Validation study and user experience study for a face measuring mobile application

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is seeking contractor support for validation and user experience testing services for a face measuring mobile application. The primary objective is to estimate discrepancies between facial dimension measurements obtained through the mobile application and those obtained using calipers, which are currently the standard measurement instrument. Key contract requirements include recruiting and testing diverse participant populations, performing anthropometric measurements and respirator fit testing, developing and refining study protocols, conducting user experience surveys, and creating a low-cost alternative face measuring tool such as a paper-based ruler or template. The contractor must demonstrate extensive experience with human participant testing, personally identifiable information security, caliper-based anthropometric measurements, PortaCount respirator fit testing equipment, and survey administration. Quotations must be submitted by 3:00 PM EST on March 7, 2026, to Paula Taylor at Vga8@cdc.gov, with the solicitation posted on March 20, 2026, and a proposal due date of April 6, 2026.

This solicitation is issued under Request for Quotations 75D301-26-Q-78873 with no small business set-aside designation. The base contract period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and includes testing of 200 human test subjects for the validation and user experience studies, with respirator fit testing required for 50 of those subjects. Two optional tasks are available at NIOSH's discretion: additional testing of 25 subjects and securing an approved Institutional Review Board protocol. The contract will be awarded on a firm-fixed-price basis with monthly payments, and all data collected becomes government property with no contractor rights to independent use beyond the contract scope. Performance will occur in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the contractor must comply with extensive federal security, privacy, records management, and personnel security requirements, including background investigations and federal information security standards compliance.