Management and Operation of NIAID High Containment Integrated Research Facility   2

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is constructing a biological high containment National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland (referred to as the IRF hereafter) to enable NIAID researchers to track disease process and clinical outcomes of select agents and other emerging infectious diseases. The IRF was created to carry out biodefense research needed to understand the clinical disease processes that correlate with the severity of microbial-induced disease. Central to the core mission of the IRF is the use of hospital tools such as endoscopy, cardiac telemetry monitors, and CT, MRI, SPECT, and PET imaging to systematically evaluate the pathogenic processes and clinical course of disease in animal models exposed to microbes. Research emphasis will be placed on high consequence infections requiring high levels of biocontainment: most Category A viral and bacteria pathogens plus newly emerging infectious disease microbes. In addition to addressing scientific questions related to microbes? basic biology and disease-causing mechanisms (including microbial components that define a pathogen?s life cycle, transmission, virulence and invasiveness), a key goal is to correlate these findings with clinical test (telemetry and imaging) results. Evaluation of these data in turn depends on development of animal models which faithfully replicate the human disease syndromes, including a respiratory route of exposure. This knowledge is crucial to the development of preventative and therapeutic strategies and will not only lead to improved medical outcomes at the hospital bedside but for public health in general. The NIAID Acquisitions Management and Operations Branch (AMOB) has a requirement to provide all the Scientific, Technical and Administrative services required to operate and manage a NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF). The NIAID anticipates a three-year base contract with three possible award terms for potential of ten years in total. This is not a Request for Proposals. Small business utilization will be included as a factor in the technical evaluation. Small business concerns are encouraged to add their contact information to the Interested Vendors List which will be published for this requirement. The intention of this announcement is to notify potential offerors that the Request for Proposals will be available for download on or about May 14, 2007 from www.fedbizopps.gov. No hard copies will be distributed. All questions must be submitted in writing to Alexander Kramer (kramera@niaid.nih.gov).