SEER Training Website Technical Support, New Data Item Feasibility, and Advanced Topics for Cancer Registrars Workshop

Contracting Office Address: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 1E640, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA Description: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Surveillance Research Program (SRP), plans to procure on a sole source basis technical support services for the SEER Training Website; feasibility testing of proposed new data items including cancer registrar feedback; and support for the 2020 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Workshop held in June 2020. This acquisition will be processed in accordance with simplified acquisition procedures as stated in FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1) and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6. The North American Industry Classification System code is 813920 and the business size standard is $16.5M. Only one (1) award will be made as a result of this solicitation. This will be awarded as a firm fixed price type contract. The Period of Performance is estimated to be twelve (12) months from the effective date stated in the award. The DCCPS both generates new knowledge and seeks to ensure that the products of cancer control research are effectively applied in all segments of the population. Through innovative research initiatives, leadership, and the synthesis of knowledge and its dissemination, we are building this program to be the nation's model for cancer control science. The SRP provides national leadership in the science of cancer surveillance as well as analytical tools and methodological expertise in collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating reliable population-based cancer statistics. This surveillance infrastructure benefits the public, policymakers, and scientists in understanding changes in cancer incidence and outcomes in all segments of the US population over time. 1.0 BACKGROUND The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program is one of the premier cancer surveillance programs in the world currently composed of population-based cancer registries covering 48% of the total US population. The information collected on every cancer patient in SEER coverage areas includes demographics, a description of the cancer, treatment, and patient follow-up including cause of death for deceased patients. Periodic reports on various aspects of the cancer burden on the population including incidence, survival, treatment, and mortality using the SEER database are made available to the general research community and the public and are routinely cited in the medical literature and the media. Cancer registrars are data information specialists who capture a complete history, diagnosis, treatment, and health status for every cancer patient in the U.S. The data provide essential information to researchers, healthcare providers, and public health officials to better monitor and advance cancer treatments, conduct research, and improve cancer prevention and screening programs. Registrars work closely with physicians, administrators, researchers, and healthcare planners to provide support for cancer program development, ensure compliance of reporting standards, and serve as a valuable resource for cancer information with the ultimate goal of preventing and controlling cancer. 1.0.1 SEER Training Website The SEER Training Website (STW) is an online training and information platform with content intended to provide web-based training modules for cancer registration and surveillance (https://training.seer.cancer.gov/). The target end user of this site is broadly defined as cancer registrar students and practitioners, allied health students and practitioners, and cancer epidemiology and cancer biology students. This purpose is distinct from that of SEER*Educate, which provides hands-on exercises in a question/answer format focused on basic and advanced training of cancer registrars and offers continuing education credits. In contrast, the STW is a reference resource organized into didactic modules in two major categories: 1) Cancer Registration and Surveillance Modules (CRSM) and 2) Site-Specific Modules (SSM). As the recent updates are the first in over ten years, most of the content is out of date and in need of extensive revisions. The site provides support to improve quality of data captured by the SEER program through education, fulfilling a critical element of the Data Analysis, Quality, and Interpretation Branch (DQAIB) within the Surveillance Research Program (SRP). 1.0.2 New Data Item Field Study Numerous data items are collected and reported to NCI SEER for every cancer case diagnosed in SEER geographic areas. Requests for new data items are frequent. NCI SEER must evaluate the impact of proposed new data items before they are implemented to ensure that the data are available for collection and to assess the burden on the data collection infrastructure. 1.0.3 2022 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals The SEER commitment to quality data requires a commitment to cancer registrar education and training. One of the SEER program goals is to provide training materials and resources to the cancer registry community. Education needs include education for new registrars to increase the cancer registry workforce, continuing education for experienced registrars, and education on emerging or changing concepts. 1.1 OBJECTIVE The purposes of this contract are to provide support to the NCI for: (1) the update and enhancement of the SEER Training Website's (STW) CRSMs and obtaining feedback from CTRs regarding the modified STW content via virtual focus groups (2) field study of proposed new data items, and; (3) the 2022 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals meeting. 2.0 SCOPE 2.0.1 Program needs support for updating the content of the STW. Additionally, Program needs to receive feedback from CTRs in the registry community regarding the modified STW content through a maximum of five virtual focus groups. 2.0.2 Program requires field study of proposed new data items including registrar feedback on proposed coding instructions, ease or difficulty of finding information in medical records and time required to complete the proposed data items. The goals of field study are to ensure the coding instructions are complete/clear, data are available, are of sufficient quality, and that collection does not impose an excessive burden on the data collection infrastructure. 2.0.3 Program requires support for the 2022 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals meeting. The 2022 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Workshop will be a 2-day workshop that will expand registrars knowledge of several important initiatives including histology coding rules, new data items, COVID-19 and cancer, and advanced pathology concepts. Participants will complete specifically assigned cases in SEER*Educate before the workshop. In-depth coding and abstracting training will be based on participants coding of the assigned cases. 3.0 CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS/ AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS The Contractor shall perform the following tasks. 3.1 SEER Training Website 3.1.1 Identify three fully credentialed CTR experts who have experience in revising STW CRSM modules. 3.1.2 Provide management oversight of the contract including, but not limited to, ensuring the three CTRs a) Attend monthly to biweekly one-hour meetings with NCI Program staff via WebEx. b) Review the content of one of the CRSMs listed below of varying lengths and degree of detail. It is expected that the minimum amount of time to review a CRSM will be two hours, and the maximum time will be six hours. Cancer Registration Cancer Registry Operations & Procedures Confidentiality Cancer as a Disease Cancer & Medical Terminology Anatomy and Physiology Coding histology and behavior c) Review and discuss module outline prepared by NCI Program staff with major suggested content changes for the assigned CRSM at one of the meetings noted in 4.1.2.a above d) Based on feedback from NCI Program, submit three drafts and a final version of the assigned CRSM to NCI Program in the form of Microsoft Word documents: i) First draft, ii) Second draft showing revised content, incorporating feedback from the NCI team and another CTR working on the project, iii) Third draft incorporating feedback from roundtable virtual focus group participants, referenced in 4.1.3 and iv) Final draft with source references. e) Review and provide written feedback and edits for first draft of revised content of the assigned CRSM drafted by other CTRs working on the project in the form of a Word document with tracked changes. f) Review module posted on a beta STW site for any content and/or formatting changes that need to be made by STW site administrators. g) Respond by email to questions from NCI Program staff and STW website administrators about final draft of assigned CRSM. 3.1.3 Organize and conduct a maximum of five virtual focus groups including, but not limited to, the following a) Hold one focus group for each of the revised modules (n=3) b) Hold one focus group for a revised site-specific module c) Provide general summary feedback for the site format and content d) Provide separate focus groups summaries for each revised module 3.2 New Data Item Field Study 3.2.1 Conduct new data item field study using specially selected cases made available to registrars via web. Announce study to membership. a) Case collection b) Select study cases to test specific data items c) Announce study to membership d) Assist with assembling panel to test cases and determine preferred answers 3.3 2022 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals 3.3.1 Organize and provide physical and virtual meeting rooms for Day 1 and Day 2 of the workshop at NCRA 2022 Annual Conference being held at the Gaylord, National Harbor, Maryland and online 3.3.2 Post activities related to the 2022 SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Workshop on the conference website and provide updates on the workshop through e-mail blasts 3.3.3 Perform the following registration functions a. Create a registration form b. Create badges for in-person workshop attendees c. Complete data entry of registrants d. Monitor and manage registration capacity e. Manage workshop registration waitlist f. Communicate with waitlist registrants as seats open g. Manage and complete on-site registration on Day 1 and Day 2 3.3.4 Create and display on-site signage at the workshop that lists the location of the workshop and directs workshop participants to the location 3.3.5 Organize and provide audiovisual support and equipment to include microphone, laptop and projector, podium, screens, recording, and all electrical wiring for audiovisual equipment for on-site and virtual participants 3.3.6 Organize training for presenters using virtual platform 3.3.7 Summary of activities for the hybrid in-person/virtual workshop held April 2022. 4.0 TYPE OF ORDER This is a firm fixed price purchase order. 5.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance shall be 12 months from start of contract. 6.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Services shall be performed at the contractor's facilities. Sole Source Justification The tasks outlined in the Statement of Work require that the contractor have access to and interaction with a statistically valid sample of credentialed Cancer Registrars. Further, the Statement of Work requires that all attendees of the SEER Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Workshop be NCRA Annual conference attendees, registered through NCRA. Chartered in 1974, the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) is a non-profit organization that represents more than 6,000 cancer registry professionals and Certified Tumor Registrars (CTR). Its mission is to serve as the premier education, credentialing, and advocacy resource for cancer data professionals. NCRA is the only national membership organization for cancer registrars and cancer data professionals. NCRA is the only cancer registrar credentialing organization. In addition, NCRA is the host of the NCRA Annual Conference. If a contract award was made to any other vendor, there would be unacceptable delays and cost increases in fulfilling the requirements. This notice is not a request for competitive quotation. However, if any interested party, especially small businesses, believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. The statement of capabilities and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. Responses must be received in the contracting office by 4:30 PM ET, August 20, 2021. All responses and questions must be in writing and emailed to Angela Moore, Contracting Officer via electronic mail at Angela.Moore2@nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No collect calls will be accepted. In order to receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have valid, current Entity Record, including current Representations and Certifications, in the System for Award Management (SAM) through SAM.gov. Reference 75N91021Q00124 on all correspondence.