Research & Management Consulting Services to Support USPSTF

Quick Summary

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR), has issued a Small Business Sources Sought notice for Research & Management Consulting Services to support the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). This is not a solicitation but market research to obtain information on qualified small businesses (including HUBZone, SDVOSB, 8(a), VOSB, WOSB, SDB) under NAICS 541611. The goal is to determine the appropriate acquisition method, potentially including a set-aside. Responses are due April 9, 2026.

Scope of Work

The selected contractor will support the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) mission by assisting the USPSTF in improving health outcomes. Key tasks include:

• Methods Advancement: Conduct 1-3 annual methods research projects to enhance USPSTF recommendation development, focusing on timeliness, efficiency, quality improvement, and transparency. This may involve emerging technologies like AI and machine learning.
• Topic Management: Manage topic nominations, initial assessment, processing, and development of background documents for eligible topics.
• Conflicts of Interest (COI): Implement the USPSTF COI policy, including developing and maintaining a secure online tool for COI collection and updating related materials.
• Horizon Scanning: Conduct LitWatch at least six times annually and report results to relevant USPSTF and AHRQ staff.
• Liability Insurance: Coordinate the process to secure an insurance agent for USPSTF members' liability insurance review.

Contract & Timeline

• Type: Small Business Sources Sought (Market Research)
• Anticipated Period of Performance: August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2030, with four option years.
• NAICS Code: 541611 (Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services)
• Product Service Code: R499 (Other Professional Services)
• Response Due: April 9, 2026, 3:00 PM EST
• Published: March 27, 2026

Capability Requirements

Interested small businesses must demonstrate expertise and experience in:

• Evidence-based medicine, clinical preventive services, quantitative/qualitative methods.
• Developing and advancing methods for evaluating preventive services, including efficient methods like AI in evidence reviews.
• Stakeholder engagement and consensus building for prioritization.
• Managing topic nomination and development processes.
• Current in-house capability and capacity to perform work at USPSTF scale.
• Corporate experience and management capability.
• Providing scientific and governance experience for USPSTF activities (horizon scanning, COI mitigation, liability insurance).
• Prior projects of similar nature involving concurrent management of multiple, multi-faceted activities.
• Listing any Government-wide contracting vehicles (e.g., GSA schedule).

Submission Instructions

Submit a tailored capability statement electronically to Parul Mohan (Parul.Mohan@hhs.gov).

• Format: MS Word or Adobe PDF.
• Page Limit: 15 single-sided pages (including cover, attachments, resumes, charts).
• Font: 12-point minimum.
• Cover Page Must Include: UEI, Organization name, address, size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone) per NAICS 541611, and technical points of contact (names, titles, addresses, phone, email).

Important Notes

This is for planning purposes only and does not guarantee a contract award. The government reserves the right to use submitted information. Responses will not be considered adequate for a future solicitation. Do not include proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information.