SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility – (Reykjavik Study) Continuation
- Notice Date
- 12/20/2011
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Mental Health, Contracts Management Branch, 6001 Executive Blvd, Rm 8154, MSC 9661, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-9661
- ZIP Code
- 20892-9661
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA(AG)-RFP-12-166
- Archive Date
- 1/19/2012
- Point of Contact
- Diane Loeb, Phone: 301-443-8886, Yvette Brown, Phone: 301 443-2696
- E-Mail Address
-
dloeb@nida.nih.gov, Yvette.Brown@nih.gov
(dloeb@nida.nih.gov, Yvette.Brown@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), intends to negotiate, under authority of FAR 6.302-1, on a noncompetitive, sole source basis, with the Icelandic Heart Association for the project entitled, "Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility - Reykjavik Study (AGES - Reykjavik) Continuation. " This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, responsible sources may express their interest by submitting a capability statement or proposal. All capability statement/proposals received within fifteen days after date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This effort will be for a one (1) year base period and three (3) one year option periods. The "Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility - Reykjavik Study (AGES - Reykjavik) Continuation" is in accordance with the authority 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), as set forth in FAR 6.302-1(a)(2). The Contractor must use the data management system that was developed for AGES-Reykjavik Study. The Contractor must access participants enrolled in the AGES-Reykjavik Study and have access to previously used equipment to maintain continuity in any measures that might be done as part of ancillary studies. The Contractor shall maintain study-wide policies and procedures relevant to data usage and scientific productivity of the study. It is essential the Contractor provides optimal performance of services so there will be no discontinuity in work performance and that smooth continuation of the AGES-Reykjavik Study be maintained. The proposed Contractor is thus uniquely qualified, alone possessing all the elements critical for performing the tasks detailed in the Statement of Work, including access to participants enrolled in the previous study and availability of the required resources for study. Further, all critical study components have been developed, implemented, field-tested, and refined by the proposed Contractor in collaboration with the NIA over the course of the previous study. No other Contractor could provide a comparable service in a timely and cost-efficient manner. In addition, successful follow-up with participants requires continued and regular contact that has been established and maintained by the proposed Contractor. It is essential for optimal performance of this contract that there be no disruption in work performance and that smooth continuation of the project be maintained as can be provided by the incumbent, IHA. If another Contractor were to be awarded the proposed contract, it would seriously compromise the infrastructure, integrity and scientific productivity of the project; such as loss of scientific leadership and staff with intimate operational knowledge of the study and duplication of costs associated with purchasing a new data management system, ability to contact study participants and access the medical and death records of participants. The IHA has the unique capability to provide the required services to NIA for the AGES-Reykjavik Continuation. In summary, the requirement must: (1) be performed in Iceland and use the original Icelandic Study Participants for the purpose of maintaining participant cooperation and study follow-up success; and, (2) utilize the IHA developed the data management system. The transfer of the data management system to another Contractor (other than incumbent) would be disruptive to the project requiring start up time to become familiar with over ten years of invaluable and irreplaceable data, cause unacceptable delays to the project and require duplication of cost to purchase and develop a system. Inherent risk of loss of decades of data collection, unacceptable delays, and duplication of costs to the Government in completing the project make competition unfeasible for this study. Background and Aims: The Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry (LEDB), an intramural research laboratory of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), will support through a research contract, a clinical research project, the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility -Reykjavik Study (AGES-Reykjavik) Continuation. The purpose of this study is continued analysis and scientific exploration of the AGES-Reykjavik cohort by means of data analysis, hospital, nursing home, and death records abstraction, and ancillary projects. The primary aims of the requirement are: AIM 1: Perform core study functions, consisting of study management and communication, ongoing outcomes ascertainment from medical and death records, maintenance of and access to biological specimen and image repositories, and data management, to allow for continued analysis of the AGES-Reykjavik Study data. AIM 2: Perform genomic analysis on traits collected in previous contracts for the AGES-Reykjavik Study. AIM 3: Initiate and conduct ancillary studies in the AGES-Reykjavik Study cohort or in its offspring. The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study was initiated in 2001 by the Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry of the NIA's Intramural Research Program to examine genetic susceptibility and gene/environment interaction as these contribute to traits and phenotypes common in old age. As the effects of aging are multi-system, AGES-Reykjavik included four related biologic systems: neurocognitive (cognition, dementia, depression, neurosensory (vision, hearing, balance); cardiovascular (atherosclerosis, arterial distensibility, ventricular and valvular disease); musculoskeletal (spine and hip osteoporosis, hip osteoarthritis, strength and function); and body composition and metabolism (obesity, sarcopenia, and hyperglycemia/diabetes). These biologic systems were chosen based on the hypothesis that genes in pathways, such as inflammation or glucose metabolism, could contribute to phenotypes both within and across these systems. The AGES-Reykjavik Study participants were recruited from survivors of the Reykjavik Study, a longitudinal cohort study of men and women born in 1907 through 1934 in Iceland who were examined at least once and up to six times for cardiovascular risk by the Icelandic Heart Association (IHA). This nested design allows for better assessment of traits because earlier life traits generally are associated with greater heritability and are less likely to be affected by concurrent illnesses in old age. A cost-sharing research contract between the NIA and the IHA started in 2001 to carry-out the first "old-age" clinic and home exams of the Reykjavik Study survivors. This baseline exam was conducted in 5,764 participants. Through the same contract, a second, follow-up clinic examination began in 2007 and 3,200 of the AGES-Reykjavik participants were examined. Through the course of the AGES-Reykjavik Study, information on outcomes and disease status has been supplemented by matching hospital, nursing home, and mortality records to the cohort. Numerous ancillary studies, through grants and additional NIH or IHA funding, have been conducted to take advantage of the opportunity of the extensive clinical information available on this cohort. The study will be performed as a follow-up contract to the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility - Reykjavik Study. The major focus of this new contract will be to continue to accumulate and share endpoints extracted from external databases; to maintain the biobank and image repositories; to continue analysis of genetic and epidemiologic data collected in the study; to continue the scientific work of this study by conducting studies of genetic transmission of selected phenotypes in offspring of AGES-Reykjavik Study participants; and to participate in state-of-the-art work on biomarkers. The Contractor will provide the scientific infrastructure to maintain repositories of data, biospecimens, and images acquired throughout the AGES-Reykjavik Study and in any ancillary studies, to maintain health and vital status records, to provide data, biospecimens, or other materials that may be requested for collaborator research approved by the AGES-Reykjavik Study Executive Committee. The Contractor will also provide resources to carry out two ancillary studies that are anticipated under this Contract: one dealing with family structure and genetic transmission focused on the brain and the other a study of proteomics or metabolomics. The Contractor is expected to provide input into the content and feasibility of all aspects of the activities carried out as a part of this contract. The following six goals shall satisfy NIA's requirement for this project: A. Participate in the scientific direction of AGES-Reykjavik and provide study communication infrastructure for tracking of analysis projects, oversight of ancillary studies, and publications based on AGES-Reykjavik. B. Provide data updates for hospitalization, nursing home admissions and assessments, vital status, and cause of death for all participants of the AGES-Reykjavik Study. C. Conduct statistical analysis, data management, maintenance, and distribution of data files. D. Provide scientific direction and analytic support for genetics research associated with AGES-Reykjavik. E. Manage the maintenance and tracking of biologic specimens and MRI and CT images obtained in earlier AGES-Reykjavik contracts. F. Provide infrastructure for new ancillary studies as needed or help to identify sources where these studies can be best performed. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code will be 541712 with 500 Employees. This proposed acquisition was previously publicized under sources sought notices HHS/NIH/NIMH/HHS-NIH_(AG)_RDSS-12-166 and HHS/NIH/NIMH/HHS-NIH(AG)-SBSS-12-166 The estimated contract award date will be on or about August 2012.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIMH/HHS-NIH-NIDA(AG)-RFP-12-166/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02642453-W 20111222/111220234316-6bfde08e7611bf5f12a45424dcbc0ded (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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