National Wastewater Surveillance System Multi-Pathogen Assay Development, Optimization, Validation, and Support

Background
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) Multi-Pathogen Assay Development, Optimization, Validation, and Support. This initiative aims to enhance wastewater surveillance capabilities to monitor community-level infection trends and support public health interventions, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NWSS was launched in September 2020 to coordinate wastewater surveillance programs across state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. As of December 2023, it includes 114 laboratories across 42 states, four cities, and two territories. The goal of this contract is to develop a portfolio of sensitive and robust molecular testing assays for multiple pathogens in wastewater samples.

Work Details
The contractor shall provide digital PCR-based assay development, optimization, and validation services leading to a portfolio of sensitive and robust assays to support wastewater testing with the CDC and STLT public health partners. Key tasks include:
- Development, optimization, and validation of up to 30 multiplexed digital PCR-based multi-pathogen assays for wastewater testing.
- In silico evaluation of potential assays across multiple quality metrics.
- Production or acquisition of quantified reference material for all assay targets.
- Optimization of developed multiplex assays for compatibility with multiple digital PCR platforms.
- Validation of all assays using quantified reference material according to CDC guidelines.
- Provision of complete multi-pathogen digital PCR assays for validation testing at CDC and up to five public health partner laboratories.
- Technical assistance for validation, implementation, troubleshooting, and interpreting results using the developed assays.
- Re-development and re-optimization for existing targets with suboptimal performance.
- Implementation of interchangeable multiplexing for seasonal targets or rapid testing responses. Optional tasks may include multi-platform assay optimization for future digital PCR platforms.

Period of Performance
The anticipated period of performance is from September 2, 2024, to September 1, 2029, consisting of one base period of 12 months and four optional periods of 12 months each.

Place of Performance
The contract will be performed at various locations as determined by the CDC and its public health partners.