Summary
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking to award one-time funding for up to four state, local or environmental public health laboratories for the purpose of advancing molecular methods for Legionella detection.
Eligibility
All state or local US public health and environmental laboratories are eligible to apply for the one-time funding.
Anticipated RFP Schedule
October 27, 2025 – RFP Issued
November 13, 2025 – Informational Teleconference at 2:00 pm ET (optional)
November 21, 2025 – Letter of Intent Due to APHL by 5:00 pm ET
December 29, 2025 – RFP Responses Due to APHL by 5:00 11:59 pm ET
January 16, 2026 – Proposal review completed
January 19 -23, 2026 – Follow-up interviews as needed
January 27, 2026 – Final review completed and awardees selected
February 2026 – Anticipated Contract Start Date
APHL will communicate any modification to this anticipated schedule on APHL's procurement website (www.aphl.org/rfp) and via an email blast to the PHLs.
Response Submittal
Confirmation of Intent to Respond
APHL requires that prospective applicants submit a brief email statement to
elizabeth.toure@aphl.org and
infectious.diseases@aphl.org indicating an intent to submit a proposal. APHL must receive this email by no later than
5:00pm ET on November 21, 2025. To allow for appropriate review process planning,
a letter of intent is required for consideration.
Final Response
APHL must receive complete responses by 5:00 pm ET on December 29, 2025. Please see the Proposal-Required Submissions section for items that must be included in the completed proposal. Applicants should send proposals via email to
elizabeth.toure@aphl.org and infectious.diseases@aphl.org.
APHL will send an email acknowledging the receipt of your application; if you do not receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours, please call Liz Toure at (240) 485-3860 to confirm receipt.
RFP Materials
The
Official RFP Document will provide detailed information. APHL will post all RFP-related documents, current schedule information, and answers to submitted questions and clarifications on APHL's procurement site,
www.aphl.org/rfp.
Questions and Answers
Can a laboratory submit a proposal for both clinical PCR validation and environmental PCR evaluation?
A: A laboratory may submit two separate applications (one for clinical validation and one for environmental evaluation), however each one will be scored independently and there will only be one award per laboratory.
Will specimens or isolates be made available for validation?
A: No; CDC generally does not have ample clinical specimen material to provide and sharing isolates would be time-prohibitive. Seeking validation material from a commercial source would be a viable alternative. The proposal should include a description of how the specimens, samples or isolates will be obtained, or if using contrived samples, the plan for that (question 4c).
Is there a program announcement number, grant Assistance Listing Number or CFDA?
A: The CFDA is 93.322. If you need additional information about this RFP or the federal funding supporting it, please contact Liz Toure at elizabeth.toure@aphl.org.
Is this opportunity funded by a federal grant or contract from the CDC to APHL? What is the award number (FAIN)?
A: Yes – this is federal funding. The award number/FAIN is NU60OE000104. If you need additional information about this RFP or the federal funding supporting it, please contact Liz Toure at elizabeth.toure@aphl.org.
For clinical assays, is there a preference to use a commercial assay vs. an LDT?
A: There is no preference. CDC can share their protocol but there is no requirement to use it (email Melisa Willby at ghx9@cdc.gov if you would like a copy of CDC’s protocol). APHL suggests using the APHL ColLABorate Microbiology forum as a means to inquire about other protocols that public health laboratories are using.
Which Legionella targets should be included in an environmental assay?
A: It would be ideal if the assay would target Legionella species, Legionella pneumophila and Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1.
How does the application differ for a proposal for clinical test validation vs. environmental test evaluation?
A: The application is the same with the exception of question 4d (testing algorithm). Likewise the scorecard is the same except for the scoring of question 3 (problem statement; scorecard questions 2a and 2b). Because the environmental evaluation is more investigational, the outcome is not expected to be the same as a clinical validation. Please see the scorecard on pages 9–10 of the RFP to see how the scoring differs between the clinical validation (2a) and environmental evaluation (2b).
Should the proposed assay be for diagnostic or surveillance purposes?
A: The environmental assay is considered surveillance. The clinical assay should be diagnostic, although it could also serve a surveillance purpose in addition, if needed.
What is the purpose of a letter of intent?
A: A letter of intent is required if you plan to submit a proposal. Knowing how many applications to expect helps APHL plan resources and timing for the review team.
The RFP says it will award up to four laboratories. Will the opportunities be evenly divided between clinical and environmental projects?
A: No, the selection of projects will depend on the strength of the applications.
Are there resources for validation of clinical protocols?
Is it allowed to explore other methods for concentrating organisms in water samples prior to PCR, beside the traditional water filtration used for culture?
A: Yes, that would be acceptable.
Should the proposal be prepared with references or more like an RO1 summary statement? If references are desired, are they included in the 6-page length of the proposal?
A: There is no specific requirement on how your proposal is formatted. Just ensure that you are clearly indicating which question is being answered. References are not required; however you are welcome to include them - the reference list would need to be within the 5-page limit of the application (plus one page for budget, totaling 6 pages).
What is the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) number?
A: The NOFO number is CDC-RFA-OE20-2001.