Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence Warfighter Brain Health Research and Translation Support Services

Description

     This is a Sources Sought Synopsis to conduct market research to determine the availabiliity of businesses, large and small, capable of providing the services described in the attached Performance Work Statement for Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, Warfighter Brain Health Research and Translation Support Services.  This notice is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ) at this time.  Consequently, this notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for information submitted in response to the notice.

     The TBICoE is a branch of the Research Support Division in the Research and Engineering Directorate (R&E) of the Defense Health Agency (DHA).  DHA is a Federal Program within the Department of Defense (DoD).  TBICoE, known previously as the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), has been congressionally mandated since 1992 and is currently a matrixed research, dissemination, and knowledge translation program, supporting warfighter brain health and readiness by advancing the traumatic brain injury state of the science and clinical standards.

     TBICoE's mission to support the warfighter is executed through subject matter experts embedded across DHA facilities with expertise in TBI clinical research investigations, surveillance, clinical tool development and training, cognitive monitoring and assessment, and dissemination of TBI tools, products, and education/training materials to DoD medical personnel, service members, including Guard, Reserve, and operational medics/corpsmen, veterans with TBI, and families/caregivers of the warfighter.  This multifacted approach to TBI and brain health relies on a coordinated effort across disciplines, driven by strategic priorities, to advance the state of the science and continuously inform DoD and DHA programs and policy initiatives.

    TBI is a predominant injury in both peacetime and wartime across the MHS.  The number and complexity of brain health insults, including TBI, has increased because of recent theaters of combat and improved understanding of exposures during ongoing training-based and operational hazards.  Blast related injuries  in combination with other events are the primary cause of TBI for active-duty military personnel.  TBICoE operates across DHA facilities in the US and Germany through embedded personnel at a headquarters and sevel strategi medical and operational sites.      

     Contractors will continue to be integral in all aspects of these highly specialized TBI services. TBICoE headquarters (HQ), in Silver Spring, MD, is supported by contractors who are expert scientists, researchers, and trained clinicians. TBICoE contractors work with HQ and local government leadership to provide or support the following services:

• Requirements-driven, human (non-animal, non-bench) clinical research investigations addressing military-relevant gaps
• TBI and brain health surveillance and outcomes
• Clinical practice management guidelines and clinical recommendation tool development, assessment, and implementation
• TBI and brain health training, education, and dissemination programs
• Cognitive monitoring program

     TBICoE contractors are Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in their field who facilitate all aspects of human clinical research implementation and dissemination, which involves:

• providing scientific leadership
• serving as Principal and/or Associate Investigators on clinical and operational human research studies within military cohorts and operational environments
• developing, coordinating, and supporting human subject research and regulations amidst the complexities of military medical and operational environments
• demonstrating expert fluency in statistical analyses and interpretation of data collected,
• effectively disseminating research findings to broad audiences including but not limited to military medical and operational leadership, scientific conference attendees, policy personnel, and DHA stakeholders such as service members, veterans, and family members or caregivers
• implementing effective standard operating procedures and program management that supports the government’s mission and drivers
• flexibly aligning research support and dissemination activities based on emerging evidence, demand signals, and fluctuating priorities

     TBICoE supports the execution of Congressionally mandated and DoD-assigned missions such as the Warfighter Brain Health Initiative (WBHI) and the Cognitive Monitoring Program (CMP), as well as any future projects tasked by Congress, Health Affairs, and/or the DoD. Contractor activities will rely on established collaboration between several layers of stakeholders including the DoD, VA, civilian health partners, state/local communities, families, hospital administrators, and individuals with TBI. These include, but are not limited to both internal and externals partners, such as the Science & Technology Enterprise Integration Division (STEID), sister Research and Engineering Centers of Excellence (Hearing, Vision, Psychological Health, Extremity Trauma and Amputation), Health Affairs, DAD-MA, Joint Special Operations Command to include U.S. Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and other DOD-designated laboratories (ARL, NRL, AFRL), Veterans Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, Rehabilitation Research, Public Health Service, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These collaborators may work with TBICoE to support DoD initiatives that improve services and care for warfighter brain health, including improved TBI assessment and care (e.g., technology advances), warfighter return to duty, optimized performance, improved short and long-term outcomes after injury, and reintegration to their families and communities.

     For mission success, TBICoE requires robust clinical research investigation teams, dissemination and implementation experts, and clinical translation programs and pathways. TBICoE government personnel have the responsibility for the development and oversight of TBICoE clinical research investigations, research translation, dissemination, and surveillance in support of MHS priorities and applicable policies. Non-personal services contractors will perform the highly specialized TBI SME tasks as described in the contract and will be supervised by contractor personnel. Personal services contractors will receive oversight and supervision from local government site directors or their designee. In each case, contractor personnel will have direct operational responsibility for deliverables to the government leadership to ensure mission success.

     Interested parties may express their interest and provide a short capabilities statement and/or outline of experience relevant to the attached draft Performance Work Statement, of no more than six (6) pages total, no later than 4:00 p.m. EST, May 20, 2025.  The points of contact for this action are John A. Cowgill, Senior Contract Analyst, at john.a.cowgill4.ctr@health.mil , Gregory Crump, Contracting Officer, at gregory.m.crump.civ@health.mil , and Sou Walls, Contracting Officer, at sou.j.walls.civ@health.mil .