The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals to enter into a contract with a qualified vendor to obtain software development service to maintain and further develop the UREAD Internet Portal for the UREAD, Department of Ophthalmology, of the University of Utah, hereafter referred to as the "University." The companies submitting proposals in response to this RFP will hereafter be referred to as “Vendor.” The University is examining several alternatives of providing this software development service and may decide, after reviewing proposals submitted, not to enter into any agreement.
The Utah Retinal Reading Center (UREAD) at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Utah contributes to the characterization of manifestation and progression of ophthalmic diseases, focusing on the evaluation of treatment response to innovative therapeutic strategies. Using multimodal imaging technology, UREAD specializes in the standardized and systematic analysis (“grading”) of retinal imaging data within multicenter observational studies and interventional trials.
Established in 2020, the multidisciplinary team includes clinicians, researchers, data managers, IT experts, and ophthalmic image analysis specialists. Driven by scientific expertise and interests, UREAD provides high-quality central reading services to advance research in academia and industry.
The development, investigation, validation, and reliable application of clinical outcome measures to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of potential new treatments requires close interactions and collaborations on national and international levels. UREAD is committed to improving the quality of ophthalmic research and to address regulatory requirements. Beyond industry standards, UREAD leads the way to identify and implement cutting-edge solutions for current demands and needs in ophthalmic imaging research that will pave the way for new treatment options for blinding eye diseases.
As a so-called central reading center, UREAD is in direct contact with > 250 clinical sites around the globe as part of multicenter clinical trials. A key element of the infrastructure, is the UREAD Portal, that is a secure internal portal and database to transfer imaging and other diagnostic data from clinical sites to UREAD. This software application has been established in 2021 and has been managed by the IT Department of the School of Medicine at the University of Utah. UREAD is seeking to outsource the maintenance service and further development of the UREAD Portal to external vendors as part of this RFP.
