A--Program Evaluator Service

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this Sources Sought must be in writing. The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Businesses, 8(a), HubZone and other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing Program Evaluator Service.Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) DUNS number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned small Business, Veteran-owned small business, 8(a), HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business, Small disadvantaged business, or Small Business HUBZone business and (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below. The contractor shall provide all personnel, labor, transportation, supervision, and management to perform Program Evaluation Activities for Patient Safety Center of Inquiry (PSCI) for VISN 18. Program Evaluation is central to effective program planning, improvement and documentation of program outcomes and impacts. Ability to track and communicate program impacts also affects research studies success. The ability to identify and measure quantitative and qualitative indicators of program success is crucial for the PSCI study. Some of the duties shall include: Develop Logic Models used to guide evaluation activities for Year I and Year II of the funded project. Design the summative evaluation, which assesses the outcomes and impact resulting from the specified goals. Conduct the content analyses on the VA-based reports and appropriately identified literature. Identify the research methods used in the Center's specified research projects. Collect data using specified measures per research project or Center evaluation. Develop databases and conduct the analyses. At least five years specialized experience is required contractor must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities. Advanced theory, principles, and methods involved in Program Evaluation. Knowledge and experience in quantitative methods and analysis for the behavioral sciences and/or health services research. Advanced experience in setting up databases and exporting the data to statistical software programs (e.g., SPSS) for cleaning and analysis. Ability to perform extensive literature searches and use EndNote reference library. A PhD in program evaluation and research methodology is preferable from an accredited college or university with a major in an appropriate social or behavioral science i.e., Psychology. The contractor shall submit copies of transcripts to the Government upon request. It is estimated the number of work hours per week is limited to 20 hours. The contractor must read, write, speak and understand English fluently. Per VA Directive 0710, all contractor employees and subcontract personnel requiring access to Department of Veterans Affairs' computer systems shall be subject to a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement. The Government is not obligated to nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. No sub-contracting opportunity is anticipated. The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541720 ($7.0 million). Notice to Potential Offerors: All Offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR located on the web at www.ccr.gov). It is desirable that any Offeror to have completed their business Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Additionally, all Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses who respond to a solicitation on this project must be registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise VetBiz Registry located at http://vip.vetbiz.gov. All interested Offerors should submit information by e-mail, mail or ground carrier to: Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, VISN 18, Contracting, 9-90C, 3601 S. 6th Ave. Tucson, AZ 85723 or by e-mail to contact@example.gov. All information submissions to be marked Attn: Danielle Provencio, Contracting Officer and should be received no later than 3:30 pm Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. After review of the responses to this announcement, the Government intends to proceed with the acquisition and a subsequent solicitation will be published. The Governments intent is to solicit a Firm Fixed Price, Best Value Procurement.