Inactive Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)

DRAFT SCOPE OF WORK For STATISTICAL SUPPORT Contractor shall provide part time statistical support to the cardiothoracic surgery service at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC), 2002 Hol... DRAFT SCOPE OF WORK For STATISTICAL SUPPORT Contractor shall provide part time statistical support to the cardiothoracic surgery service at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC), 2002 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030. The services shall support with Cardiothoracic surgeon and Principal Investigator of cardiothoracic clinical outcomes research, and the Cardiothoracic surgical team investigators at the MEDVAMC cardiovascular center of excellence. All work shall be in compliance with the herein scope of work, other terms and conditions of the contract. Definition: part time contract employee working up to an equivalent of approximately 30 hours per week, or ~ 6 hours per day for 5 days per week. Hours of Work: as needed, usually during the hours of 9:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m., with room for flexibility at the mutual agreement between the parties. There is no guarantee of consistent, if any, hours in any given week. Contractor shall perform duties outlined herein in order to receive payment. Hours of service shall be documented on time sheets provided for contractor to be compensated. Contractor shall not receive compensation for any hours such as sick leave or annual leave from VA. Contractor shall not be required to work holidays nor receive compensation for Government holidays from VA. (NOTE: Holidays observed by Federal Government are New Year s Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday. Contractor shall assume full responsibility for their protection in furnishing services under this contract/purchase order (i.e., worker s compensation, professional liability insurance, health examinations, income tax withholding and social security payments). Contractor shall not be considered a VA employee for any purpose. A WOC status may be allowed. Background Investigation: Contractor shall be subject to background investigation and employee orientation. Contractor must receive favorable adjudication from the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement prior to contract performance. If the investigation is not completed prior Contractor s commencement of work, and the investigation result indicates unfavorable adjudication, Contractor shall stop work immediately. The contract between the Contractor and the Government shall be terminated in its entirety, and the Government shall not be liable to the Contractor for the contractor s costs on undelivered work and any damage that may be resulted from this termination. Contractor shall be required to complete privacy and security training and provide training certificates to the Contracting Officer s Technical Representative (COTR), to the Information Security Officer (ISO), and to the Contracting Officer. Compliance with Information and Information Technology Security: The contractor and their personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards and VA policies as VA personnel, regarding information and information system security. These include, but are not limited to Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Appendix III of OMB Circular A 130, and guidance and standards, available from the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NISI). This also includes the use of common security configurations available from NISTs Web site at http://checklists.nist.qov To ensure that appropriate security controls are in place, Contractors must follow the procedures set forth in "VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Requirements for IT Contract located at the following Web site http://www.iprmsoit.va.gov The contractor must have completed the required mandatory training for both local and national VA research and or data security training requirements to-date and must ensure that these are current under the IRB/ VA R&D approval(s)/exemptions provided. These mandatory training requirements include relevant human subjects, cyber security, and privacy training. Moreover, contractor will assure that these research and or data security staff trainings are maintained in accordance with local and national standards for the duration of the research/study/project period related to the research/study/project proposal submitted. Contractor Experience: At least 2-years experience in health care outcomes research, knowledge of cardiac surgery databases and other health care databases, and knowledge of statistical methods for evaluation of risk factors and outcomes in general. Mastery of risk adjustment methodology and propensity matching is a prerequisite. In addition, advanced knowledge of survival analysis and graphic demonstrations are needed. Contractor s duties may include but is not limited to the following: Interpret and summarize the data relating to cardiothoracic research projects that include but are not limited to: Thoracic surgery database analysis for VATS, EBUS, SBRT, and air leak projects with Cardiothoracic Surgeon. Use of aortic surgery database, and aneurysm database, for outcome research, for instance socioeconomic factors Outcomes of post-operative atrial fibrillation, multivariable analysis, and propensity-matching Evaluation of outcomes of ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery) protocols and quality improvement measures Use of national VASQIP and VA institutional databases to evaluate outcomes of TAVR, valve surgery, CABG (On pump versus off pump, multi-arterial grafting), aortic surgery, and arrythmia ablation: Propensity match groups for survival analysis, for intention to treat and as treated cohorts Secondary outcome measures for intention to treat or as treated cohorts Subgroup analysis- eg, COPD, renal failure, CVD Edit manuscripts (especially the methods and statistical sections) for style, clarity, consistency, and organization. Ensure manuscripts meet specific journal guidelines; revise manuscripts to conform to specific style guidelines (e.g., AMA, APA, Chicago) as appropriate. Track and follow-up on status of ongoing projects. Obtain information needed for papers, slides, and grants by performing computer literature searches, and retrieving articles. Submits all work according to deadlines as agreed. Other job-related duties as assigned Invoices: Invoices shall be prepared properly, in arrears, and monthly. Invoices shall bill only for the actual number of hours worked in a month. A copy of time sheets correspondent with the performance period for which the invoice bills shall be attached with every invoice. All invoices shall be electronically submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs via the OB10 website (http://www.ob10.com). End of Scope of Work