NIH Awards $62.3M for Infectious Disease Genomic Sequencing to Broad Institute
Contract Overview
Contract Amount: $62,317,919 ($62.3M)
Contractor: THE Broad Institute, Inc
Awarding Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Start Date: 2009-07-01
End Date: 2014-03-30
Contract Duration: 1,733 days
Daily Burn Rate: $36.0K/day
Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION
Number of Offers Received: 3
Pricing Type: COST NO FEE
Sector: R&D
Official Description: CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, METHODOLOGY, TECHNOLOGIES, AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE FORTHE GENOMIC SEQUENCING CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE GENOMIC SEQUENCING CENTER SHALL PROVIDE RAPID ANDCOST-EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF HIGH-QUALITY GENOME SEQUENCES OF MICROORGANISMS AND INVERTEBRATE VECTORS OF INFECTIOUSDISEASES AND MAKE THE RESULTING GENOMIC DATA RAPIDLY AND READILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE BROADER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITYTHROUGH PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE INTERNATIONAL DATABASES. IN ADDITION, THE CENTERS SHALL PROVIDE COMPARATIVE GENOMICS ANDGENOTYPING TO EXAMINE GENETIC VARIATION IN POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITIES OF HUMAN PATHOGENS THAT ACROSS THE HUMANGENOME IDENTIFY GENETIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH OBSERVABLE PHENOTYPES IN THE PATHOGEN AND IN THE HUMAN HOST.
Place of Performance
Location: CAMBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX County, MASSACHUSETTS, 02142
Plain-Language Summary
Department of Health and Human Services obligated $62.3 million to THE BROAD INSTITUTE, INC for work described as: CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, METHODOLOGY, TECHNOLOGIES, AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE FORTHE GENOMIC SEQUENCING CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE GENOMIC SEQUENCING CENTER SHALL PROVIDE RAPID ANDCOST-EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF HIGH-QUALITY GENOME SEQUEN… Key points: 1. Contract focuses on rapid, cost-efficient genomic sequencing for infectious disease research. 2. Broad Institute, a leading research institution, is the sole awardee. 3. Potential risk in reliance on a single entity for critical data generation. 4. Spending falls within the R&D sector, specifically biotechnology.
Value Assessment
Rating: good
The contract value of $62.3 million over approximately 4.7 years represents a significant investment in genomic sequencing capabilities. Benchmarking against similar large-scale R&D contracts is challenging without more specific cost breakdowns.
Cost Per Unit: N/A
Competition Analysis
Competition Level: full-and-open
The contract was awarded under full and open competition, suggesting a competitive bidding process. However, the data indicates only one award was made, which may warrant further investigation into the evaluation criteria and the number of proposals received.
Taxpayer Impact: Taxpayer funds are supporting critical research infrastructure for infectious disease surveillance and understanding, potentially leading to advancements in public health.
Public Impact
Enhances national capacity for tracking and understanding infectious disease outbreaks. Accelerates scientific discovery by making genomic data publicly accessible. Supports research into pathogen genetics and their impact on human hosts. Invests in cutting-edge biotechnology and bioinformatics expertise.
Waste & Efficiency Indicators
Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10
Warning Flags
- Data accessibility and long-term archiving.
- Potential for scope creep or evolving research needs.
- Dependence on specific technologies and methodologies.
Positive Signals
- Clear objective for public health benefit.
- Leverages expertise of a renowned research institution.
- Commitment to open data sharing.
Sector Analysis
This contract falls under the Research and Development sector, specifically within Biotechnology. Spending benchmarks for large-scale genomic sequencing centers are not readily available, but the award size suggests a substantial national initiative.
Small Business Impact
The provided data does not indicate any specific provisions or considerations for small business participation in this contract. The focus appears to be on a large, established research institution.
Oversight & Accountability
Oversight is likely managed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through program managers and scientific reviews. Accountability for data quality, accessibility, and timely delivery would be key performance indicators.
Related Government Programs
- Research and Development in Biotechnology
- Department of Health and Human Services Contracting
- National Institutes of Health Programs
Risk Flags
- Reliance on a single awardee for critical infrastructure.
- Potential for data security and privacy concerns with sensitive genomic information.
- Ensuring long-term accessibility and usability of generated data.
- Measuring and verifying 'cost-efficiency' in a research context.
- Adaptability to rapidly evolving genomic technologies.
Tags
research-and-development-in-biotechnolog, department-of-health-and-human-services, ma, dca, 10m-plus
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this federal contract paying for?
Department of Health and Human Services awarded $62.3 million to THE BROAD INSTITUTE, INC. CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, METHODOLOGY, TECHNOLOGIES, AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE FORTHE GENOMIC SEQUENCING CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE GENOMIC SEQUENCING CENTER SHALL PROVIDE RAPID ANDCOST-EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF HIGH-QUALITY GENOME SEQUENCES OF MICROORGANISMS AND INVERTEBRATE VECTORS OF INFECTIOUSDISEASES AND MAKE THE RESULTING GENOMIC DATA RAPIDLY AND READILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE BROADER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITYTHROUGH PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE INTERNATIONAL DATABAS
Who is the contractor on this award?
The obligated recipient is THE BROAD INSTITUTE, INC.
Which agency awarded this contract?
Awarding agency: Department of Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health).
What is the total obligated amount?
The obligated amount is $62.3 million.
What is the period of performance?
Start: 2009-07-01. End: 2014-03-30.
What is the projected cost per genome sequence, and how does it compare to industry standards?
The provided data does not offer a cost per genome sequence. Calculating this would require detailed breakdowns of the total award amount against the projected number of sequences to be produced over the contract's duration. Benchmarking would then involve comparing this figure to costs from other sequencing centers or projects, considering factors like technology used, organism complexity, and data analysis requirements.
What are the specific metrics used to evaluate the 'rapid and cost-efficient' production of genome sequences?
The contract language implies performance standards for turnaround time and cost per sequence. Specific metrics would likely be defined in the contract's statement of work or performance work statement. These could include target turnaround times from sample receipt to data delivery, acceptable cost ranges per sequence, and quality control measures for sequence accuracy and completeness.
How will the accessibility of the genomic data be ensured and maintained long-term for the broader scientific community?
The contract mandates making data 'rapidly and readily accessible' through public databases. This implies adherence to established data submission protocols and formats for repositories like GenBank or the Sequence Read Archive. Long-term maintenance would depend on the sustainability plans of these databases and potentially ongoing government commitments to data curation and accessibility beyond the contract period.
Industry Classification
NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Scientific Research and Development Services › Research and Development in Biotechnology
Product/Service Code: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT › N – Health R&D Services
Competition & Pricing
Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION
Solicitation Procedures: BASIC RESEARCH
Offers Received: 3
Pricing Type: COST NO FEE (S)
Evaluated Preference: NONE
Contractor Details
Address: 7 CAMBRIDGE CTR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, 90
Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Tax Exempt, Nonprofit Organization, Not Designated a Small Business
Financial Breakdown
Contract Ceiling: $62,317,919
Exercised Options: $62,317,919
Current Obligation: $62,317,919
Timeline
Start Date: 2009-07-01
Current End Date: 2014-03-30
Potential End Date: 2014-03-30 00:00:00
Last Modified: 2014-07-21
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