Inactive
Notice ID:NIMH-20-003832
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 capabil...
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. Background: The proportion of people who need, but do not receive care—the mental health treatment gap— is exacerbated by the dearth of health care workers available to provide evidence-based mental health services that meet minimum standards. Although a growing evidence base for reducing the treatment gap exists for higher income countries like the United States, far less research has been conducted in countries identified by the World Bank as low- and middle-income (LMICs). Evidence also suggests that the majority of LMICs have limitations in a number of mental health specialties: 67% showed a shortage of psychiatrists, 95% a shortage of nurses and 79% a shortage of psychological care providers.1 2 Although human resource inadequacies for mental health worldwide have been well established, researchers, policy-makers, and international agencies have called for scale-up of mental health services3. Task shifting—that is, delegating tasks to varied cadres of health professionals with specialized training—has shown promise with certain mental health interventions.4,5,6 These studies suggest that the delivery of mental health services in primary healthcare settings through community-based and task-shifting approaches, in combination with appropriate training and increased capacity, can be used as a strategy for reducing the burden on caregivers and coordinating care of individuals with mental disorders.7 To tackle this issue, NIMH established the Collaborative Hubs for International Research on Mental Health (CHIRMH) in 2011-2012 (RFA-MH-11-070 and RFA-MH-12-110)8 to increase the evidence base for mental health interventions in World Bank designated LMICs. Five projects grants were awarded. The CHIRMH program used an innovative model with a three-fold purpose: Increase scientific knowledge about mental health interventions delivered by non-specialist providers under the supervision of mental health specialists (i.e., task sharing) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to expand access to care. Strengthening of partnerships among local researchers, policymakers, and health care providers to maximize the chances that resulting research findings would respond to local needs and would be applied in practice and policy once the grant ended. Develop research capacity of LMIC investigators to increase their representation and LMIC research in the scientific literature on mental health. Each hub was to develop its own capacity- building activities and the five hubs were to network with one another to (a) facilitate cross-hub knowledge development, (b) expand individual hubs’ research development opportunities, and (c) facilitate new research partnerships. Each hub was to conduct research and provide capacity-building opportunities in one of six geographical regions (i.e., East Asia and the Pacific; Europe and Central Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; Middle East and North Africa; South Asia; Sub-Saharan Africa). As a group, awardees were to constitute a collaborative network of regional hubs for mental health research in LMICs with capabilities for answering research questions (within and across regions) aimed at improving mental health outcomes for men, women, and children. Five Cooperative agreements were awarded: 1) Africa Focus on Intervention Research for Mental Health – AFFIRM (Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe); 2) Latin America Treatment & Innovation Network in Mental Health – LATIN-MH (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, United States); 3) Partnership for Mental Health Development in Sub-Saharan Africa — PaM-D (Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa); 4) Regional Network for Mental Health Research in Latin America — RedeAmerica (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, USA); and 5) South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research & Education on Mental Health — SHARE (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka)9. Each hub supported research on task-shifting/task-sharing for the delivery of mental health services and provides research capacity-building opportunities. Rationale: An independent, objective assessment of the CHIRMH program will be useful for a large range of stakeholders including, but not limited to funding agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and health care institutions for several reasons. First, CHIRMH used an innovative program model to develop new scientific knowledge and build in-country research capacity through stakeholder partnerships and international networking. The standard metric of scientific publications is insufficient for capturing the intended impact of this program model. Second, two NIMH initiatives currently underway are based on the CHIRMH model; they are Research Partnerships for Scaling Up Mental Health Interventions in LMICs, and Collaborative Hubs to Reduce the Burden of Suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth. A better understanding the CHIRMH model’s productivity several years post grant period will help in guiding these two follow-on initiatives and in maximizing their output. Third, the CHIRMH model required substantial amounts of NIMH staff time compared with more typical NIMH project models (e.g., R01, U19 without research capacity building). This was appropriate in 2011 given the nascent status of mental health research across most LMICs; eight years on, it will be useful to consider program accomplishments in relation to NIMH staff effort under the CHIRMH model. Purpose and Objectives: The National Institute of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is interested in evaluating the impact of the Collaborative Hubs for International Research on Mental Health (CHIRMH) launched in 2010 (RFA-MH-11-070). The objective of that RFA was to establish regional hubs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that would conduct innovative public health-relevant mental health research, build research infrastructure, and develop research capacity. This RFA aimed to expand research activities in LMICs with the goal of providing the necessary knowledge, tools, and sustainable research-based strategies for use by government agencies, non- governmental organizations, academic institutions and health care institutions to reduce the mental health treatment gap. Lessons learned from these contexts can inform mental health service delivery in other low-resource settings. The purpose of this acquisition is to evaluate the performance outcomes and programmatic impact of a NIMH-funded global mental health research program, the CHIRMH program (RFA-MH-11-070). The successful completion of the overall contract will result in: (a) a synthesized summary of the outcomes for each Hub based on (1) knowledge development; (2) strength of partnerships developed and/or enhanced; (3) development of research capacity; (4) impact on policy and practices; (5) implementation or enhancement of programs; (b) a report describing barriers and facilitators impacting the success of the goals of the FOA and recommendations to guide the CGMHR’s future investments, as well to share lessons learned with the Global Mental Health research community. Scope of Work: See attached Statement of Work (SOW) -DRAFT Capability statement /information sought: Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the services specified in this notice. The respondent should directly and specifically state in the, capabilities statement, which project requirements can be meet and/or supplied. The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code); and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. Finally, respondents are also encouraged to provide a general overview of the respondent’s opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any other information regarding innovative ideas or concepts that may be applicable. Submission Instructions: 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 ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. All responses must be received by the closing date and time of this announcement and must reference the solicitation number. The response must be submitted electronically to Kris Jenkins, Contract Specialist, at kristina.jenkins@nih.gov . Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. 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 Federal Business Opportunities. 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).
