The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), plans to procure on a sole source basis services regarding Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Electronic Pathology Software, upgrades and enhancements with Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Inc., 2 Berkeley Street, Suite 403, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A 2W3.

This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12, Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR 13 to use simplified procedures for commercial acquisitions. The North American Industry Classification System code is 511120 and the business size standard is 500 employees.

Period of Performance: Performance shall be for one base year plus four option years.

The SEER Program of the National Cancer Institute is an authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. The SEER Program currently collects and publishes cancer incidence and survival data from 11 population-based cancer registries and three supplemental registries covering approximately 14 percent of the US population. The expansion registries increase the coverage to approximately 26 percent of the US population.

Utilizing information technology to automate this process is both labor saving and error eliminating when compared to current hands-on methods. Referred to as "Electronic Pathology" or EPath, the software to accomplish such automation requires the following capabilities: (1) Pre-existing pathology reports, consisting of both text-based and coded portions of the overall report, must be searched in order to select the potential cancer cases. Text-based portions of the report are parsed and the potential cancer cases selected through comparisons to an appropriate dictionary of reportable terminology. Coded portions of the report are selected using a rules based process. No standard report format exists for pathology laboratories to follow, so the software must also be flexible enough to accommodate a variety of report formats; (2) selected cases are then transmitted from the pathology laboratory to the registry. This must include complete tracking and an audit trail. The transmission system must be secure and conform to all HIPAA requirements; (3) once received; the information must be easily incorporated into the registry's data management operation.

The contractor shall:
-Maintain and update the existing infrastructure
-Build out a portion of the remaining laboratory installations in the four new SEER registries as well as any shortfalls in the remainder of SEER
-Expand to the Seattle registry
-Expand ePath into the Alaska Native and Cherokee Nation registries
-Expand the existing ePath system to take advantage of the new Synoptex add-on.
-Install Positive Case Identification software at laboratories with the SEER Los Angeles cancer registry catchment area.

Artificial Intelligence In Medicine, Inc. (AIM) is the sole-source provider of software developed to automate the review of pathology reports for cancer case finding and the forwarding of those that are required by a cancer registry. These products are proprietary to AIM, Inc. and are unavailable through any other distributor.

This notice is not a request for competitive quotation. However, if any interested party believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a statement of capabilities. The statement of capabilities and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NCI to determine if the party has the unique capabilities, resources and personnel to perform the requirement. Capability statements must be received in the contracting office by 1:00 PM EDT, on July 7, 2008. For further information please contact Melissa Marino, Contract Specialist via electronic mail at marinome@mail.nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No collect calls will be accepted. No faxed or emailed capability statements will be accepted. In order to receive an award, contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA). Reference NCI-80105-MM.