Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 13A-19, Rockville, MD 20857

Q -- NATIONAL BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY PROGRAM SOL HRSA POC Sarah Bueter, Contract Specialist, (301) 443-5352; fax (301) 443-6038 The HRSA Contracts Office intends to solicit proposals on a competitive basis for a cost reimbursable contract to maintain and continue a National Bone Marrow Donor Registry according to the requirements of Section 379 of the Public Health Services Act, which requires that an offeror be a private nonprofit entity. The purpose of this procurement is to maintain and continue the efficiency, and equity of the nation's system to facilitate unrelated bone marrow transplantation by matching patient and unrelated donors. Through the Board of Directors and committees, the Registry maintains policies, procedures, and quality standards and criteria for the recruitment, search and match, collection, and transplantation processes. Key tasks to be performed include: (1) establish and maintain a Board of Directors and streamlined committee network; (2) recruit potential bone marrow donors in consideration of annual recruitment levels for affected populations, HLA typing strategies, and foreign donor registries (currently 2.5 million donors); (3) streamline, reconfigure, and manage the donor center network using fee for service agreements with donor centers and recruitment groups; (4) evaluate and report on the optimal registry size and maintenance costs and incorporate findings into annual recruitment and typing goals; (5) maintain a central, computerized registry of volunteer donors and an electronic search program; (6) review obstacles and develop a plan to increase the number of unrelated transplants, considering internal policies, practices and procedure; physician attitudes and strategies to educate providers; and factors inhibiting unrelated transplants for racial and ethnic minority groups; (7) maintain a patient advocacy function that provides a standard packet of information for all patients, individual services to patients and physicians in the search process, and special advocacy efforts in addition to routine assistance; (8) provide a plan for the development, implementation, and upgrading of the data system and matching system, including plans for future needs and a quality control plan for the registry data; (9) maintain outcome data, develop and conduct a research plan that includes emphasis on patient outcomes, and provide a Data and Scientific Report and a Report on risk adjusted, center specific patient and disease free survival rates; (10) develop a coordination and communication plan for the distribution of data and research results, including a plan to coordinate data with the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry and the Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry; and (11) maintain a cost efficient sample cell repository and cell line development project. All interested parties shall respond to this notice in writing. No telephone requests will be accepted. No collect calls will be accepted. The period of performance will be May 1, 1997 - April 30, 2000 with two one-year options. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the Agency. Solicitation will be issued on or about December 10, 1996. Closing date for proposals will be on or about February 10, 1997. (0320)

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