CDC AFM case classification

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is awarding a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to Emory University for expert neurological review of MRI images and associated medical records to classify Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) according to standardized Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) case definitions approved by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The neurologist will utilize the Ambra image cloud platform to review spinal cord MRI scans alongside patient summary forms, neurology consult notes, and other clinical documentation to determine whether each case is confirmed, probable, suspect, or not a case, and must complete an abstraction and classification worksheet for each review. All classifications must be submitted within seven business days of assignment, with quarterly reporting consistent with a payment structure of four equal quarterly installments. The contractor must possess a minimum of three years of experience evaluating AFM cases and reviewing spinal cord MRI imagery. In addition to case classification, the neurologist will participate in monthly AFM surveillance calls and present during at least one Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call to enhance clinician awareness, diagnostic capabilities, and reporting of AFM. The work will be performed at the contractor’s facility, with a base period of performance from May 29, 2026, through May 28, 2027, and two optional one-year extensions. The contract includes strict data quality requirements, mandating accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and validity of all delivered data and reports, as well as full compliance with Section 508 accessibility standards for all electronic content. Information security is governed by FIPS 199, requiring protection of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government data, with all sensitive information—including PII and PHI—encrypted in transit and at rest using FIPS 140-2 validated solutions. The contractor must follow NIST SP 800-53 or NIST SP 800-171 for handling Controlled Unclassified Information, sanitize all media in accordance with NIST SP 800-88 at contract closeout, and provide certification that government data has been purged from all systems, including backups. All custom-developed software must be open source and made available for government-wide and public use under FAR 52.227-14, with source code maintained in a CDC-approved repository. The acquisition is conducted under FAR 13.106-1(b) due to the sole