SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Maintaining Behavioral and Social Sciences Interactive Learning
- Notice Date
- 5/18/2010
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541720
— Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite 105, Bethesda, Maryland, 20894, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20894
- Solicitation Number
- NLM-10-129-SRE
- Archive Date
- 6/17/2010
- Point of Contact
- Sheila R. Edmonds, Phone: 3014966546, Sally Boakye, Phone: 301-496-6546
- E-Mail Address
-
sheila.edmonds@nih.gov, boakyes@mail.nih.gov
(sheila.edmonds@nih.gov, boakyes@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- In accordance with FAR Parts 12 and 15, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Office of the Director (OD), and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) intends to procure professional services on a sole source basis from the New England Research Institutes. The period of performance shall be from date of award through August 31, 2011. The resultant award will be a cost-reimbursement contract. 1. Background Information The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is comprised of the Office of the Director (OD) and 27 Institutes and Centers. The Office of the Director is the central office at NIH. The OD is responsible for setting policy for NIH and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all the NIH components. The NIH Director provides overall leadership to NIH activities in both scientific and administrative matters. Although each institute within the NIH has a separate mission, the NIH Director plays an active role in shaping the agency's research agenda and outlook. With a unique and critical perspective on the mission of the entire NIH, the Director is responsible for providing leadership to the institutes for identifying needs and opportunities, especially for efforts that involve several institutes. The NIH Director is assisted by the Principal Deputy Director, who shares in the overall direction of the agency's activities. In carrying out these responsibilities, the NIH Director stays informed about program priorities and accomplishments through regular staff meetings, discussions, and briefing sessions with OD and institute staff. The Director also receives input from: • the extramural scientific community, including both individual researchers and scientific organizations • patient advocacy and voluntary health groups that deal directly with NIH or indirectly through Congress and the media • the Congress and the Administration the Council of Public Representatives, which brings public views to NIH. Ongoing discussions with these groups and others provide the basis for an established framework within which priorities for the agency are identified, reviewed, and justified. The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) opened officially on July 1, 1995. The U.S. Congress established OBSSR in the National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, in recognition of the key role that behavioral and social factors often play in illness and health. The OBSSR mission is to stimulate behavioral and social sciences research throughout NIH and to integrate these areas of research more fully into others of the NIH health research enterprise, thereby improving our understanding, treatment, and prevention of disease. To provide the OBSSR with counsel in fulfilling its mission, the Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee (BSSRCC) serves as an internal advisory board. OBSSR's mission is to: • provide leadership and direction in the development, refinement, and implementation of a trans-NIH plan to increase the scope of and support for behavioral and social sciences research; • inform and advise the NIH director and other key officials of trends and developments having significant bearing on the missions of the NIH, DHHS, and other federal agencies; • serve as the principal NIH spokesperson regarding research on the importance of behavioral, social, and lifestyle factors in the causation, treatment, and prevention of diseases; and to advise and consult on these topics with NIH scientists and others within and outside the federal government; • develop a standard definition of "behavioral and social sciences research," assess the current levels of NIH support for this research, and develop an overall strategy for the uniform expansion and integration of these disciplines across NIH institutes and centers; • develop initiatives designed to stimulate research in the behavioral and social sciences arena, integrate a bio-behavioral perspective across the research areas of the NIH, and encourage the study of behavioral and social sciences across NIH's institutes and centers; • initiate and promote studies to evaluate the contributions of behavioral, social, and lifestyle determinants in the development, course, treatment, and prevention of illness and related public health problems; • provide leadership in ensuring that findings from behavioral and social sciences research are disseminated to the public; and to • sponsor seminars, symposia, workshops, and conferences at the NIH and at national and international scientific meetings on state-of-the-art behavioral and social sciences research. On March 29, 2006 the New England Research Institute (NERI) submitted an unsolicited contract proposal to OBSSR/OD for the purpose of a Web-based textbook on research methods in the behavioral and social sciences relevant to research on health. In early 2007, after conducting a review of the proposal, OBSSR through the National Library of Medicine (NLM/NIH) contracted with NERI for the proposed project, Advancing Behavioral and Social Sciences Research through Interactive Learning. NERI has completed this project and published the product at http://www.esourceresearch.org. Since the development and online publication, the web-based course has been well received by the scientific community. NERI and OBSSR have received requests for additional features. Among these are (1) the ability to print out paper copies or save electronic (PDF) copies of the chapters, (2) the opportunity to post questions and engage in dialogue with other researchers about the course materials, and (3) the addition of hyperlinks to reputable resources regarding research methods in the behavioral and social sciences. NERI and OBSSR have received requests for additional features. Among these are (1) the ability to print out paper copies or save electronic (PDF) copies of the chapters, (2) the opportunity to post questions and engage in dialogue with other researchers about the course materials, and (3) the addition of hyperlinks to reputable resources regarding research methods in the behavioral and social sciences. 2. Objectives OBSSR desires that NERI maintain the site in order to assure proper functioning of the electronic course, make corrections to any emerging technical and content problems, and to add features enhancing the utility and value of the course to the NIH and the scientific public. 3. Tasks and Deliverables • Conduct maintenance of the previously developed Internet site, eSource (http://www.eSourceresearch.org), consisting of monitoring the site's functioning, correcting programming malfunctions, providing technical assistance to users, as well as editing and updating content (e.g., correcting errors, clarifying the meaning of content). • Add new features to the Internet site: (1) Chat capabilities to permit users to post messages to the Web Master that may be used, for example, to identify functional problems, assess usability of the site, receive recommendations for new content or features to improve the site. (2) Print function to enable the downloading of PDF files and/or printing of chapters. (3) Links to/from other reputable resources in the methods of behavioral and social science research. Sole Source Justification The New England Research Institute (NERI) prepared and tested a Web-based interactive textbook for state-of-the-art science research methods in the behavioral and social sciences (BSS). The continued success of this project depends on the contractor developing, maintaining, publishing, augmenting, where necessary, the Internet website. NERI coordinated the creation of the textbook content for the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) and translated this information into innovative and interesting Web products for the extramural research community engaged in health-related behavioral and social sciences at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. NERI has the expertise and resources to maintain and enhance the site. Transferring this project to another contractor will compromise NERI's proprietary information as well as impede the continuity of the requirement. Period of Performance The period of performance shall be from date of award through August 31, 2011. In accordance with FAR 39.2, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is implemented in this order. Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, all electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services developed, acquired, maintained, and/or used under this contract/order must comply with the "Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Provisions" set forth by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also referred to as the "Access Board") in 36 CFR part 1194. Information about Section 508 provisions is available at http://www.hhs.gov/od. The complete text of Section 508 Final provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/provisions.htm. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), nor is a RFP available; however, all responsive sources may submit a proposal in a timely manner which will be considered by NLM. Firms interested in responding to this notice must be able to provide the referenced service as specified above. Responses must be in writing and must be received electronically at the Government infrastructure by 4:00 PM EST on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. Proposals must include pricing information and should reference Synopsis No. NLM-10-129/SRE and should be submitted to sheila.edmonds@nih.gov. Inquiries regarding this procurement shall be submitted electronically to sheila.edmonds@nih.gov and shall be received by 12:00 PM EST on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/OAM/NLM-10-129-SRE/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN02152592-W 20100520/100518234851-1e673c62b951c8fd9fe8db0859f6e1b9 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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