SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Longitudinal Medical Study on Blast Pressure Exposure of Members of the Armed Forces
- Notice Date
- 9/14/2018
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 54171
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life SciencesT
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Attn: MCMR-AAA, 820 Chandler Street, Frederick, MD 21702-5014, Maryland, 21702-5014, United States
- ZIP Code
- 21702-5014
- Solicitation Number
- W81XWH-18-T-2651
- Archive Date
- 10/30/2018
- Point of Contact
- Matthew Elden,
- E-Mail Address
-
matthew.r.elden.civ@mail.mil
(matthew.r.elden.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Defense Health Agency FY 2018 NDAA Sec. 734 Longitudinal Medical Study on Blast Pressure Exposure of Members of the Armed Forces Request for Information The first DoD Working Group meeting is scheduled for 25 September 2018. This Request for Information (RFI) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD (HA)), the Defense Health Agency (DHA), or the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). The OASD (HA) has oversight of the effective execution of DoD medical missions, providing and maintaining readiness for medical services and support to members of the Military Services, their families and others entitled to or eligible for DoD medical care and benefits. The DHA, a Combat Support Agency, leads the Military Health System (MHS) integrated system of readiness and health to deliver increased readiness, better health, better care, and lower cost. The USAMRMC's mission is to provide medical knowledge and materiel lifecycle management to protect, treat, and optimize Warfighter health and performance across the full spectrum of operations. The Department of Defense (DoD) Blast Injury Research Program Coordinating Office (PCO) coordinates the DoD blast injury research investment, on behalf of the DoD Executive Agent (EA) for Medical Research for Prevention, Mitigation, and Treatment of Blast Injuries, to ensure critical knowledge gaps are filled, avoid costly and unnecessary duplication of effort, and accelerate the fielding of prevention and treatment strategies by leveraging existing knowledge and fostering collaboration and information sharing among the world's blast injury experts. The PCO is issuing this RFI in coordination with the Research and Development (J9) Directorate of the DHA in support of the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act Sec. 734. Longitudinal Medical Study on Blast Pressure Exposure of Members of the Armed Forces. The Congressional mandate for the Longitudinal Medical Study was established in Public Law 115-91 Sec. 734 and includes the following elements: 1.monitor, record, and analyze data on blast pressure exposure for any member of the Armed Forces who is likely to be exposed to a blast in training or combat 2.assess the feasibility and advisability of including blast exposure history as part of the service record of a member, as a blast exposure log, in order to ensure that, if medical issues arise later, the member receives care for any service-connected injuries; and 3.review the safety precautions surrounding heavy weapons training to account for emerging research on blast exposure and the effects of such exposure on cognitive performance of members of the Armed Forces. In support of this Congressional mandate, the DoD established a Workgroup to support the development and submission of the Sec. 734 Interim Report to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the study methods and action plan for the study. In support of the Sec. 734 elements, this RFI aims to inform the: 1.Identification of the best methodology for a longitudinal medical study on blast pressure exposure of Armed Forces members during combat and training. This includes information that would support the monitoring, recording, and analysis of blast pressure exposures and the resulting health effects. Blast pressure exposure is defined as a shock wave coupling to the body, which could be the result of detonation of explosives, small- and large- caliber arms fire, vehicle-borne and or person-borne weapon systems, rocket-propelled grenades, improvised explosive devices, or any high overpressure weapon system. 2.Potential for inclusion of blast exposure history in the service and medical records of Service members. Blast exposure history is defined as blast pressure waveform information, including the date, time, magnitude, and duration of the exposures, and other factors that affect injury, such as chemical exposure. Blast exposure history could include digital waveform recordings and/or a written summary of exposures. Each Service member has a service record and a medical record, which could potentially include the blast exposure information for care of service-connected injuries. The service record (e.g., the Military Human Resource Record, Official Military Personnel File, or Form DD 214) includes service information such as the individual's professional history, training, education, and qualifications. The individual's medical record includes documentation of injuries, medical conditions, and treatments. Medical information is protected and access is limited. 3.Review of current safety precautions for heavy weapon training and emerging research, which could be used to improve heavy weapon training safety. Heavy weapons include high overpressure weapon systems, such as anti-tank recoilless rifles or heavy-caliber sniper rifles. Existing safety precautions could include a variety of tactics, techniques, and procedures for operating heavy weapon systems, such as allowable number of rounds, stand-off distances, and personal protective equipment. Assessment of current safety precautions will include examination of methods to monitor adherence to these precautions and blast exposure health effects such as, effects on cognitive performance. In support of the above aims, this RFI intends to identify current projects or initiatives that support the intended areas of work above and seeks to: 1.Obtain information to inform the study population selection, including factors that affect an individual's risk of injury due to blast pressure exposure. 2.Obtain information related to operational considerations and capabilities to support a longitudinal medical study in various combat and training scenarios 3.Obtain information related to longitudinal medical study design and implementation, including methods for multi-site coordination, data collection and management, and methods to minimize impact on training and combat operations. 4.Obtain information about current capabilities and limitations in health and performance assessments, including assessment sensitivity, accuracy, and test-retest reliability, for cross-sectional and longitudinal monitoring of potential acute and chronic effects of blast pressure exposure. 5.Obtain information about current capabilities and limitations in blast pressure exposure measurement, including technologies and best practices for use in combat and training environments for monitoring, recording, and analysis of blast pressure exposures. 6.Obtain information about logistics and management of service record and medical record, or individual longitudinal exposure records information and capabilities for inclusion of blast pressure exposure history. 7.Obtain information on existing safety precautions (e.g., allowable number of rounds, stand-off distances, personal protective equipment), methods for monitoring adherence to these precautions and blast pressure exposure health effects such as, effects on cognitive performance, and emerging research that could inform improvements to safety precautions for heavy weapon training. 8.Identify researchers who have developed, or are developing or researching, blast or blast injury assessment techniques, and who possess appropriate scientific expertise, experience, and resources to describe and provide the scientific evidence needed to inform the study methods. 9.Identify non-blast related TBI studies and protocols that could provide increased insights if aligned to blast studies (i.e., timing of biomarker collection from sports concussion, directed energy studies). To submit copies of publications, articles, reports, images, etc., related to existing or emerging research for consideration, please visit the DoD Blast Injury Research Program website at https://blastinjuryresearch.amedd.army.mil/private/index.cfm/rfi. You will be asked to provide basic contact information and will then be provided a username, password, and a link to the RFI submission site. After submitting your document(s), you will receive confirmation that your document was successfully submitted. DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES This RFI is issued solely for information and program planning purposes; it does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Submission is voluntary and is not required to respond to a subsequent Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) (if any) or other research solicitation (if any) on this topic. The OASD (HA)/DHA(J9)/USAMRMC/U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA)/DoD Blast Injury Research PCO will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that OASD (HA)/DHA(RDA)/DHA(J9)/ USAMRAA/USAMRMC/DoD Blast Injury Research PCO is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Information in responses will be held confidential to the extent permitted under applicable laws and regulations. Any proprietary, non-public information should be marked so. Questions should be addressed to the Contract Specialist for this RFI, Mr. Matthew R. Elden, via e-mail at matthew.r.elden.civ@mail.mil.
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