SAM #PCA-NIHGRI-08875

NIH Sole Source Contract for AI-Driven Virtual Simulation Platform (Virti Inc)

NIH intends to award a one-year, firm-fixed-price contract to Virti Inc for the development and hosting of a virtual simulation platform. - The platform will feature AI-driven Virtual Human avatars simulating patient-provider interactions, specifically focusing on genetic literacy and autism diagnostic encounters. - The avatars' voice, appearance, and setting must be editable, with conversations generated by AI and scripted to reflect behaviors of parents of newly diagnosed autistic children. - The software must be accessible via secure web browser and optionally through VR platforms, without requiring specialized hardware. - The platform will support government-furnished video content and integrate behavioral evaluation criteria specified by the government into its coaching and analysis system. - Data delivery must be via secure transfer. - Virti Inc is named as the sole source vendor for this contract. - No competing OEMs or alternative vendors are mentioned in the notice.

Period of Performance - One-year contract term.

Key Requirements - Licensing, development, programming, and hosting of the simulation environment - Integration of government-specified behavioral evaluation criteria - Support for government-furnished video content - Secure web and VR access

Contract Value Estimate - Likely range: $100,000 - $250,000 (based on typical software development and hosting contracts of this scope)

Primary Products/Services - Virtual simulation platform for genetics/genomics research - AI-driven Virtual Human avatars

Potential Competing Products - SimX Virtual Reality Medical Simulation - Kognito Simulation Platform - Oxford Medical Simulation

Primary OEMs - Virti Inc (sole source vendor)

Primary Competitors - SimX - Kognito - Oxford Medical Simulation

Product Line Items - None specified

Service Line Items - Virtual Simulation Platform Development and Hosting (1 unit, Virti Inc)

Description

The purpose of this procurement is to license a platform that will allow for the development and administration of research studies that investigate clinical and communication-related processes in the context of genetics and genomics. The primary project will focus on development and implementation of the Genetic Literacy Virtual Assessment simulation environment. This will be achieved by formatting, developing, programming, and hosting a virtual simulation environment featuring AI-driven Virtual Human avatars representing simulated patients at varying levels of genetic literacy. Doing so will allow us to examine whether healthcare providers communicate differently about genetics and genetic testing during a simulated autism diagnostic encounter when provided with information about a patient's genetic literacy level in advance. The simulation will serve as a controlled experimental environment for measuring provider communication behavior as the primary outcome, with genetic testing recommendation behavior as a secondary outcome. A secondary project, led by the Immersive Simulation Program (ISP) within the SBRB will use the platform to investigate efficacy of potential clinical genomics communication approaches to enhance prevention behaviors in conjunction with provision of genomic risk information.

The Contractor shall work independently with no direct supervision by any Government employee. The Engagement Methods Unit and/or Immersive Simulation Program staff will provide guidance in terms of the technical needs, technological support, and programming assistance that is needed.

The Contractor will communicate with the research staff to ensure their work is consistent with the project needs.The Contractor must respond to outstanding questions regarding technological and programming support with EMU and/or ISP staff to resolve any issues or challenges. The PI will ensure the work conducted by the Contractor is acceptable.

The Contractor's workstations must be configured and used in a manner consistent with Government information security practices.

The virtual simulation environment will consist of Virtual Human avatars with editable features including voice, appearance, and setting. Avatar conversations with participants will be formulated by artificial intelligence integrated into the virtual simulation software, scripted to reflect the behavioral and communicative characteristics of a parent of a newly diagnosed autistic child.

The software will be accessible over a secure web browser without requirement for specialized hardware or VR headsets, while also retaining the ability to be access through a VR-based platform.

Behavioral evaluation criteria defining what constitutes effective provider communication about genetics and genetic testing in an autism diagnostic context will be specified by the Government. The Contractor will integrate these criteria into the platform's coaching and behavioral analysis reporting system.

The platform will support the display of government-furnished video content to designated participants prior to their Virtual Human encounter. The Government will provide the video file in a format compatible with the Contractor's platform. The Contractor will confirm compatible file formats prior to content delivery.

Data will be delivered via secure transfer to be arranged by the Government

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