Bone Mineral Density in Childhood study - Data Coordinating Center

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT, NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. A SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED AND PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE REQUESTED. The Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Growth Branch , within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, intends to negotiate on a sole source basis, under the authority of 41 U.S.C. 253 - (1) and FAR 6.302-1(a) (2) (ii) and HHSAR 306.302-1 (a) (2) (ii), a modification to its current contract with Clinical Trials and Surveys Corporation (C-TASC), Baltimore, Maryland, entitled, Bone Mineral Density in Childhood study - Data Coordinating Center. A 12 month extension is necessary, in order to avoid a lapse in contract performance and continue services in its operations of the data coordinating center. This modification will allow C-TASC to continue uninterrupted services to complete the close-out and finalization of all data, and to assist with the analysis of the data. The data coordinating center is creating a website to be used by the scientific community to enable them to use our reference data to calculate bone mineral density Z scores. This modification is to continue services until September 30, 2011. The Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS) includes five Clinical Centers all adhering to a common longitudinal observational protocol of six years duration. The objective of the clinical site contracts has been to collect and distribute, to the scientific community, standard reference data for bone mineral density in childhood, taking into consideration skeletal maturation, bone size and volume, and pubertal stage. The collection phase of the study at the clinical sites is now complete and the data coordinating center, C-TASC, is in charge of the coordination of the current projects involving data dissemination and analysis. This data will serve as a gold-standard pediatric BMD database and will be a valuable resource for both clinicians and investigators in this field who require this information for assessing bone deficits and risk factors for impaired bone health in children. In order to perform the continued work, it is necessary to have a complete understanding of the past implementation of the protocol to now assist with requests for data analysis. There is no other source presently known to the NICHD that has access to the data and has also been involved with the supervision and implementation of the study, with the exception of the incumbent contractor, C-TASC. In addition, it would cost the Government significant time and effort to train, recruit and duplicate the expertise already acquired by C-TASC over the past eight years. If any interested party believes it can perform the above requirement, it may submit, within 15 days of publication of this notice, three (3) copies of a capability statement, which will be considered by the agency (plus an electronic copy to allison.young@nih.gov) to: Allison Young, Contracting Officer, NICHD CMB, NIH, 6100 Executive Building, MSC 7510, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7510 (or overnight courier: 6100 Executive Blvd., Rockville, Maryland 20852). Phone number: 301-435-6958 and FAX number: 301-402-3676. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Authority: 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as set forth in FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(ii), HHSAR 306.302-1(a) (2) (ii). No collect calls will be accepted. This requirement is defined as code 541711 under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).