Regional Procurement Office (RPO) - East intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Forrest Levin (DBA: Evergreen Design), 311 Boston Street, Guilford, CT, 06437-2808, for project management and data programming services for the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) team. Mr. Levin is a highly experienced programmer and systems engineer and has extensive experience with the VA electronic medical record system and the VACS, specifically. He substantially facilitates all systematic data pulls from the VA system and supports and advises members of our group on a wide variety of data management techniques. Because he has worked so extensively with VA data, he is also an expert at data handling and manipulation of very large data files, common to the VACS team s work. He works closely with Drs. Justice, Tate, Brandt and other members of the programming and statistical staff to ensure maximal data integrity and security. STATEMENT OF WORK A. GENERAL INFORMATION Title of Project: VACS Data Project Background: Mr. Forrest Levin has worked with the VACS team on a number of projects for the past 14 years. This project involves data programming on large datasets for the VACS group. Scope of Work: Mr. Levin is a highly experienced programmer and systems engineer and has extensive experience with the VA electronic medical record system. He substantially facilitates all systematic data pulls from the VA system and supports and advises members of our group on a wide variety of data management techniques. Because he has worked so extensively with VA data, he is also an expert at data handling and manipulation of very large data files, common to our work. He works closely with Drs. Justice, Tate, Brandt and other members of the programming and statistical staff to ensure maximal data integrity and security. Period of Performance: The period of performance (POP) shall be 12 months. The POP will begin with the latter: the date of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval or the date of award. Type of Contract: Firm Fixed Price Place of Performance: The Contractor shall support this effort at the VA Connecticut Medical Center located at 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516 B. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1. The contractor will present a plan for project organization and staffing that demonstrates a knowledge of effective organizational structure, management, and how best to utilize key and other personnel. The contractor will have the personnel, equipment, material, supplies, forms, and systems of computer programs to manage this study and process the data collected for this study, unless otherwise stated in a specific contract. C. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES Task 1: Regular Communication/Meetings and Recording Decisions The contractor and VACS will have an initial meeting within 2 weeks of the contract award to discuss and review the activities of the contract. Topics will include the overall project management plan and schedule. A draft agenda will be prepared by the contractor and approved by the VACS group 1 week before the meeting. This meeting will be held in the New Haven, CT area. The contractor must communicate weekly with the VACS group or the VACS designees within VA offices in Washington, DC. At the discretion of the VACS group, the weekly communications will take place in person or over the telephone. The contractor will brief the VACS group and/or designees and survey research staff as to the status of the project, quality control findings, description of any problems anticipated or encountered and their resolution or non-resolution, and milestones obtained or missed. The contractor will keep a log of decisions made during the course of the study and provide the VACS group with an updated log of any new decisions made following the weekly meeting within 7 business days following each meeting. After review of the decision log, the VACS group will provide any necessary corrections to the decision log, which then will be revised. Deliverable 1 Attend weekly meetings with the VACS group and study team Task 2: Project Plan and Procedures The contractor will develop an initial project plan that will describe the procedures for all systemic data pulls and management techniques Recommendations by the contractor for changes in the approved procedures will be submitted to the VACS staff. Any recommended changes will be incorporated into the project plans only with the written approval of the VA. Deliverable 2 Develop a project plan and procedures and update to within 12 months of contract award Task 3: Submit a Confidentiality Plan and Data Security Procedures Data Security The contractor will ensure the highest degree of security to protect personal and confidential data of Veterans from intentional or unintentional release, loss, or destruction. Prior to receipt of any data files from the VA, the contractor will submit a confidentiality plan and data security procedures for approval by the VACS group and revise it per the VACS instructions. Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. Data will be transferred, retained, utilized, and destroyed in accordance with VA and VHA policy including the following: VA Handbook 5011/5, Chapter 4 (Alternative Workplace Arrangements); VA Directive and Handbook 6500, Information Security Program; VA Directive and Handbook 6502, Privacy Program; and VHA Directive 1605, VHA Handbook 1605.1 and 1605.2. Every effort must be made to avoid inadvertent breaches of confidentiality. For example, Veterans names or other personal identifiers should only appear on page one of mailed letters. Deliverable 3 Submit a confidentiality plan and data security procedures E. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and deliverables will occur at the place of delivery designated by the VACS group. Final approval and acceptance of documentation required herein shall be by letter of approval and acceptance by the VACS group. The Contractor shall not construe any letter of acknowledgment of receipt of material as a waiver of review, or as an acknowledgment that the material is in conformance with this SOW. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. Any responsible sources who wish to identify their interest and capability to provide services that is compatible must notify this Contracting Officer at
contact@example.gov NLT Tuesday, November 23, 2021, by 11:59 AM EST. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Upon receipt of the interested parties' notification, the Contracting Officer will determine whether to conduct a competitive procurement or proceed with sole source negotiations.
