Evidence-based Practice Centers IV (EPC IV)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded Evidence-based Practice Centers IV, a Master IDIQ for systematic evidence review and comparative effectiveness research, with a shared ceiling of $50 million and a last date to order of July 31, 2017—now closed for nearly nine years. Ordering has been inactive since early 2015, marking the vehicle as obsolete for new business pursuit; the successor vehicle, Evidence-based Practice Centers V, was awarded in December 2014.

Over its active life, the vehicle issued 86 task orders between September 2012 and February 2015, achieving nearly full utilization at $53.9 million obligated against the $54.9 million combined potential value (98% burn). The ordering pace was front-loaded: 19 orders in 2012, 42 in 2013, 22 in 2014, and only 3 in 2015 before the vehicle's practical closure. Task-order values ranged from approximately $40,000 to $6.2 million, with typical firm-fixed-price reviews between $225,000 and $625,000. Major work streams included U.S. Preventive Services Task Force systematic evidence reviews, technology assessments, topic refinement activities, and systematic review updates across clinical domains including mental health, cardiovascular disease, cancer, pediatric care, and infectious disease management.

Competition was concentrated among academic and research institutions rather than traditional federal contractors. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals held the largest share by potential value at $20.5 million across six orders (roughly 37% of the vehicle's funded value), while Oregon Health & Science University led by order count with 15 awards totaling $5.8 million. The Johns Hopkins University, Regents of the University of Minnesota, and Research Triangle Institute collectively completed the top five, capturing 75% of combined potential value. All 11 prime contractors were academic or research organizations, reflecting AHRQ's reliance on university-based EPC networks.

AHRQ was the sole customer across all 86 orders; no other federal agencies placed work under this vehicle. All task orders carried unrestricted (no set-aside) designations, and pricing was predominantly firm-fixed-price with occasional cost-no-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee structures for technical support work. This vehicle is not a viable pursuit vehicle and should be monitored only for historical competitive intelligence on AHRQ's systematic review procurement strategy and the academic prime contractors who dominate the EPC ecosystem.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded a Master IDIQ for Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) IV. Specifically, EPCs will perform task orders to meet the following objectives: Promote the synthesis and translation of evidence; Engage stakeholders to identify and refine questions in which systematic review will help disseminate and translate research findings for the stakeholder audience; Conduct comparative effectiveness reviews, technical briefs, and updates of reviews with systematic and transparent methods; Engage stakeholders to identify and characterize Future research needs to inform real-world healthcare decisions; Collaborate with partners, including other EPCs and AHRQ programs, to promote relevant, consistent, transparent and valuable implementation of the systematic review process, dissemination of findings from systematic reviews and methodology projects, and the EPC Program as a whole; Improve validity and utility of systematic reviews for decision-making.