Inactive

Action Code: Sources Sought Classification Code: R499, SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: OTHER Solicitation: 693JJ921RQ000069 Agency/Office: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Location: Natio... Action Code: Sources Sought Classification Code: R499, SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: OTHER Solicitation: 693JJ921RQ000069 Agency/Office: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Location: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HQ NAICS Code: 541690, Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services $16.5 M. Point of Contract: Vincent Lynch, Contracting Officer, ph(202) 366-9568 Title: New IDIQ Contract for Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Description(s): The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice to identify potential qualified Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns that may be interested in and capable of performing the work described herein to expand NHTSA’s, and the public’s, understanding of human injury causation in motor vehicle crashes by conducting in-depth investigations and performing multi-disciplinary reviews of case subjects’ outcomes. The data generated in these studies will provide the impact biomechanics and automobile safety community with highly-detailed field-based data that can support trend analysis and research related to advanced dummies and models, injury criteria, restraint performance, and vehicle design. NHTSA welcomes all qualified Small Business concerns, with the appropriate NAICS Code and past experience to submit their Corporate Capability Statements that demonstrate their ability to successfully accomplish the goals of the project as listed below. Special consideration will be afforded to government-wide initiatives calling for less redundancy through Category Management and annual increases to Best-In-Class (BIC) & Spend Under Management (SUM) goals for the Department of Transportation. Therefore, the agency will implement acquisition guidelines to maximize any opportunities for increased efficiencies prior to consideration of soliciting on the open market. In addition, the government will conduct market research to identify any qualified small businesses; NHTSA does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses to this notice or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made; no formal evaluation of the information received will be conducted by NHTSA. NHTSA may; however later on issue a Request for Proposals (RFP). However, should such a requirement fail to materialize, no basis for claims against NHTSA shall arise as a result of a response to this notice. Background: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs. The agency develops, promotes, and implements effective educational, engineering, and enforcement programs with the goal of ending vehicle crash tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. The Office of Vehicle Safety Research conducts extensive research, development, testing, crash investigation, and data collection and analysis activities to provide the scientific basis needed to support the Agency’s motor vehicle and traffic safety goals. In addition to supporting internal NHTSA efforts, NHTSA-sponsored research provides high-quality publicly-accessible data that serves as the basis for countless other research endeavors. Motor vehicle traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of death for children and adults in the United States[1]. In 2019, there were 36,096 fatalities and more than 2.3 million persons who sustained injury in traffic crashes on U.S. roads. Further examination of those fatalities indicates that 22,215 were light vehicle occupants, 5,014 were motorcyclists, and 7,338 were pedestrians or pedalcyclists[2]. NHTSA strives to base its rulemaking and research priorities on findings from field crash data. In the late 1970s, NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) devised an approach to provide nationally-representative traffic crash data. NHTSA’s NCSA operates data programs consisting of records-based systems (crash records recoded for uniformity) which include the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the Crash Records Sampling System (CRSS); and the investigation-based Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) and Special Crash Investigations (SCI) programs. While the nationally-representative data systems provide crucial data to understand overall trends in motor vehicle safety, more detailed data on injury causation were needed to support NHTSA research efforts. A recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences[3] for multidisciplinary injury studies involving medical, engineering, and other research professionals led to the creation of injury-focused hospital-based studies of motor vehicle crash victims. Those efforts led to the creation of the trauma center-based Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) in 1997. CIREN centers are based at Level One Trauma Centers and biomechanics research laboratories. CIREN’s mission is to improve the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of motor vehicle crash injuries to reduce deaths, disabilities, and human and economic costs. The CIREN process combines prospective data collection with professional multi-disciplinary analysis of medical and engineering evidence to determine injury causation in every crash investigation conducted. CIREN is the only publicly-available source of detailed, prospective crash-related injury data in the United States. The injury data collected under the CIREN program includes hundreds of data elements such as radiological images, operative notes, and pre-existing conditions that may play a role in injury severity and long-term outcome. This data is collected and reviewed by highly-regarded professionals from the medical and engineering fields. The coded biomechanical causation of all serious injuries is an attribute exclusive to CIREN, and serves as a starting point for further injury and vehicle safety research. Collaboration between the medically- and engineering-oriented participants in CIREN leads to a better understanding of the issues related to injury causation and treatment for the medical side, and enables the engineers to develop better designs for automobiles, restraint systems, and test devices and criteria. Involvement in the system provides a rich learning experience, and the real-world knowledge contributed from involved parties cannot be found in a textbook. CIREN enables constructive discourse among various professionals, including vehicle designers, social workers, and first responders, that leads to a better overall understanding of the injury causation in investigated cases. CIREN brings together many facets of the motor vehicle crash and provides a more comprehensive overview of the effects of motor vehicle trauma. Objective: The objective is to expand NHTSA’s, and the public’s, understanding of human injury causation in motor vehicle crashes by conducting in-depth investigations and performing multi-disciplinary reviews of case subjects’ outcomes. The data generated in these studies will provide the impact biomechanics and automobile safety community with highly-detailed field-based data that can support trend analysis and research related to advanced dummies and models, injury criteria, restraint performance, and vehicle design. Results of work conducted under this contract will facilitate the reduction of motor vehicle crash-related injuries and fatalities. Capabilities: The corporate capability statement must address the capabilities necessary to accomplish the scope outlined above as well as the additional tasks and characteristics given below. The CIREN program will consist of multiple Medical Centers and multiple Engineering Centers, each with distinct roles, to meet NHTSA’s case enrollment and analysis needs. Each award under this IDIQ Contract will be for one or a combination of two primary CIREN Center types: Medical Center: A CIREN Medical Center enrolls and collects required data for injured occupants who have been involved in crashes of newer model year motor vehicles. The objective is to screen for eligible study subjects, perform in-depth investigations of the involved vehicle and scene, and collect relevant patient data including digital radiology to support the determination of injury causation. A CIREN Medical Center may be called upon to enroll and collect data for injured pedestrians who have been struck by motor vehicles, motorcycle riders/operators who have been involved in crashes, or pedal cyclists who have been involved in crashes with motor vehicles. The objective is to screen for eligible study subjects, perform in-depth investigations of the involved vehicle(s) and scene, and collect relevant patient data including digital radiology to support the determination of injury causation. A CIREN Medical Center shall interact with other CIREN contractors, under the direction of NHTSA, and in accordance with the guidelines described in the CIREN Process and Coding Manual. This cooperation includes delivery of relevant case-related materials to the Engineering Center and participation in web-based meetings to discuss injury causation. A CIREN Medical Center participates in outreach endeavors to promote traffic safety within its community and maintain cooperation with community safety organizations. A CIREN Medical Center may propose research ideas based on findings and experience in the CIREN program. NHTSA may elect to provide additional funding for such projects depending on availability of funding and relevance to NHTSA and CIREN missions. A CIREN Medical Center ensures all employees performing work on the CIREN project obtain the requisite CIREN-specific training as prescribed by NHTSA and participate in periodic CIREN team meetings. A CIREN Medical Center may also be tasked to support NHTSA development of investigation and data collection protocols specific to vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, pedal cyclists, and micromobility (personal transportation device) users. Engineering Center: A CIREN Engineering Center reviews the vehicle, scene, and patient injury evidence to establish injury causation scenarios for all crash-related injuries according to NHTSA biomechanical coding guidelines. The objective is to collectively assess available data from the Medical Center(s) and build a comprehensive dataset of kinematics and injury causation scenarios based on sound interpretation of case evidence, engineering knowledge, and relevant literature findings for each enrolled case subject. A CIREN Engineering Center shall interact with other CIREN contractors, under the direction of NHTSA, and in accordance with the guidelines described in the CIREN Process and Coding Manual. This cooperation includes receipt and review of relevant case-related materials and participation in web-based meetings to discuss cases. A CIREN Engineering Center may propose research ideas based on findings and experience in the CIREN program. NHTSA may elect to provide additional funding for such projects depending on availability of funding and relevance to NHTSA and CIREN missions. A CIREN Engineering Center ensures all employees performing work on the CIREN project obtain the requisite CIREN-specific training as prescribed by NHTSA and participate in periodic CIREN team meetings. A CIREN Engineering Center may also be tasked to support NHTSA development of investigation and data collection protocols specific to vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, pedal cyclists, and micromobility (personal transportation device) users. Format of Corporate Capabilities Statement: Any interested qualified Small Business firms, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns should submit their Corporate Capability Statement, which demonstrates the firm’s ability and past experience in no more than 10 pages to perform the key requirements described above to the identified NHTSA point of contact listed herein. Respondents shall clearly indicate the type of CIREN center for which consideration is sought. Any proprietary information should be marked as such. All respondents are asked to certify the type and size of their business organization is in-line with the requirements of this Sources Sought Notice, and must be received no later than 10 calendar days from the date of publication of this notice. [1] CDC WISQARS data for 2018 [2] Traffic Safety Facts Preview of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2019, https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813021 [3] Injury in America: A Continuing Public Health Problem, National Academy of Sciences, 1985.