RFP ANNOUNCEMENT: Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC) RFP-NIAID-DAIT-NIHAI2008044

Notice Number: NOT-AI-09-005

Key Dates
Release Date: October 17, 2008
Receipt Date: September 28, 2009

Issued by
National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), (http://www.niaid.nih.gov)

Description

Research supported and conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), strives to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent immunologic, infectious, and allergic diseases. The NIAID Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT) supports extramural basic, pre-clinical and clinical research focusing on immune-mediated diseases through a variety of research grants and contracts.

Since 1991, DAIT NIAID has supported research programs to develop effective behavioral, educational and environmental interventions to reduce asthma severity among inner city children.

The NIAID Inner City Asthma Consortium was established in FY2002 under a contract to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The current NIAID Inner City Asthma Consortium is composed of an administrative center and ten clinical sites. A separate contract to establish and operate a Statistical and Clinical Coordinating Center to support the clinical research program of the Consortium is in place. Ongoing and completed studies have focused on the standardization of cockroach allergens and on biomarker evaluation to guide asthma treatment. Ongoing studies include a prospective, longitudinal evaluation of environmental factors that influence the development of the immune system and asthma and Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of immunotherapeutic modalities.

The Inner City Asthma Consortium will expand its focus on the immunopathogenesis of asthma in inner city populations through the addition of Basic Science Sites.

The overall objectives of the Inner City Asthma Consortium are to:

1. Design and conduct clinical studies with the goals of a) improving asthma control, b) preventing the development of asthma in children residing in the inner cities of the United States using primarily immune system-targeting interventions, and c) improving asthma phenotyping using validated biomarkers.

2. Design and conduct longitudinal birth cohort studies with the goals of a) providing novel information on the early immunopathogenesis of asthma, b) identifying risk factors for the development of asthma in children residing in the inner cities of the United States, c) understanding differences in the early immunopathogenesis of asthma between inner city and non-inner city children, and d) developing studies to prevent the development of asthma.

3. Design and conduct mechanistic studies involving human subjects with the goal of elucidating the immunopathogenesis of asthma in the inner city environment.

4. Develop, validate and implement basic science methodology to support the studies conducted under objectives 1, 2 and 3 listed above.

It is anticipated that one cost reimbursement completion type contract will be awarded for a period of five (5) years, beginning approximately September 2009, with an anticipated annual total effort of approximately 67.8 FTEs for the Base period.

TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA: WEIGHT

1: TECHNICAL PLAN/APPROACH
130
2: SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PERSONNEL
40
3: FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND OTHER RESOURCES
20
4: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
10
TOTAL POSSIBLE WEIGHT:
200

Other Factors:

HUMAN SUBJECT EVALUATION
EVALUATION OF DATA SHARING PLAN
PAST PERFORMANCE FACTOR
EXTENT OF SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS PARTICIPATION

Any responsible office may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency. This RFP will be available electronically on/about 10/15/08, and may be accessed through FedBizOpps http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted. CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS

Inquiries

For questions or further information, contact:

Robert Koplos
Contract Specialist
Office of Acquisitions, Division of Extramural Activities, NIAID, NIH, DHHS
6700-B Rockledge Drive Room 3214, MSC 7612 (Express mail: Use Zip Code 20817-7612)
Phone: 301-451-7457
Fax: 301-402-0972
koplosro@niaid.nih.gov

David T. Lisle,
Contracting Officer
Office of Acquisitions, Division of Extramural Activities, NIAID, NIH, DHHS
6700-B Rockledge Drive Room 3214, MSC 7612 (Express mail: Use Zip Code 20817-7612)
Phone: 301-451-2617
Fax: 301-402-0972
dlisle@niaid.nih.gov