Inactive

INTRODUCTION 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 ful... INTRODUCTION 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. This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. The Notice No. is HHS-PSC-SSBS-21-75P00121Q00038. 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. Minority Leadership Fellowship Program There is concern regarding the shortage of minority leadership in senior positions within HHS agencies. Given the persistence of racial and ethnic health disparities and the growing diversity of the U.S. population, there is a compelling need for the current and future workforce of HHS to reflect the diversity of the U.S. with a focus on Health Equity, a strategy to address racial and ethnic health disparities. It is in the best interest of the government to develop a cadre of health professionals with an understanding of HHS’s vision, priorities and activities. The Minority Leadership Fellowship Program (MLFP) will fill a gap in federal and non-federal fellowship opportunities for individuals interested in understanding more about health equity and the social determinants of health and ascending the career ladder to leadership positions. 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 direct experience in racial and ethnic health disparities and strategies to reach health equity in racial and ethnic minority populations; Describe your proven capability of developing a curriculum and/or building on an existing curriculum in areas including leadership skills, health disparities and health equity, public health, and the social determinants of health for hands-on, experiential activities based on learning concepts and best practices with leaders in HHS that support progress towards health equity; Describe your experience in developing an evaluation plan and evaluating the impact of a leadership development fellowship program that may include: Increased knowledge, skills, and other abilities, activities pertaining to leadership skills, health disparities and health equity, public health, and the social determinants of health; Enhancements of the fellows’ research and technical skills; and Factors, challenges, and lessons learned in adapting and implementing the curriculum. 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 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 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. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Beta.Sam.gov, to contractor holders of a specific strategic sourcing vehicle, or otherwise. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. 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 March 29, 2021. 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). As previously stated, the Government will not entertain questions regarding this Market Research; however, general questions may be forwarded to the following: Contracting Officer: Anne Mineweaser Email Address: anne.mineweaser@psc.hhs.gov