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General Information Short Title: Healthcare Delivery Research Visiting Scholars Program Document Type: Notice of Intent Solicitation Number: 75N91020R00051 Posted Date: 8/4/2020 Response Date: 8/10/20... General Information Short Title: Healthcare Delivery Research Visiting Scholars Program Document Type: Notice of Intent Solicitation Number: 75N91020R00051 Posted Date: 8/4/2020 Response Date: 8/10/2020 Classification Code: U009 – Other Education and Training Services NAICS Code: 611430 – Professional and Management Development Training Contracting Office Address Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 1E232 Bethesda, MD 20892, UNITED STATES Description The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), intends to procure services on a sole-source basis from Academy Health. This procurement is being conducted using commercial item procedures pursuant to FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 13, specifically FAR Subpart13.106-1(b)(1)(i) allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source. Only one award will be made as a result of this solicitation. This will be awarded as a Severable firm fixed price type contract with one option period. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP) was established within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) in January 2015 to address the 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. HDRP accomplishes its work by developing and leading funding initiatives, identifying and prioritizing major research gaps, and calling attention to emerging and understudied questions. As an extramural research organization, it is also critical to invest in training early and mid-career investigators. The NCI Healthcare Delivery Research Visiting Scholars Program serves the dual purpose of bringing the knowledge of recognized experts in cancer care delivery research to NCI and training mid-level scholars to use and understand NCI resources, structures and data. Additionally, this program provides a unique opportunity to partner with a leading health services organization. This requirement builds on the work of a previous contract to pilot test a healthcare delivery research fellowship program. This requirement will enable HDRP to work with up to two new scholars to spearhead projects in key areas of healthcare delivery research. The primary objective of this requirement is to recruit applicants and administer a visiting scholars program aimed at making significant progress in priority areas of healthcare delivery research. The program will support up to two scholars. The goal of this program is to advance the science of healthcare delivery research. The scope of the contract includes the following: Assemble an advisory committee; Develop a communication plan and corresponding materials to disseminate to the oncology and healthcare delivery/health services communities; Manage the application and selection process; and Administer the visiting scholar program. The Contractor shall manage all the responsibilities associated with the administration of a comprehensive visiting scholars’ program, including the following tasks: Task 1: Assemble Advisory Committee (BASE PERIOD 9/1/20 – 8/31/21) The Contractor shall convene an Advisory Committee that includes one individual from NCI (this role may be taken on by someone other than the Technical Point of Contact), one ex officio individual from the Contractor, and five nationally-recognized experts in fields that 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 Technical Point of Contact in consultation with other relevant NCI scientific staff. The Contractor shall convene the Advisory Committee for three meetings that are up to two hours in length each, to (1) discuss the goals of the program (including identifying selection criteria), (2) review visiting scholar applications, and (3) provide evaluative feedback for future iterations of the program. Task 2: Develop Communication Plan/Materials, Disseminate Announcements (BASE PERIOD 9/1/20 – 8/31/21) The Contractor shall develop a public-facing webpage specifically for the purposes of engaging potential applicants and assisting them in applying to the visiting scholar 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. This website shall use the existing web pages from the healthcare delivery research visiting scholars pilot program as a starting point. The Contractor shall design and disseminate materials that can be used to publicize the visiting scholar program. Using targeted marketing strategies that have been successful for similar programs and for the previous pilot program, the Contractor shall publicize application materials to the oncology and health services research communities through appropriate channels including websites, emails, newsletters, and social media. The Contractor shall also use recruitment strategies to target their membership and affiliates by tapping 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 to the Technical Point of Contact about marketing efforts and any challenges encountered. Task 3: Review Applicant Submissions, Select Finalists, and submit final report (BASE PERIOD 9/1/20 – 8/31/21) Recruitment and Finalist Selection The Contractor shall manage all phases of the recruitment process, including advertising the visiting scholars program, reaching out to applicants and responding to their inquiries, collecting applications, preparing application packages for review, facilitating the review process, and submitting an ordered list of finalists to NCI for review and approval. The Contractor shall serve as the main point of contact for all potential applicants and applicant inquiries. Prior to review, the Contractor shall assemble packets of application materials for each candidate and disseminate these packets to the review committee. These packets shall include all required application materials in an easily printable format. 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 review 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. The Contactor shall use a platform for the review that allows for online voting during the call to facilitate the selection process. If mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the Technical Point of Contact, 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 have been made by NCI. Notifications via email are acceptable. Candidates who have been selected for visiting scholar positions shall be notified first. Up to two candidates may be selected as finalists and receive offers. Non-selected candidates shall be notified after selected candidates have accepted visiting scholar positions. The Contractor shall solicit feedback from the Advisory Committee about the application and selection process as well as recommendations for subsequent rounds of the program. Feedback shall be obtained by group conference call. The Contractor shall prepare evaluation questions in advance of the call for Technical Point of Contact review and approval. 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 Technical Point of Contact on a biweekly basis via email or phone. Final Report of Recruitment and Selection Activities The Contractor shall produce a draft and final report of recruitment activities that summarizes the following: advisory committee membership and credentials (e.g. bios); marketing plan and communication activities conducted to promote the visiting scholars program; details of the recruitment process including any challenges or pitfalls; the final ranked list of applicants; and recommendations for improving the program in future years. Task 4: Administer the Visiting Scholar Program (OPTION PERIOD ONE 9/1/21 – 8/31/22.) Visiting Scholar Activities During the one year visiting scholar period, the Contractor shall facilitate the scholars’ 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 travel and registration costs to attend the meetings and providing opportunities for scholars to present original research. The Contractor shall also provide AcademyHealth membership and arrange for networking opportunities. Finally, the Contractor shall facilitate a one-hour webinar for each scholar where the scholar(s) can present their project and results from the work done through the program. The webinar shall be advertised through similar channels as those of the original posting for recruitment. The webinar(s) shall be held towards the end of option period one. Evaluation The Contractor shall design and conduct an evaluation with the scholar(s) and NCI mentor(s) 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 program has furthered the visiting scholars’ research goals and to determine which areas need 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 Technical Point of Contact review and approval prior to starting the evaluation process. The scholars and NCI mentor calls may be conducted by group conference call or individual calls. Final Visiting Scholars Report The Contractor shall produce a draft and final report that summarizes the following activities: (1) Meetings and conferences that the visiting scholar participated in and their role at the meeting; (2) Documentation of AcademyHealth membership; (3) Highlights of programmatic strengths and weaknesses garnered from the evaluation; and (4) Recommendations for improving the program in the future. This is will be issued as a severable Firm-Fixed Price Purchase Order. The period of performance shall be for a one-year base period with one 12-month option period: Base Period: September 1, 2020 – August 31, 2021 Option Period One: September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022 AcademyHealth’s expertise and position as the preeminent professional society for health services and health policy researchers makes them uniquely qualified to perform the requirements of this contract. AcademyHealth is uniquely equipped with the requisite skillsets and a successful track record of conducting similar programs to support, facilitate, and assist in the development of a health care delivery visiting scholars’ program. AcademyHealth has access to a professional network of investigators and is uniquely positioned to attract applicants who have specific research expertise studying cancer care delivery and policy. They are the sole organization with the ability to provide a diverse list of health services research professionals, which constitutes the target applicant pool for this program. In addition, AcademyHealth’s continuous recommendations and guidance from having pilot tested a healthcare delivery research visiting scholars’ program in partnership with NCI (HHSN261201600638P) provides invaluable experience and expertise. Changing contractors would disrupt the program and could reduce the overall pool of qualified applicants. This notice is not a request for competitive quotation. However, if any interested party, especially small businesses, believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. The statement of capabilities 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 12:00 PM EST, on August 10, 2020. All responses and questions must be emailed to David Romley, Contract Specialist via electronic mail at david.romley@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 System for Award Management (SAM) through sam.gov. Reference: 75N91020R00051 on all correspondence.