Development of an Integrated, Multimode Outreach and Engagement

AMENDMENT: PLEASE EMAIL ALL QUESTIONS TO DOROTHY MAXWELL AT maxwelld@mail.nih.gov, issues with FEDCONNECT. COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION SOLICITATION NUMBER: 75N92018Q0165 (i) "This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued." (ii) The solicitation number is is being posted as a request for proposal (RFP) to SOLICITATION NUMBER: 75N92018Q0165. QUESTIONS should be submitted by May 22, 2018, 7:30 A.M., Eastern Time (via email) to (www.fedconnect.net) and reference the FedConnect Combined Synopsis Solicitation: Number 75N92018Q0165. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS OF QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. ALL PROPOSALS ARE DUE JUNE 19, 2018 before 7:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME; should be submitted electronically (via email) to (www.fedconnect.net) and reference the FedConnect Combined Synopsis Solicitation Number: 75N92018165. Vendors can register with FedConnect at https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/default.htm. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS OF PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED. (iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-97, January 24, 2018. (iv) This is not a set-aside, the associated NAICS Codes: 541690--Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services and 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and the small business size standard is $15.0M. The acquisition is being conducted in accordance with the procedures of FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 13. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. Offers are due by 7:30 A.M. Eastern Time (EST) on June 19, 2018. Responses must be submitted via the FedConnect webportal (www.fedconnect.net). Potential Offerors do not need to register to view a notice; however, in order to submit questions and/or response to this Notice, an account will need to be established. (v) Background: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the NIH's 27 institutes and centers, led NIH's contribution to the international Human Genome Project, which had as its primary goal the sequencing of the human genome. This project was successfully completed in April 2003. Now, the NHGRI's mission has expanded to encompass a broad range of studies aimed at understanding the structure and function of the human genome and its role in health and disease. To that end, NHGRI supports the development of resources and technology that will accelerate genome research and its application to human health. a. Overview of NHGRI science outreach and engagement: The study of genetics and genomics has been greatly aided by the sequencing of the human genome. We now have a new level of understanding as to what a person's DNA sequence can tell us about their past (i.e., ancestry), their present (i.e., DNA used as a diagnostic and treatment of current disease) and their future (i.e., what diseases they are at increased risk of developing and how to prevent said diseases from manifesting). Moving these advances forward into practice requires a basic understanding of genetics and genomics. The lay public and the medical community would benefit from learning more about all aspects of genetics and genomics. This will allow them to make better informed decisions when faced with genetics in several aspects of their daily life. The profound advances in genomics over the past decade are revealing exciting opportunities to use genomic information as part of routine medical care. These advances are making the - language of genomics' relevant to patients (and friends and relatives of patients) - which means all of us. Advances in the - genomic literacy' of the general public and those in the healthcare professions is lagging far behind the pace of genomic advances. As this gap widens it creates a serious threat our ability to implement of genomic medicine. For many years, researchers and scientists have studied the functionality of genes and the correlation of genes to disease and behavior. It addition to creating this new knowledge about genes and genome, NHGR also has an explicit goal is the genomic literacy of all people. NHGRI has a long-standing commitment to genomics education and community engagement. Specifically, the Institute has been responsible for leading a number of major educational and outreach programs, ranging from National DNA Day (https://www.genome.gov/10506367/) to the Smithsonian-NHGRI exhibition Genome Unlocking Life's Code (https://unlockinglifescode.org/). As such, NHGRI aims to find partners that can help lead a highly collaborative national campaign to enhance the genomic literacy. Project Requirements: Goals: NHGRI will identify potential partners who will support the Institute's mission to increase public awareness and literacy about genetics and genomics through creative and innovative programming. Anticipated programming will: 1. Produce a set of resources that will raise the genetic literacy of those consuming these resources. 2. Explore and challenge common misperceptions about genetics and genomics. 3. Motivate all audiences/users to apply critical thinking when presented with new information. 4. Inspire audiences of all ages to learn more about the emerging field of genomics and encourage/inspire individuals to pursue education and employment opportunities in this area. 5. Reach a significant number of individuals and be accessible to diverse audience and reach. b. Project overview: Potential partners should: - Have experience in translating complicated concepts and facts into forms that are easily accessible to the general public. - Have the ability to plan, develop, and implement sustainable and engaging literacy programming with national reach and appeal. - Demonstrate a history of working with diverse communities. - Identify appropriate target communities--paying particular attention to those communities that have been historically underrepresented in genetics and genomics. - Understand methods of engagement, including past efforts and community partners and specified engagement of an identified community through programming. - Communicate and collaborate with the NHGRI staff throughout the development of program. - Be able to carry out programming or development of materials as identified in a planning document. - Identify necessary accommodations (if necessary) for the proposed program. - Budget for proposed activities. - Understand and employ methods to evaluate the reach and impact of the programs developed for this effort. This could include, but is not limited to, demographic descriptions of the program participants, recipients of the materials, number of participants, feedback from participants and results of knowledge tests. c. Tasks and Deliverables Proposed deliverables and tasks could include but are not limited to: 1. Programs with a national reach that highlight the depth and breadth of genetics and genomics research and applications. 2. Programming and resources designed for healthcare providers that support the clinical applications of genetics and genomics. 3. Informal and formal educational resource development. 4. Digital and multimedia assets designed for diverse audiences. 5. Mobile accessible and responsive resources designed for diverse audiences. 6. Community engagement activities that provide an open forum for discussions about issues related to genetics and genomics that resonate with communities. 7. Activities designed to assess public understanding of genetics and genomics and their applications. Anticipated Period of Performance: June 2018- June 2020 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS: The Government will evaluate proposals that are determined technically acceptable in accordance with the Technical Evaluation factors. The Government intends to award a single contract from this solicitation. The Government reserves the right not to award a contract. Evaluation of Proposals: The Government reserves the right to make an award without discussions based solely upon initial proposals. Price (This will be Firm-Fixed Price): An evaluation of the offeror's price proposal will be made to determine if proposed prices are realistic for the work to be performed, reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and are consistent with the technical proposal. Reasonableness determinations will be made by determining if competition exists, by comparing proposed prices with established commercial or GSA price schedules (if applicable), and/or by comparing proposed prices with the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE). EVALUATION FACTORS: The evaluation will be based on the following, please do not provide proprietary information: 1. Project Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 20 Points - The ability of the responder to clearly address the overall objectives and mission of the project. - The success of the responder to outline a clear work plan, including proposed timeline and budget for each of the project tasks. The work plan elements should be specific with regards to the tasks and budget for the tasks and consist of details on technical costs. - Proposal should include specific technical requirements needed for each task. 2. Technical Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Points - The appropriateness of the plans for individual tasks. - Ability of proposer to explain and provide specific details regarding the methodological approaches. 3. Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Points - Demonstration of sufficient access to resources necessary to complete the project to the satisfaction of the NHGRI (e.g., equipment, facilities, capabilities, staff, content matter expertise, technical capabilities). 4. Past Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 20 Points - The responders should provide references and past projects illustrating similar completed work. Examples should include projects developed for federal, public and private agencies. - Responders should provide references that speak to their ability to coordinate and manage the proposed project. - The proposal should demonstrate the ability of the responder to provide similar deliverables. Responder should provide evidence that they have the expertise, resources and capacity to meet the projects expectations. vi. The FAR Provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial, applies to this acquisition and is hereby incorporated by reference. All Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clauses may be viewed at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. The proposal must reference the RFP Number: 75N92018Q0165. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. ix. In accordance to FAR clause 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items x. In accordance with FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on- line at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. xi. FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. xii. FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items applies to this Acquisition. Additional FAR Clauses include: FAR clause 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (JUL2013) (Pub.L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note). FAR clause 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging while Driving (AUG2011). FAR clause 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUN 2008) (E.O.'s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury). FAR clause 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (JUL2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332). xiii. All responses must be received by June 19, 2018, 7:30 a.m. Eastern time. Responses must be submitted via the FedConnect webportal (www.fedconnect.net). Potential Offerors do not need to register to view a notice; however, in order to submit questions and/or response to this Notice, an account will need to be established. Should you require a waiver not to use FedConnect, please contact the Contracting Office: National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Section 3, Branch B, Office of Acquisitions, Office of Management, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Suite 6149, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902, Attention: Dorothy Maxwell, Contracting Officer (maxwelld@nih.gov). Faxes will not be accepted. Responses will only be accepted if dated and signed by an authorized company representative. "All responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency and include the following: 1. Name of Contracting Organization; 2. Solicitation number; 3. Contract Type; 4. Total Contract Value and Discounts; 5. Description of Requirement; 6. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code; and 7. DUNS, TIN or EIN Number. xv. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. Offers are due by 7:30 A.M. Eastern Time (EST) on June 19, 2018. Dorothy Maxwell, Contracting Officer can be reached at (301) 827-7729 regarding any questions regarding Solicitation Number: 75N92018Q0165. Quotations shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation is entered into the e-mail address inbox set forth above. Faxed proposals will NOT be accepted. Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.