A -- Project Management and Technical Support for CTSA Program

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), on behalf of the National Institute of National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), , is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and potential technical capability of small business organizations interested in this requirement. This acquisition may be solicited as full and open or as small business set-aside including 8(a), HubZone, and Service Disabled Veterans as defined by the Small Business Act. The applicable NAICS code is 541710 and the size standard is 500 employees. Small Business sources are sought that possess the capability to provide support services described below for the NCRR. The new contract is anticipated to be awarded on September 30, 2007 for a period of five years. As part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research process to Reengineer the Clinical Research Enterprise, NIH issued an RFA for institutional Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA). The purpose of the CTSA initiative, which is a joint NCRR and NIH Roadmap activity, is to assist institutions to forge a uniquely transformative, novel, and integrative academic home for Clinical and Translational Science. These new Clinical and Translational Science entities are expected to serve as a magnet that concentrates basic, translational, and clinical investigators, community clinicians, clinical practices, networks, professional societies, and industry to facilitate the development of new professional interactions, programs, and research projects. It is anticipated that these new institutional arrangements, coupled with innovative advanced degree programs, will foster the development of a new discipline of Clinical and Translational Science that will be both broader and more pervasive than the classical and separate domains of translational research and clinical investigation. When fully implemented in 2012, about 60 CTSA programs will be supported. As part of this cooperative initiative, CTSA awardees will participate in trans-CTSA Steering Committees in areas of broad interest to discuss and address national issues through sharing and cooperation. Although NIH anticipates that awardees will differ in their internal structures and emphasis, informatics, human protection, training, and clinical service are envisioned to be areas of shared interest with national level Steering Committees for each area. Project management and technical support of these Steering Committees in their cooperative activities will be necessary for accomplishment of shared projects. The purpose of this acquisition is to seek small business organizations capable of providing project management and technical support for the institutional CTSA program. The Contractor shall provide technical support to the NCRR Division of Clinical Research for CTSA activities where the current staffing and research management resources are limited. Contractor activities shall include: 1) project management/executive secretary staffing for CTSA Steering Committees, NIH CTSA Subcommittees, and Working groups; 2) establish, maintain, and manage a web based password protected collaborative workspace for above groups; 3) establish, maintain, and manage a public CTSA web site for dissemination of activities and products; 4) logistics and meeting support services for CTSA Steering Committees, NIH CTSA Subcommittees, and Working Group meetings; 5) provision of qualified subcontracted or consultant technical expertise in a timely fashion; 6) administrative management and oversight for the review process of informatics pilot projects; and 7) provision of contract closeout and orderly transition. Interested firms that are classified under NAICS code 541710 should furnish capability information addressing the following: (a) the experience of the organization in performing other similar contract programs (b) ability to prepare Annual Performance and Operating Plans (c) the ability of the organization to effectively and quickly obtain and manage subcontracts, for highly specialized technical services not performed in-house, and maintain complete and effective labor, technical, and management control of the program (d) the ability of the organization to provide high level project management staffing for CTSA Steering Committees, NIH CTSA Subcommittees, and Working Groups; the personnel must provide careful attention to detail, organizational skill, excellent oral and written skills, ability to work independently, and working knowledge of a variety of technical areas related to clinical and translational research (e) the ability of the organization to provide appropriate project management and planning processes, including staffing, scheduling, reporting, and cost control; ability and experience of the organization to effectively transition at the start and end of similar contracts and to adapt quickly to different workload levels over time (f) experience and competence in managing the independent review and evaluation of scientific and technical proposals in a timely fashion, including the provision of evaluation reports (g) the ability of the organization to develop and revise technical documents, in the most efficient and cost-effective manner (h) the ability of the organization to provide IT support services, including programming, website development and hosting and database development; the ability to provide password protected web based collaborative work space for collaborative groups with appropriate attention to IT security issues. (i) the ability of the organization to arrange and support professional meetings in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, including consideration of travel and other meeting-related tasks and expenses; ability to provide access to and management of various mechanisms for virtual meetings, including but not limited to, telephone and video conferencing (j) the ability of the organization to meet with NCRR staff at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland with as little as two hours advance notice This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and none is available. An original and two copies of the capability statement should be submitted to: Office of Acquisitions, DERA, NHLBI Attention: Lisa Hill, Contracting Officer 6701 Rockledge Drive RKL2/Room 6102 MSC 7902 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902