Inactive

DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS OVERVIEW VA Health Services Research and Development Service s (HSR&D) Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) is charged with disseminating ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS OVERVIEW VA Health Services Research and Development Service s (HSR&D) Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) is charged with disseminating important findings and information from HSR&D s health systems research, innovation, improvement, and implementation to VA policymakers, managers, clinicians and researchers, as well as the larger national health care community, with the goal of improving the access, cost, quality, and outcomes of healthcare to our Veterans and the nation. CIDER utilizes numerous dissemination tools and activities to accomplish this important work. To expand the reach, visibility, and translation of research findings into clinical practice, CIDER will collaborate with the nation s largest professional organization for the field of health services research with priority areas that include science innovation, health systems improvement, resilience and capacity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. A key competency of this organization is to bring together researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers to examine emerging research issues critical to the quality, utilization, organization, financing, and management of health services. A. GENERAL INFORMATION Title of Project: Collaborating, planning, drafting, publication distribution, convening, symposia, training, fellowships, coordinating center management, and dissemination and implementation of health services research activities for VA HSR&D. Scope of Work: Vendor shall develop and implement special symposia and workshops on important health services research topics that will bring together key health systems thinkers and VA health services researchers for discussion and debate, including at symposia or workshops at its annual research meeting and other meetings and events. Collaborative planning and promotional activities for the symposia shall result in a high-level policy and clinical audience that could not be assembled otherwise. Vendor shall ensure that VA has guaranteed opportunities to present research content via VA s invited sessions and methods workshops. Vendor shall ensure that VA work will be highlighted during the meetings, allowing VA to share its expertise with this national group of researchers. Vendor shall utilize newsletters (job postings, new research resources, publications, etc.) to ensure that VA information reaches a wider audience. Vendor shall make available job services to advance recruitment of staff to VA, including access to job boards and posting of positions. Vendor shall make available at no additional cost meeting space in Washington, DC during each of the signature events. Vendor shall work with leaders in the health data and innovations ecosystems to support shared learning, advance practical solutions for health systems improvement and accelerate the development and application of new methods and analytics approaches to health services research questions. Vendor shall utilize its signature events, Health Datapalooza and National Health Policy Conference, Annual Research Meeting, its journal Healthcare, and its other associated work to synthesize and disseminate lessons learned, thus providing VA the opportunity to engage, learn, and share its initiatives with the broader research community. Vendor shall create video/audio links to conference sessions to be posted on the conference website and to be made available to conference attendees, non-attendees, and VA researchers. Vendor shall collaborate on other healthcare data analysis and dissemination and implementation activities that will provide VA access to a national group of experts via vendor s unique organization. Activities shall be planned to enhance the penetration and uptake of VA health services research into practice and strengthen the stature of the VA/HSR&D community of researchers. Vendor shall plan, organize, and implement the Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) conference, separate from the Annual Research Meeting, in order to provide an additional opportunity to advertise VA work. Vendor shall make space available for exhibit tables at all meetings. Vendor shall make available Special Interest Groups identified by VA and engage a broader scientific audience in their activities. Vendor shall develop and hold training courses for HSR&D fellows under the expert guidance of vendor s highly trained advisors and researchers. The Delivery System Science Fellowship (DSSF) shall be utilized allowing VA trainees to gain additional concentrated training in dissemination science. One or more fellows will be supported to participate in this dedicated training program. Vendor shall develop a Learning Health Systems Advanced Fellowship training curriculum with HSR&D and the Office of Academic Affiliations for use by VA sites hosting advanced fellowships under the expert guidance of vendor s highly trained advisors and researchers. The advanced fellowships shall allow VA fellows to gain additional concentrated training in partnered research in a high reliability learning health care system. Vendor shall operate a coordinating center under the leadership of its expert advisor(s) to coordinate activities related to the advanced fellowship sites and communications with fellows. Vendor shall develop common agendas between VA and non-VA research stakeholders, with outcomes such as trainings, workshops, symposia, to advance initiatives in health services, including but not limited to those related to Learning Health Systems, value-based care, reducing low value care, innovation, implementation, data science, and trust in medicine. Vendor shall provide other trainings and methods workshops to VA researchers and clinicians and maintain its training platform. Vendor shall provide organizational membership with discounts for exhibit booths, registrations, and other meeting activities. In accordance with VHA priorities and timelines, vendor will provide VA access to a national group of experts via vendor s unique organization to develop topical whitepapers and related small panel discussions (@ 20-persons) related to topics identified by HSR&D. Vendor shall plan and produce four issues of HSR&D s FORUM, a product that targets topics of critical importance to VA and translates complex health services research findings and information into appropriate language and formats for VA policy makers and managers. Vendor shall provide writing/editing/newsletter design and publishing support, as well as access to its mailing list, so that the newsletter (which contains entirely VA content) reaches non-VA health services research colleagues. Performance Period: The contractor shall complete the work required under this PWS within 365 days after award, unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer. The contract is for a total of 5 years. Managing Agency: The VA HSR&D Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) is the managing organization with the Department of Veterans Affairs for this project. The Director, HSR&D CIDER, in consultation with the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR), shall be the vendor s principal point of contact regarding the execution of the contract s requirements. B. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES Description of Tasks and Associated Deliverables: The contractor shall provide the specific deliverables described below on a yearly basis. Project 1: Deliverable 1: Work Plan The vendor shall provide to the CIDER staff a detailed work plan for HSR&D review and approval and a briefing which presents the vendor s plan for completing each project. The vendor s plan shall be responsive to this PWS and describe, in further detail, the topic development process for each of the selected issues of publications. Work plans shall also be provided for developing, promoting, and implementing special symposia/workshops, trainings, fellowships, and other research or dissemination activities. The work plan shall include timeframes for each activity which will serve as a schedule to guarantee the completion of all tasks annually. Deliverable 2: FORUM - Planning and facilitation of an Editorial Board meeting to be held in Washington, DC to select topics, authors, and timeline for four issues of FORUM. The vendor shall provide health services research expertise to facilitate the meeting, flesh out the topics, and plan the issues. CIDER staff will review and make the final selection of topics for the four issues and present them to the contractor. The vendor will provide graphic design, editing of articles, and final PDF of each issue for distribution/dissemination. Vendor will disseminate FORUM issues among non-VA health services research stakeholders. Deliverable 3: Symposia, Trainings, and Dissemination Consultation: Planning for topics and faculty for special health services research symposia/workshops, trainings, and other dissemination activities targeted at national VA and non-VA audiences. Provide expert advisor(s) to consult and lead collaboration on advanced fellowship curriculum and coordination of sites and their implementation of VA OAA s HSR&D Advanced Fellowships. Provide specialized consultation on analysis of big data sets and dissemination and implementation strategies that accelerate moving research into practice, and result in evidence-based care being implemented into routine clinical care, thereby improving healthcare for Veterans and the nation. Deliverable 4: Completion of Tasks - The vendor shall provide all necessary resources of a national professional health services research organization to gather and generate content for each of the four designated topics for FORUM, and expertise in translating health services research findings for consumption and uptake nationally in the research community and by targeted VA senior leaders, policymakers, and clinicians to ensure evidence-based decisions. The vendor shall provide all necessary resources of a national professional health services research organization to plan, promote, and implement special research symposia/workshops, trainings and fellowships, and other dissemination activities that expand the reach of VA research to broad VA and non-VA audiences throughout the year. DELIVERABLE DATE 1 Planning 30 days after award 1 Work Plan as needed 2 Completion 365 days after award C. SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES The vendor s detailed work plan dates will serve as the schedule of delivery for each deliverable specified. D. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS The vendor shall provide CIDER with a written progress report every four months. The progress report shall cover all work completed during the preceding period and shall present the work to be accomplished during the subsequent period. This report shall also identify any problems that arose and a statement explaining how the problem was resolved. This report shall also identify and explain any problems that have arisen but have not been completely resolved. E. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Government shall provide information to help develop designated topics and shall make available appropriate VA contacts as required by the work plan. The government shall complete, and release required reviews and approvals in a timely manner and in accordance with the work plan. SUMMARY: This is a Sources Sought notice and not a request for quotes. This request is solely for the purpose of conducting market research to enhance VHA s understanding of the market s offered products, services and capabilities. The Government will not pay any costs for responses submitted in response to this Sources Sought. This Sources Sought notice provides an opportunity for respondents to submit their notice of ability, and their available products and services in response to the requirement described below. Vendors are being invited to submit information relative to their potential of fulfilling this requirement in the form of a capability response that addresses the specific requirement identified in this Sources Sought. This Sources Sought is to facilitate the Contracting Officer s review of the market base, for acquisition planning, size determination, and procurement strategy. RESPONSE COMMITMENT I. Response: A. Capability statement with general understanding of the industry and current knowledge and subcontract networks that would be used to support the requirement as identified herein. Information should suggest, NACIS Code, provide the socioeconomic status for your company and your subcontractors if you are planning on supporting this service with subcontractors. Submittals furnished will not be returned to the sender. No debriefs will be conducted. Eligibility in participating in a future acquisition does not depend upon a response to this notice. B. Proprietary information is neither requested nor desired. If such information is submitted, it must clearly be marked "proprietary" on every sheet containing such information, and the proprietary information must be segregated to the maximum extent practicable from other portions of the response (e.g., use an attachment or exhibit). II. Timeline: A. This request will close on stated date within the Government Point of Entry (GPE). Notes: 1. This Sources Sought is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will follow. The Department of Veterans Affairs will use the information submitted in response to this notice at its discretion and will not provide comments to any submission; however, The Department of Veterans Affairs reserves the right to contact any respondent to this notice for the sole purpose of enhancing The Department of Veteran Affairs understanding of the notice submission. 2. The content of any responses to this notice may be reflected in any subsequent solicitation, except for content marked or designated as business confidential or proprietary which will be fully protected from release outside the government. The Department of Veteran Affairs Contracting Office POC: Ann Marie Stewart Contracting Officer annmarie.stewart@va.gov