International Scientist to Scientist Exchange Program

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE Notice Number: HHS-NIH-NCI-SS-TSB-47003-94 Title: International Scientist to Scientist Exchange Program This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. This National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) requirement is for the renewal of Contract Number HHSN261200900032C with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which was awarded on a sole-source basis for a five-year period of performance. (Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the current contract with the UICC should be directed to Suzy Milliard at millars@mail.nih.gov.) A determination not to compete this requirement is solely at the discretion of the Government. Interested parties are encouraged to review this Notice and draft Statement of Work to familiarize themselves with the requirements of this project, and submit Capability Statement as specified below. Background The award of this contract will enable the Government to continue to meet the directives mandated by Congress to the NCI in the Health Extension Act, 413(b) (9) of 1971 (and as amended in 1974, 1978, 1980, 1985, and 1988). Contract activities with the UICC are a major segment of the NCI International Program. The proposed project is of direct benefit to the NCI since the contract provides a mechanism for cancer researchers in different countries who are working on common problems to join forces in one location for a brief period of time in order to share research techniques, perform collaborative experiments, and discuss the best way to overcome problems impeding the progress of research in their area. Without this mechanism, the lag between the initial important new research result and its transmission to other researchers and clinicians, who can apply that result to their own research or to the treatment of patients will be unacceptably lengthy, and will impede the ultimate movement of research results from the laboratory to the patient. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of this project is to provide support activities for an International Scientist-to Scientist Exchange Program in cancer research. The principal function is to facilitate and promote the direct rapid transfer of cancer research information to investigators in different countries working in the same area of cancer research. Under this program, qualified investigators from any country may visit an investigator at a research institute in another country for a period of approximately one month. Project requirements Specific Tasks 1. Maintain and update the list of disciplines of basic, clinical, and behavioral cancer research or clinical training for which support may be provided by the International Cancer Research Technology Transfer (ICRETT) Program; 2. Review and update on an ongoing basis the criteria against which applications for funding may be evaluated; 3. Maintain a ranking system of 1 (= best) to 3 (= worst), in 0.25 increments, for funding decisions. Applicants whose projects receive average scores of 1.75 or better (i.e., a lower number) are approved without delay. Those with average scores equal to or greater than 2.5 are rejected without delay. Those with scores between 1.76 and 2.4 are referred to the Principal Investigator for final decision. These numerical criteria may be changed depending on the availability of funds. 4. Maintain a panel of experts (reviewers) to review applications in accordance with the criteria referred to in Task 2 above. The composition of the panel shall be such that an authoritative evaluation can be made in any of the areas of cancer research or clinical training mentioned in Task 1 above. The reviewers list should be updated continually. 5. On an ongoing basis, review, update, and publish in traditional format and on the UICC website, the application material, including the application form, General Conditions, Guidelines on How to Complete an Application, as well as promotional flyers and other relevant material. 6. Review and update as needed the schedule and methods for publicizing the ICRETT Program and for distributing descriptive materials 7. Review, update, and develop administrative procedures for distributing application forms, receiving applications on a continuous basis, registering them, transmitting each application to at least two appropriate reviewers, receiving the reviewers' evaluations and ranking marks, providing funds to successful applicants, and notifying applicants, host supervisors, and reviewers of the outcome of an application. 8. Maintain an application processing timetable from the date of receipt by the contractor of complete applications that aims to: a) complete the review process within 40 days; b) communicate the funding decision within 45 days to candidates scoring 1.75 or better, and within 60 days to those with scores in the 1.76 to 2.4 range; c) communicate negative funding decisions to candidates within 60 days. 9. Maintain a procedure for transferring funds to successful applicants. 10. Ensure that, within 30 days of the end of a fellowship period, awardees submit an end of project report to the contractor on the prescribed form (hardcopy or electronic format) which should not exceed two pages. Awardees must also submit a copy of this report to the host supervisor for a performance assessment (on the usual 1-3 scale). A copy of the report and the host assessment is then sent to one of the original reviewers of the application for an "anticipated impact assessment." 11. At the end of the 1st year of the contract, and at annual intervals thereafter, review the procedures specified above and provide suggestions to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Contracting Officer's Representative for their improvement 12. The Contractor shall observe the following special provisions when constituting the Panel of Reviewers for the ICRETT Program: a) The Principal Investigator may appoint additional reviewers on an ad hoc basis should special expertise be required. b) A reviewer shall not be assigned to evaluate an application from an applicant to whom he might have an obvious bias. c) A reviewer shall not be assigned an application from an individual from the same institution or organization as the reviewer. Travel for the ICRETT Advisory Group shall be kept to the minimum level commensurate with the satisfactory implementation of the Program. Wherever possible, correspondence entailed by the administration, reviewing, and ranking of applications shall be by telecommunication or postal services. Anticipated period for performance It is estimated the period of performance of this contract will be for 5 years, from September 30, 2014 - September 29, 2019. Other Important considerations Draft Statement of Work: A copy of the draft Statement of Work (SOW), which is subject to revisions, may be accessed on the NCI Office of Acquisitions Website at URL: http://rcb.nci.nih.gov/ once there, click on Current Requests for Proposals. NAICS Code and Size Standard: In the event an RFP is issued, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 813920 with a size standard of $14 million is being considered. Capability statement/Information sought Tailored Capability Statements shall demonstrate a clear understanding of all tasks specified in the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW). Tailored Capability Statements for this requirement shall address the following eight (8) areas: 1. The organization's technical understanding/approach to meeting the objectives of the attached draft Statement of Work. 2. The organizational commitment to the project. 3. Composition and qualifications of the proposed staff. 4. Availability of resources, equipment and facilities required in the successful performance of the tasked stated in the draft SOW. 5. Organization and the principal investigator must have a respected international reputation in the field of cancer research. 6. Membership in a broad of governmental and private institutions/organizations engaged in all aspects of cancer research. 7. The organization must be an apolitical international organization or agency which is not affiliated with any specific country and which has a clear defined objective in the area of cancer research. 8. Organization's extensive experience in the management of international fellowship programs. Information Submission Instructions Page Limitations: Interested organizations should submit one copy of their capability statement, not to exceed 10 total single-spaced pages using an 11-point font size at a minimum, that clearly details the ability to perform and that addresses the specific requirements described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern's name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by NIH personnel and will be held in a confidential manner. Number of Copies: All capability Statement sent in response to this SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to C. Timothy Crilley, Contracting Officer, at tcrilley@mail.nih.gov and Contract Specialist, Alexis Hudak, at hudakad@mail.nih.gov in MS Word, WordPerfect or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The e-mail subject line must specify HHS-NIH-NCI-SS-TSB-47003-94. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. Common Cut-Off Date and Time Electronically submitted tailored capability statements are due no later than 2:00PM (Eastern Prevailing Time) Friday March 28, 2014. CAPABILITY STATEMENTS RECEIVED AFTER THIS DATE AND TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Disclaimer and Important Notes This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in 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 to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents 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).