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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCIRD/DVD/OD, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30333, hereby announces its intent to issue a sole source contract in accordance with FAR 6.302-1 to Way... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCIRD/DVD/OD, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30333, hereby announces its intent to issue a sole source contract in accordance with FAR 6.302-1 to Wayne State University, 540 E. Canfield, Detroit, MI 48201, to provide support for Enhancing U.S. Surveillance of Laboratory Confirmed SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and other Respiratory Viruses through a Network of Emergency Departments. Health care utilization and respiratory virus testing practices have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and may continue to change as the pandemic evolves and the degree of respiratory virus co-circulation varies. In anticipation of these systemic changes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is exploring the addition of emergency department (ED) illness and laboratory surveillance data to existing surveillance systems. The emergency department network (EDN) would fill an important gap in respiratory virus surveillance. Specifically, CDC is seeking to assess the feasibility of creating a national U.S. network by establishing the collection and reporting of weekly lab-confirmed respiratory virus surveillance data from ED patients, and obtaining follow up information to determine patient disposition. These data will provide CDC and states with critical information necessary to determine rates of respiratory illness in ED settings and the percent of specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, or other respiratory viruses in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized ED patients. The contractor will complete all goals outlined by conducting surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other respiratory viruses among ED patients over a 12-month period. This project has six (6) objectives. [1] Use clinician driven testing to determine the percentage of patients with various symptom presentation(s) that are positive for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other respiratory viruses. [2] Estimate rates of outpatient illness by combining number of patients presenting with specific symptoms/syndromes and percent positivity with estimates of population served. [3] Obtain information about ED disposition to fill a current gap and allow for more accurate use of virologic testing results in burden of disease estimates since testing practices likely vary based on disease severity/admission status. [4] Determine the proportion of emergency department visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) or other agreed upon symptom presentation that are due to SARS-CoV-2, influenza, or other respiratory virus infections by performing respiratory virus panel testing on a systematically identified subset of ED patients. [5] Ensure specimens are submitted to public health laboratories in compliance with jurisdiction specific specimen submission protocols. [6] Explore the feasibility of providing data for the estimation of effectiveness of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in preventing ED visits and hospital admission. There is only one vendor who coordinates and manages a national network of emergency departments in the U.S., and that is Wayne State University School of Medicine. This requirement is necessary to effectively leverage existing capabilities to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), and other respiratory viruses. Wayne State School of Medicine has existing contractual agreements with 44 medical university emergency departments nation-wide, and also has the capabilities to serve as a coordinating and training center with each of the sub-contracted sites. The diversity of the existing network is beneficial to the government because it allows the government to adjust data and specimen collection deliverables for statistical accuracy, and it allows the government to gather data for national surveillance purposes. In order to accomplish the project’s objectives, the contractor will assess the feasibility of creating a national U.S. network for surveillance of ED patients with acute respiratory illness (ARI) by establishing the collection and reporting of weekly lab-confirmed respiratory virus surveillance data during a 12-month period. The contractor will serve as the primary project manager and coordinate the investigation, which will include serving as the clinical coordinating center (CCC) and data coordinating center (DCC). The contractor will establish subcontracts with regional hospital networks and other emergency department network (EDN) hospitals. Sites should represent networks that are best suited (1) to provide detailed clinical data and medical history, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination history, on patients who received respiratory panel virus testing as part of routine clinical care and (2) are able to systematically collect respiratory specimens from a subset of patients, regardless of clinical assessment or other testing performed, test those specimens for a panel of respiratory viruses, and provide detailed clinical data and medical history, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination history, on the patients. Upon successful completion of these objectives following the initial 12-month period and evidence of satisfactory progress by the contractor as documented in required reports, CDC will extend funding for an expanded number of ED sites to implement the surveillance activities. The contractor will continue to serve as the CCC and DCC and establish subcontracts with additional regional hospital networks and EDN hospitals suited to carry out activities based on the aforementioned criteria. CDC subject matter experts in the Influenza Division and on the COVID Epi Task Force have ample experience conducting and coordinating national influenza surveillance with state, local, and territorial health departments, public health and clinical laboratories, vital statistics offices, healthcare providers, clinics, and emergency departments. These existing surveillance systems have taken several years to create, and while they successfully support the Government in tracking the circulation of influenza viruses, the impact of influenza activity, and severe outbreaks of influenza, they are not adequate to account for the shift in health care seeking behavior and respiratory virus testing practices to emergency departments, or the increased burden of disease caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Important gaps will remain in respiratory virus surveillance without a partner with an existing national network of emergency departments. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as cited in FAR 6.302-1, "Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements." Responsible sources that believe they possess the expertise and capabilities identified above are encouraged to submit to the Contracting Officer within 15 days from the posting date of this notice, their written capabilities statement which shall be considered by the agency. Please forward the capability statement to Maria Shamburger, MShamburger@cdc.gov, Contracting Officer, Reference 2020-111720, Centers for Disease Control, Office of Acquisition Services, District at Chamblee, Building #2900, 2900 Woodcock Blvd, MS TCU-4, Atlanta, GA 30341. All vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to an award of a federal contract. The website is: www.sam.gov. The Government will review any/all capabilities statements information submitted and determine if other qualified sources do exist that could provide this requirement. Information received in response to this announcement will be used solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. If no affirmative responses are received within 15 days, negotiations will be conducted with Wayne State University, as the only source and a contract will be issued without any additional notices being posted.