Evidence-based Practice Centers III (EPC III)

The Evidence-based Practice Centers III (EPC III) is a Master Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to multiple prime contractors. The contract's primary objective is to support systematic review and comparative effectiveness research across various healthcare domains. Contractors are tasked with synthesizing medical evidence, engaging stakeholders, conducting comprehensive reviews, and translating research findings to inform real-world healthcare decision-making. The IDIQ enables the production of systematic reviews, technical briefs, evidence updates, and research methodology assessments that help stakeholders understand and implement emerging medical research.

Task orders under this IDIQ typically range from $100,000 to $6,000,000, with durations spanning 6-24 months. Common task order topics include medical interventions, clinical practices, health technologies, and patient safety methodologies. Key prime contractors appear to include academic medical centers and research institutions such as Oregon Health & Science University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Tufts University. Most task orders were not set aside for specific small business categories and were competitively awarded. The contract supported numerous high-impact projects, including reviews of smoking cessation interventions, treatment of depression during pregnancy, genomic testing for cancer recurrence, and vaccine safety. Funding consistently came from AHRQ, with a notable concentration of task orders issued between 2007 and 2013, many of which were associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) initiatives.