Acentia cries foul over ICF disease data award

Acentia is protesting a $15.1 million contract award to ICF International to help the CDC collect data on public health emergencies globally.

Acentia is protesting a $15.1 million contract award to ICF International to support the data exchange and laboratory informatics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the contract, ICF is tasked with supporting the Laboratory Response Network, a global network of public health-related labs that identify and respond quickly to public health emergencies. The emergencies can be caused by biological, chemical, radiological or natural occurrences.

ICF is to supply IT and systems support that can help with rapid collection of data, standardize data exchange and analysis of quality data. The idea is to help the CDC pinpoint impending health threats, according to an ICF release on the award.

Acentia, now part of Maximus, is complaining that it should have been picked instead of ICF.

The filed is protest with the Government Accountability Office on Oct. 26. A decision is expected by Feb. 3.

The contract was competed under the CDC Information Management Services contract known as CIMS.