SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND WATERBORNE ILLNESS PROJECT IN RUSSIA
- Notice Date
- 7/7/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Acquisition Management, EPA/Ohio, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45268
- ZIP Code
- 45268
- Solicitation Number
- RFQ-0H-06-00173
- Response Due
- 7/24/2006
- Archive Date
- 8/8/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b), with Dr. Elena Naumova/Tufts School of Medicine to support the coordination and organization of the multi-partner international collaborative project, examining the effects of climate variability on waterborne illness in Russia, under the Bio-Chem Redirect nonproliferation initiative. The current NAICS code is 541710. Based on the EPA?s knowledge of the Technical Support needed for the Statement of Work (SOW) there may be unique capabilities to particular contractors/consultants. The SOW is as follows: TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND WATERBORNE ILLNESS PROJECT IN RUSSIA PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The initial period of performance shall be from August 31, 2006 to August 30, 2007. The first option period shall be from August 31, 2007 to August 30, 2008. The second option period shall be from August 31, 2008 to September 30, 2009. Estimated Hours/Level of Effort (LOE): 576 Hours BACKGROUND: Increased greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources such as the burning of fossil fuels can contribute to global climate change. Global climate change is predicted to increase climate variability and frequency of extreme precipitation events in temperate areas. It may also increase the frequency and magnitude of other extreme weather events, such as sudden snowmelt, heat waves, floods, and droughts, and have profound effects on public health. Changes in temperature, humidity and precipitation can affect the incidence of infectious disease. Heavy precipitation and resultant runoff have been shown to increase concentrations of viruses and protozoa in surface water bodies. Russia ranks third behind the U.S. and China in emission of CO2, one of the main greenhouse gases. Global climate change is expected to result in elevated ambient air temperatures and higher frequency of extreme rainfall in Russia during the 21st century. Time-series data from 11 countries over the past 60 years show increases of 2-4% in heavy precipitation events for the former USSR per decade, behind only Australia and South Africa. An increase in extreme weather events may limit the ability of basic water treatment systems in many Russian cities to adequately remove chlorination-resistant pathogens, such as protozoa and viruses. Furthermore, an increase in gastrointestinal infections from increased exposures may disproportionately affect populations susceptible to infectious diseases, such as the elderly, pregnant women, young children and the immunocompromised. The elderly is a rapidly growing population in Russia, as is the immunocompromised population due in part to the epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus infections. Examining the potential effects of global warming on waterborne illness is complex due to the inherent uncertainty of prediction modeling and requires an interdisciplinary approach. This necessitates consideration of the vulnerability of water supplies to changing climate and extreme weather events and integration of infectious disease models with models describing weather-related occurrence of pathogens in water. Analyses of the potential effect of climate change on waterborne disease requires consideration of secondary (i.e. person-to-person) transmission, acquired immunity, multiple exposure pathways and spatio-temporal variability in exposures. Immunity and interactions between individuals cause populations to behave as systems with non-linear dynamics. Dynamic models of infection spread in the population enhance microbial risk assessment and provide information to support risk management decisions on water treatment options. The development of data analysis systems and data-based disease prediction models may provide decision makers with useful information to develop infectious disease forecasts. It may also help to predict seasonal outbreaks of infections that are triggered by climate variability. DESCRIPTION OF TASKS: The purpose of this acquisition is to obtain contractor support for the coordination and organization of the multi-partner international collaborative project examining the effects of climate variability on waterborne illness in Russia under the Bio-Chem Redirect nonproliferation initiative with funding provided by the Department of State through the Office of International Affairs. This will entail providing expertise, training and technical leadership in statistical analysis of time-series data and modeling to Russian scientists, support in communications with Russian collaborators, and completing 3 trips to Russia and one trip to Cincinnati, OH. This research is intended to promote non-proliferation scientific research by Russian institutions employing former weapons specialists. This acquisition will include the Base period (1st year) and two option periods (2nd and 3rd years). Base period (Tasks 1thru 6) Task 1. Coordination of the Organization of the Project The Contractor shall coordinate this project by establishing contacts with Russian institutions and agencies that are expected to contribute to this project. The Contractor shall directly communicate with project leaders and senior scientists in Novosibirsk, Russia and act as a liaison between the EPA and Russian collaborators. Specifically, the Contractor shall assist in defining contributions of individual Russian mathematicians and modelers to this project, and clarify the scope of work, also addressing the scientific issues related to time-series analysis and dynamic modeling. The Contractor shall review preliminary project documents in English and Russian, and assist with ensuring the science behind this project is properly communicated in Russian to Russian experts and reviewers. The Contractor shall communicate with Russian partners which will be especially critical during the planning stage. Specifically, the contractor shall facilitate and promote a mutual understanding between the parties, assisting them to develop a common vision of the project objectives and agree on the means that are required to achieve these objectives. The implementation of Task 1 will start immediately upon award of this purchase order and will continue until the funding under Bio-Chem Redirect initiative becomes available to the Russian partners. Task 2. Travel to Novosibirsk, Russia The Contractor shall travel to Novosibirsk, Russia with the EPA Project Officer Dr. Michael Wright and the Coordinator of the multi-partner international collaborative project under the Bio-Chem Redirect initiative, Dr. Andrey Egorov, to develop a work plan for this international project. The work plan shall include the following components: 1) Technical Approach and Methodology to be used for data analysis. The Contractor shall contribute expertise in time-series analysis of environmental health data and dynamic modeling, and lead scientific discussions. The Contractor shall communicate with EPA scientists and Russian mathematicians and modelers during joint discussions as well as individually in English and Russian as needed. It is essential that the Contractor clearly defines which existing analytical methods will be used and what novel approaches are expected to be developed. The Contractor shall provide an overview of the most recent developments in time-series analysis and modeling of infectious processes, assisting to determine what types of data can be used in these analysis and define the procedures for data preparation of processing. 2) Technical Schedule with deliverable dates for the main study. The Contractor shall define the scope of work for each task under the Bio-Chem redirect project. The US EPA will rely heavily on the Contractor?s expertise and experience in the analysis of similar weather and health data sets to develop a realistic schedule for deliverables from this international project. 3) Personnel Commitments including managerial responsibilities for the various Russian parties. The Contractor shall communicate with each Russian scientist involved in this project to assess his/her expertise relevant to the project. The Contractor shall advise the EPA specialists and lead Russian scientists on the most appropriate allocations of the personnel. 4) Financial Information including aggregate expenditures by collaborating institutions. The Contractor is expected to assist the EPA Project Officer in determining the adequacy of the budget allocation for this project with respect to necessary Russian personnel. 5) Equipment and Materials Summary. The Contractor shall assist in determining what analytical and modeling software needs to be procured for this project and specify potential hardware needs. The initial trip is anticipated to be completed in September 2006, but the date is subject to change. The exact travel date will be contingent upon schedule coordination with the EPA Project Officer. The Contractor shall make arrangements for her round-trip travel from Boston, MA to Novosibirsk, Russia including lodging. The development of the Work Plan will take place before the funding becomes available to the Russian partners. This Work Plan will form an integral part of a contractor between the US EPA and Russian partners. Task 3. Develop Trip Summary The Contractor shall develop a brief trip summary after returning from the trip (per task 2) which details the project status and delineates future steps. In this trip report, the Contractor shall provide an overview of the expertise of Russian mathematical scientists, specify the training needs, identify strengths and limitations of the study team, and assist the EPA with identifying sources of expertise in the US that can enhance this project. The EPA will review the trip summary and provide any written comments 2 weeks after receipt. Task 4. Travel to Novosibirsk, Russia The Contractor shall travel to Novosibirsk, Russia with the EPA Project Officer for a site visit to the lead Russian institute, including consultation regarding statistical modeling and data analytical approach. The trip is anticipated to take place at the beginning of implementation of the international collaborative project under Bio-Chem Redirect initiative. It is expected that this trip will be completed in December 2006, but the date is subject to change. The exact travel date will be contingent upon schedule coordination with the EPA Project Officer. The Contractor shall make arrangements for her round-trip travel from Boston, MA to Novosibirsk, Russia including lodging. During this trip, the Contractor shall provide training in Russian to Russian scientists in data processing, data quality control and data analysis. The Contractor shall also assist Russian scientists in developing the project databases, as well as establishing data collection and processing procedures and routines. The Contractor shall participate in discussions with senior Russian scientists on statistical and modeling approaches. The Contractor shall provide relevant publications to Russian partners. The Contractor shall assist Russian mathematical statisticians in developing scripts in S-Plus or other statistical software for data processing and analysis. Task 5. Develop Trip Summary The Contractor shall develop a brief trip summary after returning from the trip (per task 4) which details the project status and delineates future steps. The descriptions of data collection and processing procedures and copy of S-Plus scripts shall be included in this report. The EPA will review the trip summary and provide any written comments 2 weeks after receipt. Task 6. Provide Training to visiting Russian scientists in the US The Contractor shall provide training on statistical modeling and data analysis to Russian scientist(s) at Tufts University (Boston, MA) in May 2007, but the date is subject to change. The exact training date will be contingent upon schedule coordination with Russian collaborators. Option 1 (Tasks 7 thru 9) Task 7. Review Preliminary Data and Progress Reports The Contractor shall review preliminary data and progress reports from the Climate Variability on Waterborne Illness project in November 2007. Specifically, the Contractor will review the implementation of the data quality control and data cleaning routines. The Contractor shall also propose measures to address potential problems. The Contractor shall review the results of preliminary time-series analysis and provide technical comments and recommendations. Task 8. Travel to Russia The Contractor shall travel to Russia (city to be determined) with the EPA Project Officer for presentation/discussion of preliminary results by Russian collaborators. The trip is anticipated to be completed in December 2007, but the date is subject to change. The exact travel date will be contingent upon schedule coordination with the EPA Project Officer. The Contractor shall make arrangements for her round-trip travel from Boston, MA to Russia (city to be determined) including lodging. During this trip, the Contractor shall provide feedback to the Russian scientists on the preliminary results of their statistical data analysis. The Contractor shall also work with Russian scientists on development and specification of population dynamic models of infectious disease. Task 9. Develop Trip Summary The Contractor shall develop a brief trip summary after returning from the trip (per task 8) which details the project status. This will include the technical assessment of statistical models, evaluation of the preliminary analysis of the short-term effect of extreme weather events on infectious illnesses, recommendations for further analyses pertaining to model specification and parameterization, modeling of seasonality, spatio-temporal models, modeling of water quality parameters in relation to weather. The Contractor shall also provide critical interpretation of the preliminary findings and discuss the validity and interpretability of these findings. The Contractor shall also discuss dynamic models of specific infections and provide recommendations to improve these models. The EPA will review the trip summary and provide any written comments 2 weeks after receipt. Option 2 (Tasks 10 thru 12) Task 10. Review Interim Reports The Contractor shall review interim reports from the Climate Variability and Waterborne Illness project in October 2008. The Contractor shall review interim reports in Russian and English and ensure the adequacy of technical translation pertaining to statistical data analysis, modeling and interpretation of results. The Contractor shall provide written technical comments on interim reports focusing on statistical analysis and dynamic modeling. Task 11. Attend Meeting in Cincinnati, OH The Contractor shall attend a meeting in Cincinnati, OH to participate in discussions of the project results and contribute to interpretation of these results. The exact travel date will be contingent upon schedule coordination with the EPA Project Officer. The expected time of this trip is July 2009. The date is subject to change. The exact travel date will be contingent upon schedule coordination with the EPA Project Officer. The Contractor shall make arrangements for her round-trip travel from Boston, MA to The Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center, 26 West Martin Luther King, Cincinnati, OH including lodging. Task 12. Develop Trip Summary The Contractor shall develop a brief trip summary after returning from the trip (per task 11) to Cincinnati, OH which details the project status and results. In this report, the Contractor shall provide a brief summary of this international collaborative project, discuss strengths and limitations of the analysis of short-term effects of extreme weather events on potentially waterborne infections, application of these results to predict long-term effects of climate change and incorporation of population dynamic modeling into the discussion of health consequences of global climate change. The EPA will review the trip summary and provide any written comments 2 weeks after receipt. QUALITY ASSURANCE A quality assurance project plan is not needed for this acquisition since the Contractor is providing only brief trip summaries for deliverables as well as technical consultation for data analysis and statistical modeling. The use of any secondary data will be detailed in the trip summaries. Secondary data is defined as the review or use of someone else?s environmental or health data that was developed for a different purpose. This includes the data used from citations from the literature searches, from hard copies and computer data bases. Unusual quality assurance problems occurring during the project shall be reported to the EPA Project Officer. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA The Contractor shall prepare all reports in accordance to the NCEA Instruction Manual for Contractors, August 2005, which will be provided by the EPA Project Officer. All deliverables shall be provided to the EPA Project Officer electronically in Microsoft Office Word 2003. The Contractor may not publish, present briefings or release any material resulting directly or indirectly from work performed under this contractor in any conference, presentation, forum, publication or other discussions without the prior approval of the EPA Project Officer. SCHEDULE OF MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES Task No. Deliverable Due Date 1. Coordination and organization of the project and communications August 2006 2. Travel to Novosibirsk, Russia September 2006 (subject to change) 3. Trip Summary 3 weeks after travel 3. EPA Comments on Trip Summary 2 weeks after receipt 4. Travel to Novosibirsk, Russia December 2006 (subject to change) 5. Trip Summary 3 weeks after travel 5. EPA Comments on Trip Summary 2 weeks after receipt 6. Training to Russian Scientists at Tufts University May 2007 (subject to change) 7. Review Preliminary Data and Progress Reports November 2007 8. Travel to Russia December 2007 (subject to change) 9. Trip Summary 3 weeks after travel 9. EPA Comments on Trip Summary 2 weeks after receipt 10. Review Interim Reports October 2008 11. Meeting in Cincinnati, OH July 2009 (subject to change) 12. Trip Summary 3 weeks after travel 12. EPA Comments on Trip Summary 2 weeks after receipt In accordance with EPAAR 1552.211-79, Compliance with EPA Policies for Information Resources Management, the Contractor shall comply with existing Agency information resources requirements, including Section 508 standards which can be located at www.section508.gov. However, any firm believing itself capable of meeting the EPA?s requirement may submit technical documentation to establish the potential of complying with the specifications. Such documentation must be submitted to the point of contact within 15 days of the posting of this notice. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered only for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement or to proceed on a sole source basis. The applicable NAICS code is 541710. Please submit your request in writing to Scott A. Fogle at fogle.scott@epa.gov or fax your request to (513) 487-2107. No telephone requests will be honored.
- Place of Performance
- Address: US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, 26 W. MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD, CINCINNATI, OH 45268
- Zip Code: 45268
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 45268
- Record
- SN01084769-W 20060709/060707221608 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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