B -- Standardization of Nutrient Databases within the European Prospective into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

SEE NUMBERED NOTE 22. The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to enter into negotiations with the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) for the purpose of creating a standardized nutrient database. The standardized nutrient database will consist of all frequently consumed foods reported on 24-hour dietary recalls in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a 10 country prospective epidemiologic study being conducted in Europe. The NCI and the EPIC have been collaborating on methodological studies regarding measurement errors and pooled data analysis. These data indicate the there is a substantial measurement error in assessing nitrogen intake in country-specific Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) which may not be adequately evaluated using the EPIC reference instrument (24-hour dietary recalls). This database will provide accurate, standardized nutrient data to help assess the relationship between diet and cancer as well to assess the extent of dietary measurement error, a topic of great interest at NCI. The IARC is the only agency that can perform the tasks necessary to create the standardized nutrient database inasmuch as the EPIC data belong to both the IARC and participating countries and are not publicly available. IARC is the coordinating center for these data and will have the responsibility for overseeing and conducting developing the standardized nutrient database. The anticipated award date for this sole source acquisition is September 2002 for a period of one year. Authority: 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as set forth in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 6.302-1(a) 2.SEE NUMBERED NOTE 22.