Solicitation
Medical Case Reviewer Services for the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)/ Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).
Department of Health and Human Services · Health Resources and Services Administration
AI summaryHRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration, part of HHS) wants to set up Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) with individual medical experts and medical case reviewers who support the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. The reviewers read injury claim files and write reports for HRSA and Department of Justice attorneys, working from their own facility. It is a small business set-aside, quotes are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the parent BPA runs five years with no guaranteed orders. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Nov 3, 2026. It moves the due date from Aug 24, 2026 to Aug 20, 2031, which is the date shown on this page. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Aug 21, 2026. The notice was amended Nov 3, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov.
HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration, part of HHS) wants to set up Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) with individual medical experts and medical case reviewers who support the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. The reviewers read injury claim files and write reports for HRSA and Department of Justice attorneys, working from their own facility. It is a small business set-aside, quotes are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the parent BPA runs five years with no guaranteed orders.
Who can bid (11)
- Small business set-aside under NAICS 621111; the notice states a size standard of $11M and $7.5M
- Active SAM registration with a current UEI and banking information, and ability to take electronic payment
- Military or federal employees cannot be considered
Show all 11Show fewer
- Medical Expert: actively practicing, board-certified physician (M.D. or D.O.) willing to give an unbiased opinion and testify
- Medical Expert: current academic appointment at a U.S. medical school accredited by LCME (M.D.) or the AOA's COCA (D.O.)
- Medical Expert: board certification in a declared specialty or subspecialty
- Medical Case Reviewer: M.D./D.O. with a current, active, unrestricted U.S. license, or a PhD or other advanced non-medical degree (for example physician assistant or nurse)
- Medical Case Reviewer: at least 5 years of experience reviewing cases related to vaccine administration and vaccine injury
- Subject matter expert with at least 3 years writing medical case reviews or evaluations for injury compensation
- Background investigation (Tier 1, 2 or 4 depending on the role) and a PIV card where staff use HHS systems or space; foreign nationals must have lived in the U.S. at least 3 of the past 5 years
- Signed non-disclosure agreement and a promise not to work for claimants or their attorneys on VICP/CICP claims
How to submit: Email one electronic quote on the SF 1449 to Imelda Rocha at irocha@hrsa.gov, due Aug 24, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (9)
- Serious: SAM.gov and the solicitation disagree on the set-aside. SAM.gov lists a set-aside for small businesses, but the solicitation the AI read says no set-aside. Ask the contracting officer which applies before you bid.
- Serious: No guaranteed work. Getting a BPA does not guarantee any orders; the Government expects roughly 0-5 cases a month per reviewer, mostly 12-15 hours each, depending on need and qualifications.
- Serious: Narrow credentials required. Experts must be actively practicing, board-certified physicians with academic ties, and reviewers need 5 years of vaccine-injury case review experience, so most small firms without such staff cannot qualify. The agency said general claims review experience alone does not meet the vaccine requirement.
Show all 9Show fewer
- Worth checking: Parent BPA period and call order length. The amendment clarifies the parent BPA is five years and each call order is 11 months, which differs from the 12-month period in the original form.
- Worth checking: Fixed low hourly rates. Rates are set by the Government ($125, $175 or $375 per hour) and the quote confirms acceptance, so there is little room to price.
- Worth checking: Lasting conflict-of-interest limit. Signing the NDA bars you from doing case review work for claimants or their attorneys on the same claims, and the bar continues after the contract ends.
- Worth checking: Background checks and strict security rules. Staff need background investigations and PIV cards, must use only government-configured laptops, encrypt all sensitive data, and report any incident within one hour.
- Minor: Application packet asks for personal identifiers. The Data Collection Form asks for the individual's SSN and date of birth, so check how the agency will protect it before sending.
- Minor: Mismatched clause section name. The quote instructions ask for 'Section 6 Contract Clauses' but the attached clauses file is titled 'Section 9', so confirm which to return.
Read from the notice and 8 attachments. Show which files.
- 1. RFQ 75R60225Q00181.pdf (read)
- 75R60225Q00181 Amendment P0001.pdf (read)
- 3. Attachment B- Invoice Instructions.pdf (read)
- 2. Attachment A - Description of Agreement VICP_CICP.pdf (read)
- 6. Attachment E - Section 9 - Contract Clauses.pdf (read)
- 5. Attachment D - Data Collection Form.pdf (read)
- 4. Attachment C - Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).pdf (read)
- Amend P0001 Questions and Answers.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Medical Expert Witness: review case files, write draft and final reports, answer court interrogatories, and give testimony (in person, by video or in writing) in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- Medical Case Reviewer: review petitions and medical records, judge likelihood of vaccine causation and eligibility, write draft and final reports, and manage cases through final adjudication
- Join group panel discussions on case findings (weekly or as defined)
- Protect health and personal data: sign a non-disclosure agreement, use FIPS 140-2 validated encryption, report security incidents within one hour
- Return, shred or destroy case records within 30 days of case closure
- Complete records management training and keep SAM registration active
- Submit invoices per case or order and keep contact information up to date
- Contract type
- Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with call orders; firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials and hybrid orders allowed
- Period of performance
- Parent BPA is five years; each call order is an 11-month period. The solicitation form shows a single 12-month period and dates of 08/25/2025 to 08/24/2026, which the amendment Q&A says are superseded.
- Place of performance
- Contractor's own facility (SAM.gov lists Rockville, MD); travel within the continental U.S. if court testimony is required
- Estimated value
- BPA ceiling $7.5 million across all holders; individual orders from $125/$175/$375 minimum up to $100,000 maximum. Hourly rates: Medical Expert $375, Medical Case Reviewer $175 (M.D./D.O.) or $125 (PhD or other non-medical degree).
- How they'll choose
- Most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Quotes are reviewed and BPAs may be issued on a rolling basis. Prices are fixed hourly rates and submitting a quote confirms acceptance of them.
- Offers due
- Aug 24, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern (from the version posted Aug 21, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email one electronic quote on the SF 1449 to Imelda Rocha at irocha@hrsa.gov
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical requirements (pass/fail style): the stated credentials for the labor category must be met to be considered for award
- Expertise, Medical Expert ($375/hr): (a) M.D. or D.O. degree and current license if seeing patients, (b) passes National Practitioner Data Bank query, (c) board certification, (d) current academic appointment at a U.S. medical school and affiliation with a U.S. academic medical center, (e) expertise in one of the listed medical fields, (f) subject matter expert with publications and teaching appointments
- Expertise, Medical Case Reviewer ($175/hr M.D./D.O. or $125/hr PhD or other advanced non-medical degree): (a) qualifying degree and license, (b) at least 5 years reviewing cases related to vaccine administration and vaccine injury, (c) at least 3 years writing medical case reviews for injury compensation, (d) typing and writing skills, with preference for medical claims review experience
- Price: fixed hourly rates stated in the solicitation; the quote confirms acceptance of the rate
What to include when you submit
- Put your price quote in Box 23 of the SF 1449, include the proposed labor categories, and list any exceptions with the reasons
- Sign the SF 1449 (Boxes 30a, 30b, 30c); the signer must be authorized to bind the organization
- State whether you are quoting as VICP/CICP Medical Expert or Medical Case Reviewer
- Include with the quote: Data Collection Form (Attachment D), current CV or resume, signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (Attachment C), and the contract clauses with check marks (Attachment E)
- Complete the representations and certifications, or state that they are current in SAM
- Send questions in writing by email to the same contact
Current contractor
Predecessor agreements for VICP and CICP exist (the Q&A says several hundred call orders a year were issued under them), but no incumbent is named.
Not in the notice text
- Whether the SAM.gov deadline of 2031 or the notice's August 24, 2026 date is the true cutoff, since the amendment says the solicitation stays open with no closing date
- Whether a single BPA can carry multiple named reviewers or add reviewers after award (the Q&A answer is blank)
- Exact weighting of the evaluation factors
- Number of BPA holders the Government expects to award (the Q&A says no specific number)
- The middle of the contract clauses file was left out (standard FAR/HHSAR clauses), so any special terms there are not reflected
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 621111
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email one electronic quote on the SF 1449 to Imelda Rocha at irocha@hrsa.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Aug 25, 2025
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- HRSA Office of Federal Assistance Management, Rockville, MD
- Product/service code
- R424 · Support – Professional: Expert Witness
- Business type
- Medical & healthcare (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 621111)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Nov 3, 2026 · Amendment 0002SAM.gov date Aug 20, 2031
- Aug 21, 2026 · Amendment 0001SAM.gov date Aug 20, 2031 (changed)
- Aug 25, 2025 · Solicitation (this version)Due Aug 24, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
See Amendment P001. The Contractor shall provide medical-expert services and medical reviewer/case management support for the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) and the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) in support of the litigation process, including the defense of petitions filed against the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). This solicitation will remain open until August 24, 2026. Quotes will be reviewed, and BPAs may be issued on a rolling basis as quotes are received. The Government anticipates establishing BPAs with qualified vendors during this open period.
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