D -- Effectiveness of National Biosurveillance Systems: Biowatch and Public Health System

Congress has directed the Office of Health Affairs to sponsor an Academies project that would provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of both the current and ideal biosurveillance systems to detect biological terrorism, including (1) differing technological generations of environmental detection systems, (2) current human and animal health surveillance systems, (3) define necessary enhancements to hospital and public health based measures of effectiveness in detecting attacks of bioterrorism. In order to fulfill this requirement of the US Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations intends to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM) on a sole source basis pursuant to the authority of FAR 6.302-5. The contract will be for studying effectiveness of the ability of the BioWatch program surveillance systems to sufficiently warn and provide effective post-exposure prophylaxis and effective post-infection treatment to affected populations following a bioterrorism attack. The National Academy of Science (NAS) was established by an Act of Congress signed by President Lincoln in March 1863 to investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art ....whenever called upon by any department of the Government. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) was chartered in 1970 by the National Academy of Science, under the terms of the 1863 Congressional Charter. A central purpose of NAS and IOM is to advise the government on issues of science, medicine, and technology. The Academy and its affiliated organizations are private, independent, nonprofit institutions that jointly possess a unique status as congressionally chartered advisers to the government. The IOM has a long tradition of providing policy advice from a national perspective. This tradition rests on the ability of the NAS/IOM to convene committees of experts who are charged to deliberate important issues of health and health care policy in an objective and independent environment that assures rigorous analysis. IOM serves as an important function for bringing representatives from diverse groups together to achieve consensus on complex issues. Determination by the Government whether to compete this requirement is solely within the discretion of the Government. The anticipated period of performance will be April 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008. Place of performance shall be at DHS offices located in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area, or any facility that may be identified by the government.