Request for Information Cognitive Monitoring, Training, Development and Restoration Solutions

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Contract Opportunity

Cognitive Monitoring, Training, Development, and Restoration Solutions

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is for planning and informational purposes only and shall NOT be considered as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred in responding to this RFI or furnishing the requested information. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of a Contractor's submission of responses to this Request for Information (RFI) or the Government's use of such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any Contractor's input resulting from this RFI. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

ITEM DESCRIPTION - This RFI constitutes market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 and is not an RFP. The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is conducting this market research to identify commercially available cognitive monitoring, training, and restoration tools that can support the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE) in enhancing cognitive monitoring and assessment, tracking, training, and rehabilitation capabilities.

The purpose of this RFI is to gather information on current technologies and solutions that can meet the evolving cognitive health needs of service members, including those with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and other cognitive challenges.

The goal of this RFI is to identify a solution that addresses the following four key areas of cognitive function: monitoring, training, development, and restoration. The desired end state is a comprehensive adaptable test that enables the following:

• Cognitive Monitoring: Continuous or periodic tracking of cognitive changes to identify deviations from baseline and provide early warning of cognitive impairments. This includes tools that offer standardized assessments across multiple cognitive domains, real-time feedback on cognitive status, and actionable insights personalized for military-specific applications.
  
  
  
  
  • o Cognitive domains that are included are the following: simple reaction time, associative learning and scanning, processing speed, working memory, visual spatial memory (matching to sample), delayed memory, simple reaction time (fatigue measure), go-no go (response inhibition), spatial processing, short-term memory. In addition to the aforementioned domains, the tool must also have an effort measure and measures that rule out other variables that impact cognitive change, including but not limited to:
  
  
  • Mood Scale (specific to depression, anger and anxiety)
  
  
  • Symptom index (determine current symptoms that impact cognition)
  
  
  • Questionnaire that ID’s current TBI symptoms (have you sustained any injury)
  
  
  • TBI Injury subset
  
  
  • Sleep Scale
  
  
  • Indicate what devices the tool is validated to operate on ( i.e – desktop computer, mobile tablet, mobile phone, etc.)available Mobile Device (tablet or cellphone)
  
  
  
  


• Cognitive Training and Capability Development: Support for structured cognitive training and exercises to optimize sensation, perception, attentional control, and other cognitive skills for enhanced cognitive performance.


• Cognitive Restoration: Restoration of baseline cognitive function following injury, disease, or age-related decline using methodologies that are effective, scalable, and suitable for both clinical and field settings.

Capabilities and Functional Requirements

The DHA is interested in capabilities that address the following functional requirements:

• Real-Time Cognitive Monitoring: Solutions should support continuous or intermittent cognitive monitoring with minimal disruption to operational activities. The tool should include features such as rapid screening of multiple cognitive domains, real-time reaction time testing, and adaptability for use in clinical, garrison, and austere environments.


• Cognitive Training and Capability Development: The tool should include standardized measures for sensation, perception, attentional control, memory, processing speed, and executive function validated for military populations. It should also support structured cognitive training and development to increase cognitive capabilities through exercises, performance feedback, or other methodologies designed to optimize cognitive performance.


• Cognitive Restoration: The solution should support the restoration of cognitive function to baseline following injury, disease, or age-related decline. Strategies may include computer-based therapy, augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) platforms, psychoeducation, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The goal is to provide effective and scalable tools to enhance rehabilitation and reduce the time demands on clinicians in resource-limited settings.


• Military-Specific Adaptability: Solutions should be tailored for military-relevant scenarios and offer the ability to assess cognitive changes linked to operational stressors, repetitive low-level blast exposures, and other unique military environments.


• Compatibility with Existing DoD Health IT Systems: Solutions must be able to integrate seamlessly with DHA’s current infrastructure and comply with DoD security standards.


• Data Reporting and Analytics: The tool should offer robust reporting features and analytics to track and analyze trends over time (at the individual and group level), facilitating decision-making.

Additional Requirements:

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  • The tool must be easy to maneuver and be ruggedized.
  
  
  • The tool must provide interactive comparison to baseline with follow-up testing (in live time if available).
  
  
  • The tool must have the capacity to display dashboard groupings and group-level comparisons for individuals who have taken the test, allowing for visual analysis and interpretation of trends over time.
  
  
  • Provide a cost estimate of proposed solution.
  
  
  
  

Current Landscape and Gaps

Based on a recent literature review and technology scan, the following gaps have been identified in currently available solutions:

• Insufficient Ability to Deploy Within the Field: Many existing tools lack the portability required for field deployment, specifically in austere environments.


• Limited Military-Specific Validations: While some tools are validated for general populations, few have been tested extensively in military-specific contexts such as mTBI or repetitive low-level blast exposure.


• Gaps in Data Integration: Tools often lack interoperability with existing DoD health data systems, making it challenging to integrate cognitive monitoring and training data into the broader medical records.


• Lack of Comprehensive Solutions: Current tools tend to focus on one aspect—either monitoring, training, or restoration—without addressing the broader continuum of cognitive function needs.

Specific Questions for Respondents

To better understand the capabilities of potential solutions, DHA requests that vendors respond to the following questions:

1. Capabilities and Readiness: Describe the specific cognitive monitoring, training, development, and restoration capabilities your solution provides. What is the technology readiness level (TRL) of your solution, and what evidence supports its effectiveness for cognitive monitoring and training?


2. Field Deployment: How adaptable is your solution for field and operational environments? Can it be used in resource-limited settings, and what are the limitations in those contexts?


3. Compatibility: What integration options are available for ensuring compatibility with DoD health systems? Describe any existing partnerships or use cases with federal agencies.


4. Data Security and Privacy: How does your solution address data security and compliance with federal health information standards?


5. Does the tool have any data certifications ( such as fedramp and HIPAA)

Please respond to this request by addressing the outlined questions and providing an overview of your solution in a concise 3–5-page white paper.

RFI REQUESTED INFORMATION - All responsible sources may submit a capability statement which shall be considered by the agency.

Vendors possessing the requisite skills, resources, and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirements are invited to respond to this RFI via an electronic submission of an executive summary on 8 ½ x 11 in paper, no more than five (5) pages in length, using 12-point font. All responses must include the following information:

(1) Name and address of applicant/company (Corporate/Principal Office)

(2) Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of point of contact

(3) CAGE Code and SAM.gov UEI

(4) Business Size (under NAICS 541511).

(5) Provide commercially available capabilities that meet all of the required test capabilities.

(6) Provide responses to all 5 questions.

(7) Announcement Number: PANDHA-25-P-0000_TNH

Should your solution be selected for further consideration, the Government will request a more detailed response in the form of a 10–20-page white paper.

Please be advised that proprietary information must be marked as such on a page-by-page and paragraph-by-paragraph basis. The Government will not assume that the information provided by a respondent is proprietary unless it is conspicuously marked on this basis. Moreover, the Government does not assume duty to contact a respondent and inquire whether unmarked information submitted in response to this RFI is proprietary.

The Government is only seeking sources/information for market research. Acknowledgement of receipt will not be made. Availability of a formal solicitation will be announced separately if a formal solicitation is issued. Submittals will not be returned to the sender. The Government will not respond to all Contractor submittals. Should your solution be selected for further consideration as a potential solution, the Government will contact request a more detailed response (white paper) that will provide more information regarding the proposed solution. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to check System for Award Management database (SAM.gov) at www.sam.gov to receive additional data.

The Government is not seeking proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Contractors are advised the Government will not pay for information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.

Questions, inquiries, and capability statement submissions should be directed to Tiffany Heath via email at tiffany.n.heath3.civ@health.mil Please reference the above announcement number PANDHA-25-P-0000_TNH when responding to this notice.

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