SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- NIAAA Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System
- Notice Date
- 11/5/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7902
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7902
- Solicitation Number
- NIAAA-SSN-2013-KLW
- Archive Date
- 11/21/2012
- Point of Contact
- Kesha L. Williams, Phone: 3014435321, Paul D McFarlane, Phone: 3014433041
- E-Mail Address
-
williamk@nhlbi.nih.gov, pm24v@nih.gov
(williamk@nhlbi.nih.gov, pm24v@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Introduction This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice. IT IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS, PROPOSAL ABSTRACTS, OR QUOTATIONS. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses, HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the planned acquisition. Responses to this notice, in the form of capability statements, will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a small business set-aside is possible. ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE NOT A SMALL BUSINESS UNDER NAICS CODE 541990 SHOULD NOT SUBMIT A RESPONSE. Background The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) seeks a contractor to operate its Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS), which assists the Institute in conducting its research dissemination program. These activities involve close technical consultation with the Project Officer in the conduct of data analyses designed to culminate in high quality research reports. The focus of the AEDS contract is secondary data analysis of survey data and collection of secondary survey data for use in scientific reports. The Contractor will be expected to provide a broad range of skilled personnel in areas including the following (epidemiology, statistics, sampling, data analysis, systems design, programming, graphic arts, information technology, scientific writing and editing, clerical, secretarial, and administrative). a. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), an Institute of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead agency in the US for research on alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and other health effects of alcohol. NIAAA provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems by: 1) conducting and supporting research in a wide range of scientific areas including genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology, health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption, prevention, and treatment; 2) coordinating and collaborating with other research institutes and Federal Programs on alcohol-related issues; 3) collaborating with international, national, state, and local institutions, organizations, agencies, and programs engaged in alcohol-related work; and 4) translating and disseminating research findings to health care providers, researchers, policymakers, and the public. b. NIAAA research is guided by the NIAAA 5 Year Strategic Plan FY 09-14: Alcohol Across the Lifespan ( NIAAA Strategic Plan ) which sets forth research opportunities to increase understanding of why, how, and when people drink, and the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD). The NIAAA Strategic Plan considers how the emergence and progression of drinking behavior is influenced by multiple changes (in biology, psychology, and in exposure to social and environmental inputs) over a person's lifetime. Viewing alcohol use and alcohol problems through a lifespan perspective will provide knowledge that will, through early identification and intervention, significantly contribute to the ability to decrease the prevalence of alcoholism and other alcohol-related disorders, and to the treatment of these disorders. The NIAAA Strategic Plan is available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about-niaaa/our-work/strategic-plan. c. Services of the AEDS Contract are available to all of NIAAA. Primary users of the contract to-date have been Extramural Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research (DEPR) and the Intramural Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry (LEB). The AEDS Contract is housed in and run by a DEPR project officer. A copy of the DEPR Strategic Planning Document is available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about-niaaa/our-work/strategic-plan/division-epidemiology-and-prevention-research-strategic-planning. Information about LEB research and activities is available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/niaaa-intramural-program/niaaa-laboratories/laboratory-epidemiology-and-biometry. d. The Contract supports research in numerous scientific areas including 1) screening and brief interventions; 2) measurement and trends in alcohol-attributable morbidity and mortality; 3) chronic disease; and 4) alcohol-related injuries and other problems. The Contract also supports national surveillance of trends in annual per capita alcohol consumption, and trends in alcohol-related morbidity and mortality using survey data; 2) provides current statistics on numerous alcohol-related topics including drinking patterns and risk behaviors using survey data; and 3) prepares conference presentations, scientific reports and manuscripts based on survey data for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The Contract also supports data linkage for another NIAAA Contract, the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS). APIS is an online resource that provides detailed information on selected alcohol policies across the United States. The site is found at http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov. NIAAA encourages researchers to combine the alcohol policy information in the APIS system with problem indicator data to produce studies that assess the impact of these alcohol policies. e. The NIAAA Intramural Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry's (LEB's) primary responsibility is to develop, design, implement, and direct a large multidisciplinary epidemiological research program of national scope and complexity. The LEB also: 1) conducts national surveillance activities to collect and analyze alcohol-related program data through various information systems, including the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS); 2) analyzes epidemiological survey data on alcohol use, abuse, and dependence and their associated disabilities and prepares scientific reports and manuscripts for publication in peer-review journals; 3) adapts state-of-the art statistical methodology for survey data to the alcohol field; 4) collaborates with other agencies and organizations to promote the application of epidemiological research nationally and internationally; 5) maintains national statistics on alcohol use disorders and their related conditions and consequences using survey data; 6) sponsors, develops, and participates in scientific conferences, meetings, workshops, and symposia to exchange information and disseminate new knowledge obtained from survey data; 7) collaborates with other National Institutes of Health and other government agencies to foster shared interests and goals; and 8) supports a full range of interagency agreements and contracts. The AEDS contract supports certain activities of LEB and contains specific LEB task orders. Project Requirements Conduct and report on data analyses- The AEDS contractor shall assist with, and/or perform phases of the survey process that include, but are not limited to: survey database administration; assessing reliability and validity of data; determining proper survey data collection methodology; and analyses of quantitative and qualitative survey data. Also, production of reports includes, but is not limited to: description and summary of results with associated graphs, charts, and tables; description of data collection and survey administration methods; discussion of sample characteristics and the representative nature of data; analysis of non-response; and briefings of results to include discussion of recommendations and potential follow-up actions. The primary function of the AEDS is secondary analysis of datasets which contain alcohol consumption variables as well as demographic and other descriptors that can be used in a wide variety of analyses. Analyses will reflect NIAAA priorities. Analyses may include, but are not limited to, surveillance and trends, studies of health (morbidity and mortality, attributable risk, disability-adjusted years of life, risks and benefits, health status, acute and chronic conditions and their risk factors), behavior (criminality, driving under the influence, and other behavioral factors), and health disparities. Preparation of background materials, such as targeted literature reviews related to areas of analyses may be included. Provide and maintain data on the NIAAA website- Another function of AEDS is to provide and maintain publications and data on the NIAAA website including, but not limited to, surveillance reports, data directories, data reference manuals (and/or links to those reports, directories, and reference manuals) and other publications, data and/or links as requested by the Project Officer. Specific Requirements TASK-1: Prepare Epidemiologic Reports Epidemiologic Reports shall be undertaken only following approval by the Project Officer. The primary function of the Contractor will be to prepare epidemiologic reports, including surveillance reports, using survey and other data. The Contractor should access data sets and related materials necessary for analyses in the most efficient and economic manner. (1) Examples of files the Contractor will need to access include, but are not limited to: (a) U.S. Mortality data and Multiple Causes of Death data; (b) Fatality Analysis Reporting System data; National Automotive Sampling System- General Estimates System data; (c) Baseline population data (Bureau of Census); (d) State- and national-level consumption data (based on sales); (e) National survey data containing alcohol-related information; (f) Local, State, or regional surveys of alcohol; (g) Special epidemiologic studies where alcohol use is a recorded variable; (h) International statistics/data sets, including but not limited to: (1) per capita consumption by beverage type, beverage production, import, export, and population census data by country; (2) cirrhosis mortality; and (3) key International Classification of Diseases (ICD) indicators related to alcohol; (i) NIAAA Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS); Regarding data specified in Item (1) above, the Contractor is expected to become familiar with the universe of possible data sets of interest, to track the availability of such data sets and take necessary steps to access or acquire those necessary for surveillance and analysis. Controls shall be implemented which are appropriate with data sources for data protection. Contractor-specified quality assurance regarding protection of data is mandatory. The Contractor shall develop and maintain all electronic data systems required for AEDS to serve effectively as an epidemiologic research and support resource to NIAAA. Reports prepared shall include: (1) Data Reference Manuals Upon request from the Project Officer, the Contractor shall compile data and produce one (1) Data Reference Manual - during year two (2) or year three (3) of the contract. The Data Reference Manual will present data from Wave III of the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Previous Data Reference Manuals are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/guidelines-and-resources/epidemiologic-data. The Data Reference Manual(s) is to be prepared in a manner that is useful to researchers, planners, and other professionals interested in the area of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. A second Data Reference Manual may be requested by the Project Officer to be completed during year four (4) of the contract. (2) Alcohol Statistics The AEDS Contractor shall perform data analysis to provide statistical tabular summaries upon request. These tables may be published on the NIAAA website. (3) Surveillance Reports AEDS surveillance reports are a well-established mechanism by which researchers, policy makers and other interested individuals track alcohol-related information over time. Up to three (3) Surveillance Reports shall be produced in any one (1) year of the contract. Previous topics have included: (a) Apparent per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages; (b) Cirrhosis mortality; (d) Alcohol-related discharges from short-stay general hospitals. (d) Trends in underage drinking in the United States Copies of these surveillance reports on these topics are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/guidelines-and-resources/epidemiologic-data. The Surveillance report on apparent per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages shall be released in year three (3) of the contract. The Surveillance report on underage drinking shall be released in years one (1), three (3), and five (5). The Contractor shall explore suggestions for new topics for additional surveillance reports to be produced at the request of the Project Officer. Prior to the initiation of production of the initial surveillance report on each particular topic, Contractor staff will review recent literature in the given area and recommend for consideration to the Project Officer changes, additions and refinements which would more accurately reflect the state-of-the-science while, at the same time, retaining comparability with previous versions in order to retain the report's utility in tracking trends. The contractor will use state-of-the art statistical methodology in examining the significance of trends in data included in the Surveillance reports. The methodology used in all Surveillance reports must be approved by the project officer. Whenever possible, State level data shall be reported. (4) Epidemiologic Bulletins The Contractor shall produce one (1) to two (2) epidemiologic bulletins per contract year upon request. Epidemiologic Bulletins are short, concise, referenced analytic pieces highlighting interesting new alcohol epidemiology findings and are to be published as a feature in NIAAA's peer-reviewed journal Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (formerly Alcohol Research and Health). Copies of the journal are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/journals-and-reports/alcohol-research. (5) Ad Hoc Special Reports Occasionally special analyses are required, often of extreme urgency, which are appropriate to the organization, structure, and resources of AEDS. In the past these have come at the direct request of the Secretary, the Surgeon General, or the Institute Director. They characteristically require immediate and comprehensive response. As directed by the Project Officer, sufficient resources shall be applied to the various high priority critical requests. Up to two (2) special reports may be prepared during each twelve (12) month period. (6) Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Directory The Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Directory is a current listing of surveys and other relevant data suitable for epidemiologic research on alcohol. Most data sets described in this document are national in scope. A copy of the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Directory is available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/guidelines-and-resources/epidemiologic-data. The Contractor shall update the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Director one (1) time during the contract in Year four (4) of the contract. TASK-2: Prepare Analytic Reports All Analytic Reports shall be undertaken only following approval by the Project Officer. Analytic reports are scientific manuscripts reporting original research based on survey or other data. The Contractor shall submit to peer-reviewed journals up to three (3) analytic reports each survey year. Generally, analytic reports will be collaborations between the Contractor and NIAAA staff. Each major aspect of each manuscript (including data sets analyzed, major analytic approaches, and review of the literature) shall be subject to review and prior approval by the Project Officer. Each major phase of report development shall be reviewed and approved by the Project Officer before the Contractor proceeds to the next phase. Each analytic report shall be reviewed and edited by the Contractor's science/technical writer/editor for technical aspects of writing including clarity and logical flow. Manuscripts shall have a clear purpose, and be clearly written, with well-described methods and results. The manuscript discussion section shall seek to explain observed results within the context of previous literature, and present limitations and strengths of the study. Topics may be proposed by the contractor. However, topic selection will be performed by NIAAA. During the course of manuscript development, abstracts suitable for presentation at conferences may be generated. Stand-alone abstracts, i.e., abstracts not generated during the course of manuscript development, shall not be developed except upon request by the Project Officer. TASK-3: Provide Technical Assistance The Contractor shall provide technical assistance. Technical assistance includes, but is not limited to: (1) Assistance with all aspects of data analysis including identification of relevant datasets and literature, literature reviews, data cleaning, data file setup, programming, statistical consultation, and scientific writing/editing. Technical assistance includes assistance with analyses using the NIAAA Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), which collects and provides authoritative, detailed information on alcohol-related laws and regulations through a public website with user-searchable information including policy summaries, full texts of laws and regulation, and charts, maps, and other displays. APIS is updated and maintained through a separate contract. The AEDS contract will provide technical assistance for epidemiologic data analyses using APIS performed by researchers by: (a) Evaluating, on request of the project officer, the feasibility of linking specified epidemiologic data or datasets to APIS in order to facilitate epidemiologic research on a linked dataset. Examples of data or datasets that could be linked to APIS include: (1) Alcohol apparent per capita consumption (2) Cirrhosis mortality (3) Alcohol-related traffic deaths reported in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) (b) Approximately four to six (4-6) linkages may be performed each year. The contractor shall provide formatting and appropriate documentation for each linked dataset. (c) Assistance with preparation of analyses for presentation (including graphics and posters) at research conferences and other research settings. (d) All responses in 1- 2 above shall be transmitted within one week of receipt. If an unforeseen delay occurs, the contractor shall notify the recipient of the delay and the expected delivery date. TASK-4: Provide Alcoholism Epidemiologic Research Specialists (1) The contractor shall establish a listing of epidemiologic and statistical research specialists to assist the contractor in the identification of data needs and review of ongoing research, and performance of special studies. This group of specialists will be available to critique proposed analytic projects, including statistical methodology and content so that state-of-the art analytic approaches are integrated into the total operation of the AEDS. (2) A maximum of 20 specialists shall be drawn upon as needed. Specialists shall be available in a timely manner. It is expected that is a member of DEPR has a question about a particular method he/she would be able to receive expert consultation with 1-2 days. An additional 5 specialists shall be identified by LEB as necessary to provide specialized data consultation for LEB. TASK-5: Provide Technical Assistance to LEB The Contractor shall provide technical assistance to LEB. Technical assistance includes, but is not limited to: (1) Assistance with all aspects of secondary data analysis including identification of relevant datasets and literature, data cleaning, data file setup, programming, statistical consultation, and scientific writing/editing. (2) Assistance with preparation of secondary data analyses for presentation at research conferences and other research settings. (3) Printing of all other posters developed by LEB that do not involve analyses by the Contractor. (4) All responses in 1- 2 above shall be transmitted within one week of receipt. If an unforeseen delay occurs, the contractor shall notify the recipient of the delay and the expected delivery date. TASK-6: Provide NIAAA-Sponsored National Survey Support Services Logistical and technical services are required to support NIAAA's ongoing National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). The contractor shall: (1) Maintain the NESARC database and related documentation on the Contractor's website, or other website specified by the Project officer. (2) Provide technical support services to public data users of NIAAA-sponsored national surveys using NIAAA websites to download survey data and documentation. Technical support issues include, but are not limited to, resolving issues related to downloading and printing data documentation, and the use of different platforms (e.g., UNIX, Windows) for data analysis; (3) Develop a listserve for NESARC users to facilitate communication within and among that group about technical issues and to provide information updates. (4) Answer basic questions related to public user documentation, survey design, computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) design, etc. Capability Statements Small business concerns that possess the capabilities necessary to undertake the aforementioned efforts should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer. This "capability statement" should include: 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of scientists, medical experts, and technical personnel as they relate to the requirements, 3) a description of general and specific facilities and equipment available, including computer equipment and software, 4) an outline of previous research projects in which the organization and proposed personnel have participated, 5) Past Performance documentation, which should include, but not be limited to, a minimum of two (2) contracts performed for either Government or commercial organizations. References shall include for each contract: names, titles, contract number, total price or cost, telephone numbers of government Contracting Officer Representative and Contracting Officers; and 6) any other information considered relevant to this program. The capability statement shall not exceed 10 single sided or 5 double sided pages in length and using a 12-point font size, minimum. Interested small business organizations are required to identify their size standard as concurred in by the Small Business Administration. The Government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, should a respondent wish to include proprietary information, that information should be clearly marked and the Government will properly safeguard it. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market research that do not provide sufficient information will not be considered. When submitting this information, reference the sources sought notice number identified above. Capability statements shall only be submitted electronically (i.e. via e-mail) to the point of contact listed below, in either MS-Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), within 15 calendar days of the date of this notice. Late responses will not be considered. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract nor to pay for the information provided in responses. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate, including the use of non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation. Organizations responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After the Government's review of responses, pre-solicitation and solicitation notices may be published on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Responses to this notice shall not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. A solicitation release date is pending the results of this notice. The Government intends to negotiate one (1) contract for a period of five (5) years on or about September, 2013. Point of Contact ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Ms. Kesha Williams, Contract Specialist, Contracts Management Branch, NIAAA, phone 301-443-5321, [williamskl@mail.nih.gov] This notice is issued on behalf of the NIAAA by the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Office of Acquisitions, UNITED STATES
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN02924864-W 20121107/121105234626-a4b6889e8c15a383b5f8b810031c4712 (fbodaily.com)
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