The Education and Priority Populations AHRQ Office of Extramural Research supports the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and equity of healthcare through research funding and strategic partnerships. This office prioritizes extramural res...
The Education and Priority Populations AHRQ Office of Extramural Research supports the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and equity of healthcare through research funding and strategic partnerships. This office prioritizes extramural research initiatives that address disparities in healthcare access and outcomes among vulnerable and underserved populations. Its procurement activity centers on securing specialized technical, analytical, and logistical support to advance evidence-based policy development, research evaluation, and program implementation for high-priority public health initiatives. The office emphasizes research that informs healthcare delivery systems, patient safety frameworks, and culturally competent care models tailored to priority populations.
Procurement patterns indicate a consistent reliance on professional, scientific, and technical services to deliver research infrastructure, data analysis, and program evaluation support. Contracts are typically structured as performance-based, task-order agreements requiring deep domain expertise in health services research, epidemiological methods, and health equity analysis. The agency favors flexible, outcome-driven contracting vehicles that enable rapid response to evolving research priorities and emerging public health needs.
The agency primarily targets NAICS 541990 for its procurement needs, reflecting a demand for non-standardized, high-skill professional services that cannot be met through commercial off-the-shelf solutions. It demonstrates a clear preference for 8(a) set-asides, signaling a commitment to fostering economic opportunity among small, disadvantaged businesses with specialized research and analytical capabilities. Vendor relationships are built on demonstrated expertise in health disparities research, qualitative and mixed-methods evaluation, and federal grant management compliance.
As an office within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality under the Department of Health and Human Services, this entity operates nationally with no fixed physical location, coordinating extramural research grants and contracts across academic, nonprofit, and private-sector institutions. It utilizes standard federal acquisition vehicles to procure specialized technical services, emphasizing performance metrics, peer-reviewed rigor, and alignment with national health equity goals.
