D -- CANCER INFORMATION ANALYSIS AND TRACKING (CIAT)

Notice Date

July 16, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Research Contract s Br., 6120 Executive Blvd. EPS Room 608G, Rockville, MD, 20852

ZIP Code

20852

Solicitation Number

Reference-Number-N02-CO-61017

Response Due

August 30, 2001

Point of Contact

Sharon Cummings, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 435-3809, Fax (301) 480-0241, Email sc316u@nih.gov -- Beverly Wyat t, Contracting Officer, Phone (301) 435-3790, Fax (301) 480-0241, Email bw34g@nih.gov

Description

The Cancer Information Products and Systems (CIPS) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) proposes to procure from Aspen Systems, Inc., under its existing contract for content development and maintenance services for the CIPS electronic information products. This acquisition will represent continued contractor performance for a period of one year commencing September, 2001 and extending through September 2002. The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all proposals received within forty-five days (thirty days if award is issued under an existing basic ordering agreement) after date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete with this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. CIPS is in the process of restructuring the PDQ database, and converting from the old, Oracle-based relational database to the new XML-based core data repository (CDR). During this proposed contract year, the acquisition will require the contractor to be responsible for maintaining the legacy system while at the same time assist in the development, implementation, testing, and quality control of the new XML based authoring system. The current authoring tool uses Oracle forms and Word Perfect. The new authoring interface will use a customized version of SoftQuad X-Metal along with browser functions and Microsoft Word. This contract action is initiated to ensure that the critical and highly integrated processing environment for the CIPS databases is maintained and that the transition from the legacy database to the new XML-based authoring system is successfully completed in a timely manner. The specific requirements for the procurement include developing, maintaining, and updating more than 200 cancer information summaries for health professionals and patients. To accomplish this task requires the maintenance and operation of 5-7 editorial boards consisting of more than 100 medical doctors and other health professionals throughout the United States. This procurement will require the contractor to develop the summaries using an antiquated authoring system consisting of character-based oracle tables/forms and WordPerfect 5.1. This extension will also provide translation of the summaries into Spanish, the development of predefined ad hoc literature searches of PubMed or other bibliographic databases as well as entering search results and other citations supplied by CIPS into a database. Other products required during the contract performance will include the PDQ (Physician Data Query) database, CancerFax, and CancerNet. These services include data collection, data analysis, abstracting, writing, indexing, keying, proofing, tracking, reporting, distribution, and marking documents using a version of Standardized Generalized Markup Language (SGML). Also included in this project are tasks to convert existing cancer data from a legacy maintenance system to an updated XML-based maintenance system. This acquisition will also require the collection, analysis, indexing, and abstracting of more than 60 cancer protocols per month. This task requires an intense knowledge of clinical trials, medical terminology, and indexing. The contractor will be required to provide monitoring of the PDQ database, precise tracking of protocol amendments, ongoing assessment of the search and retrieval terms, adequate measures to ensure timely submission of protocols/protocol submissions as well as the incorporation of protocol amendments and the constant tracking of protocol development in the Pharmaceutical Industry and hundreds of cancer centers/research institutions throughout the United States and internationally. This procurement will require enhancements of data in the new system after the old system has been discontinued, most likely for the entire year of the contract. These are changes to the data that will enhance search and retrieval or formatting.

Web Link

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010718/DSOL001.HTM (A-197 SN50R9J3)