SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Pilot Testing a Healthcare Delivery Research Fellowship Program
- Notice Date
- 8/9/2016
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bldg 1050, Frederick, Maryland, 21702, United States
- ZIP Code
- 21702
- Solicitation Number
- N02PC62650-57
- Point of Contact
- Reyes Rodriguez, Phone: 240-276-5442
- E-Mail Address
-
reyes.rodriguez@nih.gov
(reyes.rodriguez@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Heath Services and Economics Branch (HSEB), plans to procure on a sole source basis services to establish a pilot test a healthcare delivery fellowship program, which will provide an opportunity for fellows to advance their cancer research career from AcademyHealth 1150 17th St. NW Ste 600 Washington DC 20036. This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1), using simplified acquisition procedures for commercial acquisitions. The North American Industry Classification System code is 541990 and the business size standard is $14.0 Million. Only one award will be made as a result of this solicitation. This will be awarded as a firm fixed price type contract. The period of performance is estimated to be twelve (12) months base period and twelve (12) months option year 1 from date of award. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. NCI's Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP) was established within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) in January 2015 to reflect increasing demands for evidence to improve cancer care delivery. Understanding the many factors that influence care and how they act and interact is an essential component of healthcare delivery research at NCI. The knowledge generated from this research can be used to design and test interventions that will promote patient-centered, evidence-based care. As an extramural research organization, one of the top priorities of HDRP is to train early and mid-career investigators. By investing resources in developing research talent, we will be better able to tackle the nation's most pressing cancer care delivery research questions. The purpose of this contract is to pilot test a healthcare delivery fellowship program, which will provide an opportunity for fellows to advance their cancer research career by drawing on NCI data resources and scientific expertise while, at the same time, providing opportunities for NCI staff to forge new partnerships with creative investigators conducting cutting edge research. 1. Contractor Requirements The Contractor shall manage all of the responsibilities of administering a comprehensive fellowship program, including the following: Task 1: Assemble Advisory Committee The Contractor shall convene an Advisory Committee that includes one individual from NCI (this role may be taken on my someone other than the COR), one ex officio individual from the contracted organization, and five nationally-recognized experts in the fields which may include cancer care delivery, cancer screening, patient caregivers, patient generated data, patient reported outcomes, quality measures, patterns of care, care coordination, health disparities, shared decision-making, survivorship, employment after cancer diagnosis, health economics, health information technology, and/or healthcare delivery teams. NCI shall provide an initial list of potential Advisory Committee candidates but it will be the Contractor's responsibility to contact, interview and evaluate candidates and submit a draft Advisory Committee Slate to NCI. The final list of Advisory Committee members shall be approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) in conjunction with other relevant NCI staff. The Contractor shall convene the Advisory Committee for three one-hour meetings during the period of performance, to (1) discuss the goals of the program (including identifying selection criteria), (2) review fellowship applications, and (3) provide input to inform the development of a program evaluation report. Task 2: Develop and Widely Disseminate Communication Plan and Materials The Contractor shall develop a public-facing webpage specifically for the purposes of engaging potential applicants in, and assisting them to apply to, the fellowship program. The webpage shall contain background information and program goals, eligibility requirements, information regarding the application process, submission of application materials, review criteria, and deadlines. The Contractor shall design and disseminate materials that can be used to publicize the fellowship. Using targeted marketing strategies that have been successful for similar fellowship opportunities, the Contractor shall publicize application materials to the oncology and health services research communities through all appropriate channels including websites, emails, newsletters, and social media. The Contractor shall also use recruitment strategies to target their membership and affiliates using their own proprietary listservs of health services research and health policy professionals. These listservs shall also include cancer researchers and others in the oncology community. The Contractor shall provide monthly updates about marketing efforts and any challenges encountered. Task 3: Review Fellowship Submissions and Select Finalists Recruitment The Contractor shall manage all phases of the recruitment process, including advertising the fellowship, collecting applications, preparing application packages for review, facilitating the review process, and submitting finalists to NCI for review and approval. The Contractor shall serve as the main point of contact for all potential applicants and applicant inquiries. To review applications, the Contractor shall convene a review board consisting of 3-5 members of the Advisory Committee. The group may convene by phone or webinar for 1.5-2 hours. At the conclusion of the meeting, the review board shall provide a prioritized list of applicants for NCI consideration, review, and final selection. The Contractor shall facilitate the entire review process, ensuring that reviews are conducted in accordance with published selection criteria. If mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the COR, a member of the review board may be invited to serve as the chair / facilitator of the review call. The Contractor shall notify the entire Advisory Committee and all applicants of the results (i.e. selected or not selected) once final selections by NCI have been made. Notifications via email are acceptable. Candidates who have been selected for fellowship positions shall be notified first. Non-selected candidates shall be notified after selected candidates have accepted fellowship positions. The Contractor shall document the recruitment process including selection recommendations and shall maintain a ranked list of all candidates. The Contractor shall provide recruitment updates to the COR on a biweekly basis via email or phone. Task 4: Administer the Fellowship (To be performed under Option Year 1) Fellowship Activities The Contractor shall facilitate the Fellows participation in the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM), a pre-ARM methods seminar, and an AcademyHealth Interest Group meeting, as well as the option to choose to participate in the AcademyHealth National Health Policy or the Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation. This shall include paying for registration fees to attend the meetings and providing opportunities for the Fellows to present original research at meetings and to NCI staff. The Contractor shall also provide AcademyHealth membership and arrange for networking opportunities for the Fellows. Evaluation The Contractor shall design and conduct an evaluation with the Fellows, NCI mentors, and Advisory Committee members to obtain feedback about the process of recruitment, the course of mentorship and research development options, and the benefits of meeting attendance and networking opportunities. The purpose of the evaluation is two-fold: 1) to understand how the fellowship opportunity has furthered the fellows' research goals; and to determine which areas may stand in need of improvement, and 2) to understand the benefits and challenges of the mentorship process from the NCI staff perspective. The Contractor shall design evaluation questions in advance for COR review and approval prior to starting the evaluation process. The Advisory Committee evaluation will be conducted via group conference call, during which the Committee will be asked to provide feedback on the pilot year of the program. The Fellows and NCI mentors calls may be conducted by group conference call or individual calls. Mid-point and Final Reports The Contractor shall produce a mid-point and a final report that summarizes the following activities: the advisory committee membership and credentials (e.g. bios); marketing plan and communication activities conducted to promote the fellowship; details of the recruitment process including any challenges or pitfalls; the final ranked list of applicants; meetings and conferences that fellows participated in; documentation of AcademyHealth membership; and highlights of programmatic strengths and weaknesses elucidated from the evaluation (final report only). Finally, the report shall include recommendations for improving the program in the future (final report only). AcademyHealth is the only known national membership organization devoted to promoting the field of health services research on a national scale and is a recognized leader in supporting evidence generation to inform health policy and practice. In addition, AcademyHealth membership includes approximately 3,600 active members of which nearly 750 are students and 2,850 are health services research professionals working in both the public and private sectors, and academia. The organization maintains an active social media presence and has unique potential to reach HDRP's most desired applicant pool through their web page, newsletters, and regular email blasts. AcademyHealth is uniquely equipped with the requisite skillsets and a successful track record of conducting similar fellowship programs to support, facilitate, and assist in the development of health services researchers in cancer care delivery that would meet the Government's needs at this time. This notice is not a request for competitive quotation. However, if any interested party, especially small business believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a proposal or quote for the Government to consider. The response and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. Responses must be received in the contracting office by 11 AM EST, on August 18, 2016. All responses and questions must be in writing and faxed 240-276-5399 or emailed to Reyes Rodriguez, Contracting Officer via electronic mail at reyes.rodriguez@nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No collect calls will be accepted. In order to receive an award, contractors must be registered and have valid certification in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) through sam.gov. Reference: N02PC62650-57 on all correspondence.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/FCRF/N02PC62650-57/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Contractor's Site, United States
- Record
- SN04216138-W 20160811/160809235835-96b2330de3fb73661fae33191c113dad (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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