SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Data Management Support Services for the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)
- Notice Date
- 9/8/2014
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541512
— Computer Systems Design Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support/Simplified Acquisitions, 31 Center Drive, Room 1B59, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-14-701
- Archive Date
- 10/3/2014
- Point of Contact
- Hunter A. Tjugum, Phone: 301 435 8780, ,
- E-Mail Address
-
hunter.tjugum@nih.gov, NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov
(hunter.tjugum@nih.gov, NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-14-701 and the solicitation is issued as a Request For Quotation (RFQ). This acquisition is for a commercial service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-76, dated 25 JULY 2014. The associated NAICS code is 541512 Computer System Design Services with associated small business size standard $25.5 million. This requirement is released on a restricted basis to Small Businesses. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Background, purpose and objectives: The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. The Intramural Research Program (IRP) at the NIA provides a stimulating setting for a comprehensive effort to understand aging through multidisciplinary investigator-initiated research. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) in the IRP at NIA studies age-related changes in medical, physiological, cognitive and physical functioning across the adult life span. BLSA participants come to the BLSA on a regular schedule for testing designed to predict normal as well as pathological aging. The Translational Gerontology Branch and the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience (LBN) study age-related changes, including development of a variety of medical conditions and the effects of these comorbidities on physical and psychological health and resilience. Data from the BLSA is used by many of the NIA laboratories in the preparation of analyses, presentations and manuscripts. An important component of these investigations is to provide complete and accurate BLSA data. These data are collected from various sources including the BLSA parent study as well as neuroimaging, home visit, autopsy and Johns Hopkins University contracts, which need to be merged to provide a complete and accurate BLSA dataset. NIA has a requirement for contractor support to perform data management support services to facilitate ongoing data collection and merging of datasets, and identification and processing of important covariates through task work involving SAS software programming and analysis. This contract requires the use of existing code for developing the creation, adjudication, updating and merging of existing BLSA datasets. General Scope of Work: The Scope of Work for this requirement includes providing support for ongoing BLSA data collection and management through task work involving SAS software programming and analysis. The contractor will continue to develop and run SAS scripts, merge datasets, run reports and identify and process important covariates in executing the work requirements per this solicitation. Specifically, the Contractor will continue to develop and run existing SAS instruction scripts to fit revised visit history structure defined by study investigators, modify SAS scripts to work in a Microsoft Windows operating system environment, including the file structures for capability with Microsoft Windows, and revise file paths to read appropriate data from Microsoft Windows file system. Contractor will revise SAS scripts to avoid using specialty macro commands and code scoring scripts to create summary scores using SAS on Microsoft Windows; manage the BLSA dataset and identify and process important covariates for BLSA analyses. The contractor will work closely with investigators and technicians to insure that data are correctly aligned with correct visits and that all expected data are accounted for; and will program SAS code to create a reusable procedure to run monthly checks of data integrity, including identification of inconsistencies and produce SAS save files to serve as the basis for additions to ongoing data collection and write new SAS scripts to update data, and rework the way in which visit histories are maintained and updated from various sources of data collection. The contractor will additionally adjudicate historical BLSA medical and cognitive data and combine those with current data collection from ongoing BLSA studies. Finally, the contractor will provide documentation, SAS and any other program code to Government staff as necessary for updating data in a web-based system and create SAS files, including setups and formats. Regular meetings between Government staff and the contractor will be scheduled either via teleconference or at the NIA, IRP, located at 251 Bayview Boulevard in Baltimore, MD, requiring the contractor to provide technical consultation and support as needed at the government staff meetings, per the work requirements specified in this statement of work. Contractor requirements and tasks to be performed: The successful Contractor will be required to perform the following tasks on any contract resulting from this solicitation: 1.Perform extensive data cleaning and modification of BLSA file structures. 2.Modify existing SAS instruction scripts to fit revised visit history structure defined by study investigators. 3.Modify SAS scripts to work in a Microsoft Windows operating system environment, modifying file structures for capability with Microsoft Windows, and revising file paths to read appropriate data from Microsoft Windows file system. 4.Revise SAS scripts to avoid using specialty macro commands. 5.Code scoring scripts to create summary scores using SAS on Microsoft Windows. 6.Work closely with investigators and technicians to insure that data are correctly aligned with correct visits and that all expected data are accounted for. 7.Produce SAS save files to serve as the basis for additions to ongoing data collection and write new SAS scripts to update data. 8.Program SAS code to create a reusable procedure to run monthly checks of data integrity, including identification of inconsistencies. 9.Rework the way in which visit histories are maintained and updated from various sources of data collection. 10.Adjudicate historical BLSA data and combine those with current BLSA data collection. 11.Manage BLSA data and identify and process important covariates for BLSA analyses. 12.Provide documentation, SAS and any other program code to Government staff as necessary for updating BLSA data in web-based system and creating SAS files, including setups and formats. The period of performance shall be effective on or around September 30, 2014 through May 23, 2015. The anticipated place of performance shall primarily include the contractor's place of work. The government estimates approximately 208 hours of effort is required to perform the statement of work in the period of performance, including an option to add up to an additional 300 hours during the period of performance. Deliverables and Reporting requirements: The contractor will report by email, teleconference or in person regarding progress toward the stated goals and objectives. The report shall identify any problems that emerged and their resolution, or plans for resolution. The contractor will deliver periodic updates and updated data files, and at the conclusion of the contract period electronic digital data files reporting for the data to be reviewed, updated and adjudicated. Government's responsibilities: The government will provide all data to be reviewed, updated and adjudicated. The government will be responsible for reviewing and approving reports and final data generated under the contract. The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will be responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance. Technical Evaluation criteria: Offerors may respond with a proposal indicating their ability to provide the technical requirements stated in this solicitation. Pricing proposals shall indicate the hourly rate for performing the services described in this solicitation for the base period and the option to increase quantity of hours. Responses from Offerors will be evaluated on the following criteria: Demonstrated experience performing SAS software programming and data analyses of ongoing long-term longitudinal aging studies, integrating data from various cognitive, diagnostic, motor and neuroimaging domains and data collection sources. Demonstrated experience developing and analyzing customized code for creation, adjudication, updating, merging and performing extensive data cleaning and modification for longitudinal data files from various sources with inconsistent data. Demonstrated experience updating data from various sources of data collection, in a web-based system and creating SAS files, including setups and formats, modifying existing SAS instruction scripts to fit revised visit history structure defined by study investigators and revising SAS scripts to avoid using specialty macro commands. Demonstrated experience coding SAS scoring scripts to create summary scores, identifying and processing important covariates, modifying SAS scripts and inconsistent data file structures and revising file paths to read appropriate data from Microsoft Windows file system. Demonstrated experience programming SAS code to create a reusable procedure to run monthly checks of data integrity, including identification of inconsistencies, producing SAS save files to serve as the basis for additions to ongoing data collection and write new SAS scripts to update data. Ability to meet with government officials at the NIA-IRP (Baltimore City, MD) to facilitate effective communication with BLSA study investigators. Demonstrated flexibility in interacting and working closely with investigators and technicians to insure that data are correctly aligned with correct visits and that all expected data are accounted for. Ability to facilitate visits with the Project Officer or his designee to monitor the adjudication of data discrepancies. Offerors will be evaluated on past performance for work on government and commercial contracts for similar requirements in the past two (2) years. Responses to this RFQ must not exceed a combined 25 pages in length, inclusive of appendices, and be submitted in Microsoft Word or searchable PDF format in a font size of 11 or 12 point and font type of Arial or Times New Romans. Margins must be 1-inch wide (top, bottom, left, and right). Responses must references this solicitation number and include the name of the contractor. Pages in excess of the specified page limit will not be considered or evaluated. The following FAR provisions shall apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors--Commercial Items, 52.212-2, Evaluation--Commercial Items. Evaluation factors that will be used to evaluate the offer most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered, include ability to meet the technical requirements stated in this pre-solicitation and on basis of best value to the government. Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, with their offer. The Clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and the Clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. In addition the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All Offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov." All responses must be received no later than the response deadline indicated on September 18, 2014, 4:00 pm Eastern time. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-14-701. Responses may be submitted electronically to Hunter.Tjugum@nih.gov and to NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov. Fax responses will be accepted at (301) 480-1358. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum by email at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov or by phone at (301) 435-8780.
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