HEALTH EFFECTS IN CHERNOBYL CLEANUP WORKERS IN UKRAINE

Small Business Sources Sought Notice

NIH-OD-OALM-SBSS-DivB-06222026-1

Classification Code: AN11- (R&D- MEDICAL: BIOMEDICAL (BASIC RESEARCH)

NAICS Code: 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)

Title: Health Effects in Chernobyl Cleanup Workers in Ukraine

Type of Notice:
This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice (SS). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding:
(1)the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are smallbusiness; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses, 8(a)small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; women-owned small businesses; or smalldisadvantaged business; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American IndustryClassification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your response to theinformation requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to thisnotice.

The NAICS code for this project is 541715. The small business size standard is 1,000 employees.

This Small Business Sources Sought Notice (SBSS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses received nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted.

The Capability Statements submitted in response to this notice should include an indication of current certified business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address) as well as the eligible business concern’s name, point of contact, address, and UEI number.

Background:
Following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident on April 26, 1986, approximately 150,000 cleanup workers (primarily men) living in Ukraine participated in various recovery activities. Since the accident, these individuals were invited for clinical examinations every two (2) years at the National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Hematology and Oncology (NRCRMHO) in Kiev, Ukraine. Although a population of Ukrainian cleanup workers has been established for many years, there is no cancer cohort with reliable doses estimated for a range of organs. To resolve major questions about cancer mediators, precancer risks and other diseases following protractive exposure to ionizing radiation The Chernobyl Research Program (CRP) at Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB), Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), National Cancer Institute (NCI) (CRP/REB/DCEG) and NRCRMHO are constructing the Cleanup Workers Clinical Cohort consisting of 10,965 individuals from whom radiation doses may be estimated using a brief survey. Currently information (e.g., vital status, last known address, cancer registry data, and Chernobyl State Registry data) is confirmed through the mail survey for 1,639 from 10,965 individuals. This contract is for the continuation of this activity. Follow-up of this cohort will occur through previously established biannual medical examinations at NRCRMHO and linkage to the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine (NCRU) and the State Chernobyl Registry (SCR).

This Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Purpose and Objectives:
The specific objective of this contract is to maintain the Cleanup Workers Clinical Cohort by updating the demographic, clinical and epidemiologic data through a mail survey and passive follow-up through linkage to the NCRU and the SCR.

Project Requirements:
Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall be required to furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, to simultaneously manage concurrent, multiple, in country and international studies as needed to perform the Statement of Work (SOW). The Contractor shall perform work defined more specifically here:

1. Update vital status and last known address through a mail survey for annual target of atleast 2,000 subjects of the Cleanup Workers Clinical Cohort (name/ address/ telephonenumber/ email, close relative’s name/ address/ telephone number/ email) as described inthe approved study protocol and Operations Manual. Use tracing management systems tomaximize participation and reduce loss rates for all data collection efforts. Support andmanage systems to describe document control for best name, date of birth, last knownaddress, and last known vital status with appropriate dates. After the target number of10,965 has been reached, the mail survey shall continue cyclically starting with thesubjects that were surveyed prior to this contract.

2. Conduct linkage of the information of subjects to the NCRU and the SCR to ascertaincases of cancer and other diagnoses and to compare incidence rates among the studysubjects with corresponding indicators for the entire Ukrainian population. Update thedatabases with information obtained as a result of record linkage to the SCR and NCRU,and ongoing data records cleaning procedures.

3. Deliver accurate, complete, and up-to-date electronic databases (Data Services orInformation Retrieval Systems | Section508.gov), including cancer registry variables, asspecified by NCI Primary Investigators (PIs). No personally identifiable information shallbe sent (e.g., no names, birth year/month only).

4. Under the direction of NCI, implement procedures needed to assure the quality of datacollected, entered, and managed. Provide written Manual for Quality Control Proceduresused along with error or problem rates. Maintain comprehensive documentation for thestudy datasets.

5. Maintain electronic datasets (Data Services or Information Retrieval Systems |Section508.gov) with updated demographic information and User's Guide to Data Files.Deliver report summarizing results of demographic and contact information update.Deliver database with updated demographic information, if requested by NCI. Nopersonally identifiable information shall be sent (e.g., no names, birth year/month only).

6. Respond to data requests and questions concerning the Cleanup Workers Clinical Cohortand provide support to NCI investigators in their preparation of scientific presentationsand papers.

7. Perform administrative, operational, and technical duties to support productivecollaboration among the study personnel and NCI. This shall include participation inregular calls with NCI. In addition, this includes hosting a site visit and attending an in-person meeting of all stakeholders (schedules for calls and in-person meetings/site visitsto be determined after award).

Anticipated Period of Performance:
The estimated period of performance for this procurement is from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2032, with a base period of 12 months and 4 option periods of 12 months.

Capability Statement/Information Sought:
A draft Statement of Work (Attachment 1) is provided for review. The Government encourages interested, qualified small business organizations to submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement which will be considered by the agency.

Tailored Capability Statements submitted in response to this notice should supply pertinent information in sufficient detail to demonstrate the offeror’s ability to perform the required services.

Capability Statements should clearly convey information regarding the offeror's capabilities, including: (a) technical approach; (b) personnel capability and experience; and (c) corporate experience and management approach with examples of similar, prior completed Government contracts.

Small businesses possessing experience and demonstrated capability to accomplish the aforementioned requirements and level of effort are to supply pertinent information in sufficient detail to demonstrate their ability to perform the required services. Information furnished must not exceed 20 pages (12-point font minimum).

Each response should include the following Business Information on the cover page:
a. UEI number
b. Company Name
c. Company Address
d. Company business point of contact, including name, title, address, telephone and email address
e. Small business or certified small business status (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteranowned, etc.), as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM). All offerors must beregistered in the SAM, located at http://www.sam.gov/

Information Submission Instructions:

All capability statements sent in response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice must be sent electronically (via email) to Brittany Gibau, Contracting Officer at brittany.gibau@nih.gov and Paula Wilkison, Contracting Officer at paula.wilkison@nih.gov in either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) by July 10, 2026; 2:00 PM Eastern. The email subject line must specify the notice number: NIH-OD-OALM-SBSS-DivB-06222026-1. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. Capability Statements received after that date and time will not be considered.

Disclaimer and Important Notes:

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use the information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality:

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.

Contracting Office Address:

6701 Rockledge Ave

Bethesda, MD 20892

United States