DHA Cognitive Monitoring Tool Request for Information

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Defense Health Agency (DHA)
Enterprise Medical Services - Contracting Division (EMS-CD) Cognitive Monitoring Tool

HT001527RFI1015

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A

SOLICITATION. This RFI is solely issued for informational and planning purposes. Responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the government to form a binding contract. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in responding to this RFI. The Government reserves the right to use the information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. The Government does not plan to provide feedback or answer questions.
Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Blast Overpressure (BOP) are severe medical risks prevalent in modern combat environments due to continuous exposure to heavy weapons, blasts, and enemy fire. Undetected mild TBI or cumulative BOP exposure can lead to severe cognitive degradation and catastrophic secondary brain injuries if a Service Member is prematurely returned to combat. Recognizing the severity of these threats to the Joint Force, Congress enacted Section 735 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, Public Law 117-263, mandating the Department of War to implement comprehensive monitoring and mitigation strategies for blast overpressure exposure, known as the Warfighter Brain Health Initiative (WBHI).
Pursuant to this statutory mandate, on August 8, 2024, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum recognizing the "adverse health and cognitive performance impacts" from acute exposures to BOP and directing all currently serving high-risk Active-Duty Service members (ADSMs) to receive baseline cognitive assessments by the end of Fiscal Year 2025. Historically, the Department procured the incumbent Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) system to conduct routine, pre-deployment and Initial Military Training (IMT) baselines in controlled, clinic-bound garrison environments. Operation Epic Fury, however, generated a fundamentally different and distinct operational need. Because the primary mechanism of injury in this high-intensity theater is continuous concussive force and Blast Overpressure (BOP) from advanced weaponry-rather than exclusively penetrating traumathe medical requirement shifted immediately from garrison baselining to a more scalable and operationally aligned solution.