Inactive

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation for bids, proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to obtain information regarding th... THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation for bids, proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. The responses received from interested contractors will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method. The intended contract is a firm-fixed price. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 20, is conducting market research to identify potential sources which can provide the following in support of VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon. The VA Portland Health Care System has a need for a one-year contract to provide biostatistical support and data extraction. Contract Title. Biostatistical Support and Data Extraction for the PTSD Trials Standardized Data Repository. Background. To provide researchers, clinicians, patients and policy makers access to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clinical trial data, the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), in partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), created the PTSD Trials Standardized Data Repository, or PTSD Repository . The overarching purpose of this publicly accessible clinical trials database is to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PTSD interventions for adults and abstract detailed, standardized data into evidence tables. This work is designed to provide a broad range of stakeholders with up-to-date, comprehensive data on PTSD treatment research. The work was initiated in 2018, in collaboration with Dr. Maya O Neil. Regular updates coordinated with NCPTSD have included adding newly published RCTs, additional data elements, and risk of bias (RoB) assessment for all included studies. VAPORHCS Principal Investigator, Dr. Maya O Neil, has funds from NCPTSD to maintain, support, update and expand the PTSD Repository, providing annual updates to the database. These updates include abstracting 300+ variables, calculating standardized effect sizes, conducting of RoB assessments for newly added studies, contacting corresponding study authors to obtain relevant unpublished data and inform them on inclusion of the study in the Repository, and creating an executive summary of findings, up to date presentations with summary statistics and data visualizations, and a full report with updated summary visualizations and complete evidence tables. Annual updates include an estimated 40-55 studies per year and require advanced data analyst and biostatistician support for the data extraction, data compilation, and data visualization, and expertise beyond what can be met by VA research staff. In order to achieve the deliverables outlined by the PTSD Repository, this work requires the advanced scientific and technical services of data analysts and biostatisticians who are specifically trained in evidence synthesis and related work necessary for the establishment and maintenance of Data Repositories, and who have experience using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) evidence synthesis methods for this work. Scope. The vendor awarded this contract must meet the specific scope requirements in order to effectively complete the tasks: Vendor must have experience conducting evidence synthesis and data repository work for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center program network. Vendor staff must include multiple part-time individuals who have advanced expertise in extracting data for evidence synthesis, meta-analysis and data repositories; clinical training and expertise related to healthcare and PTSD are required. Multiple individuals are required because any one individual does not have sufficient expertise in all required services (assessing RoB, consultation with web developers for dissemination on VA websites, data extraction, data analysis, summarizing findings, data visualizations of key findings, presentation, etc.) nor in all statistical methods; a team approach involving frequent individual and group meetings is typically needed to successfully complete all the tasks required. The contracted individuals will serve as key members of the PTSD Repository s multidisciplinary research team. Vendor staff must be Masters or doctoral level Research Data Analysts, Biostatisticians, or Data Engineers, with specific training in evidence synthesis and online meta-analysis platforms. Effort required to meet project aims: 0.25 FTE at the PhD level, and 1.25 FTE at the Masters level is required for the duration of the contract. Staff must maintain active research portfolios in both applied and methodology research. They have expertise in most modern methods, such as (but not exclusively) clinical trials, RoB assessment using Cochrane RoB 2, meta-analysis/individual participant level meta-analysis, multilevel modeling and missing data analyses, data visualization, complex sampling, and advanced data extraction methodology. All members actively publish manuscripts in top international journals and present at professional meetings. Familiarity and expertise in: conducting literature searches, data abstraction, calculating standardized effect sizes, assessing RoB, contacting corresponding study authors to obtain relevant unpublished information and inform them on inclusion of the data in the Repository, and creating a full report including an executive summary of findings, updated summary visualizations, complete evidence tables, and presentations. Experience creating data repositories for the purpose of facilitating systematic reviews, and experience contributing data from data repositories to one or more online meta-analysis platforms Demonstrated scientific rigor and expertise involving VA research Demonstrated experience in data extraction and advanced quantitative methods including meta-analysis Established relationships with the stakeholders who have expertise in the PTSD Standardized Data Repository The Contractor agrees to provide the services in accordance with the Statement of Work and VA policies for research, under the direction of Dr. Maya O Neil. Contractors will provide the below-detailed services and deliverables. Specific details regarding each position are outlined with a Statement of Work. All projects will be initiated by the contractor through strict adherence to the VA approved protocols. Specific Tasks. The personnel provided for this contract will work with the Principal Investigator(s) to complete objectives outlined by the NCPTSD. The individual will have expertise in the area in which they are being contracted to work. Analyses and associated reports will also be completed for reporting, funding agency requirements, as well as for any scientific abstracts and peer-reviewed publications. Tasks and Deliverables for Systematic Review Update of the PTSD Repository: Training and consultation, which includes Completion and maintenance of any necessary trainings Consultations with project PI and staff on PTSD Repository protocols and procedures. Literature Searching and Screening for Inclusion Literature search will include multiple electronic databases. Search strategy will identify eligible studies testing PTSD interventions from 6 months prior to the date of the last report s final search to present Review abstracts and full text using established inclusion/exclusion criteria. (Dual review) Consensus on articles for inclusion. Technical Expert Panel A Technical Expert Panel will be invited for a discussion with project PI and NCPTSD. Topic(s) to be discussed will be determined in consultation with NCPTSD. Data Abstraction and Data Management Abstracting 300+ variables; may abstract additional data elements. For each included study, data will be abstracted into a detailed evidence table. Calculate and add standardized effect sizes for all continuous PTSD outcomes, provided necessary data is available. Contact corresponding study authors of newly included studies to obtain relevant unpublished data and inform authors of the inclusion of their study in the report. Assessment of Methodological Risk of Bias (RoB) of Individual Studies Assess RoB using Cochrane RoB 2 for each of the studies added in the update Second review required for accuracy check and consensus. Potentially add additional elements to the expanded RoB assessment Check-in with NCPTSD Monthly meeting updates with NCPTSD will address any project-related issues and update on overall progress and included studies Discussion of areas of controversy or uncertainty, including coding decisions In-process evidence tables will be shared to inform update calls Update Analyses and Database Update analyses in previous report to reflect all included studies (eligible studies from new literature search and studies included in the prior reports). Conduct additional analysis to summarize newly added studies, including study and sample characteristics and PTSD outcome measures. Report and Evidence Summary Update the report by adding eligible studies published studies from 6 months prior to the date of the last report s final search to present (last search date no later than 12 weeks prior to draft report submission). The report shall summarize the full dataset and highlight changes made during this update (e.g., number of studies added, additional variables included, etc.). The report will be appropriate for a scientific audience and include an abstract, evidence summary, background, methods section, results, and discussion. The evidence summary will be approximately 2-6 pages in length prepared for a lay audience. The report will be delivered as a Microsoft Word document. Text should be written in plain language (see www.plainlanguage.gov for guidance), as close as possible to a 7th grade level. Visuals, including graphics and charts should be used to accompany the text throughout. The detailed evidence tables will be provided as an appendix to the report. The report and evidence summary will be sent to NCPTSD and invited peer reviewers. Feedback will be incorporated into the final report. Presentation A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the systematic review update. Manuscript Preparation (optional) Draft, review, edit, and discuss analysis sections for manuscripts related to the PTSD Repository when requested. Performance Monitoring (if applicable). The VA Principal Investigator (PI) shall monitor contractor performance throughout the performance period of the contract to determine how the Contractor is performing against the performance objectives and verify the completion of deliverables. The Contractor shall meet with the PI at the beginning of the contract award and as needed to review the PTSD Repository protocol with the PI. The PI will conduct periodic quality reviews by attending data services-related meetings and reviewing work completed by the analyst and/or statistician. Monthly check ins will also occur with NCPTSD. Security Requirements. The personnel will work with publicly available PTSD data and will not require background investigations or security clearances. No sensitive VA data is involved with this work, as such, Contracted work does not require data transfer or data use agreements. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI). Not Applicable Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations. a. Identification of Possible Follow-on Work. Additional work may result from successful completion of this project. Should the NCPTSD provide additional funding to VAPORHCS to maintain/expand the PTSD Repository in future years, a contract modification or new contract acquisition may be required. b. Identification of Potential Conflicts of Interest (COI). No organizational COI s exist currently, and given the nature of the services being requested, it is not anticipated that the contractor will be exposed to information that could result in a Conflict of Interest. e. Inspection and Acceptance Criteria. Not Applicable Risk Control No anticipated risks. Place of Performance. The work will be performed at the contractor site. No need for travel is anticipated. Period of Performance. The period of performance for this contract is a base period of 12-months. Base Year: 8/1/25- 7/30/26 12. Delivery Schedule. Deliverable Date Due (from award) Training and Consultation 4 Weeks Literature Searching and Screening for Inclusion Ongoing, last search date no later than 12 weeks prior to draft report submission Data Abstraction and Data Management Ongoing, but must be completed before final report Risk of Bias Ongoing, but must be completed before final report Update Analyses and Database Ongoing, but must be completed before final report Draft Report and Draft Evidence Summary 50 Weeks NCPTSD review (optional peer review) 52 weeks Final Report and Final Evidence Summary 52 weeks PowerPoint Slide Deck & Presentation 52 weeks Manuscript Preparation (as needed) 4 weeks from request If for any reason, any deliverable cannot be delivered in the timeframe agreed upon, the Contractor shall provide a written explanation to the PI; this written transmittal shall include a firm commitment of when the work shall be completed. This notice needs to cite the reasons for the delay, and the impact on the overall project. Potential candidates having the capabilities necessary to provide the above stated supplies at a fair and reasonable price are invited to respond to this Sources Sought Notice via e-mail to Jennifer Robles at jennifer.robles1@va.gov no later than June 24, 2025, 5PM, Mountain Time. No telephone inquiries will be accepted. RESPONSES SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: Company name, address, SAM UEI, and business size; point of contact name, phone number, and e-mail address; whether services are presently offered on a current GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, NASA SEWP or any other Federal contract. NAICS Code 541714, 1,000 employees, is applicable to determine business size standard. Any questions or concerns may also be directed via email to Jennifer Robles at jennifer.robles1@va.gov. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This Sources Sought 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. The Government will treat any information received as proprietary and will not share such information with other companies. Any organization responding to this Sources Sought 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. The Government may or may not issue a solicitation as a result of this announcement. There is no solicitation available at this time.