To all Interested Parties:

The United States Government, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington Bureau for Global Health Security (GHS) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) for the purpose of collecting feedback related to the design summary of the Strengthening Infectious Disease Detection Systems (STRIDES) Activity contained in Attachment 1.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.209(c), the following clause is incorporated into this RFI:

“FAR 52.215-3 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES (OCT 1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of gathering information and comments to the draft SOW attached to this document and does not constitute a “Request for Proposals.”

In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI shall not be portrayed as proposals and will not be accepted by the U.S. Government (USG) to form a binding contract. This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the USG to issue any solicitation or ultimately an award on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. GH reserves the right to modify the scope and scale of the RFI. If a solicitation is released, it will be available on www.sam.gov.

Please note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement. USAID will not provide answers to any question submitted in response to this RFI. USAID will only provide an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response, but will not receive individualized feedback. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI or from the Government’s use of such information. Proprietary information should not be sent. By issuing this RFI, USAID aims to consult with a broad community of public and private sector actors. Your responses are requested to help refine the key design elements to ensure completeness.

Thank you for your interest in this activity. We look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,

Gerald T. Smith, Contracting Officer