Intent to Sole Source -- the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment project

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION OR A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP). IT IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE A SOLICITATION OR ULTIMATELY AWARD A CONTRACT. ANY COST INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHALL BE BORNE BY THE INTERESTED PARTY (PROSPECTIVE OFFEROR) AND WILL NOT BE CHARGED TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR REIMBURSEMENT. The Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA) is a collaborative effort of the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH)'s Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Program (MCAH) and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers. MIHA is an annual survey of California women who recently gave birth to a live infant. Since 1999, MIHA has annually surveyed approximately 3,500 women giving birth in California during February through May, with response rates of 70% or higher; African American women are oversampled. Women in the weighted MIHA samples appear similar to all eligible California mothers delivering during the survey period. The MIHA survey is modeled on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey. PRAMS is an ongoing, population-based survey among women who recently delivered a live-born infant. PRAMS surveys are currently administered by 37 states, New York City, and one tribal-state partnership in South Dakota. Each state surveys 1,200-3,600 women annually at approximately 2-6 months after delivery. Both MIHA and PRAMS draw stratified random samples from statewide birth certificates, use mail questionnaires with telephone follow-up to non-responders, and apply state-specific statistical weights to account for sampling design (including non-coverage, for PRAMS) and non-response. Both systems collect a wide range of information about maternal health status, health behavior, knowledge, and experiences before, during and shortly after pregnancy. This data can be used to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems, monitor changes in health status, and measure progress toward goals to improve the health of mothers and infants. The value of PRAMS and MIHA to date has been limited by the absence of national estimates. . Even when conducting analyses of multi-state data, the results are not weighted to be national estimates, only the distribution of each state's individual estimates. Analytic challenges exist in producing national estimates from existing data since there are large differences in some PRAMS-measured behaviors between existing PRAMS states and compared to California;. In addition no data exists on how alike or unlike states not participating in these surveys are compared to participating states. The most feasible way to determine national or "near national" estimates it to develop joint estimates of key MCH indicators using PRAMS and MIHA data. Doing so would allow calculation of estimates representing 87% of U.S. births. These indicators can be used to inform maternal and child health programs and policies at the national level. Thus, three important activities shall be required: (1) Provide expert guidance and technical oversight to the identification of key MCH indicators from MIHA that would be suitable for generating near national estimates to assess national recommendations, treatment guidelines, or other national policy or interventions; (2) Collaborate on determining proper methods and analysis of selected indicators; (3) Contribute to three Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) on selected indicators. The vendor shall provide all labor, materials, and equipment required to complete the tasks outlined below. The vendor shall be required to work in collaboration with the CDC and partners and to complete the desired tasks. CDC PRAMS staff will assist with the data management of the pooled PRAMS sample and create variables needed for analysis. CDC will provide the vendor with a data set containing data from all participating states and the variables needed for analysis. The vendor shall perform the following tasks: (1) Participate in kick-off meeting via conference call with CDC PRAMS staff and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) staff to discuss the scope of work, frequency and method of communication, roles and responsibilities, etc.; (2) Collaborate with CDC PRAMS staff on all aspects of the project; (3) Examine the literature and MIHA survey questions to identify those that are most comparable to the PRAMS survey questions, could provide data to generate national estimates for maternal and child health indicators, and could be used to assess national recommendations, treatment guidelines, or other national policy or interventions; (4) In collaboration with CDPH MCAH and CDC PRAMS staff select 3 key indicators, study design and analysis; (5) Travel to Atlanta with one collaborator from CDPH MCAH to meet with CDC PRAMS staff to provide expert consultation on the best way to analyze, code, present survey data to ensure data generated are most comparable, and jointly plan the proposed reports; (6) Use SAS/SUDAAN statistical programming to calculate the prevalence of MIHA indicator #1 by selected socio-demographic factors; summarize these results in tables; (7) In collaboration with staff at CDC PRAMS project and CDPH MCAH staff generate estimates of PRAMS indicator #1 by selected socio-demographic factors, review preliminary findings and determine next course of action (i.e. run additional analyses, proceed with reporting findings, etc.); (8) In collaboration with CDC PRAMS staff and CDPH MCAH staff produce a final MMWR summarizing all findings and recommendations based on the results for indicator #1; includes preparing draft, submitting to clearance, responding to reviewer comments, etc.; (9) Use SAS/SUDAAN statistical programming to calculate the prevalence of MIHA indicator #2 by selected socio-demographic factors; summarize these results in tables; (10) In collaboration with CDC PRAMS staff and CDPH MCAH staff generate estimates of PRAMS indicator #2 by selected socio-demographic factors, review preliminary findings and determine next course of action (i.e. run additional analyses, proceed with reporting findings, etc.); (11) In collaboration with CDC PRAMS staff and CDPH MCAH staff produce a final MMWR summarizing all findings and recommendations based on the results for indicator #2; includes preparing draft, submitting to clearance, responding to reviewer comments, etc.; (12) Use SAS/SUDAAN statistical programming to calculate the prevalence of MIHA indicator #3 by selected socio-demographic factors; summarize these results in tables; (13) In collaboration with CDC PRAMS staff and CDPH MCAH staff generate estimates of PRAMS indicator #3 by selected socio-demographic factors, review preliminary findings and determine next course of action (i.e. run additional analyses, proceed with reporting findings, etc.); (14) In collaboration with CDC PRAMS staff and CDPH MCAH staff to produce a final MMWR summarizing all findings and recommendations based on the results for indicator #3. This award will be made pursuant to FAR 6.302(a)(2), "when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source, or, for DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard, from only one or a limited number of responsible sources, and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, full and open competition need not be provided for." The CDC has identified the Regents of the University of California, located at 3333 California Street, Suite 315, Box 0962, San Francisco, CA 94143, as the sole source to provide the requirement. The period of performance of the contract is 24 months after contract award. However, responsible sources who believe they can provide the required services may submit a written capability statement, via e-mail to Dyad Searcy at fzj1@cdc.gov and Teri Routh-Murphy at tnr3@cdc.gov no later than 15 days from the published date of this announcement, July 16, 2009. All responses are limited to 5 pages, single spaced, 12 font, Times Roman. The cover letter is not includes in the 5 page limit, however should be included in the body of the email response. Telephone inquiries will be considered non-responsive.