Technical Assistance for Cancer Surveillance

Sources Sought Notice No. SS-PCPSB-85016-78 "Technical Assistance for Cancer Surveillance" This Sources Sought Notice (SS) 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 SS is to identify qualified small business concerns [including Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Small Businesses, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB)] 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 nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this Sources Sought notice, the NCI may issue a Request for Proposal (RFP). 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. THIS IS STRICTLY MARKET RESEARCH. QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MARKET RESEARCH WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED. The Surveillance Research Program of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI), Division of Cancer , Control, and Population Sciences (DCCPS) is seeking capability statements from all eligible Small Businesses as stated above, under NAICS Code # 813920 with a size standard $7,000,000 per annum. Based on the responses received from this SOURCES SOUGHT announcement, the proposed acquisition may be solicited as a Total Small Business Set-Aside. All eligible small business concerns responding to this Sources Sought Announcement must have the capabilities to enhance national cancer surveillance efforts, currently supported by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), in three specific areas: 1) Strengthen the national capacity for collecting, analyzing, and using comparable cancer registry data for cancer surveillance and research; 2) Develop and improve methods for assessing the quality and comparability of cancer registry data. This includes, but is not limited to timeliness, completeness, and accuracy; 3) Improve the efficiency and quality of registry operations through promoting established standards, disseminating technical information, and facilitating collaboration among Federal, state, provincial and local registry professionals. The offeror must demonstrate an understanding of national cancer surveillance efforts, in conjunction with possessing the infrastructure and capacity to promote established standards for cancer registration; train and educate cancer registry professionals in cancer registry operations; certify registries that achieve standards of high quality; aggregate data from population-based registries throughout the U.S. and Canada; and promote the use of cancer registry data in surveillance, cancer control, and population-based research. In addition, the offeror shall demonstrate thru experience, a track record and ability to receive data from population-based cancer registries throughout North America and have documented 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. Major Tasks include the following: - Committee Support - establish and maintain a network of standing, ad hoc and other special committees which support the development and promotion of uniform data standards for cancer registration; education and training; certification of population-based registries; aggregation and publishing of data from central cancer registries; and promotion of the use of cancer surveillance data and systems for cancer control and epidemiologic research, public health programs, and patient care to reduce the burden of cancer in North America; - Workshop Support - organize, manage, and assure effective and cost-contained conduct of workshops on technical topics and issues identified through the committee and workgroup structure, for example, workshops on statistical methods and approaches for cancer surveillance, registry operations, training/education needs, leadership, and interoperability issues; - Special Studies and Reports - Committee and workgroup activities may lead to special requests for additional investigations which require resources. The offeror may also be required to actively participate in collaborative efforts that use high quality population-based cancer registry data and prepare technical and scientific reports (e.g. the Annual Report to the Nation). Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, Data Use and Quality, Research Metrics and Methods, and Social and economic determinants of disease; - Registry Operations - provide support for the development, implementation, and dissemination of technical procedures, guidelines and standards in cancer registry operations that advance the field toward more consistent, efficient, and effective performance. The offeror shall coordinate a series of strategic activities designed to develop, codify, and promote guidelines pertinent to effective and efficient operations of population-based cancer registries. Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement, not to exceed 20 single-spaced pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, that clearly details the ability to perform the aspects of the notice described above. All proprietary information should be marked as such. 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 (preferably 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. All capability Statements sent in response to this SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Evanthia Papadopoulos, Contract Specialist, at papadopoulose@mail.nih.gov in either MS Word, Wordperfect, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by Friday, October 24, 2008, 3:30PM, EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. Point of Contact Evanthia Papadopoulos, Contract Specialist, Phone 301-435-3833; e-mail papadopoulose@mail.nih.gov