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Request for Information/Sources Sought for
DHA-USAMRDC Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) Research Analysis, Knowledge Support, and Strategic Planning Professional Support Services
This RFI/SS does not constitute a solicitation, nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI/SS will be solely at the interested vendor's expense. Not responding to this RFI/SS does not preclude participation in any future Request for Proposal (RFP), if any is issued. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the services described below.
This RFI/SS is issued solely for information and planning purposes to gauge interest and capabilities for the upcoming requirement for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) - Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office (BIRCO) for Research Analysis, Knowledge Support, and Strategic Planning Professional Support Services.
Contractor support team will employ highly skilled Subject Matter Experts (SME) with the commensurate research, writing, knowledge product development and communications skills necessary to accomplish the BIRCO mission. Contractor’s professional experience with multiple departments, commands, and agencies with high levels of responsibility within the Government and/or DoD is required to appreciate senior leader intent, frame complex problems, develop innovative research concepts and strategy, execute strategy vis-à-vis programmatic and fiscal constraints, and formulate strategic messaging for senior leaders and other stakeholders. Each of these competencies is necessary to successfully support the EA’s congressionally mandated and SECDEF-directed responsibility to coordinate enterprise-wide DoD blast injury research. Contractor support team must possess the social-emotional intelligence necessary to facilitate collaboration to solve the DoD’s blast injury challenges, widely disseminate blast injury research data and information to prevent duplication of effort, to encourage collaboration, and to take maximum advantage of the DoD’s historical body of blast injury knowledge. Contract support will improve the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of the BIRCO in executing its EARO support mission.
The overall objectives are described below.
- Technical Report Preparation Support. BIRCO blast injury research reporting requirements, include but are not limited to the BIRCO’s Significant Activity (SIGACT) Reports, Situation Reports (SITREPs), Executive Summaries (EXSUM), and the Annual Historical Report.
- Tasking Coordination Support. BIRCO produces and receives taskings to and from multiple external sources. Directing, creating, and responding to these taskings, as well as receiving responses, means providing analysis, recommendations, and coordination to provide an appropriately tailored report or response to the associated organizations.
- BIRCO Blast Injury Research Coordination Meeting and Conference Support. BIRCO Blast Injury Research Coordination Meeting and Conference Support means providing technical, translational, logistical, and knowledge support to enable effective meetings and conferences in support of the BIRCO requirement. Plan, organize, conduct, and document meetings and conferences ranging from small Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), working groups, and committees, to larger workshops or symposia.
- External Blast Injury Research Coordination Meeting Support. External Blast Injury Research Coordination Meeting Support means providing knowledge support to BIRCO’s participation in blast injury research meetings sponsored, organized, and hosted by organizations external to the BIRCO, including but not limited to academic institutions, DoD, individual military Services, Federal agency research management and execution activities, NATO Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) Science & Technology Organization, the Biomedical Community of Interest (BioMed COI), medical research Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), and Joint Program Committees.
- NATO HFM Technical Team Support. NATO HFM Technical Team Support means providing support for Government participation in NATO HFM activities, such as technical teams and Symposia.
- Joint Research Initiative Support. One of the BIRCO’s mechanisms for leveraging the blast injury research expertise of DoD and non-DoD organizations is to establish Joint Research Initiatives focused on specific blast injury topics. Efforts necessary to support such initiatives may include but are not limited to coordinating with partners, performers, and stakeholders to develop agreements; draft letters of support or similar collaboration documents; draft statements of work to conduct research activities associated with specific protocols; draft or revise Institutional Review Board documentation; and coordinating charter drafting or revisions.
- Blast Injury Research Strategy Development: BIRCO is responsible for developing, maintaining and updating research strategy to address knowledge gaps necessary to advance Warfighter protection, mitigation, and treatment solutions for blast injuries. Research strategy development includes but is not limited to, literature review and landscape assessment, gap identification, formulation, and prioritization, research plan development and translation. Strategy development requires a nuanced understanding of Department and leadership priorities to inform objectives. Successful strategy development will require understanding of how policy guidance informs ends, ways, means and risk assessment. Strategy development outputs include strategic roadmaps, quad charts, whitepapers and similar strategy related information products for decision makers and stakeholders.
- Blast Injury Information Product Development: BIRCO routinely receives requests to develop information products to support the Responsible Official or other senior leaders in communicating Blast Overpressure (BOP) related research or risk mitigation initiatives. The BIRCO must develop necessary capability to receive the Director’s understanding of senior leader intent within the context of the current strategic landscape, develop talking points and a narrative to meet senior leader requirements, develop the requested information product including impactful graphical data displays, utilizing doctrinally appropriate language, and demonstrating DoD enterprise level stakeholders and efforts. Products include but are not limited to placemats, whitepapers, charters (or similar governance documents).
- Enterprise Research Effort Tracking: BIRCO must maintain situational awareness of ongoing research efforts across the DoD enterprise to include originating study institution, study aims and design, key measures, period of performance, PI, and alignment to broader BOP gaps.
- General BIRCO Knowledge Support. BIRCO Knowledge Support means assisting the Government in responding to information requests, managing SOPs, preparing internal reports, website management and other knowledge based general support.
- Research, Development, Acquisition (RDA) Analyses. RDA Analyses means to design and conduct insightful analyses of technologies; research plans, funding and activities; requirements; business processes or systems; policies; organizational structures; and other business data, such as personnel or manpower information, as they relate to the medical S&T program,
- Portfolio and Project Management Support. The contractor shall provide portfolio and project management support, including technical and knowledge support assistance, analysis, and data visualization to facilitate the work of BIRCO, USAMRDC organizations, and the EA.
The following contract support positions will be designated as key personnel:
Senior Blast Analyst (SME)
Brain Health Analyst (SME)
Resource Management Professional (Surge Support)
Portfolio Manager (Surge Support)
How to Respond:
Please submit a Capability Statement that describes relevant experience, expertise, and capabilities based upon the size and scope of this requirement as outlined in the draft PWS.
Each response should include the following business information and must not be more than ten (10) pages in length:
1. Company name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone, website address (if available), and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives as well as business size (i.e. Large Business, 8(a), Woman-Owned Small Business, etc.).
2. Name, title, telephone number, and e-mail addresses of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses.
3. Unique Entity ID number, CAGE Code, and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Companies also must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM, at www.sam.gov) to be considered as potential sources.
4. Please identify and provide any and all Government Contracts and IDIQs (e.g. Federal Supply Schedule, OMNIBUS, OASIS+, etc.) you currently hold (to include the vehicle and your contract number) that could be used to fulfill this requirement.
5. Describe your organization’s customer base and years of experience in providing services similar or related to those described in the draft PWS.
6. Describe your organization's specific and relevant experience and expertise to fulfill this requirement. Experience must be of similar size and scope. Please provide examples or provide references of previously completed deliverables related to this requirement.
7. Provide Information relating to capabilities, novel ideas, industry best practices, industry capabilities to meet the needs of the Government’s requirement as outlined in the draft PWS. Do not regurgitate the draft PWS tasks, rather, outline company specific capabilities that match the work outlined in the draft PWS in order for the Government to make a fair capabilities determination.
Capability statements will be reviewed for (1) Relevant experience based on the size and scope of the outlined requirement; (2) Company specific capabilities that match the work outlined in the draft PWS. The formal closing date for this RFI/SS and for the submission of all responses is NLT 9 July 2025 at 10:00 AM ET. All responses shall be submitted electronically using PDF or MS Word formats to the POC, Ms. Elizabeth O’Hara at [email protected]. The Government will not entertain questions regarding this RFI/SS.
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