SOURCES SOUGHT
D -- RMD/SSA Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)
- Notice Date
- 11/23/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541512
— Computer Systems Design Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center/Office of Purchasing & Contracts, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Suite 106, MSC 5480, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-5480
- ZIP Code
- 20892-5480
- Solicitation Number
- P182550
- Point of Contact
- Diania Robinson, Phone: 301-594-5917
- E-Mail Address
-
dmrobinson1@mail.nih.gov
(dmrobinson1@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Institutes of Health, Clinical Research Center is conducting a market survey/sources sought to help determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses and/or HUBZONE small business capable of serving the needs mentioned below. This market survey/sources sought announcement is not a request for proposals and the Government is not committed to award a contract pursuant to this announcement. The information from this market research is for planning purposes only and will assist the Government in planning its acquisition strategy. This is strictly market research and the Government will not entertain questions concerning this market research. The Government will not pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of information for responding to this market survey. The Rehabilitation Medicine Department in the Clinical Research Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH-RMD) in Bethesda, Maryland has agreed to assist the Social Security Administration (SSA) explore innovative methods for augmenting the disability evaluation process. This requires assessment of individuals' functional abilities across a variety of domains in relationship to functional demands in the workplace and features of the workplace, home, and community environments. To meet this objective, the NIH-RMD, in conjunction with a contractor, will develop Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) instruments utilizing Item Response Theory (IRT) to assess a spectrum of human functioning domains. CAT represents a simple form of artificial intelligence software requiring computer technology for administration. The scope of functional domains for CAT development includes: learning and applying knowledge, general tasks and demands, communication, mobility, self-care; and, interpersonal interactions and relationships. The mobility and interpersonal interactions and relationships domains are in progress; thus, up to four additional functional domains must be assessed for CAT instrument development. Rapid assessment methods are needed that are compatible with SSA processes and will yield easily interpretable results that can be efficiently and meaningfully integrated to provide accurate and uniform information about an individual's ability to engage in substantial gainful employment. The demonstrated advantages of the CAT instruments compared to more traditional testing methods are: reduced respondent burden, increased score precision, elimination of ceiling and floor effects, client-specific confidence intervals, monitoring of data quality in real time, and lower data collection costs. Because functional outcomes have been shown to have a clear hierarchical structure, gains in precision and efficiency of score estimation are superior to traditional fixed forms of functional assessment, thus transforming the ways in which outcomes can be monitored. CAT tool development will require a calibration study for each instrument. A calibration study is a field study of item content and structure conducted with samples of respondents representing the intended users of the CAT instruments. Item pool development and subsequent item calibration are unique for each CAT tool and for the target population for which they are developed. To better support the SSA's evaluation process, distinct applicant and provider CAT instruments are being developed. Participant recruitment and telephone as well as internet test administration will be needed to conduct the CAT tool calibration studies. Sample sizes for most scientifically defensible CAT calibration projects are in the range of 500-700 respondents. This sample size is needed to support a series of confirmatory factor analyses and to perform statistical modeling. Inadequate sample size may lead to inaccurate and unstable statistical outcomes. Due to projected response rates for the recruitment of claimants and providers, the anticipated recruitment volume will require the contractor to provide evidence of established procedures and staffing to efficiently manage the recruitment effort. Upon completion of the calibration studies, cut-points will need to be established along each disability domain scale, as measured by CAT. In addition, each newly developed CAT instrument must be validated with at least two existing assessment instruments. Developed CAT tools must be compatible with the stepwise nature of the SSA disability evaluation process and yield easily interpretable results that can be efficiently and meaningfully integrated to provide accurate, uniform, and rapid information about an individual's functional capacity necessary to engage in substantial gainful employment. The contractor must demonstrate the following: 1) Knowledge of contemporary theoretical models of the disablement process and SSA disability evaluation processes as demonstrated by scholarly publications, participation in scientific forums as a content expert, and scientific committee participation in these areas 2) Senior investigators with published outcomes related to CAT tool development and the application of CAT technology utilizing item response theory 3) Success developing, testing, and implementing CAT modules in real world settings administered to individuals with a variety of limitations and those without limitations, and yielding immediate, interpretable results 4) Successful completion of calibration studies associated with CAT tool development in domains of human functioning 5) Understanding and adherence to ethical guidelines and regulatory requirements for research involving human subjects. 6) Technological capabilities to support all aspects of CAT development, implementation, and integration with SSA processes 7) Expected compliance with a mandated Federal background screening process and report of current Federal security clearances for senior project personnel, if applicable CAT development will take place at the contractor's location, but the contractor will need to work closely with NIH-RMD and SSA staff via teleconferencing, electronic correspondence, and occasional face-to-face meetings at NIH and/or SSA to ensure that project objectives are met. NIH-RMD hopes to build on existing electronic CAT tools that have been developed to date and are relevant to this project that quantify key domains including movement and physical activities, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and applied cognition. The NIH-RMD seeks a contractor for a base period of twelve months, with three, twelve month unilateral options available to extend the term of services, who will develop, calibrate and validate CAT instruments for integration into the SSA's data collection and disability evaluation processes. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541512, Size Standard - $21.0 million dollars. The vendor responses must demonstrate their expertise in ALL of the areas described above. Please note that failure to specifically demonstrate capability to provide the required services in your response to this market survey may affect the Government's review of industry's ability to perform these services. The vendor's response shall be in sufficient detail to allow the Government to assess the capability of your firm. The vendor response shall also include any other specific and relevant information related to the requirements of this project that will enable the Government to determine the capabilities of the company to perform the specialized requirements described in this synopsis. Interested organizations must demonstrate and document in any response submitted, to this market survey extensive experience with and the ability to perform all of the specialized requirements elsewhere described. This notice is a market survey and is for information and planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to any contractual agreement. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The Government will not award a Purchase Order or Contract based upon Vendor responses to this announcement. The Government shall not assume any costs for preparing or submitting any information in response to the market survey or the Government's use of the information. Any proprietary information should be clearly identified as "proprietary information". Vendors must send written capability responses by December 6, 2010 to the Contract Specialist at the following e-mail address Diania.Robinson@nih.gov. For any questions, please contact Ms. Diana Robinson at (301) 594-5917.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/CCOPC/P182550/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: The National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Building 10, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN02332536-W 20101125/101123234216-2a7b81bfe6da1d19e78d2e0e2b162d63 (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 |