A -- Follow up to NEOPAIN, Pain, Morphine and the Developing Brain: School Age Outcomes

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) intends to negotiate with Arkansas Children?s Hospital for a three-year noncompetitive contract to conduct a follow up study of the surviving cohort of preterm infants enrolled in the NEOPAIN Grant study 1-R01-HD036484. The Government is interested in obtaining status and information about the role of pain and its long-term effects on the overall health, well being, cognition, academic skill, executive functions, self regulation, attention and school status of the children now reaching ages 6 through 8. As a result, the NICHD does not have legal rights to the identifying data on the original cohort participants. Therefore, the cohort could not be transferred to any other contractor by the NICHD. In order to perform the continued work a new prospective contractor would need access to a comparable cohort of mothers and infants, similar in age, that have been subject to a comparable assessment from infancy. With the exception of the incumbent (Arkansas Children?s Hospital), there is no domestic source presently known to the NICHD that has access to such a cohort and ownership of the specific patient population (required for this study) via data from the initial NEOPAIN Grant. It will cost the government additional time and effort to duplicate the initial NEOPAIN Grant study 1-R01-HD036484. All of the above factors, taken together, make Arkansas Children?s Hospital uniquely qualified for carrying out this study. Authority: 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), as set forth in FAR 6.302-1. Inherent duplication of cost to the Government and unacceptable delays in completing the project make competition unfeasible for this final phase of the study, which provides for longer follow-up and data analysis. The purpose of this synopsis is to determine whether there are other sources capable of meeting the Government?s requirements as described. Contractors are encouraged to submit three (3) copies of their written Capability Statements to Ms. Susan Cortes-Shrank, Contract Specialist, at the address provided within 45 days of publication of this synopsis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received should document access to a comparable cohort of mothers and infants, similar in age, that have been subject to a comparable assessment from infancy. The capability statement will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Overnight deliveries should be mailed to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Contracts Management Branch, 6100 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7510 Bethesda, Maryland 20852. See Numbered Note 22 ****. No collect calls or facsimile transmissions will be accepted.