Inactive

CDC awarded contract number 75D30122C14188 to University of Arizona, 888 N Euclid Ave Rm 510, Tucson, AZ 85719, on 14 June 2022, in the amount of $22,423,104.00. This notice makes available a Justific... CDC awarded contract number 75D30122C14188 to University of Arizona, 888 N Euclid Ave Rm 510, Tucson, AZ 85719, on 14 June 2022, in the amount of $22,423,104.00. This notice makes available a Justification and Approval for Other than Full and Open Competition (J&A) that applies to this contract. This contract was issued under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. This contract provides for an evaluation of the field performance of COVID vaccines, including immunogenicity and effectiveness among essential and frontline workers with and without prior SARs-CoV-2 infections. Evaluations are needed for all widely available COVID vaccines and their recommended dose regimens. To accomplish these aims, CDC requires the contractor to adapt an existing prospective longitudinal cohort study of essential and frontline workers consisting of participants with documented histories of PCR and/or serology-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. CDC requires this information at the level of a US State or Region in order to capture sufficient population heterogeneity and aid in generalizability. CDC specifically needs to expand knowledge of the epidemiology of COVID-19 illness among healthcare personnel (HCP), first responders (FR), and other essential workers. These groups have been at increased risk of COVID-19 during the pandemic and are among the groups for whom COVID vaccines may reduce disease burden and potential exposure and transmission of the virus to others in their household and communities. Period of Performance for this contract is from 15 June 2022 through 14 June 2023. In accordance with the attached J&A, University of Arizona was determined to be the only responsible source capable of performing this effort. The University of Arizona initiated the Arizona Healthcare, Emergency Response, and Other Essential Workers Surveillance Study (AZ HEROES) prospective cohort in August 2020 and since then has enrolled and maintained a cohort of over 3,000 participants. No other existing cohort includes the number and composition of participants (many of whom are high-risk for COVID-19), with rigorous follow-up and extensive laboratory and clinical data collection required for these evaluations. Continuing the existing cohort allows CDC to efficiently and expediently assess the effect of booster does and VE against new and future variants. Additionally, CDC requires that vaccine evaluations be implemented consistent with study design features and methodologies of other CDC funded COVID-19 cohorts. AZ HEROES has an ongoing collaboration and coordination with the Research on the Epidemiology of SARs-CoV-2 in Essential Response Personnel (RECOVER) cohorts in 6 US cities. This collaboration and their use of common surveillance and laboratory methods ensures that CDC is able to compare and combine results across cohorts in a valid, reliable, and timely manner, increasing the sample size to allow for more precise findings improve generalizability of finds by capturing more diverse populations. The attached J&A is being made available within 14 days of contract award in accordance with FAR 6.305(a) and will remain active for 30 days in accordance with FAR 6.305(d)(3).