AN11 -- Request for information - Enterprise Optimization Industry Partnership - Increasing access to Clinical Research

2026-11-03

VHA Regional Procurement Office East R & D is issuing this Request for Information ( RFI ) to solicit proposals to further advance efforts to increase Veteran access to participate in clinical research opportunities . Information collected from this RFI will serve as continued market research for the potential development of a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement ( CRADA ) with a Community Partner ( s ) ( CPs ), e . g ., retail pharmacy locations , community health centers , academic medical centers and facilities , clinical laboratory sites , etc ., to accomplish this objective . Such an agreement will detail the resources to be provided by the VA and the Cooperative Studies Program ( CSP ) and describe the purpose and expected work to be accomplished between the CSP and Million Veteran Program ( MVP ) research teams and the identified CP . CPs with the infrastructure and capacity to operate in rural areas of the United States ( or its territories ) will be prioritized . The VA would like to explore the feasibility of establishing community partnerships with community - based locations to serve as additional clinical research study locations for identified CSP clinical trials and / or epidemiological studies . The intent of this effort is to increase the number of research study sites that Veterans have access to for their participation in clinical research . It is anticipated that these CPs will have the necessary infrastructure in place ( dedicated clinical research exam rooms , exam rooms , diagnostic tools ( e . g ., otoscopes , ophthalmoscopes ), vital sign monitors , and medical carts , etc . to complete clinical research study visits ( enrollment , follow - up ) and all research activities associated with those visits ( informed consent , data and blood / specimen collection and shipping , study procedures , etc .) and will supplement existing locations that have been traditionally employed as CSP research sites , e . g ., VA Medical Centers ( VAMCs ), Community - Based Outpatient Clinics ( CBOCs ), etc . Additionally , the selected CP will have infrastructure and locations in United States geographic regions that align with the CSP Network of Dedicated Enrollment Sites ( NODES ) so that this clinical research network can support the coordination of start - up , operations , and logistics at these sites . CSP Node sites are currently at the following U . S . locations ( Ann Arbor , MI ; Atlanta , GA ; Aurora , CO ; Boston , MA , Bronx , NY ; Cleveland , OH ; Dallas , TX ; Los Angeles , CA ; Hines , IL ; Houston , TX ; Long Beach , CA ; Madison , WI ; Minneapolis , MN ; Omaha , NE ; Palo Alto , CA ; Philadelphia , PA ; Portland , OR ; Salt Lake City , UT ; San Diego , CA ; & Seattle , WA ). The MVP is interested in expanding blood collection capabilities to include rural and remote collection facilities not already covered by the MVP footprint . Activities would include 1 ) CP staff collecting and labeling blood from consented MVP participants ( MVP would securely confirm consent has been obtained ) and 2 ) secure shipment of blood specimens to approved VA / MVP facilities . Please see the attachments for more information . This notice is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited . Respondents may be notified of the results of the evaluation . This is a request for information only . All responses shall be submitted in writing via email no later than 10 : 00am ( ET ) April 20 , 2026 to Ms . Renee Kale at renee . kale @ va . gov . E - mail : renee . kale @ va . gov . Facsimile or telephonic responses will not be accepted . DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation . All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly . In accordance with FAR 15 . 201 ( e ), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract . Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI .

Pennsylvania

2026-05-09