The Veteran s Administration (VA) Office of Research and Development, Regional Procurement Office East in Pittsburgh, PA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Davis Research, LLC., based in Calabasas, CA on behalf of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System located in Seattle, WA. The requirement is to provide research assistance for planned VA medical studies. The planned studies focus on multimodal surveys for service directed project titled Gender Affirming surgeries for transgender and gender diverse Veterans . The requirement is to conduct multimodal surveys of Veterans, including one on maternity care (conducted by the VA Office of Women s Health) and one on complementary and integrative care (conducted by the VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation). Scope: The VA investigators will provide contact information (first name, last name, address, all emails, all phone numbers, and a unique study identifier) for potential Veteran participants so that the vendor invites them to participate in a single survey. VA investigators will identify potential participants based primarily on having a gender identity dysphoria diagnosis, possibly with the addition of other algorithms (e.g., use of masculinizing/feminizing hormones). VA investigators will provide the information to the vendor via an intranet SharePoint. Upon receiving the data, the vendor shall be the point of contact to perform the survey and the information will be hosted at an internet website. The collected data from the potential vendor shall be stored in vendor servers, which will require encryption, be physically locked and secured to a desk and follow any other VA security measure for secure information. The vendor shall conduct a survey with up to 14,000 Veterans via multimodal forms of contact. Multimodal forms of contact will be: Mailing (Respondents can complete via web OR call in on 800#) E-mail (Respondents can complete via web or call in on 800#) Text (Respondents can complete online via link or call in on 800#) Phone (the vendor will call non-responders and offer them the opportunity to complete the survey over the phone) Unique study identifier The survey length is expected to be 15 to 20 minutes online. This will be translated into 25 to 30 minutes in length if completed over the telephone. The vendor shall meet/exceed the following project requirements: ** Vendor shall have at least 3 years of experience conducting multi-modal surveys for multiple VA projects. ** Vendor shall have at least 3 years of experience setting up and managing secure texting for multimodal VA surveys. ** Vendor shall have at least 3 years of experience training staff for multi-modal secure surveys. ** Vendor staff shall be trained on the use of the Veterans Crisis Line and employ an emergency protocol if necessary. ** Vendor shall be able to launch survey within two months of contract execution. ** Vendor shall be willing to work in tandem with the investigators (and their team) to complete phone interviews. ** Vendor shall have a call center available to make calls in the evenings and on weekends (non-business hours). ** Vendor shall provide reports of recruitment progress and on a regular (at least two times per month) basis. ** Vendor shall be able to host web survey via a VA domain that is mobile-friendly and 508 compliant. The vendor will be supplied with contact information for 12,000 to 14,000 Veterans at the beginning of the contract period via a secure method, with contact information for an additional 500-1000 Veterans over the subsequent 18 months (supplied once every 6 months; up to 3 times total). Tasks: The specific tasks that shall be part of this SOW: Task 1 Survey Programming Program survey for web and telephone options. Web will be mobile device friendly programming. Survey will be provided by study. Task 2 Training of staff and soft launch Vendor shall train staff in conducting the survey via telephone Task 3 Mail survey pre-notifications to Veterans Print, prepare and mail pre-notifications to all sampled individuals as described (n = 12,000-14,000). The vendor shall mail to all potential Respondents a letter (on VA letterhead) to identify the research opportunity and that they may opt out of participation by calling a telephone number. They will also be provided with a method to complete the survey online or call into an 800# to complete via the telephone. Task 4 Email and text follow-up to non-responders Within 10 days of the initial mailing, text and e-mail communication shall be sent to all respondents with a valid cell phone numbers (expected to be 90%) and/or e-mail address (expected to be 60-70%) with options to complete the survey online or via an 800# call-in number. Two reminder e-mails and/or texts will be sent 3 to 4 days apart for all non-responders during the process. As soon as the Veteran completes the survey, the system will automatically stop sending reminder e-mails. Task 5 Follow-up mailing to non-responders Print, prepare and mail follow-up mailing to all sampled individuals as described (n = approximately 10,200 to 12,200). 10 to 12 days after the initial mailing, a duplicate mailing will be sent to all non-respondents. Task 6 Telephone follow-up A week after the second mailing, the vendor shall make up to 3 telephone calls to all non-responders. The vendor shall encourage the Veteran to complete the survey online or over the telephone. Interviewers shall have the ability to e-mail or text the survey link from their workstation. If respondents request to have consent and survey administered over the telephone, the vendor shall comply, however the goal will be to have respondents complete the survey via the web. Task 7 Telephone survey completion and data entry The vendor shall call all non-responders after the mailings, emails, and texts reminders to conduct the survey via telephone. Approximately 600 incoming & outgoing telephone surveys will be completed. Enter data as the surveys are being conducted by telephone. Vendor shall utilize full disk encryption and a FIPS 140-2 Encryption (or equivalent) with the Windows Server for data entry. Vendor shall work in tandem with the investigators and study team to complete telephone surveys. Task 8 Sending e-mails and texts to potential participants Send secure e-mails and text to potential Veteran participants with a link to complete the survey. Task 9 Data and generating reports The vendor shall provide the VA with preliminary, and then final data files and disposition files. Provide regular (2 times per month) disposition/ response reports and marginals upon request (and associated project management services). Deliverables. Delivery Date Deliverables Y1Q1 3 month period after date of executed contract Programming survey for web and telephone options Sample Processing Set up 800# for incoming interviews, opt outs, and questions Y1Q1 3 month period after date of executed contract Onsite training Y1Q1-Y2Q3 to be provided as requested Print, prepare and mail invitation letter to all sampled individuals as described Print, prepare and mail follow-up mailing to non-responders as described Incoming & outgoing telephone survey completes Send e-mails / Reminders / Text surveys Provide data files, disposition reports, and project management services Y1Q2 Y1Q4 Initial contact and follow-up with participants from refreshed sample (provided by VA investigators) as described above Y2Q1 Initial contact and follow-up with participants from refreshed sample (provided by VA investigators) as described above Y2Q3 Initial contact and follow-up with participants from refreshed sample (provided by VA investigators) as described above Y2Q4 Provide final data files and disposition files The requirement will take place at a VA facility in Seattle, WA. The sole source is pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, however; any responsible source who believes it is capable of meeting/exceeding the requirement may submit a capability statement and supporting documentation to the contracting office no later than Monday, January 24, 2021, (10:00 AM, EST). Interest/capability statements may be sent to Michael Haydo at
contact@example.gov. No telephone responses will be accepted. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.
