Inactive 8(a) Set-Aside (FAR 19.8)

PROJECT TITLE: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Services DEPARTMENT: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Center (CC), Rehabilitation Medicine Department (RMD), Epidemiology and Biosta... PROJECT TITLE: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Services DEPARTMENT: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Center (CC), Rehabilitation Medicine Department (RMD), Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section (E&B) INTRODUCTION The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Clinical Center (CC), Office of Purchasing and Contracts (OPC) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice as a means of conducting Market Research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Services for the NIH Clinical Center (CC), Rehabilitation Medicine Department (RMD), Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section (E&B). PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The primary place of performance for this requirement is as follows: 6707 Democracy Blvd, Suite 856 Bethesda, MD 20852 The place of performance may also be SSA Offices in Baltimore, MD, Washington, DC and/or Falls Church, VA, as follows: Social Security Administration 6401 Security Blvd Baltimore, MD 21235 Social Security Administration 500 E St. SW ITC Room 934 Washington, DC 20254–0001 Social Security Administration 5107 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041 This work may also be performed remotely at the discretion of the IC, CC, RMD. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The estimated Period of Performance for this requirement shall consist of one (1) Base Period and four (4) one (1) year Option Periods. FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, will be included and shall not exceed one hundred and eighty (180) Calendar Days. CONTRACT TYPE In accordance with FAR PART 16.504, a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery-Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract type will be utilized for this acquisition because the risk associated with this contract type for the Government is deemed minimal and can be predicted with an acceptable degree of certainty. DISCLAIMER This Sources Sought Notice is for informational purposes only. This Notice does not constitute a Solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Federal Government. Responses of any form are not offers and the Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by Respondents to this notice is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned to the Responder. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future Request for Quote (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Proposal (RFP), if any issued. If a Solicitation is released, it will be released via the Government-Wide Point of Entry (GPE). It is the responsibility of potential Offerors to monitor the GPE for additional information pertaining to this requirement. BACKGROUND The mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. The NIH accomplishes that mission by conducting research in its own laboratories; supporting the research of non-federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad; helping in the training of research investigators; and fostering communication of biomedical information. The NIH Clinical Center (CC) is a 200-bed federally funded, biomedical research hospital located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Clinical Center is the delivery setting for all NIH intramural clinical research protocols. The hospital complex consists of two main facilities that are connected to each other by "bridges". The original 14-story building is 2.5 million square feet and continues to house the clinical laboratories, imaging sciences, surgical suites, and several outpatient clinics. The newest 870,000 square foot facility houses inpatient units and day hospitals. The Clinical Center accounts for about half of all NIH-funded clinical research beds in the United States and accommodates about 7,000 inpatient and 70,000 outpatient visits a year. Patients are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center from all over the world for the sole purpose of participating in a clinical research protocol. The Rehabilitation Medicine Department (RMD), Epidemiology and Biostatistics Section (E&B), provides research services to support initiatives in the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health. Services include research and development around novel methods in mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science, functional assessment, and independent and/or collaborative research with other federal agencies such as the SSA to identify and contribute understanding of functional outcomes related to the disability determination process. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES Further detail/requirement specifics are provided in the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) attached to this announcement. A Sample Price Schedule is also attached outlining the positions needed and the amount of hours the positions are needed for. You may complete the Price Schedule if you so choose, but it is not required. If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these services, please provide the following information: Organization Name and Mailing Address Organizational Point of Contact (Include Telephone Number and E-mail Address) CAGE Code and DUNS Number Business Size Website Address Title your response with “Sources Sought Response for NIH/CC/OPC for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Services” Tailored Capability Statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. Capability Statements should address the following areas: CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL PLAN Via Descriptive Literature, provide sufficient information to articulate the following: Describe your company's Quality Control Program and procedures for monitoring performance, identifying trends/problems/issues, corrective actions, and follow up to determine a resolution. Explain your methodology for identifying, resolving, and preventing quality assurance problems Discuss how your Quality Control Plan will assure documentation, record maintenance, and reporting of quality related problems. Explain how your Quality Control Program will monitor overall contract performance with deficiencies identified before the level of service becomes unacceptable. MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES Via Descriptive Literature, provide sufficient information to articulate the following: Describe a detailed plan that demonstrates your understanding of the organization, logistics, and management required by this solicitation Explain management techniques you will use to ensure satisfactory performance of all required services throughout the life of the contract. Discuss your specific management techniques, tools, and practices to ensure the quality and timeliness of services. Explain your understanding of the type of services to be provided and the necessary qualifications of staff for this requirement. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION Via Descriptive Literature, provide sufficient information to articulate the following: Explain the methods to be used to recruit qualified staff. Explain your capability to recruit and retain Specialties as described in this solicitation. Describe your recruitment and placement plan that demonstrates how you will maintain required fill rates and minimize turnover rates throughout the life of the Include a backup Staffing Plan. Describe procedures/methods to be used to cover unscheduled absences. Discuss the impact of the lead-time associated with the use of any advertising media to be used to recruit (newspapers, professional journals, etc.). Describe any non-compete conditions you include in your Employment Agreements. Describe your plan and company policy to retain employees and/or Sub Contractors with minimum turnover. Explain retention incentives and training programs to be provided. Submit a sample Employment Agreement. The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: Provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; Secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; Implement a successful project management plan that will include: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and Provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. ELIGIBLITY In accordance with FAR 19.805-1, a Total 8(a) Set-Aside is being considered for this requirement. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code contemplated for this project is 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), which includes corresponding index entries such as Electronic Communication and Content Verification Services, etc. The NAICS code size standard for 541990 is $16.5 million in annual receipts to be considered a Small Business. However, Respondents may identify other potential NAICS Codes and the reasoning to support the recommendation. This Sources Sought Notice is not intended to discourage competition from any business interested in this requirement. Since the current capabilities must be confirmed, ALL ELIGIBLE BUSINESSES are encouraged to respond. The Government is not obligated and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this Sources Sought Notice. The Product Service Code (PSC) is R405, Support- Professional: Operations Research/quantitative Analysis. Potential Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to conduct business with the Federal Government. The registration process is free, but does take time and effort on behalf of a firm to complete. Interested parties are encouraged to start the registration process early so the firm can be considered for award. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS Interested parties shall submit a Capability Statement in the following format: Page Limit: 20 Pages Single-Sided Page size shall be no greater than 8 1/2" x 11". The top, bottom, left, and right margins shall be a minimum of one (1) inch each. Font size shall be no smaller than 11-point. Arial or Times New Roman fonts are required. Characters shall be set at no less than normal spacing and 100% scale. Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size no smaller than eight (8)-point and may be landscape. Line spacing shall be set at no less than single space. Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. Page numbers, company logos, and headers and footers may be within the page margins only and are not bound by the 11-point font requirement. Footnotes to text shall not be added. Annexes, documentation, attachments or the like, not specifically required by this announcement, such will count against the page limitations. Pages in violation of these instructions, either by exceeding the margin, font, or spacing restrictions or by exceeding the total page limit for a particular volume, will not be evaluated. The deadline for response to this Sources Sought Notice is No-Later-Than (NLT) 12:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, May 07, 2021. Please submit all documentation via email in PDF Format and state in the subject line “Sources Sought Response for NIH/CC/OPC for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Services” to Anthony Q. Hawley (Supervisory Contract Specialist) at anthony.hawley@nih.gov. Responses received after this date and time will not be reviewed. It is your responsibility to ensure your response is received. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Respondents WILL NOT be notified of the results of this Sources Sought Notice. If and when a Solicitation is issued, the Solicitation will be posted via https://beta.sam.gov under Contract Opportunities. It is the Respondent’s responsibility to monitor the aforementioned site for the release of any Synopsis or Solicitation. The Government will not award a Purchase Order or Contract as a result of this announcement. The Government shall not assume any costs for preparing or submitting any information in response to the market survey or the Government's use of the information. Any Proprietary Information should be clearly identified as “Proprietary Information”. This Sources Sought Notice is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), Request for Quote (RFQ), or Request for Proposal (RFP), and should not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue an Order/Contract or otherwise pay for the information solicited. This Sources Sought Notice is for information and planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to any Contractual Agreement. All questions must be submitted to the individual(s) identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no Basis for Claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice.