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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: Request for data management services of pathology, treatment and survival data from The Breast Cancer Association Consortium being contributed to the Confluence project Notice N... SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: Request for data management services of pathology, treatment and survival data from The Breast Cancer Association Consortium being contributed to the Confluence project Notice Number: 75N91020R00028 Issued By: National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Acquisitions (OA) http://www.nci.nih.gov or http://rcb.cancer.gov/rcb-internet/ Key Dates: Capability Statement Due Date: April 29, 2020 by 12:00PM EST This Small Business Sources Sought Notice (SBSS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified Small Business concerns including 8(a), HUBZone or Service-Disabled Veteran-owned businesses that are interested in and capable of performing the work described herein. The NCI does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses received nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This requirement is assigned North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541990 with a size standard of $15 million. As a result of this Sources Sought Notice, the NCI may issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ). THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against NCI shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or the NCI’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. BACKGROUND The Confluence Project is a research project funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Intramural Research Program at the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DECG). The objective is to build a large research resource for the scientific community by 2021 for studying the genetic architecture of breast cancer. This will be accomplished by the confluence of existing and new genome-wide genotyping data to be generated through this project. The Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) is a well-established, international consortium of over 100 epidemiological and clinical breast cancer studies currently including over 200,000 breast cancer patients and a similar number of controls, thus BCAC will be the largest source of data being contributed to the Confluence project. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of the Confluence project is to develop a large research resource by 2021 to uncover breast cancer genetics through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The resource will include at least 300,000 breast cancer cases and 300,000 controls of different races/ethnicities. This will be accomplished by the confluence of existing GWAS and new genome-wide genotyping data to be generated through this project. Broad scientific aims that can be addressed through this resource include: To discover susceptibility loci and advance knowledge of etiology of breast cancer overall and by subtypes. To develop polygenic risk scores and integrate them with known risk factors for personalized risk assessment for breast cancer overall and by subtypes. To discover loci for breast cancer prognosis, long-term survival, response to treatment, and second breast cancer. As the Breast Cancer Association Consortium is the largest contributor of data to the Confluence project, NCI is requesting support services to harmonize and manage breast cancer pathology, treatment and survival data from the studies in BCAC that are participating in the Confluence project. SCOPE Over the course of the contract, the contractor shall collect, harmonize and manage pathology treatment and survival data that is being contributed to the Confluence project from BCAC. The contractor shall also provide programming and data management assistance to other Confluence data centers that will be managing data being contributed to Confluence from other non-BCAC breast cancer consortia, such-as the LAGENO and the Male Breast Cancer Consortium. The contractor will also assist NCI with developing a secure Cloud-hosted Data Platform. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS/ AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS The contractor must be a member of the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) that has both access and detailed knowledge of the pathology, treatment and survival data that is contributed to BCAC. Moreover, the contractor must have experience with performing data harmonization and data management of the BCAC pathology, treatment and survival data. Over the base period and option years of the contract the, the contractor shall: Collect, harmonize and manage pathology treatment and survival data – as defined by the Confluence data dictionary – that is being contributed to the Confluence project from BCAC. Provide programming and data management assistance to all of the data centers that are participating in Confluence to help ensure that the pathology, treatment and survival data that are contributed to Confluence from other breast cancer consortia (i.e. non-BCAC consortia) are correctly harmonized. Work with other BCAC data managers to help manage data access by investigators that are participating in Confluence, after approval by the BCAC Data Access Coordinating Committees (DACC) Work with NCI to evaluate feasibility and subsequent use of a secure Cloud-hosted Data Platform for data submission, management, access, documentation, harmonization and analyses. Develop an alternative plan on how the contractor would provide efficient and secure data management, storage and access services through its Institution if the preferred Cloud-hosted Data Platform is not feasible. Four progress reports will be required from the contractor during each period of performance. For each progress report the NCI will provide the contractor a template requesting specific updates regarding the deliverables of progress reports that will be completed by the contractor to inform NCI of progress on deliverables. REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE NCI will provide the contractor a template requesting detailed information on the progress of deliverables that must be completed by the contractor (see below table). The contractor will be required to complete a progress report every three months during the 12-month contract period. The progress reports shall be returned to NCI within 2-weeks of receiving progress report template. All written deliverable products shall be submitted in draft format for review, comment and approved by the COR/TPC. Progress reports will request information specifically about, or related to, the deliverables listed in the below table. The COR/TPC will respond within 5 business days to request either additional information or approval of the progress report Final copies of approved drafts shall be delivered to the COR within five (5) business days after receipt of the Government’s comments. All deliverables shall be sent electronically (Microsoft Word or Excel 2013 or later) per the following deliverable schedule: DELIVERABLE DELIVERABLE DESCRIPTION / FORMAT REQUIREMENTS DUE DATE Base Period - Progress Reports (DRAFT) Progress reports shall provide information specifically about or related to the tasks listed under section 4.1 to 4.5, as indicated on each progress report template. Every 3 months Base Period – Progress Reports (FINAL) Final copies of approved progress reports within five (5) business days after receipt of the COR’s comments Option Period 1 - Progress Reports (DRAFT) Progress reports shall provide information specifically about or related to the tasks listed under section 4.1 to 4.5, as indicated on each progress report template. Every 3 months Option Period 1 – Progress Reports (FINAL) Final copies of approved progress reports within five (5) business days after receipt of the COR’s comments Option Period 2 - Progress Reports (DRAFT) Progress reports shall provide information specifically about or related to the tasks listed under section 4.1 to 4.5, as indicated on each progress report template. Every 3 months Option Period 2 – Progress Reports (FINAL) Final copies of approved progress reports within five (5) business days after receipt of the COR’s comments How to Submit a Response: Page Limitations: Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement not to exceed 10 single sided pages including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc. (single spaced, 12-point font minimum) that clearly details the ability to perform the requirements of the notice described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Responses should include a minimum of a one page resume of the individuals meeting the requirements, and up to two pages demonstrating experience over the past two years meeting the requirements of this notice. Statements should also include an indication of current small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferable placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NIH personnel and will be held in a confidential manner. Organizations shall demonstrate 1.) Technical Approach 2.) Personnel Requirements and Organizational Experience. Due Date: Capability statements are due no later than April 29, 2020 by 12:00PM EST Delivery Point: All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if it can meet the unique specifications described herein. All questions must be in writing and emailed to David.Romley@nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this 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. In order to receive an award, contractors must have valid registration and certification in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) through sam.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference number 75N91020R00028 on all correspondence. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a RFQ may be published in Fed Biz Opps. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation(s). Point of Contact: Inquiries concerning this Notice may be direct to: David Romley at David.Romley@nih.gov. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.