SS-NCI-130125-HN

Notice Number: SS-NCI-130125-HN Issued By: National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Acquisitions (OA) http://www.nci.nih.gov or http://rcb.cancer.gov/rcb-internet/ Key Dates: Capability Statement Due Date: August 30, 2013 by 4:00 PM EST This Small Business Sources Sought Notice (SBSS) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify qualified small business concerns including 8(a), HUBZone or Service-Disabled Veteran-owned business concerns that are interested in and capable of performing the work described herein. The NCI does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses received nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This requirement is assigned North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541990 with a size standard of $14 million is being considered As a result of this Sources Sought Notice, the NCI may issue a Request for Quotation (RFQ) through FedBizOpps. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against NCI shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or the NCI's use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. The Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) has a long history of developing and running major cohort studies, and many of these form the backbone of the research portfolio in the division. Existing cohorts, including but not limited to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Prostate, Lung, Cancer, and Ovarian (PLCO) and United States Radiologic Technologist (USRT) have been extremely productive and have generated a wealth of information about potential cancer risk factors and biological markers. In the next decade, these cohorts will reach the end of their natural lifetime due to the length of time since the baseline questionnaire, the average age of the participants, and the depletion of biological samples. There is the need, therefore, to start planning now for the next generation of cohorts that will be able to continue to address current and future hypotheses about the etiology of cancer. DCEG defined a prerequisite set of essential and desirable criteria for a new cohort biobank. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) were identified by DCEG as a potential setting for a successful new cohort. The overarching objective of this requirement is to build a new prospective multi-center adult cohort study set with rich exposure information and accurate outcome information that will be used as a division-wide resource to investigate novel hypotheses about the etiology of cancer by combining questionnaire data, medical records, tumor tissue and serial biospecimens. However, the participation rates and feasibility of collecting information and biospecimens from members of a HMO is unknown. Therefore, a small study is required to assess recruitment and determine the feasibility of collecting biospecimens and additional data within the existing infrastructure of a HMO. The specific aims of the feasibility study are to: 1. Estimate the percent participation of eligible HMO members a. Compare participation rates from mailed vs. email invitation letters. b. Compare demographic and other available characteristics of HMO members who participate vs. do not agree to participate 2. Estimate the percent of blood draws completed among enrolled subjects 3. Estimate the time between enrollment and blood draw among enrolled subjects The contractor shall: 1. Assist in the development of the study protocol, recruitment materials, and data forms that may be required for various approvals and clearances, such as the DCEG's Senior Advisory Group (SAG), the DCEG's Technical Evaluation of Protocol Committee (TEP), the DCEG's Technical Evaluation of Questionnaires Committee (TEQ), Institutional Review Boards, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 2. Obtain IRB approval from their organization. 3. Create and run a program to identify eligible members and randomly select 1000 individuals in strata determined by NCI. 4. Create unique study IDs for each eligible participant. Mail packet containing the Invitation/Cover Letter, Information and Consent Form (2 copies), questionnaire and self-addressed return envelope to 500 individuals 5. Send invitation letters via email to 500 individuals. Send one reminder email to those who did not respond to the invitation email. 6. Mail questionnaire and consent form to email individuals who agree to participate 7. Receipt the returned consent forms and completed questionnaires within 1 week of return. De-identify the questionnaires, add the unique ID and send to NCI for manual review. 8. Flag individuals who agree to participate in the electronic record system as active participants and create an order for a research blood draw in preparation for when they present at the lab. 9. Set up and use the IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition) call system to contact those who did not respond to the invitation to participate. The first reminder should be made no earlier than three weeks from the initial mailing date. Up to three IVR reminders should be made. 10. Set up and use the IVR to remind individuals who decided to participate about blood draw every 30 days for 3 months. 11. Oversee the collection, processing, shipping and storage of blood collected from study participants and link with study IDs. 12. Determine response rates and report on differences between participants and non-participants (e.g. age, sex etc.). 13. Arrange for communications and meetings as needed between the NCI research investigators, other NCI contractors, collaborating institutions, and/or agents for those whose cooperation or approval is necessary 14. Provide additional data from medical records of participants for research purposes Period of performance: 12 months from the date of award. How to Submit a Response: 1. Page Limitations: Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement not to exceed 10 single sided pages including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc. (single spaced, 12 point font minimum) that clearly details the ability to perform the requirements of the notice described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Responses should include a minimum of a two pages demonstrating experience over the past two years meeting the requirements of this notice. 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 (preferable 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. 2. Due Date: Capability statements are due no later than 4:00 PM EST on August 30, 2013. 3. Delivery Point: All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow the NCI to determine if it can meet the unique specifications described herein. Written responses can be emailed to Huy Nguyen, Contract Specialist at anh-huy.nguyen@nih.gov or mailed to the address located under Point of Contact. All questions must be in writing and can be faxed to (240) 276-5401 or emailed. A determination by the Government not to compete this 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. In order to receive an award, contractors must have valid registration and certification in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) www.ccr.gov and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA), http://orca.bpn.gov. No collect calls will be accepted. Please reference number SS-NCI-130125-HN on all correspondence. 4. 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, an RFQ may be published on FedBizOpps. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation(s). Point of Contact: Inquiries concerning this Notice may be direct to: Huy Nguyen 9609 Medical Center Dr, Room 1E154 Bethesda, MD 20892-9705 anh-huy.nguyen@nih.gov