Modification to Contract 75D30120C08170 (National SARS-CoV-2 Seroincidence Studies in Blood Donors)

CDC awarded modification number 00005 to contract number 75D30120C08170 to Vitalant, 6210 E Oak St, Scottsdale, AZ, 85257-1101, on 22 February 2022, in the amount of $11,262,567.00.

This notice makes available a Justification and Approval for Other than Full and Open Competition (J&A) that applies to this contract.

This contract modification was issued under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. 

The objective of contract 75D30120C08170 is to estimate the proportion of people that have been infected or vaccinated with SARS-CoV-2 during the ongoing epidemic over time by geographic locations and demographic subcategories.  There are three (3) primary tasks associated with this study:

(1) Identify the ideal antibody screening and confirmation tests for the study

(2) Blood donor seroprevalence testing and administration of surveys among repeat donors

(3) Longitudinal study to characterize the antibody responses

This contract modification includes changes to task 2 and the period of performance.  CDC requires the contractor to expand the number of longitudinal participants to approximately 130,000 donors (a combination of donors that have been previously infected, vaccinated, both infected and vaccinated, and neither infected nor vaccinated) in order to:

(1) Provide highly important data on the stability of potentially protective antibody responses and therefore the risk of reinfection in future outbreaks

(2) Provide critical data to refine the analysis of the serosurvey results to account for waning seroreactivity based on the study testing algorithm

This does not modify the overall amount of monthly donations, rather this effort will track the same blood donors who will be tested on average 3 to 5 times a year.

To accomplish these updated efforts and account for recently changed vaccination regiments and variants, the period of performance will be extended by one year from May 11, 2022 to May 11, 2023.

In accordance with the attached J&A, Vitalant was determined to be the only responsible source capable of providing this modified work.  Given the work that has already been started through Vitalant Research Institute and its network of partners, it would not be possible for another vendor to enter the project.  No other contractor has access to partnerships and subcontractors, the large and geographically diverse blood donor pool, or the 20 months of testing and data collected that the contractor has.  If the work was re-competed, then CDC would not be able to have continuous data since 2020, which would make new data incompatible with the 20 months of data and work invested in this contract. 

The attached J&A is being made available within 14 days of contract award in accordance with FAR 6.305(a) and will remain active for 30 days in accordance with FAR 6.305(d)(3).

Awarded contract 75D30120C08170 to unknown vendor for unknown amount on 2022-02-22.