Newborn Screening Pilot Studies

The Newborn Screening Pilot Studies Master Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, awarded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, is designed to create a pool of high-throughput newborn screening laboratories capable of rapidly developing protocols and initiating testing for new genetic disorders. The contract enables selected contractors to conduct research and pilot studies on screening methodologies for rare and emerging heritable conditions that may be added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). This vehicle supports the agency's broader mission of improving early detection and potential treatment of genetic disorders in newborns across diverse regional populations.

The task orders under this IDIQ consistently focus on pilot studies for specific genetic disorders, with values ranging from $5,000 to approximately $926,734 and typical performance periods of two to four years. Key contractors include Emory University and Research Triangle Institute (RTI International), who have conducted pilot studies on disorders such as Homocystinuria (HCU), Proximal Urea Cycle Disorders (PUCD), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), and Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPSI). All task orders to date have been awarded without specific set-aside designations, and the work is predominantly performed in research-intensive locations like Atlanta, Georgia. The pricing structures are primarily cost-no-fee or cost-plus-fixed-fee, reflecting the research-oriented nature of the contract vehicle.