U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Program Contract Service Center (3803R), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460-0001

B -- PRIMER ON CHILDREN'S DISEASES AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SOL RFQ-DC-99-02281 DUE 082799 POC David F. Fuller fuller.david@epamail.epa.gov WEB: click here for RFQ, http://www.epa.gov/oam/hpod. E-MAIL: click here to contact the contract specialist, fuller.david@epamail.epa.gov. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to award a firm fixed price purchase order using the Simplified Acquisition Procedures of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 13. This requirement will be procured utilizing the small business set-aside procedures with a SIC Code of 8999 ($5 million). Two copies of the proposal must be submitted by the due date. U.S. Mail ADDRESS -- US EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., Mail Code 3803R, Washington, D.C. 20460, ATTN: David Fuller. HANDCARRY should be submitted to Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Bid and Proposal Room, 6th floor, Room 61107, ATTN: David Fuller, Washington, D.C. PROPOSALS ARE DUE: NLT 2:00 PM local Washington D.C. time, August 27, 1999. This is a combination synopsis / solicitation (RFQ-DC-99-02281) for a primer on children's diseases and environmental health. STATEMENT OF WORK: Background: The contractor shall provide technical input and expert consultation on issues pertaining to environmental and reproductive health, and on matters related to growth and development, environmental exposures, pre- and post-natal health effects, injuries and diseases, disease prevalence and incidence, epidemiologic trends of the injuries and diseases, disease etiologies, risk factors, links and associations. The contractor shall be required to produce a written report on the current understanding of diseases and injuries and their development as they relate to the relevant timing of exposures and endpoints in children's environmental health. The contractor shall use the general format provided in "Reproductive Hazards of the Workplace", (L.M. Frazier, M.L. Hage. Editors). 1998. Van Nostrand Rheinhold. Services and deliverables will be for the Agency's Office of Children's Health Protection. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: Task 1: The contractor shall compile information related to children's environmental health from the scientific literature. The primer shall include a detailed discussion of the biology and development of diseases (both cancers and non-cancers) during pre- and post-natal periods of human growth and development including: a) the fundamentals of disease development (both toxicological and microbial in origin); b) known susceptibility windows for structural and functional changes during embryo- and organogenesis; c) mode of action in terms of cell cycle, growth, cell proliferation, differentiation and maturation, as they relate to both cancer and non-cancer endpoints; and d) the dynamics of microbial/chemical interaction and effects on disease and health. The primer shall include a discussion and examples of the exposure and effects time continuum, mode of action differences that may selectively produce short-term to multi-generational effects such as: a) exposure pathway, timing, and susceptibility windows as determinants for prenatal (embryonic, fetal), postnatal (neonatal, infant and children), adult and trans-generational effects; b) mechanistic differences that produce short vs. long term effects, including rationale for observing differences in latency periods in the onset of diseases; c) consider risk factors and mechanistic differences that may determinants of diseases found in children and those found in both children and adults. The primer shall explain genetic predisposition, gender differences, nutritional requirements, life styles and other risk factors, such as social economic status (SES) may play a role in modulating the onset and outcome of a disease. The primer shall also describe the concept of single and multiple etiologies from a biological and environmental perspective. Task 2: The contractor shall prepare a list of children's diseases, and provide a description on each in a rational, readable and easily accessible manner. For example, diseases could be organized as cancerous or non-cancerous, by tissues or organ systems, toxicity, functions or common mechanisms. The contractor shall list the diseases: a) using a top-down approach, starting with a general description of the disease, include information on pathologically distinct subtypes, age of onset, age trends, severity, and outcomes; b) provide statistics on incidence, prevalence, and survival rates by developmental periods, gender, ethnicity as appropriate; c) compare and contrast specific diseases according to our current understanding of the mechanism of action with ones found in children versus those in adults, if applicable; and d) list any multi-generational effects. DELIVERABLES: Draft written report 26 weeks after issuance of purchase order (2 hard copies); Final written report 40 weeks after issuance of purchase order (2 hard copies and one 3.5" floppy disk in DOS, WP 6.1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 40 weeks from date of issuance of the purchase order. TRAVEL: The contractor may be required to participate in up to four (4) one to two day meetings / conferences in the metro Washington, D.C. area. EVALUATION CRITERIA: Evaluation will be made on the contractor's demonstration of his/her understanding of the subject matter and on the topics to be discussed. a) Experience -- demonstrate through training, practice, certification, publication or bio-medical research, knowledge and competency in the area of developmental biology as it relates to environmental and occupational medicine, disease development and expected outcomes, and experience in maternal and child health protection, and prevention. b) Proposal -- Prepare a work proposal that includes a description of a proposed structure to the report that is both thoughtful and logical, and that would enable the presentation of the issues and complexity of the subject of children's environmental health and diseases in a succinct manner. The proposed structure must include a sample of the report outline, highlighting the subject areas to be discussed. Emphasis will be on organization and clarity in the presentation of information, and discussion of the subject matter that would help the reader gain an appreciation and understanding of the subject of children's environmental health. c) Time Requirement -- The contractor shall demonstrate its ability to complete the requirement within the required time frame. The proposed work must be completed within the prescribed time period of 6 to 9 months, without provision of an extension. A description of the resource and level of effort will be needed to help justify the claim for support of this requirement. Selection of a successful contractor will be determined based on technical criteria and best value. Please visit the EPA Website at http://www.epa.gov/oam/hpod under Current Procurements, RFQs. See numbered Note 1. Posted 08/09/99 (W-SN365280). (0221)

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