Inactive

Data Access Program Description This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regard... Data Access Program Description This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement, and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Small businesses are encouraged to respond. Background: The mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Aging (NIA) is to “support and conduct…clinical, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging” and to “foster the development of research and clinician scientists in aging.” As part of its efforts, the NIA provides research resources by supporting data collection and distribution. These data are made available to approved researchers to analyze; the researchers disseminate information about health, economic, and social resources in aging. To leverage investment in these high-quality datasets and high- visibility research areas, the NIA looks for ways to enhance data utility for multidisciplinary research. Providing access to linked Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data to NIA-funded researchers maximizes the value of current NIA investments. Administrative data alone (e.g., CMS data) and/or adding administrative data to demographic, health, social studies, and clinical studies that are supported by the NIA enhances value and utility of data by facilitating research on health care utilization, health outcomes, and health expenditures, all of which can inform policy and programs and provide insight on older adult health. NIA’s Strategic Plan/Goal G highlights the need to “support the infrastructure and resources needed to promote high-quality research,” particularly access to CMS claims data and for longitudinal, NIA-funded studies that are linked to CMS claims data. In response to this review, NIA funded the second iteration of the Data Access Program in 2021. To date, the Data Access Program has offered NIA grantees access to CMS-linked datasets for research purposes. The current requirement seeks to expand the user base of the program, improve user experience within the Data Access Program, incorporate linkage to additional Federal datasets, and host NIA funded studies with sensitive data for research purposes, including those studies that are seeking centralized means for data storage and sharing. Purpose and Objectives: The primary objectives of this requirement are to (1) receive and review requests for CMS linked datasets from Studies (2) obtain CMS data, conduct data linkage (3) process and create and research files and distribute linked datasets (4) produce and maintain data documentation and data updates (5) facilitate federated data services for standalone studies which does not use CMS data (6) establish and maintain a website to relay program information and resources to the public; (7) deliver technical assistance, support and training to data users; and, (8) Provide a Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GOCO) federated enclave for the storage, analysis, and distribution of linked and unlinked study datasets. With respect to supporting the current portfolio of studies, the Data Access Program will provide services to NIH-supported studies and eligible researchers that link their data sets with CMS data or other federal and non-federal data for research purposes. If studies are willing to distribute their linked datasets, eligible researchers may access study datasets in the Enclave. For more information, visit the following website: Access or Share LINKAGE Data | National Institute on Aging (https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dbsr/nia-data-linkage-program-linkage/access-or-share-linkage-data). Moving forward, the NIH intends to expand the Data Access Program to serve all NIH institutes and centers. Expanding the Data Access Program involves accepting NIH-funded studies that are seeking to use the enclave for data sharing purposes and when data are transferred to NIH at the end of the study period (i.e., materials transfer agreement executed by NIH). Studies in this category may or may not require updated data linkage services. In anticipation of expanding the number and types of datasets to include more than data from the CMS, the NIH seeks support to design and implement scalable, automated solutions for acquiring, ingesting, linking, and managing a range of data sources. Solutions should include standardized, repeatable workflows; automated quality checks and linkage validation; and enable efficient integration of federal, non-federal, and private datasets. All systems and services must operate within FISMA Moderate compliant environments and adhere to Zero Trust security principles, ensuring secure access control, identity assurance level 2 (IAL2) verification, and continuous monitoring. The contractor will support the development and maintenance of technical infrastructure to enable high-throughput, interoperable data processing that aligns with NIH’s broader data governance, privacy, and compliance objectives. Project requirements: Please see the Statement of Work (SOW) attached to this posting for detailed requirements. Anticipated period of performance: TBD Capability statement /information sought. Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required services should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately. Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number. One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing. The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to a ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Shaun Rostad, Contract Specialist at e-mail address shaun.rostad@nih.gov and Linda Smith, Contracting Officer at e-mail address linda.smith2@nih.gov. In addition, please respond to the questions listed in the RFI-NIA Data Access Program Questions attached to this posting. Capability statements and responses to the RFI-NIA Data Access Program questions should not exceed ten (10) pages. The response must be received on or before September 26, 2025, 1:00 PM, Eastern Time. “Disclaimer and Important Notes: 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. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: 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).” Please refer to the attachments for more information.