R -- R -- RADIATION DOSE RECONSTRUCTION AND RELATED SERVICES

Notice Date

September 17, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Contracts Management Branch (Pittsburgh), Post Office Box 18070 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15236-0070

ZIP Code

15236-0070

Solicitation Number

EEOICPA-D

Response Due

October 3, 2001

Point of Contact

Larry Guess, Contract Specialist, Phone (412)386-6826, Fax (412)386-6429, Email lfg6@cdc.gov -- Larry Guess, Contract Specialist, Phone (412)386-6826, Fax (412)386-6429, Email lfg6@cdc.gov

Description

In October 2000 Congress and the President enacted the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) establishing a Federal compensation program for employees of DOE, its contractors, subcontractors, and Atomic Weapons Employers AWE). Under the program, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is responsible for conducting occupational radiation dose reconstructions for certain workers or groups of workers who file claims for compensation. The goal of these dose reconstructions is to characterize the occupational radiation environment to which workers were exposed using available worker and/or workplace monitoring information. In cases where radiation exposures in the workplace environment cannot be fully characterized based on available data, default values based on reasonable scientific assumptions will be used as substitutes. In the near future, HHS will publish 42 CFR 82 in the Federal Register as an interim final rule to establish methods for performing these radiation dose reconstructions. The results of these reconstructions will be used by the Department of Labor to determine the probability that a worker's cancer was "at least as likely as not" due to his or her occupational exposure to ionizing radiation during employment at a covered facility. Criteria and guidelines for making this determination are established by EEOICPA and HHS under 42 CFR Part 81. The EEOICPA also established a Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) consisting of employees with specific cancers who worked at three named DOE facilities or participated in certain nuclear tests and who meet certain other requirements; these employees' cancers are presumed to be radiation-related. The EEOICPA permits other groups of employees to petition NIOSH to be added to the SEC. Under Executive Order 13179, NIOSH is responsible for receiving and evaluating petitions by classes of workers to be added to the SEC. This proposed contract effort will provide essential support to OCAS in implementing the EEOICPA in the following areas: 1. Data base management: The contractor will manage, operate, maintain, secure, update, and support an integrated set of data bases to serve dose reconstructions, petitions for additions to the SEC, and administrative reviews of decisions made using these data. The data bases, which will be developed by NIOSH, constitute an extensive repository of radiation exposure information on DOE and AWE facilities, and case files of all claims and petitions received by OCAS. 2. Identify data relevant to reconstructing radiation doses and evaluating SEC petitions: Through site visits and other appropriate methods, and in coordination with NIOSH, the contractor will investigate the conditions, processes, practices and incidents at DOE and AWE facilities which provide information of value to OCAS in reconstructing employees' radiation doses and evaluating SEC petitions. In coordination with NIOSH and with the cooperation of DOE, the contractor will obtain and enter relevant data into the integrated data base. 3. Conduct claimant interviews: As directed under 42 CFR 82 and consistent with NIOSH guidelines and protocols, the contractor will conduct computer-assisted telephone interviews with claimants, and as appropriate, co-workers and other potential sources of relevant information, providing for review of the data collected from the claimant, and entering the interview results into a case file data base. 4. Estimate and report doses: Consistent with technical guidelines provided by NIOSH, the contractor will produce and report dose estimates, supporting methodology, and documentation of the factual basis for each claim received by NIOSH from DOL and EEOICPA in a timely manner. 5. Technical and program management support: The contractor will provide timely and complete information and analyses in support of dose reconstructions and SEC petitions as needed to respond to requests which NIOSH receives from claimants, petitioners, DOL, the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, Congress, or other parties. Contractor will provide periodic performance and cost reports as specified by NIOSH, reports of quality assurance monitoring, and will be available for meetings and teleconferences as needed. The Government intends to award through full and open competition a Cost-Plus-Award-Fee contract for this effort. The Government will prepare and distribute a DRAFT solicitation package for review and comment by all interested parties. It is anticipated that this package will be available on or about September 21, 2001. In addition interested parties are invited and encouraged to attend a pre-solicitation conference to be conducted at the NIOSH facilities located in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 3, 2001. The purpose of this conference will be to discuss and solicit comments from attendees. Information relative to this meeting will be contained in the draft solicitation document. Please contact Larry E. Guess at (412) 386-6826 to register your attendance. Copies of the draft solicitation will be available for electronic download or by contacting Mr. Guess. All correspondence should refer to Solicitation EEOICPA-D.

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/HHS/CDCP/CMBP/EEOICPA-D/listing.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010919/RSOL005.HTM (D-260 SN50X858)