Capability to Predict Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Synopsis: This is a Request for Information. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This notice is published for market research purposes only. This notice is open to qualified business sources of all sizes. Information is sought regarding the availability and capability of all qualified business sources in providing a bio-defense focused disease outbreak prediction capability that can significantly improve mission planning effectiveness and overall mission assurance by aggregating and correlating remotely sensed data from space- and regionally-based data sources to anticipate and plan for the outbreak of military diseases of interest. This RFI is not soliciting information regarding models or systems that purport to describe the spread - or forecast - of infectious disease once an outbreak has occurred. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method for the development of predictive systems for infectious diseases. Background and Mission: The Joint Program Management Office - Transformational Medical Technologies (JPM-TMT) Project Office program was established as part of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD). The mission of JPM-TMT is to expedite development and delivery of innovative medical solutions to prepare and protect Warfighters and the Nation against biological warfare agents and emerging infectious diseases. JPM-TMT's Predictive Systems (PS) effort will better prepare and protect the warfighter and the nation by providing a proactive predictive capability to prepare for infectious disease outbreaks. JPM-TMT is seeking information related to the prediction of infectious disease outbreaks. Anticipating pathogenic theater conditions with more accurate information available earlier than is currently possible, military planners and others will enjoy the opportunity to take better and more timely medical and operational decisions to protect the warfighter, improve medical logistics planning, and mitigate warfighter health risks. Joint Force Mission Assurance is based largely on medical readiness of the warfighter. To ensure maximum military power, commanders must anticipate and plan for the detrimental effects of infectious disease. Determination of infectious disease risk is primarily based on disease prevalence data and historic outbreak reports in the region of interest. However, this information does not fully address disease conditions that the warfighter could experience while in theater. Purpose and Objectives: One of JPM-TMT's goals is to enable a proactive capability to counter infectious diseases. This RFI seeks information regarding predictive methods capable of identifying the probability of when and where an outbreak could appear weeks to months prior to disease outbreak. Capabilities for forecasting disease spread after the outbreak will not be considered. Predictive disease models may integrate numerous variables including, but not limited to, past incidence rates, environmental components, vector ecology, and socioeconomic factors to identify the probability of disease outbreak in a given time and location. Interested parties should fully describe their infectious disease prediction capability using the following points of interest as a guide: - How far in advance can an outbreak be predicted? - What is the resolution of the prediction with respect to time and location? - What is the maturity of the capability? Has the model been verified and validated? How, and by whom? - What specific diseases, or classes of diseases, via what disease transmission modes, can be predicted? - For which regions of the world are predictions available? - What data inputs are required to generate a prediction? - What computational infrastructure is required? - What are the requirements to generate a new prediction (e.g., data inputs, time, computational resources)? - What is required to extend the capability to include a new disease and/or location? - Is the capability currently in use? If so, how, where, by whom? - What level of expertise is required operate, interpret and maintain the capability? . Interested parties may include other pertinent information as desired. Definitions: Disease Prediction - Probability determination that an outbreak will occur Outbreak - Disease incident rate greater than would otherwise be expected at a particular time and location Disease Forecasting - Probability determination of the extent and locations of disease spread after the outbreak Response Requirements: Sources having the capability to meet these parameters are invited to respond to this RFI. Responses should be limited to five pages for any given capability, not including the cover page, the cover letter and the table of contents. Any and all information submitted in response to this notice is strictly voluntary and in no way obligates the Government to make a contract award. Submitted data and information will not be returned. Input on technical aspects of the responses may be solicited by JPM-TMT from non-government consultants/experts who are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. For all responses, an additional, non proprietary cover page is also requested, identifying your company name, technical point of contact, and contact information. Respondents to this notice must provide, as part of their response, a separate single page statement regarding their capabilities, their DUNS number, and size and type of business. Submission Instructions: Respondents should provide responses: (1) using Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF (text searchable format) using single space, 12 point font and 8.5 x 11 size paper; (2) including technical and administrative points of contact, with names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses; and (3) not exceeding five single-sided pages in total (not including cover page and cover letter) sent via email to: robert.huffman@dtra.mil no later than Monday February 6, 2012 at 12:00 PM EST. Disclaimer and Important Notes: The Government will not pay for any information submitted in response hereto. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or to award a contract. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to any solicitation which may be published in the future. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).