Q -- Establishing Outcomes for the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. The Home Visits Program

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), has a requirement to perform home-based visits and, alternatively, telephone visits to Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) participants who, for different reasons, cannot come to the study clinic in Baltimore for a traditional follow-up evaluation. The successful offeror will be required to furnish all the necessary services, personnel, material, equipment and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, needed to perform the following work: (1) Update contact information on BLSA participants who are not currently coming to Baltimore for follow-up assessments over the last three years and, based on current information, are not deceased; (2) Make telephone contact with the BLSA participants potentially eligible for home visits or telephone interviews to establish their status, their willingness to participate in the home visit program or, if not, in a telephone interview; (3) In BLSA participants enrolled in the home visit program, conduct an extensive ascertainment of their health status, aimed at ascertaining multiple health-related outcomes (dementia, mobility limitation, ADL disability, frailty, CHD, cancer etc.); (4) In BLSA participants who are only willing to participate in a telephone interview, collect standard information through a telephone interview; (5) Collect a blood sample to be used for basic tests of clinical chemistry, DNA extraction and storage of cells, serum and plasma; (6) Provide participants and their families with a detailed description of the study, and obtain informed consent for participation, including consent for the use of previously collected biological specimens; and (7) Provide to the NIA a database with all the tracking information and all information collected over the telephone interview and during in person home visits, maintaining full compatibility with the BLSA core database. Information on the core database will be provided by the Project Officer. It is anticipated that a five year, cost-reimbursement type contract will be awarded, with award made on or about June 1, 2007. The solicitation will be issued on or about December 6, 2006 and will be posted on this Web site. Offerors are responsible for routinely checking this Web site for any amendments to the solicitation. Proposals will be due approximately 60 days after the date of issuance of the solicitation. All responsible sources may submit a proposal, which will be considered by the Government. See Numbered Note 26.