Managing the Audiometric and Balance Components of the National Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to Stephenson & Stephenson, Research & Consulting,LLC for consultative services to assist with managing the audiometric and balance components of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), developing appropriate and feasible calibration and noise monitoring software for the High School & Beyond study (HS&B), and analyzing audiometric data from national surveys collected through the collaboration between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). NHANES is a continuous survey program managed by the National Center for Health Statistics to collect health and other data from a nationally-representative sample of US residents. The audiologists at SASRAC have the experience from the NHANES balance pilot test and initial year of full data collection which is essential in successfully implementing this component for the 2019-2020 NHANES survey cycle. They are familiar with the test equipment and its integration with the NHANES survey software; they trained the NHANES technicians and are aware of the problems which have arisen and will require special attention when training new staff, etc. Epidemiologic surveys such as NHANES and the HS&B run on fixed schedules and deadlines cannot be adjusted to meet the needs of individual collaborators. Protocol decisions, software programming, integration with the full survey, staff training, and data review must all meet strict deadlines or that aspect of the survey is dropped. SASRAC, Inc. is the only vendor with the knowledge and experience to maintain the new NHANES balance components and assist with the HS&B protocol and software integration in the required timeframe. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, all responses received within fifteen (15) days of the issuance of this notice will be considered by the government. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) (SAP) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). Interested parties may identify their interest and submit documentation of their capability to respond to the requirement. Any response should be emailed to the appropriate point of contact at [email protected] by 11:00 AM on 17 July 2020.