NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE AN ORDER/CONTRACT. This is not a request for competitive proposals/quotes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), hereby announces its intent to issue a sole source order/contract to The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc. 75 Francis Street. Boston, MA 02115. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, with a size standard of $16.5 million. BACKGROUND The healthcare industry is one of the largest sectors of the US workforce, with approximately 16.5 million employees nationwide. While performing critically important work, healthcare professionals encounter occupational exposures that could adversely affect their own health and could even be deadly. This has never been more evident than during the COVID Pandemic. The “Harvard Cohorts” consist of three longitudinal cohorts: the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS2), the Nurses’ Health Study 3 (NHS3), and the Growing up Together Study (GUTS). The Harvard Cohorts approximately 100, 000 healthcare workers at high risk of adverse physical and mental health outcomes during this crisis. Limited availability of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) has raised concern about healthcare workers’ vulnerability to infection. Many are reporting significant occupational stress due to lack of PPE, redeployment from specialty areas to treat COVID-19 patients, and separation from family members to protect loved ones’ health. By including the 3 cohorts, with age ranges from 18 to 75 years, this project will be able to assess the impact of the pandemic in a wide swath of the population. Depending on many factors, including the region or state of occupation and availability of PPE, various healthcare workers may be experiencing PPE shortages or being asked to reuse PPE. To address these research questions, investigators at Harvard are conducting a study of three cohorts to assess working conditions and health outcome measures of healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic. The data collection methods being conducted by Harvard include a baseline questionnaire, weekly questionnaires for up to 6 months following the baseline questionnaire, and a final/ wrapup questionnaire. The baseline questionnaire is due to be launched online in April, 2020. The broad goal of the Harvard Cohorts study is to rapidly collect information via web questionnaire over a six month period on COVID-19 infection, regarding stressors (occupational, financial, caregiving), mental health and nutrition related to the pandemic among members of the Nurses’ Health Study3 (currently aged 18-55 years), NHSII (currently aged 56-75 years) and their offspring enrolled in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS; currently aged 33 to 41 years). The NHSII began in 1989 with the recruitment of 116,430 female nurses from across the US who have been followed biennially. GUTS was established in 1996 and expanded in 2004 with the recruitment of 27,706 children of women participating in the NHSII who were 9-15 years old at the time of recruitment and are similarly actively followed. NHS3 is a web-based open cohort of health professionals started in 2010 that has recruited 45,066 men and women who are asked to complete health questionnaires every 6 months. Participants across the three cohorts have provided a variety of biological specimens over the course of follow-up and participated in multiple substudies involving online surveys and digital phenotyping studies in addition to regularly providing data on health behaviors and chronic disease in repeated follow-up questionnaires that have been prospectively collected over several decades. Harvard investigators will send email invitations to already enrolled NHSII (n=116430, all women), NHS3 (n=45066; men and women) and GUTS cohort members (n=27706; men and women). Information collected via the COVID-19 questionnaires will be linked to these historical data. Because each cohort continues to be followed for other disease outcomes, the Harvard investigators are well positioned to examine the potential long-term sequelae of COVID-19 infection as well as the impact of numerous stressors created by this pandemic such as shortages of PPE for healthcare workers, financial strain and job loss, caregiving stress, social isolation and changes in diet and physical activity. The information collected will be critical to inform future preventive interventions. PURPOSE The contractor shall conduct statistical analyses using data collected from the three Harvard Cohorts: the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS2), the Nurses’ Health Study 3 (NHS3), and the Growing up Together Study (GUTS), to accomplish the following specific aims: Describe exposures and outcomes of interest from the baseline questionnaire, including: PPE and COVID-19 diagnoses Psycho-social stress Describe trends in exposures and outcomes of interest combining data from the baseline questionnaire, weekly questionnaires, and a final/wrap-up questionnaire, including: PPE and COVID-19 diagnoses Psycho-social stress SCOPE OF WORK The contractor shall prepare and analyze data from the three “Harvard Cohorts” (NHS2, NHS3, and GUTS) on exposure to Coronavirus, use and availability of PPE, and outcomes such as COVID-19 diagnoses and psychosocial stress in accordance with the technical requirements and deliverables described below. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action will be based on responses to this notice and is solely in the discretion of the Contracting Officer. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. All vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov , prior to an award of a federal contract. This 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) and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit quotations. This is not a request for competitive quotations ; however, the Government will review any/all product, capabilities, and pricing information submitted prior to the closure of this notice. 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. Responsible sources that believe they possess the expertise and capabilities identified above are hereby afforded the opportunity to submit to the Contracting Officer within 5 days from the posting date of this notice, their written capabilities statement and pricing information in the format they choose, not to exceed 10 pages. Please forward product and pricing information to Diane Meeder, Contracting Officer, CDC, OAS, through email at
[email protected]. Any responses should be emailed to Diane Meeder at
[email protected] by May 20, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. ET.