R -- Support Services for Two National Information Clearinghouses, NIAMS, NIH

THIS IS A REISSUANCE OF THE SAME SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT (REFERENCE NUMBER NHLBI-AR-08-01) THAT WAS ISSUED ON NOVEMBER 8, 2006. THE CLASSIFICATION CODE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO "R - PROFESSIONAL, ADMINISTRATIVE, AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES" AND THE RESPONSE DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED FROM THE PREVIOUS NOTICE. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), on behalf of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and potential technical capability of small business organizations including 8(a), HubZone, and Service Disabled Veterans as defined by the Small Business Act. The applicable NAICS code is 561110 and the size standard is $6.5 million. Sources are sought that possess the capability to provide support services for the NIAMS. This synopsis has been prepared to test the marketplace and determine if it is feasible to conduct this acquisition as a small business set-aside. The work to be performed is an ongoing requirement. The new contract is anticipated to be awarded on January 15, 2008 for a period of five years. The NIAMS oversees the operations of two national information clearinghouses. In dealing with the public and other clearinghouse users, each of the two Congressionally authorized national information clearinghouses has a separate and unique identity. The two clearinghouses are the NIAMS Information Clearinghouse (NIC) and the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases~National Resource Center (NRC). The nature of the support services for these clearinghouses is to provide public inquiry response, materials development, management and dissemination, database development, meeting and exhibit support, and communications planning and outreach in support of the NIAMS mission to disseminate information. Specific services required under this contract would include: response to information requests; materials development; graphics; printing and reproduction; development and maintenance of reference files and database; Web site support; materials management and inventory control; communications research and evaluation; outreach and promotion, including social marketing; exhibit and meeting support; patient liaison services; media monitoring and outreach; project management, planning, and reporting; and transition planning and closeout. Interested small business firms that are classified under NAICS code 561110 should furnish capability information addressing the following: (a) the status of the organization as a small business, (b) the experience of the organization in performing other similar contract programs, (c) the ability of the organization to effectively manage subcontracts, if it cannot provide all of the anticipated services in-house, and maintain complete and effective labor, technical, and management control of the program, (d) the ability of the organization to provide appropriate project management and planning processes, including staffing, scheduling, reporting, and cost control; ability and experience of the organization to effectively transition at the start and end of similar contracts and to adapt quickly to different workload levels over time, (e) the ability of the organization to provide high-quality written, oral, and electronic responses to inquiries and information about diseases of the muscles, bones, joints, and skin that is scientifically accurate for a variety of audiences, (f) the ability of the organization to maintain and supplement reference databases and mailing lists, (g) the ability of the organization to develop and revise materials, including publications, fact sheets, information packets, articles, press releases, and visual aids in different formats, languages, and language levels in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, (h) the ability of the organization to provide high-quality graphic design services, (i) the ability of the organization to manage materials, including storage, distribution, tracking, and inventory, (j) the ability of the organization to provide outreach and promotion services to increase public and professional awareness of NIAMS and NIH initiatives; organizations should address social marketing and communications planning, including a discussion of communications research and evaluation, and Web site, exhibit, and event support, (k) the ability of the organization to conduct media monitoring and outreach, (l) the ability of the organization to provide IT support services, including programming and database development, (m) the ability of the organization to manage a patient liaison program focused on minorities, which includes translation, navigating the NIH clinical research departments, and acting as an escort for diverse patients visit to the NIH campus, (n) the ability of the organization to arrange and support professional meetings in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, including consideration of travel and other meeting-related tasks and expenses, (o) the ability of the organization to meet with NIAMS staff at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland with as little as two hours advance notice. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and none is available. An original and two copies of the capability statement should be submitted to: Office of Acquisitions, DERA, NHLBI, Attention: Lynn Furtaw, Contracting Officer, 6701 Rockledge Drive, RKL2/Room 6134, MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902. (Use 20817 for express mail.)