the J.R. Harris and Company (UEI: UWZZB1REPTX6) located at 1775 Sherman Street, Suite 2000, Denver, CO 80203. The purchase order will be for support services pertaining to the National Construction Safety Team Act investigation of the Champlain Towers South (CTS) Building partial collapse in Surfside, Florida. The purchase order will be for a base period from date of award through September 30, 2027 with an option for an additional task which would extend the award through September 30, 2028.  

Authority
This acquisition is being conducted in accordance with FAR Part 12 procedures under the authority 41 USC 1901 allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541330 – Engineering Services with a size standard of $25.5 Million.

Background and Description
The National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act (“Act”), Pub. L. 107-231, codified at 15 U.S.C. 7301 et seq., was enacted to provide for the establishment of investigative teams (“Teams”) to assess building performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures in the wake of any building failure that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential for substantial loss of life. The purpose of investigations by Teams is to improve the safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United States. As stated in the statute, a Team shall (1) establish the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure; (2) evaluate the technical aspects of evacuation and emergency response procedures; (3) recommend, as necessary, specific improvements to building standards, codes, and practices based on the findings made pursuant to (1) and (2); and (4) recommend any research and other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings, and improve evacuation and emergency response procedures, based on the findings of the investigation. In addition, the NIST has promulgated regulations implementing the Act. The regulations are found at 15 CFR part 270.

NIST sent a preliminary reconnaissance team to collect information and data related to the collapse of the CTS Condominium in Surfside, FL that occurred on June 24, 2021. Based on the recommendations of the preliminary reconnaissance team and evaluation of the criteria listed in the regulations implementing the Act, specifically in 15 CFR § 270.102, on June 30, 2021, the Director of the NIST, United States Department of Commerce, established a Team to study the collapse of the CTS Condominium in Surfside, FL. The Team may include members who are Federal employees and members who are not Federal employees. Team members who are Federal employees are governed by the Federal conflict of interest laws. Team members who are not Federal employees will be Federal government contractors.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) NIST has a requirement for co-leader support services for the Building History project of the NCST investigation into the collapse of the CTS building that occurred in Surfside, Florida. NIST requires contractor support for analysis and report writing for the investigation. The contractor shall support the NCST Team in assessing building history and structural engineering features, as well as the interaction(s) between these features, of the CTS building by providing technical input and leadership support in understanding the building’s design, construction, permitting, code adherence, site conditions, and renovations and maintenance.
 

Sole Source Determination
The sole source determination is based on the following:
 

J.R. Harris and Company is uniquely qualified to provide the required NCST investigation support services because, under the National Construction Safety Team Act (Public Law 107-231, codified at 15 U.S.C. 7301 et. seq.), the NCST Investigation Team is required to be composed of individuals selected/appointed by the NIST Director and led by an individual appointed by the NIST Director.  The NIST Director has appointed Dr. James Harris as a member of the Team, and specifically as the co-leader for the building history project in the investigation. Dr. Harris owns and operates J.R. Harris and Company and is only able to work via contractual arrangement with this company. Therefore, J.R. Harris and Company is the only capable source which can provide access to the Director's named Team Member, Dr. Harris.
 

Information for Interested Parties
Interested parties that believe they could satisfy the requirements listed above for NIST may clearly and unambiguously identify their capability to do so in writing by or before the response date for this notice. This notice of intent is not a solicitation.

Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Ms. Lauren Roller, Contract Specialist, at Lauren.Roller@nist.gov. All responses to this notice of intent must be submitted via email to Lauren.Roller@nist.gov so that they are received no later than January 26, 2026 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.

Each response should include the following Business Information:

1. Contractor Name, Address,
2. Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and Email address
3. Contractor DUNS
4. Contractor Business Classification (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, hubZone, veteran owned, etc.) as validated in System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must register in the SAM located at http://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1
5. Capability Statement