Combined Sources Sought and Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) notice for non-Research and Development (non-R&D) acquisition.

Combined Sources Sought and Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) notice for non-Research and Development (non-R&D) acquisition. Part A: Instrument Coordination and Content Development Tools Part B: Study Content Development and Coordination Notice Number: NIH-NICHD-NCS-SS-SBSS-14-22 Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Location: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Key Dates: Release Date: May 21, 2014 Response Date: June 6, 2014 Purpose of this Announcement: This is a combined non-R&D Sources Sought and Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The primary purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether there are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses, women-owned small businesses, or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set aside is possible or to identify potential sources for a full and open competition. All size organizations are encouraged to respond. This requirement is assigned a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code of 541990 to Part A and to Part B and the small business standard is $14 Million. Background and Project Requirements: The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) serves as the lead agency for the National Children's Study (NCS or Study), a longitudinal cohort study that will examine the effects of environmental influences and genetics on the health and development of children enrolled from different geographical areas across the country. Environment is broadly defined to include factors such as biological, physical, chemical, social, and cultural influences on children's health and development. Additional information about the Study is available on the Study's website www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov Anticipated period of performance: September 30, 2014 to November 30, 2015. To be deemed capable of providing the current need for the Study, the respondents must have the capability to perform the following tasks: Part A: Instrument Coordination and Content Development Tools Support and provide expertise for multiple activities, including coordination of NCS activities related to Study content and instrument development; construction of databases and tools to support data collection instrumentation; and documentation and tools for entry of instruments and associated metadata. Coordination efforts may include governance of the content development process, evaluation of options, and impact analyses related to schedule, cost, and other measure-specific parameters. Part B: Study Content Development and Coordination Support and provide expertise for multiple activities, including coordination of NCS activities related to Study content; construction of questionnaires and other data collection instrumentation; and documentation and entry of instruments and associated metadata in NCS-provided specification systems. Coordination efforts may include governance of the content development process, evaluation of options, and impact analyses related to schedule, cost, and other measure-specific parameters. The contractor shall assemble questionnaires and topic-specific modules in a variety of domain areas, such as health status, health behaviors, health care utilization, psychosocial factors, neighborhood and community characteristics, environmental exposures, parenting, and childcare. Contractors shall identify existing questionnaires, assemble draft instruments, draft supplemental text and perform comprehensive quality control checks. Capability Statement Requirements: Interested organizations that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to perform this project should submit electronic copies in addition to three (3) paper copies(as instructed below), of their capability statements that clearly demonstrate capacity in the following areas: Part A: Instrument Coordination and Content Development Tools To be deemed capable of providing the current need for the Study, the respondents must have the capability and expertise to develop tools and databases with multiple user roles. Respondents shall submit a written capability statement that clearly demonstrates capacity in the following areas: 1. Experience. The respondent shall demonstrate previous successful database design, application development to manage content from multiple user roles, and programming expertise for the development of code relevant to preemptive data cleaning, providing specific details related to each appropriate task. 2. Personnel. The respondent shall describe relevant key staff and their programming skills appropriate to the proposed tasks. The respondent shall demonstrate that the proposed programming team and staff have previous experience or expertise in database design and tool development relevant to study instrument and content development. 3. Facilities. The respondent shall have the necessary dedicated office space and accommodations. Space should be available, as necessary, for other activities such as testing, training, collaborative planning, meetings, etc. Please limit responses to 15 pages or less, excluding resumes. Part B Study Content Development and Coordination To be deemed capable of providing the current need for the Study, the respondents must have the capability and expertise to develop appropriate study content. Respondents should submit a written capability statement that clearly demonstrates capacity in the following areas: 1. Experience. The respondent shall demonstrate previous successful survey instrument development, proving specific details related to each appropriate task. 2. Personnel. The respondent shall provide the name of the project director, his/her professional qualifications and specific experience directing large studies similar to the current study. The respondent shall demonstrate that the proposed associate project director and staff have previous experience or expertise in content development for large, complex population-based surveys. 3. Facilities. The respondent shall have the necessary dedicated office space and accommodations. Space should be available, as necessary, for other activities such as testing, training, collaborative planning, meetings, etc. Please limit responses to 15 pages or less, excluding resumes. Instructions for Part A & Part B Respondents must include the DUNS number, organization name, address, technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses and size and type of business (e.g. 8(a); HUBZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code -- 541990 for Part A and for Part B. The NICHD intends to negotiate and award two professional and support services contracts. The anticipated period of performance for each contract is 14 months. The purpose of these contracts is to continue the planning and implementation of the NCS. How to respond to this Sources Sought: Part A - Instrument Coordination and Content Development Tools Responsible sources may send electronic copies (email to ramanu2@mail.nih.gov) and three (3) paper copies of its capability statement for consideration by the NICHD to Usha Raman, Contract Specialist, NICHD Office of Acquisitions, Contract Management Branch, 6100 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892-7510. Phone number: 301-443-5228 Secondary point of contact is Deborah A. Baca, Contracting Officer, NIH, NICHD Office of Acquisitions, at 301-443-7794 or dbaca@mail.nih.gov Part B - Study Content Development and Coordination: Responsible sources may send electronic copies (email to Daniel.federline@nih.gov) and three copies of its capability statement for consideration by the NICHD to Daniel Federline, Contract Specialist, NICHD Office of Acquisitions, Contract Management Branch, 6100 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892-7510. Phone number: 301-435-6972 Secondary point of contact is Deborah A. Baca, Contracting Officer, NIH, NICHD Office of Acquisitions, at 301-443-7794 or dbaca@mail.nih.gov No collect calls will be accepted. Organizations may respond to either Part A or Part B or to both Part A and Part B. All responses must be received electronically and in writing by Friday, June 6, 2014, before 4 PM ET, and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the NICHD Contracting Office and the NCS Program Office to make a determination that the party can or cannot perform these requirements. DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge any of the information received or provide feedback with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. CONFIDENTIALITY: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). There will be no further notices issued under this Sources Sought.