SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Evaluating low-cost x-ray Imaging in resource-challenged remote regions for automated machine learning-based decision-making
- Notice Date
- 7/18/2018
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 54171
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life SciencesT
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite 105, Bethesda, Maryland, 20894, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20894
- Solicitation Number
- NIHLM201800081
- Archive Date
- 8/15/2018
- Point of Contact
- Keturah D. Busey, Phone: 3014966546
- E-Mail Address
-
buseyk@mail.nlm.nih.gov
(buseyk@mail.nlm.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal 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; HUBZone small businesses; service- disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses 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 should not submit a response to this notice. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM) is conducting a market survey to help determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses and/or HUBZone small businesses capable of serving the needs identified below. This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research. BACKGROUND The Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications (LHNCBC) an intramural R&D division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) requires a large university in the United States, that is a member of the Kenya Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) consortium, to evaluate several low-cost x-ray image acquisition techniques that are generate adequate quality images for both human-expert assessment as well as automated machine-learning based decision making. This work is an essential component of an LHC research project investigating "Computer capture and automatic processing of digital radiology images in remote and difficult to access settings." The contractor shall acquire these four major components and related accessories: (i) a low-cost and suitable battery-operated x-ray image generator; (ii) a low-cost power-generator that will be used to recharge the batteries of the x-ray image generator; (iii) a photo-voltaic solar power panel for charging the battery-operated x-ray image generator; and, (iv) an ultra-capacitor bank for image use on existing mobile x-ray imaging devices. Existing high-power gasoline powered generator will serve as the baseline for comparison of image quality and overall operation costs compared to the options acquired above. AMPATH is a partnership between Moi University School of Medicine, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH - Kenya's second national referral hospital in Eldoret, Kenya), and a consortium of U.S. medical schools founded in 1997. It is a provider of healthcare resources in rural Western Kenya. Medical institutions providing healthcare and conducting clinical and informatics research in Kenya must be members of AMPATH, and only participating U.S. medical schools may be involved in healthcare delivery, and clinical and informatics research. Membership is essential to acquire and ship equipment since AMPATH will not accept items from non-member organizations. Non-member organizations will not be able to ship medical equipment to Kenya without proper justification afforded by AMPATH membership and its collaboration with the Ministry of Health in the Government of Kenya. The partnership is led by Indiana University School of Medicine and includes several other universities and research organizations. The AMPATH mission is to address and reduce barriers to high quality care in the resource-constrained setting of Eldoret, the fifth largest city in Kenya, located on the Western side of the Rift valley. In partnership with USAID, AMPATH (www.iukenya.org/hiv.aids.html) now manages the largest AIDS prevention and treatment program in sub-Saharan Africa, and cares for more than 200,000 HIV-infected adults and children, in 48 sites across a 300-mile swath of western Kenya. Nearly one-half of these patients are on anti-retroviral drugs. Four-wheel drive vehicles can only access most of these sites due to difficult, unpaved roads. Many newly diagnosed HIV positive patients harbor tuberculosis (TB). Before starting treatment for HIV, it is crucial to know if a patient with HIV also has active TB. Patients with HIV and TB are at grave risk for a severe and potentially fatal reaction if the TB is not treated before antiretroviral therapy for the HIV is started. TB is a major cause of morbidity and mortality to these patients and represents a source of contagion to their HIV negative family and neighbors. Chest radiography is common and required component in the protocol to confirm TB infection. Therefore, it is critical to the detection and proper treatment of tuberculosis in HIV patients, but only six of the AMPATH sites have x-ray equipment and only the main MTRH Eldoret, Kenya. In recent years, AMPATH has acquired and is operating two trucks equipped with mobile x-ray imaging and cellular data transmission capability that are operating in rural areas of western Kenya. The x-ray imager is powered using high voltage gasoline-powered generators that consume high amounts of fuel resulting in high operating and maintenance costs. AMPATH created these original mobile radiology systems using equipment purchased under previous agreements with NLM (based on Computed Radiography (CR) approach). This contract will be used to evaluate a lower power battery powered x-ray generator as an alternative to current models. This evaluation will be on operational power efficiency while maintaining adequate image quality so as to support automated machine-learning-based decision making using software developed in intramural NLM R&D effort. Operational efficiency will be measured and compared against operational costs using current imaging equipment and alternatives using an ultra-capacitor bank for powering the existing image generator. In turn the ultra-capacitor bank will be recharged using a lower power generator. Alternatives to the current x-ray image generator will also be evaluated using a battery-powered x-ray imager which could be powered using a smaller low-cost low-voltage generator that would consume less fuel, and, alternatively, using a photovoltaic solar power panel to charge the battery of the new x-ray imager. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this contract is to (i) purchase, deploy, and evaluate portable mobile x-ray equipment and various alternative power options in an AMPATH operated mobile medical truck in western Kenya, (ii) evaluate the impact on the quality of x-ray images acquired on automated machine-learning based decision making at the point of care and as a triage for radiological analysis, and (iii) supply de-identified x-ray images acquired through this mechanism to the Government. The organization awarded to perform this work must be an AMPATH partner with appropriate agreements (e.g., IRB, currently operating mobile x-ray unit) and relationships in place to purchase and ship medical equipment and related supplies to AMPATH at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), part of Moi University, facilities in Eldoret, Kenya. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: See attached draft statement of work. Anticipated Period of Performance The period of performance will be for eighteen (18) months from the date of award. The anticipated award date is expected to be on or around September 2018. Other Important Considerations This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quotes (RFQ), nor is an RFQ available. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which will be considered by the National Library of Medicine. Interested firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice must adhere to the following: (a) Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills and ability to fulfill the Government's requirements for the above. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed 10 pages. (b) The capability statement must identify the responder's: small business type and size; DUNS number; NAICS code; and technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. (c) All capability statements must be submitted electronically no later than 12:00 p.m. local prevailing time on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. NLM requires capability statements to be submitted electronically through the NLM Electronic Contract Proposal System (eCPS) using the following link: https://ecps.nih.gov All capability statements received via eCPS by Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. local prevailing time will be considered by NLM. For directions on using eCPS, go to https://ecps.nih.gov and click on "How to Submit." NOTE: To submit your electronic capability statement using eCPS, all offerors must have a valid NIH External Directory Account, which provides authentication and serves as a vehicle for secure transmission of documents and communication with the NLM. The NIH External Directory Account registration process may take up to 24 hours to become active. Submission of proposals by facsimile or e-mail is not accepted. Firms interested in responding to this notice must be able to provide the professional services required by NLM outlined in the attached Statement of Work. The offeror shall include all information necessary to document and/or support the qualification criteria in one clearly marked section of its proposal. All responses from responsible sources will be considered. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
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- Record
- SN04997342-W 20180720/180718231142-d65aeb091e22591a8185e0a70d019cb4 (fbodaily.com)
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