Tuberculosis Laboratory Testing for the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to support the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP). This will be a new requirement. It is anticipated that the resultant contract will be a cost-reimbursement type with a period of performance of 60 months (Base Year with four (4) Option Years.) The applicable NAICS code is 621511 with a size standard of $32.5M. The RFP will be posted in FedBizOpps and is expected to be released on or about May 15, 2015. Interested parties are responsible for checking the website regularly for release of the RFP and for other procurement related documents. TELEPHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. The information provided in this pre-solicitation notice is for information purposes only. If there are any differences in the information provided here and the actual solicitation when released, the information provided in the actual solicitation shall govern. The CDC/NCHHSTP has a potential requirement to provide tuberculosis (TB) laboratory services to the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). TB laboratory services are not readily available in the USAPI, creating a barrier for the CDC to ensure effective TB control and prevention in the region. Quality and timely TB laboratory services will ensure that CDC is able to provide medical consultation and technical assistance to the TB programs. The local public health infrastructure and resources in the USAPI cannot support the TB laboratory needs promulgated by CDC without access to a contract laboratory. The U.S. prevention and control agenda for the CDC/DTBE includes the 50 states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and six (6) USAPI jurisdictions. The USAPI include the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and three (3) Freely Associated States (FAS): the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. The FAS have a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Under the compact, these nations are fully sovereign in domestic and foreign affairs, but the U.S. is responsible for their health, education, defense, and other essential operations to the United States. As indicated in the Essential Components of a Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program, one of the core components for effective TB control programs involves the delivery of laboratory and diagnostic services, as well as the need to collect and analyze data. Through extensive technical assistance and laboratory assessments, CDC has identified that laboratories throughout the USAPI lack the capacity and expertise to fulfill this essential program activity. The following tasks are needed to ensure the delivery of TB laboratory services in the USAPI: 1. Establish and implement a logistical plan and protocol to ship TB specimens; 2. Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and drug resistance; 3. Quality assurance; 4. On-site technical assistance site visits; 5. Training of USAPI TB laboratory staff; 6. Expert laboratory consultation. The offeror shall furnish all the necessary personnel, facilities, supplies, and equipment, as appropriate, to provide CDC with the required scientific, technical, and operational services within the general work parameters set forth in the performance work statement.