SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- CSR Survey of NIH Grant Applicants’ Application and Submission Experiences
- Notice Date
- 8/4/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting 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
- HHS-NIH-NHLBI-SBSS-RG-2014-208
- Archive Date
- 9/2/2014
- Point of Contact
- Jennifer Swift, Phone: 3014350358
- E-Mail Address
-
Jennifer.Swift@nih.gov
(Jennifer.Swift@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- CSR Survey of NIH Grant Applicants' Application and Submission Experiences Sources Sought Notice HHS-NIH-NHLBI-SBSS-RG-2014-208 Contracting Office Address Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Office of Acquisitions 6701 Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD, 20892-7902 Introduction This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This 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 proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Background The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is the portal for NIH grant applications and their review for scientific merit. They receive all research grant applications sent to NIH and handle the review of more than 70% of those by organizing peer review groups (study sections) to evaluate research grant applications. CSR has major responsibility for the quality of NIH's investments to advance science and health through research. CSR's mission is to see that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews - free from inappropriate influences - so NIH can fund the most promising research. Each year, CSR handles over 85,000 grant applications, employs nearly 500 staff (more than 50% PhD level scientists) and uses more than 15,000 reviewers. CSR is the gateway for NIH applications and serves as a service center to NIH Institutes and Centers for the review of applications based on scientific merit treatment for all. The proposed work will examine the extent to which current peer review practices are optimal for achieving CSR's mission and identify ways in which improvements in the quality and/or cost of peer review can be achieved. Enhancements to NIH's peer review are crucial for NIH and all of biomedical research. Purpose and Objectives This project is a follow on to an existing contract with the intent to expand the qualitative assessment of the peer review process to include additional stakeholders from within the NIH as well as from the scientific community. Aims include the identification of procedures and practices that are most beneficial in accomplishing CSR's mission as well as identifying any aspects that might make the review process vulnerable to bias. This will be accomplished by garnering input from Institute and Center Directors, NIH review and project staff, experienced grant reviewers, and a broader sample of investigators. This follow on work will utilize methodologies developed and tested by the contractor in the parent project. The objectives include: 1. Update the interview guide for focus groups and personal interviews 2. Plan logistics for personal interviews and focus groups 3. Conduct focus group discussions and personal interviews 4. Develop coding protocol, codebook, and conduct thematic and sentiment analysis of transcripts 5. Provide a written report and oral presentation to CSR leadership Project Requirements (1) Modify the existing focus group interview guide to include additional questions regarding the quality, efficiency and cost of peer review; the extent to which current technological solutions are adequately supporting the peer review process while maintaining peer review integrity and quality; investigators' views about their applications being reviewed at CSR versus NIH I/Cs; and any needed modifications to peer review that would enhance the mission of the NIH. (2) Recruit participants for in-depth personal interviews with NIH Institute/Center (I/C) Directors and focus groups with key stakeholders relative to key features of the NIH peer review process. Stakeholders will include NIH Program Officers, Scientific Review Officers from CSR and I/Cs, reviewers from chartered study sections at CSR and I/Cs, and NIH grant applicants/recipients. (3) Transcribe data from audio and video taped focus groups. Conduct a content analysis of data from personal interviews and focus groups using text analytic software guided by qualitative and inductive analysis. Thematically code data and identify response patterns for sentiment and thematic similarities and differences between and among constituent groups for reporting purposes. (4) Prepare written reports of qualitative data including a descriptive write-up of each stakeholder groups' experience, perceptions, and observations of the peer review process with overall group comparisons. Identify trends and perceived satisfaction with peer review outcomes, the utility and efficacy of technology used to support peer review, and experiences with the process. Accomplishment of these objectives will require (a) an in-depth understanding of the CSR/NIH peer review processes, practices and policies, (b) prior experience with the creation of instrumentation and data collection methods for qualitative research on peer review processes, (c) prior experience with qualitative analyses of focus group and interview data, and (d) a secure data system that allows NIH to transmit investigators' personally identifiable information (PII) to offeror. The proposed work would be conducted through collaboration between the contractor and NIH, whereby the contractor would develop instrumentation, pilot test, recruit participants, conduct focus groups with key stakeholders and personal interviews with Institute/Center Directors, code, analyze and report results. Organization of personal interviews and focus groups will be conducted by the contractor to include meeting logistics, planning for scheduling; supplying technical support for virtual meetings with reviewers and applicants; audio tape and transcription serves for focus groups; meeting room space arrangements, disbursement of participant fees for reviewers and applicants, and the use of text analytic software support for content analysis of the data. Qualitative analysis, descriptive, and non-parametric statistics should be used to analyze data from focus groups and personal interviews to identify similarities and differences in sentiment and themes between and across respondent types. Anticipated Period of Performance The period of performance is estimated to September, 30, 2014 through September 29, 2015 Capability statement Small business concerns that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this work should submit complete documentation of their capabilities to the Contracting Officer. The capabilities statement must specifically address each project requirement separately. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of scientists, medical experts, and technical personnel as it relates to the above outlined requirements, 3) a description of general and specific facilities and equipment available, including computer equipment and software, 4) an outline of previous research projects that are similar to the project requirements in which the organization and proposed personnel have participated, and 5) any other information considered relevant to this program. The capability statement must not exceed 10 single sided or 5 double sided pages in length and using an 11-point font size minimum. Interested small business organizations are required to identify their size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone numbers of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number. All capability statements sent in response to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Jennifer Swift, Contracting Officer, at jennifer.swift@nih.gov in either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by August 18, 2014 at 3:00 PM EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization 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 provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/HHS-NIH-NHLBI-SBSS-RG-2014-208/listing.html)
- Record
- SN03449432-W 20140806/140804235505-5bac637099a65957dc1e60f700f45187 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |