Support Services for Developing and Promoting Methods and Standards for Cancer Registry Operations and Surveillance Data

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Surveillance Research Program (SRP), plans to procure, on a sole source basis, support services for developing and promoting methods and standards for cancer registry operations and surveillance data from North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR); 2050 W. Iles Ave., Suite A; Springfield, IL 62704 USA. The response close date of this notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.203(a). This acquisition will be conducted under the authority of 41 United States Code (U.S.C.)253(c)(1) as set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1 - Only one responsible source, in accordance with FAR 16.5'Indefinite -Delivery Contracts. 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 an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contract. The ordering period of the IDIQ contract will be sixty (60) months from date of award. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. The Surveillance Research Program (SRP) directs the collection and analysis of pertinent data in order to answer key questions about cancer incidence, morbidity, mortality, and cancer-related health status in diverse regions and populations in the United States. As part of its mission, SRP manages the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, an integrated, comprehensive, multiple population-based reporting system. The SRP also provides leadership in the interpretation of cancer statistics and in developing statistical methodologies appropriate for analyzing trends and evaluating the impact of cancer control interventions as well as geographic, social, behavioral, genetic, and health care delivery factors on the cancer burden. The objective of this five (5) year contract is to support training/educational workshops and working groups to disseminate technical assistance and improve effectiveness of registry operations, trans-agency investigations of data comparability and quality, publication of pooled data based on statistical analyses and quality control field studies, and development of quantitative methods and metrics that assess data quality and benchmarks for pooling. Many federal and private agencies are involved in the national cancer surveillance effort. The need to coordinate cancer registration programs was recognized more than three (3) decades ago through creation of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR). The NAACCR is a collaborative umbrella organization of professionals. It is supported by the central cancer registries in the United States and Canada, agencies of the federal government involved in cancer surveillance, professional societies, and private agencies. A major NAACCR goal is to encourage and work towards increased use of cancer registry data and improve data quality. Since 1993, regional, state and provincial registries with statutory authority to collect data on cancer patients voluntarily submit their non-identified data to NAACCR for evaluation and publication. In addition, subsequent to Memorandums of Understanding established in February 2000, and updated in April 2005, the NCI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have continued processes in place for coordination of their respective programs related to cancer surveillance, including endorsement of the role of other key partners such as NAACCR in the national cancer surveillance enterprise. Central cancer registries throughout North America have made great strides in their ability to uniformly collect cancer information in a complete, accurate, and timely manner. Many of these advances have occurred as a result of NAACCR activities. The NAACCR mission is to coordinate and encourage the development, enhancement and application of cancer registration techniques in population-based groups, so that quality data will be available for cancer control and epidemiologic research, public health programs, and improved patient care to reduce the burden of cancer. NAACCR promotes established standards for cancer registration; trains and educates cancer registry professionals in cancer registry operations; certifies registries that achieve standards of high quality; aggregates data from population-based registries throughout the U.S. and Canada; and promotes the use of cancer registry data in surveillance, cancer control, and population-based research. This requirement is a continued effort to making the NCI's cancer surveillance program more responsive to the needs of the division, institute, and nation, and more integrated with other partners within the national cancer surveillance enterprise. A Single-award Indefinite Quantity contract is contemplated by FAR 16.504. The following describes the general scope, nature, complexity, and purpose of the services the Government may acquire under a contract during the specified ordering period. The specific requirements will be identified in each Task Order Statement of Work where the Contractor would furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform each Task Order. B. SCOPE The following task areas are divided into sections which provide for the day to day workings of this contract and cover the areas of 1) project management and administrative support; 2) technical committees and workshops support; 3) reports, data use, and special studies support; and 4) registry operations support. TASK AREA 1: PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT The Contractor shall interact on a regular basis with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), in order to report on status of tasks, discuss issues which need to be resolved, and any other contract matters. TASK AREA 2: SUPPORT FOR TECHNICAL COMMITTEES AND WORKSHOPS Steering Committees, Workgroups, and Task Forces Much of the work conducted under the NAACCR umbrella is undertaken within a network of steering committees, work groups and task forces comprised of participants from the NCI, CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, various professional organizations, and the individual central cancer registries in the United States and Canada. The five major steering committees are: Standardization and Registry Development, Research and Data Use, Professional Development, Strategic Alliances, and Communications. The Contractor shall support the NCI Surveillance Research Program (SRP) goals and objectives for standardizing data collection methods, including but not limited to the development of: data items, edits, rules and procedures for data collection, staging activities, implementation guidelines, consolidation rules, new site specific factors and modifications to existing factors, and communicating and coordinating activities with relevant workgroups/committees, the change control board, and cancer surveillance community. B. Training and Workshop Support The Contractor shall organize, manage, conduct training and workshops on technical topics and issues identified through the organization's steering committee and workgroup structure. Training and workshops include but are not limited to statistical methods and approaches for cancer surveillance, registry operations, training/education needs, leadership, and interoperability issues. The Contractor shall organize and run workshops to foster leadership, team building, and work products to address the goals and objectives of the NCI Surveillance Research Program. These would include meetings of the Contractor's leadership, sponsoring member organizations, external experts, Board, and Chairs, including liaisons and steering committees, work groups, and task forces. The Contractor shall build and enhance ties with cancer surveillance organizations worldwide, improve the worldwide availability of good cancer registry-centered surveillance data, strengthen regional cancer surveillance networks, and improve resource sharing among high quality cancer surveillance systems tailored to low resource environments, and ensure comparability and utility of American data in resolving large scale cancer issues and harmonization of data standards.. C. Communications Support The Contractor shall support a variety of methods to communicate with the cancer surveillance community via print media, web-based strategies, and other emerging technologies for the dissemination of critical and relevant information to the cancer surveillance community, population-based cancer registries, and material deemed important by the NCI. TASK AREA 3: REPORTS, DATA USE, AND SPECIAL STUDIES SUPPORT The evolving field of cancer surveillance may lead to the need for special requests for additional investigations which require resources. The Contractor may also be required to actively participate in collaborative efforts that use high quality population-based cancer registry data and prepare technical reports. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, Data Use and Quality, Research Metrics and Methods, and Social and Economic determinants of disease. The Contractor shall support a variety of areas related to Reports, Data Use, and Special Studies, which shall include, but not be limited to: Reports Support The Contractor shall participate in, and provide data for the Annual Report to the Nation (ARN). Data Use Support The Contractor shall provide yearly updates to all Cancer in North America (CiNA) products, on-line query systems, Public Use Files, and research datasets. The Contractor shall facilitate the use of data by investigators for research and public health surveillance and facilitate access to data through secure mechanisms. The Contractor shall provide a NAACCR Metafile Administrator to provide maintenance, support, and dissemination of the NAACCR edits metafiles across all coding and data exchange versions. As directed by the COR, the Contractor shall participate in additional data use efforts determined by the NCI to be relevant to the area of cancer surveillance. Special Studies Support Develop methods and procedures for linkage of confidential registry databases with ecological, epidemiological, and clinical databases and research cohorts. Develop metrics and methods that are useful in measuring completeness, timeliness and quality of data collected by population-based cancer registries. Participate in the development and application of inter-registry de-duplication methods and the identification of multiple primary cancers across jurisdictions. Participate in the development and evaluation of appropriate denominators to support basic cancer surveillance and geographically based research. Participate in the development of methods to efficiently store and transmit cancer surveillance data to stakeholders and researchers. TASK AREA 4: REGISTRY OPERATIONS SUPPORT Guidelines/Standards & Dissemination Support The Contractor shall develop, implement, and disseminate technical procedures, guidelines and standards in cancer registry operations that advance the field toward more consistent, efficient, and effective performance, while safeguarding confidentiality and data security. Methods Support The Contractor shall provide support for studies to refine and promote standards for registry operations methodology, including evaluation and comparability of methods used in central cancer registries to promote and advance best practices related to quality improvement, recommendations processing different types of cancer records, and the use of emerging bioinformatics technologies and data systems.. Geocoder Support The Contractor shall provide support for the deployment, maintenance, and enhancement of the Texas A&M AGGIE (Automated Geospatial Geocoding Interface Environment) Geocoding System. This system is made available to all cancer registries in the US and is a vital component in NCI's cancer surveillance data collection effort. REPORTING REQUIREMENT AND DELIVERABLES: The Contractor shall provide the following as applicable and required for each task order award. All electronic reports submitted shall be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Preliminary Task Order Implementation Plan A plan shall be submitted outlining the proposed work for the first six months of the Task Order due 30 calendar days after the award of the Task Order summarizing planned work and projects for the Task Order. The summary shall include staff and any consultant assignments, estimated level of effort, and general description of the technical approach. Semi-Annual Task Order Planned Work The Contractor shall submit a planned work report covering the Task Order, broken out by the Task Order Statement of Work, 30 calendar days prior to the start of the 6th month of the Task Order award, to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and Contracting Officer summarizing planned work and projects for the next 6 months and estimating future workload. The summaries shall include staff and any consultant assignments, estimated level of effort, and general description of the technical approach. Semi-Annual Task Order Progress Report The Contractor shall submit progress report covering the Task Order, broken out by the Task Order Statement of Work, to the COR and Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days following each six-month period of the Task Order award. The report shall include a description of the activities, broken out in the Task Order award, conducted during the reporting period. The report shall also include: Progress in the performance of the Task Order in accordance with each item of the Statement of Work. A discussion of any problems the Contractor has in maintaining an effective operating program. A list of all current ongoing studies and their status. A list of publications since submission of the last report. Any other points specifically requested by the COR or which the Contractor feels would be of interest Geocoder Security Report Year 1: At minimum, the Contractor shall provide a report of the SOC 2 Type 1 or readiness assessment with no significant findings in combination with a penetration test performed by a qualified third party. If any significant findings exist, the Contractor shall provide a remediation plan addressing the concerns. If able, the Contractor shall provide a SOC 2 Type 2 report which must contain at least the security, confidentiality, and availability trust principles. The report is due by the expiration date of the Task Order. Starting with Year 2: The Contractor shall provide a SOC 2 Type 2 report which must contain at least the security, confidentiality, and availability trust principles. In the final task order year, the report is due by the expiration date of the Task Order. Final Task Order Report The Contractor shall submit a final task order report to include a summation of the work performed and results obtained, broken out by the Task Order Statement of Work, for the entire task order period of performance. This report shall be in sufficient detail to describe comprehensively the results achieved. Contents of the report shall follow the general guidelines provided for submitting semi-annual task order reports. A final report shall be submitted on the expiration date of the task order. A semi-annual task order progress report will not be required for the period when the Final Report is due. IDIQ ORDERING PERIOD: The ordering period of the IDIQ contract will be sixty (60) months from date of award. APPLICABLE CLAUSES: ORDERING AND ORDERING LIMITATIONS: 1. FAR 52.216-18 Ordering (Aug. 2020) Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities designated in the Schedule. Such orders may be issued from SIXTY (60) months from date of award. All delivery orders or task orders are subject to the terms and conditions of this contract. In the event of conflict between a delivery order or task order and this contract, the contract shall control. (c) A delivery order or task order is considered "issued" when (1) If sent by mail (includes transmittal by U.S. mail or private delivery service), the Government deposits the order in the mail; (2) If sent by fax, the Government transmits the order to the Contractor's fax number; or (3) If sent electronically, the Government either (i) Posts a copy of the delivery order or task order to a Government document access system, and notice is sent to the Contractor; or (ii) Distributes the delivery order or task order via email to the Contractor's email address. (d) Orders may be issued by methods other than those enumerated in this clause only if authorized in the contract. (End of clause) FAR 52.216-19 Order Limitations (Oct. 1995) Minimum order. When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less than $1,000.00, the Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies or services under the contract. Maximum order. The Contractor is not obligated to honor Any order for a single item in excess of $13,000,000.00; Any order for a combination of items in excess of $16,000,000.00; or A series of orders from the same ordering office within fifteen (15) days that together call for quantities exceeding the limitation in paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section. If this is a requirements contract (i.e., includes the Requirements clause at subsection 52.216-21 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)), the Government is not required to order a part of any one requirement from the Contractor if that requirement exceeds the maximum-order limitations in paragraph (b) of this section. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the Contractor shall honor any order exceeding the maximum order limitations in paragraph (b), unless that order (or orders) is returned to the ordering office within ten (10) days after issuance, with written notice stating the Contractor's intent not to ship the item (or items) called for and the reasons. Upon receiving this notice, the Government may acquire the supplies or services from another source. (End of clause) FAR 52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity (Oct. 1995) This is an indefinite-quantity contract for the supplies or services specified and effective for the period stated, in the Schedule. The quantities of supplies and services specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract. Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. The Contractor shall furnish to the Government, when and if ordered, the supplies or services specified in the Schedule up to and including the quantity designated in the Schedule as the "maximum." The Government shall order at least the quantity of supplies or services designated in the Schedule as the "minimum." Except for any limitations on quantities in the Order Limitations clause or in the Schedule, there is no limit on the number of orders that may be issued. The Government may issue orders requiring delivery to multiple destinations or performance at multiple locations. Any order issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by the Contractor within the time specified in the order. The contract shall govern the Contractor's and Government's rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract's effective period; provided, that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after the expiration of the last Task Order. (End of clause) The services are provided by NAACCR. The NCI, DCCPS, SRP, requires support services for developing and promoting methods and standards for cancer registry operations and surveillance data. As the only established collaborative professional society whose members are interested in the development and application of population-based cancer registration and surveillance research techniques to studies of defined population groups and to the conduct of cancer control programs, NAACCR provides a unique forum in which to advance the capacity for national cancer surveillance. NAACCR is a national not-for-profit educational organization whose membership consists of central cancer registries representing the United States and Canada with endorsement from sponsoring organizations including the American Cancer Society, American College of Surgeons, American Joint Committee on Cancer, Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Program of Cancer Registries, College of American Pathologists, National Cancer Registrars Association, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. It has the ability to bring together cancer registry standard-setting organizations, central cancer registries, hospital cancer registries, and software developers; to utilize their member's cancer registration subject matter expertise to develop data item definitions, codes, format, transmission record layouts, and timeline for implementation of new standards; to organize their members into committees and workgroups which through consensus develop and promote best practices for registry operations and uniform data standards for cancer registration in North America; and to harness resources among the members to implement agreed upon agendas. For more than three decades, NAACCR and its technical committees, composed of representatives from the full spectrum of members, have developed and promoted standards for data content, quality and use, as well as procedures for registry operations and reporting data. NCI works through many channels, including professional groups such as NAACCR, to continue improving the national capacity to study emerging trends and to measure the cancer burden in the United States, which is specifically mandated by the National Cancer Act of 1971. 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 or proposal, 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 3:30PM ET, on March 4, 2021. All responses and questions must be in writing and emailed to Catherine Muir, Contracting Officer via electronic mail at muirca@mail.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 75N91021R00015 on all correspondence.