JUDGING CRITERIA

Basis Upon Which a Winner Will be Selected.

The judging panel, comprised of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) scientists, will evaluate the submission package. Subject matter experts outside of HHS will serve as technical evaluators and advise the judges. The judges will consider the following 3 criteria and make recommendations to the award-approving official based upon their assessments of the criteria.

1. Technology (0-15 points)
   1. To what degree is the proposed solution supported by strong and rigorous scientific evidence (e.g., credible existing research, preliminary data, and other relevant forms of validation)?
   2. How optimized is blood sample collection in the setting of the death investigation scene (e.g., without good options for sample transport and/or access to laboratory infrastructure)? Will the sample collection and preparation methods differ greatly from currently used methods?
   3. What is the level of expected analytical performance with regard to sensitivity and specificity? Is the expected accuracy and level of quantitation credibly described, with evidence from the literature or experiments? What is the limit of detection or level of quantification and are they appropriate for the task? Were well- characterized reference materials used to determine the performance of the instrument?
   4. How will successful development of the screening device change the concepts, methods, technologies, or services that drive the field of postmortem toxicological testing? Will the proposed screening device overcome the technical challenges associated with testing in the field (e.g., death investigation scene)?
2. Performance (0-15 points)
   1. How well is the proposed solution suitable for use in the field (e.g., has proper weight, size, portability, power source, etc.)? Does the proposed solution increase accessibility to toxicology testing by carefully considering barriers that often lead to reduced access (e.g., high cost, high complexity of use, requirements for temperature control, or need for additional equipment)?
   2. To what extent does the proposed solution have the potential to screen for and identify all drugs listed under the drug classes of barbiturates, benzodiazepines /sedatives, cannabinoids, dissociatives, cocaine, opioids, and sympathomimetic amines that are found in the 2021 ANSI/ASB Standard for the Analytical Scope and Sensitivity of Forensic Toxicological Testing of Blood in Medicolegal Death Investigations?
   3. How well is the potential time to results suited for a toxicology screening tool? Can results be used to inform real time decisions on further toxicology testing?
3. Scalability Potential (0-10 points)
   1. To what extent can the proposed solution’s scalability potential feasibly lead to a marketable product, process, or service?
   2. With regards to manufacturing costs, are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented?