RFP ANNOUNCEMENT: BASIC AND CLINICAL APPROACHES TO CONTROLLING HUMAN 
RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS - NIH-NIAID-DMID-03-05

Release Date:  July 23, 2002

NOTICE: NOT-AI-02-041

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
 (http://www.niaid.nih.gov)

Receipt Date: November 18, 2002

DESCRIPTION

The Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID), of the National 
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of 
Health (NIH), is re-competing and expanding their current contract with the 
Baylor College of Medicine, Contract No. N01-AI-65298.  This solicitation 
will be a full and open competition, NAICS Code 541710, 500 employees.   

This RFP solicits proposals for respiratory pathogens research units to 
support the infection prevention program of the Respiratory Diseases Branch, 
DMID.  The Government has a need to continue this effort and expand the 
respiratory pathogens unit as part of the Bio-defense Research Agenda.  The 
focus of these units will include: 1) increased capacity to conduct pre-
clinical and clinical research activities on emerging and re-emerging 
bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens with an emphasis on multi-drug 
resistant organisms and novel influenza vaccines; 2) enhanced capability to 
evaluate vaccines, therapeutics, and novel strategies to enhance the 
protective human immune response; 3) emphasized integration of human mucosal 
immunity with clinical research; and 4) emphasized research on product 
development activities.  

Separate proposals are solicited for separate parts of this solicitation:  
Part A - Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens Research Unit (BRPRU) and Part B - 
Viral Respiratory Pathogens Research Unit (VRPRU).   An offeror may respond 
to either Part A or Part B, or both.  It is anticipated that a total of three 
contracts will be awarded to successful offerors demonstrating capability of 
responding to the requirements of this solicitation. It is anticipated that 
three (3) cost-reimbursement, completion-type contracts will be awarded for a 
period of seven (7) years at an estimated level of effort 24.90 FTEs for each 
year (Part A) and 19.90 FTEs for each year (Part B).  

The Part A bacterial research unit will focus on the major themes of:  
bacterial carriage, progression to lower respiratory tract disease, and 
development of prevention strategies that optimize the protective immune 
response (including innate and mucosal immunity).  The BRPRU unit will also 
conduct clinical studies, which focus on these major themes, including Phase 
I and Phase II clinical trials of candidate vaccines and therapeutics.  In 
addition, this unit must have the capacity to conduct clinical challenge 
studies with bacterial respiratory pathogens.   

The Part B viral research unit will focus on the major themes of:  viral 
pathogenesis, evaluation of new and/or improved vaccines and therapeutics, 
and development of strategies that optimize the protective immune response.  
The VRPRU will also conduct clinical studies that focus on these major 
themes, including the conduct of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of 
candidate vaccines and therapeutics.  In addition, this unit must have the 
capacity to conduct human challenge studies with viral and respiratory 
pathogens, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).  

Once awarded, the Respiratory Pathogens Research Units (RPRUs) will become a 
part of a multi-disciplinary Respiratory Pathogens Research Network (RPPN) 
that will also include contracts that support bacterial and viral Respiratory 
Pathogens Research Reference Laboratories.  These laboratories will provide 
standardized key serological assays for use in vaccine studies and 
distribution of reagents for the measurement of the human immune response to 
bacterial or viral respiratory pathogens.  The Respiratory Pathogens 
Reference Laboratories will be awarded through a separate solicitation 
entitled "Respiratory Pathogens Research Reference Laboratory Support", RFP-
NIH-NIAID-DMID-03-37 that is also posted at this time.  

RFP-NIH-NIAID-DMID-03-05, will be available electronically on the NIAID 
Contract Management Branch (CMB) Homepage on or about July 24, 2002, may be 
accessed through the CMB Home Page at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/contract and 
will be posted on Fed Biz Opps: www.fedbizopps.gov.  Any responsible offeror 
may submit a proposal that will be considered by the Government.  This 
announcement does not commit the Government to award a contract.  No collect 
calls will be accepted.  No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.  

Contracting Office Address:

National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contract Management Branch 
6700-B Rockledge Drive
Room 2230, MSC 7612 
Bethesda, MD, 20892-7612

Point of Contact: 

Nancy Hershey
Contracting Officer
Phone 301-496-0193
Fax 301-402-0972
Email nh11x@nih.gov 

Jacqueline Holden
Senior Contracting Officer
Phone 301-496-7119
Fax 301-402-0972
Email jh55b@nih.gov

Return to Volume Index

Return to NIH Guide Main Index

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Note: For help accessing PDF, RTF, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Audio or Video files, see Help Downloading Files.