Inactive

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH) wants to identify viable non-profit organizations and 8(a) small businesses that are capable of fulfilling the o... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH) wants to identify viable non-profit organizations and 8(a) small businesses that are capable of fulfilling the objectives of this requirement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541611. This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified non-profit organizations and 8(a) small businesses and (2) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. 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 non-profit organization or an 8(a) small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. BACKGROUND The Office of Minority Health Authorized under Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. § 300u-6, as amended, the mission of the HHS OMH is to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that help eliminate health disparities. OMH awards and other activities are intended to support the identification of effective policies, programs and practices for improving health outcomes and to promote sustainability and dissemination of these approaches. Black Youth Mental Health Recent studies have found alarming trends in increased suicidal behaviors among Black children and adolescents. Black children aged 5 to 12 are dying by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their white counterparts. Policies that support effective service delivery systems that engage in prevention and early intervention could be essential to counteract risk factors for poor mental health outcomes in Black youth, particularly those at high risk for suicide. Many risk factors for mental health disorders disproportionately affect minority children, such as poverty, food insecurity and exposure to violence. These risk factors and other stressors also have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. RESPONSE INFORMATION 8(A) FIRMS AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT CAPABILITY STATEMENTS. THE CAPABILITLY STATEMENT MUST CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THE FIRM’S CAPABILITY AND EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING THE SERVICES DESCRIBED. In order to respond to this Sources Sought Notice, interested firms should address the depth and breadth of professional and technical capabilities, past performance and must be able to clearly convey its experience and/or ability to perform the following, which are identified as core services: Describe your proven capability of conducting a literature review of peer-reviewed publications and environmental scan of policies related to Black youth mental health and your approach to addressing and resolving anticipated challenges in conducting the literature review; Describe your experience working in any of the following areas: youth mental health disparities data mental health promotion suicide risks and prevention Black youth mental health or policies promoting general health wellness in youth that could be evaluated for crossover effectiveness in promoting Black youth mental health. Describe your proven capability to analyze and synthesize literature review findings and to identify existing policies with evidence of effectiveness; Describe your proven capability for developing protocols from existing policies to promote mental health in Black youth, including those at risk for suicide; Describe your experience with documenting key findings and providing recommendations from those findings; Describe your proven capability of managing and coordinating technical experts’ input into products or deliverables; Describe your proven capability for identifying and retaining qualified staff with experience and for developing a management plan to ensure scientific oversight, timeliness and quality control of products; and Describe your experience or competence working with racially and ethnically diverse populations and application of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (The National CLAS Standards). INSTRUCTIONS TO INDUSTRY INTERESTED SOURCES POSSESSING THE CAPABILITIES TO MEET THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS SHOULD SUBMIT A COVER LETTER ALONG WITH A CAPABILITY STATEMENT FONT SIZE TIMES NEW ROMAN 11 OR LARGER) DEMONSTRATING ABILITY TO PERFORM, AND SHOULD INCLUDE AN OUTLINE OF PREVIOUS OR SIMILAR PROJECTS SO THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN PERFORM A PROPER EVALUATION OF THE COMPANY’S CAPABILITY. THE STATEMENT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE AN INDICATION OF BEING A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION OR A CERTIFIED 8(A) SMALL BUSINESS STATUS; THIS INDICATION SHOULD BE CLEARLY MARKED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE CAPABILIITY STATEMENT. This notice is for planning purposes only. 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. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this evaluation. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition, and multiple awards may be made. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. 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(s). Interested non-profit organizations and certified 8(a) small business firms are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms should understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company’s capability, experience, and ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform the objectives described above. The written response to this notice should consist of the following items: a. Company Name. b. Company DUNS number. c. Company point of contact, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and website address. d. Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a company point of contact who has the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with government representatives. e. Date submitted. f. Applicable company GSA Schedule number or other available procurement vehicle. g. Do you have a Government approved accounting system? If so, please identify the agency that approved the system. h. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, veteran owned, etc.) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM). All respondents must register on the SAM located at https://www.sam.gov. Responses must be submitted not later than 5:00pm EST, February 1, 2021 to the Contracting Officer, Anne Mineweaser, anne.mineweaser@psc.hhs.gov. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. The maximum number of pages for submission is 5 pages (format must be double spaced and no less than 11 point font).