Notice of Intent - Global Insurance Advisory

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE – Global Insurance Advisory (GIA) Support Services: Solicitation 86615526R00007 THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE AND NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION OR PROPOSAL. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE AVAILABLE FOR THIS ACTION. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO), intends to negotiate and award a hybrid Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) and Labor Hour (LH) sole-source contract to Milliman Inc, located at 17335 Golf Parkway, Suite 100, Brookfield, WI 53045. This acquisition is being conducted using the policies and procedures of Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Part 12 “Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services,” and RFO Part 15 “Contracting by Negotiation,” supplemented by the Housing and Urban Development Acquisition Regulations (HUDAR). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 524298, All other Insurance Related Activities, with a small business size standard of $30.5 million. Background and General Description of Work: HUD’s Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) has a requirement for a sole source award to Milliman Inc, to support Ginnie Mae’s engagement in international regulation governing the holdings of Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS). Unique Characteristics of the Requirement: Due to the unique and specialized nature of the required support services, and only one responsible source is reasonably capable of performing this requirement. Global Insurance Advisory support services are essential to Ginnie Mae’s on-going work of understanding the evolving environment of international insurance regulation. The contractor will possess extensive experience in MBS market structures, securitization practices, and advisory services, including providing expert guidance on regulatory frameworks governing mortgage-backed securities, policy interpretation, risk assessments, timely analyses, actionable recommendations, and the ability to model potential impacts of regulatory changes on investor appetite, liquidity, and movement of global fixed-income capital. The contractor must possess expert understanding of insurance fund portfolios, including deep understanding of insurance fund structures, investment products commonly held in insurance portfolios—including fixed-income, equities, and structured products—and the demonstrated ability to deliver timely and rigorous analyses and recommendations which connects changes in the European insurance regulatory environment on the fund portfolios. Based on the totality of the market research the Government has determined that Milliman Inc, is the only firm currently capable of performing the required support services for this requirement. This conclusion is supported by the market research record and is consistent with RFO Subpart 10.001, “Market Research Requirements”. General Information and Instructions: This is NOT a solicitation for quotations, quotation abstracts, a request for competitive quotations; or request for competitive proposals. However, all responses received within 3 days from the date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. Any responses to this notice must clearly and thoroughly support any claims or assertions intended to refute the Government’s position. The determination of whether to compete this proposed action based on responses to this notice is solely within the Government’s discretion. Responses will be considered for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement; however, the information must eliminate the government's concerns and address how the required support services can be provided without jeopardizing the requirement. Submission of a brochure or capability statement alone will not alleviate or eliminate the government's concerns. Responses must specifically address: (1) exactly how the offeror’s services can be provided without jeopardizing the Government’s mission; (2) how the offeror’s approach overcomes the barrier to competition identified by the Government; and (3) how the offeror’s approach is more advantageous to the Government than the proposed sole source approach. If no affirmative responses are received within 3 days of this notice, a contract will be issued to Milliman Inc. Any questions regarding this notice must be submitted in writing via email to Kimberly.M.Campbell@hud.gov and Melissa.A.Corum@hud.gov.