Inactive

General Information Short Title: Expanding and Updating Race-bridging Methods Using Alternative Data Sources Document Type: Notice of Intent Solicitation Number: 75N91022Q140 Posted Date: 7/22/2022 Re... General Information Short Title: Expanding and Updating Race-bridging Methods Using Alternative Data Sources Document Type: Notice of Intent Solicitation Number: 75N91022Q140 Posted Date: 7/22/2022 Response Date: 7/29/2022 Classification Code: B599 – Special Studies NAICS Code: 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 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), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Surveillance Research Program (SRP) intends to procure services on a sole source basis from Regents of University of Minnesota. 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 Non-Severable firm fixed price type contract. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. BACKGROUND The National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program collects and publishes nationally representative statistics on cancer incidence rates (new cancer cases) and the trends of cancer incidence. Rates obtained from cancer registries are also used at the national, state, and local level for developing public health policy. The accurate calculation of race-specific cancer rates for health disparity evaluation relies on comparability in race data between cancer incidence and decennial census-based population data. To be in compliance with the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) 1997 standards for collecting federal data on race and ethnicity, census race data has switched to the multiple-race format since 2000 decennial census. The size and share of multiple-race individuals have increased from 2.6 million at 2.4% in 2000 to 33.8 million at 10.2% in 2020. In contrast, the share of multiple-race cancer patients in SEER registry data has stayed below 1% from 2000 to 2018. This dramatic inconsistency causes under-estimation bias in estimating rates for the multiple-race group and over-estimation bias for one-race group (i.e., people with only one race), and the impact is greater for minority race groups where there is a large share of multiple-race individuals, such as American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) and Asian and Pacific Islander (API). One strategy of minimizing these biases is the continued conversion of race data in both population and cancer incidence to the same single-race format. In 2003, regression-based race-bridging probabilities were developed by the National Center for Health Statistics using race-bridging data from 1997-2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), where race identification is collected in both the single-race and the multiple-race format. Since then, these probabilities have been used by the U.S. Census Bureau to produce the official bridged single-race population estimates that NCI use for rate calculation and reporting. However, these outdated probabilities can no longer reflect the contemporary race self-perception and race identification mechanism, therefore bridged-race populations based on this algorithm may bias rate calculation especially for cancer diagnosis years closer to 2020. Two previous contracts with the University of Minnesota (Contract numbers: HHSN 75N91019P00786 and HHSN 75N91021P004) updated race-bridging probabilities using a time series of four-year pooled NHIS samples for 1997-2018 with 2015-2018 being the most recent period. Bridged single-race variables derived from these efforts have been incorporated into the American Community Survey, the most authoritative social, economic, housing and demographic data in the U.S. and released in University of Minnesota’s Integrated Public Use Microdata Series system for public research use. In addition, NCI’s Survey-based Population-adjusted Rate Calculator (SPARC), which is currently in development, uses these ACS-based bridged single-race populations to calculate cancer mortality rates by immigration status. These updated race-bridging probabilities can substantially improve the reliability and accuracy of decennial census-based population estimates. However, they cannot be directly applied to derive census-based populations estimates needed for routine cancer rate calculation due to three reasons. First, they were primarily developed to be used with individual-level ACS data, thus needs to be aggregated according to census data’s specificity. Second, they do not have separate identifications for Asian and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, an ever-increasing need for detailed disparity research and a requirement to be fully compliance to OMB’s 1997 standards. Third, NHIS no longer collects information needed for race-bridging after NHIS’s 2019 redesign, a new data source needs to be identified and evaluated for future race-bridging. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is another U.S. national survey that collects race-bridging information. However, evaluation is needed to ensure population estimates from BRFSS is comparable to NHIS. OBJECTIVE The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Surveillance Research Program (SRP) requires 1) aggregated county-level multiple-race allocation proportions based on 2015-2018 NHIS data; 2) revised novel county-level multiple-race allocation proportions with separate categories for Asian and NHPI based on 2012-2018 NHIS data; and 3) new race-bridging models and multiple-race allocation proportions with separate Asian and NHPI using 2012-2018 BRFSS data. The deliverables provided under the subsequent purchase order will provide the needed race-bridging proportions for Census Bureau and NCI to produce more accurate county-level populations for calculating cancer rates by bridged-race. SCOPE The Contractor shall furnish all necessary personnel, materials, services, facilities, (except as otherwise specified herein), and otherwise do all the things necessary for or incident to the performance of the work as set forth in section 4 below. This acquisition shall include services to 1) obtain aggregated confidential race-bridging probabilities from 2015-2018 NHIS data, 2) revise race-bridging models and probabilities to obtain separate bridged-race categories for Asian and NHPI from 2012-2018 NIHS data, 3) develop race-bridging models using 2012-2018 BRFSS data. PURCHASE ORDER REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall perform the following tasks: Task 4.1. Provide aggregated bridged single-race probabilities based on 2015-2018 NHIS data Access confidential county-level NHIS data at MnRDC; aggregate already estimated individual-level race-bridging probabilities (from Contract HHSN 75N91021P004) by 5-year age group, gender, and county using 2015-2018 NHIS data to form race-allocation proportions (with Asian and NHPI combined as API); and output the resulted county-level multiple-race allocation proportions. Task 4.2. Develop race-bridging regression models for separating Asian from NHPI using 2012-2018 NHIS data. Access confidential county-level NHIS data at MnRDC; develop race-bridging models to separate Asian from NHPI using 2012-2018 NHIS data; aggregate the resulted race-bridging probabilities by 5-year age group, gender, and county using 2012-2018 NHIS data to form race-allocation proportions; and output the resulted county-level multiple-race allocation proportions; provide a report to NCI describing approaches and models used in deriving separate bridged single-race categories for Asian and NHPI. Task 4.3. Develop race-bridging regression models for separating Asian from NHPI using 2012-2018 BRFSS data. Access confidential county-level BRFSS data at MnRDC; develop race-bridging models to separate Asian from NHPI using 2012-2018 BRFSS data; aggregate the resulted race-bridging probabilities by 5-year age group, gender, and county using 2012-2018 BRFSS data to form race-allocation proportions; and output the resulted county-level multiple-race allocation proportions; provide a report to NCI describing approaches and models used in developing race-bridging models using BRFSS data. TYPE OF ORDER This shall be issued as a firm fixed price purchase order. NON-SEVERABLE SERVICES The services specified in each contract line item (CLIN) have been determined to be non-severable services - a specific undertaking or entire job with a defined end-product of value to the Government. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance is from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE All services shall be performed at the Contractor’s facility. REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE All reports shall be submitted via e-mail in Microsoft compatible format and all data products shall be submitted to the NCI/ DCCPS/SRP Technical Point of Contact (POC) for review, comment and approval. All deliverables shall be sent electronically (Microsoft Word or Excel, unless approved by the NCI Technical POC) per the following deliverable schedule. DELIVERABLES DELIVERABLE DESCRIPTION DUE DATE 1 County-level multiple-race allocation proportions based on 2015-2018 NHIS data. 4 months after award 2 County-level multiple-race allocation proportions based on 2012-2018 NHIS data with separate single-race categories for Asian and NHPI, and a report describing approaches and models used. 8 months after award 3 County-level multiple-race allocation proportions based on 2012-2018 BRFSS data with separate single-race categories for Asian and NHPI, and a report describing approaches and models used. 12 months after award 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 July 29, 2022. 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: 75N91022Q00140 on all correspondence.