R -- PATIENT SAFETY RESEARCH COORDINATING CENTER

Notice Date

May 30, 2001

Contracting Office

AgencyforHealthcare Research and Quality, Diviision of Contracts Management, Executive Office Center, Suite 601, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD 20852

ZIP Code

20852

Solicitation Number

AHRQ-01-0007

Point of Contact

Sharon Williams, Contracting Officer, 301-594-7192

E-Mail Address

Contracting Officer (swilliam@ahrq.gov)

Description

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of the US Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting proposals for a three-year contract to serve as a coordinating center for AHRQ's patient safety initiative which may include as many as 75 projects being conducted by researchers throughout the U.S. The purpose of this contract is to develop and maintain a coordinating center that will serve as a resource and support center linking the components of the Agency's patient safety initiative to each other, relevant Agency staff, and to some extent, patient safety researchers funded by a limited number of other organizations. The coordinating center will extend AHRQ's in-house capacity to facilitate and monitor the Agency's patient safety activities. The coordinating center will host annual meetings of up to approximately 160 participants, facilitate data sharing, and support general program and specific project oversight. Specifically, the coordinating center will support the Agency's work with AHRQ grantees by providing them with technical assistance as needed in the areas of data collection, scrubbing, and analysis, as well as methodology, instrument development and selection, evaluation, and implementation strategies; monitoring AHRQ grantee activity; electronic communication; conferences both in-person and via telephone; development and support of a 15-member steering committee composed of principal investigators from AHRQ's grantees funded under the patient safety initiative; report writing; and assisting in dissemination of research results in conjunction with AHRQ and its Office of Health Care Information. The coordinating center will produce products (e.g., databases for research) that will facilitate work on patient safety by researchers and policymakers (particularly at the state level). The coordinating center will also help support some of the Agency's other work related to patient safety, such as the development of relevant patient safety materials for the National Quality Report. As such, the coordinating center shall serve as a resource and support center for the many projects funded under the Agency's patient safety initiative. In addition to the AHRQ-funded projects, the coordinating center will be expected to include patient safety researchers funded by others (e.g., HRSA, VA, RWJ) in the coordinating center's annual meetings. Sources must have an understanding of and experience in research in patient safety and medical errors; technical assistance in data collection, scrubbing, and analysis as well as methods and metrics, instrument development and selection, evaluation, and effective dissemination and implementation strategies; managing large, complex projects; logistical support; site visits; development and support of steering committees and working with principal investigators; and electronic communication including website development, implementation and maintenance. Sources must possess, or be able to obtain (in-house or through subcontracting/consulting arrangements) the staff and other resources needed to expeditiously carry out the difference types of activities listed above. The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will only be available by downloading from the Internet on AHRQ's site at http://www.ahrq.gov. Once in AHRQ's homepage, look under "Funding Opportunities" and then "Contract Solicitations." It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor AHRQ's Internet site for the release of the solicitation and any subsequent amendements. Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and any subsequent amendments. Since it is not known who is downloading the solicitation, no bidders list will be available. It is estimated that the solicitation will be available for downloading on or about June 14, 2001. Proposal will be due approximately 30 days after the posting of the solicitation.

Web Link

AHRQ Homepage (http://www.ahrq.gov)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010601/RSOL014.HTM (W-149 SN50N305)