Hispanic Community Health Study - Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL)-Field Centers

Hispanic Community Health Study - Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL) Field Centers - RFP Number NHLBI-HV-13-06 Small Business Sources Sought Notice The Division of Cardiovascular Sciences of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), is conducting a market survey to assess the availability and potential technical capability of small business firms to perform as the Field Centers as part of the renewal of the program entitled - Hispanic Community Health Study-Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL). The applicable NAICS Code is 541712 and the size standard is 500 employees. It is anticipated that four awards will be made in April 2013 for a period of six years. The HCHS-SOL began in 2006 in four U.S. communities (San Diego, CA; Chicago, IL; Bronx, NY; and Miami, FL). Approximately 16,000 Hispanic/Latino men and women between 18 and 74 years of age were recruited between 2008 and 2011 across communities. A baseline examination (Visit 1) was performed during that period of time. The objectives of the renewal of the HCHS-SOL program are to 1) further investigate the apparent paradox of high socioeconomic adversity, substantial cardiovascular and pulmonary disease (CVPD) risk factor burden, and low CVPD prevalence and mortality in Hispanics; 2) identify putative causes for diseases and conditions highly prevalent in Hispanics (e.g. diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), left ventricular hypertrophy, and gestational diabetes mellitus); 3) describe the transformation of health-related risk and protective factors related to migration, acculturation, and length of time living in the U.S.; 4) assess the impact of socioeconomic factors, cultural values, risk behaviors, and medical care access on health in Hispanics; and 5) investigate genetic effects, gene-gene interactions, and gene-environment interactions in relation to measured phenotypes in this uniquely admixed population. These objectives will be accomplished through annual follow-up and a second examination (Visit 2) of the existing cohort. NHLBI plans to support one (1) Research Coordinating Center, four (4) Field Centers, and one (1) Echocardiography Reading Center. THIS NOTICE ADDRESSES THE FIELD CENTERS ONLY. The important overall technical requirements associated with this acquisition for the HCHS-SOL include the following: - Ensuring that the protocol specifies comparability of repeat measures with those previously collected where trend analysis is planned. - Collaboration with other Field Centers and the Coordinating Center in the development of an informed consent template with common language for all Field Centers. - Recruit, obtain signed informed consent and conduct the Visit 2 examination for all available cohort survivors. - Provide for handling of collected blood and urine specimens including shipping to Central Laboratory and long-term storage and future measurements of additional biomarkers at the Central Laboratory. - Provide participants with referrals for follow-up of medically relevant abnormal findings within a local network of health care providers or institutions to which participants can be referred if indicated. - Contact all surviving HCHS-SOL cohort members annually and develop a local plan to maintain an annual cohort retention rate as high as possible but over 80% at a minimum. - Design and execute a plan for mentorship of a minimum of 3-4 early career investigators (ECI). - Design and execute a plan to continue community relations to enhance communication of study progress and findings to study participants, their communities and the U.S. Hispanic/Latino population at large. - Use the system recommended or provided and maintained by the Coordinating Center for participant data entry and transfer from Field Centers to the Coordinating Center or Reading Centers. - Provide a plan for transition of responsibilities, data and materials from the existing Coordinating Center to the new Offeror. - Formulate hypotheses/research questions, and propose and write manuscripts to achieve the scientific goals of the study. Small business firms having demonstrated experience in performing tasks as articulated above are invited to submit capability statements. Firms must be able to meet the Mandatory Qualification Criteria that offeors shall provide evidence that they can seek out and include a study goal of a minimum retention rate of 80% of the eligible cohort for an in-person examination and annual follow-ups throughout the proposed period of performance in the geographical areas of San Diego, Chicago, New York-Bronx, and Miami. The annual follow-ups are commonly telephone contacts. Capability statements must provide evidence of ability to perform and experience in performing the tasks described above and will be reviewed based on the following: (1) the capability statement shall include the professional qualifications of scientific and technical personnel in accordance with the above requirements; (2) demonstrated capacity of individuals and the institutional support to perform the functions of a Field Center for a multi-center collaborative epidemiology study, including protocol development, operational and scientific coordination, and information processing; (3) facilities and equipment available for data collection and transfer to the Reading Centers, and the Coordinating Center ; (4) evidence of the ability to assess and monitor quality control for data acquisition at the Field Center; (5) evidence of ability to analyze data from longitudinal epidemiologic studies, and publish results in peer reviewed journals; and (6) the small business status of the firm under NAICS Code 541712. Evaluation of the capability statements shall be based first on the Mandatory Qualification Criteria. Once it has been established that the Mandatory Qualification Criteria has been met, then the capability statement shall be evaluated on each of the technical points (criterion) listed above. Each technical point (criterion) shall be weighted equally. Capability statements submitted in response to this notice that do not provide sufficient information for review will not be considered. This is NOT a Request for Proposals (RFP), and responses should NOT include budgetary information. The Government intends to negotiate one contract for the period of six years with an approximate award date of April 01, 2013. Firms responding to this notice shall provide capability statements (original and three copies) no later than 04:00 pm EST on the fifteenth (15th) calendar day from the date of this announcement to the address shown above. Your submission shall include the name and telephone number of a point of contact. Please reference this notice number. Electronic copies of capability statements will be accepted and shall be sent to Michael White, Contract Specialist (email address: michael.white2@nhlbi.nih.gov) and Tara Knox, Contracting Officer (email address: tara.knox@nhlbi.nih.gov).