A -- Notice of intent to award a sole source contract - Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

A--Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study - Continuation of Community Surveillance, Laboratory Studies, and Morbidity and Mortality Follow-up. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute intends to negotiate on a non-competitive basis with Johns Hopkins University, University of Minnesota, University of Mississippi, University of North Carolina, Baylor College of Medicine, and University of Texas Health Science Center for a five year extension of contracts for continuation of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (the Coordinating center, the four Field Centers and the Central Lipid and Central Hemostasis Laboratories.) Authority: 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as set forth in FAR 6.302-1. Since 1987, these centers have recruited, examined and followed a cohort of 15,892 persons aged 45-64 and conducted surveillance of 315,000 persons residing in four U.S. communities (Forsyth County NC, Jackson MS, suburbs of Minneapolis MN, and Washington County MD) in a study of both atherosclerotic disease risk factors and community trends for coronary heart disease. The extension of these contracts will include annual telephone follow up of study participants, cardiovascular event ascertainment for both study participants and all other age-eligible community residents, and laboratory studies of frozen biological samples from study participants, each of these three components requiring full comparability with the on-going study. Cardiovascular event validation will involve obtaining and reviewing hospital discharge lists, medical records, death certificates, physician questionnaires and interviews with survivors, and diagnostic classification using standardized reviews and adjudications. Laboratory studies, aimed at identification of new biochemical and genetic risk factors, will require maintenance and monitoring of the blood, urine, and DNA sample repositories located in four of the centers. Analysis and publication of new and already collected study data will continue. The incumbent contractors have the unique capability to provide these required services to the NHLBI for continuation of this study. Interested respondents must submit written capability statements demonstrating their ability to perform this research effort on the same study participants as well as the facilities and staffing to perform these services. Responses providing insufficient information for evaluation will not be considered. This is not a Request For Proposals. See Numbered Note 22.