Technical Consultant

The National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center is conducting a market survey/sources sought to help determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses and/or HUBZONE small business capable of serving the needs mentioned below. This market survey/sources sought announcement is not a request for proposals and the Government is not committed to award a contract pursuant to this announcement. The information from this market research is for planning purposes only and will assist the Government in planning its acquisition strategy. This is strictly market research and the Government will not entertain questions concerning this market research. The Government will not pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of information for responding to this market survey. The Rehabilitation Medicine Department in the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH-RMD) in Bethesda, Maryland has agreed to assist the Social Security Administration (SSA) explore innovative methods for augmenting the disability evaluation process. This work comprises two sub-domains: 1) develop systematic, data-driven analytic tools using existing SSA data to inform disability determination processes; and 2) develop Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT) that can be integrated into the SSA disability determination processes to comprehensively and consistently assess claimant function. These efforts are highly technical from an analytic and computing perspective; they also have significant policy implications in light of the size and scope of SSA's disability programs. NIH-RMD's proposals for improving the disability determination process are generated by ground-breaking science conducted by a highly skilled and innovative interdisciplinary team and disability policy experts. However, these solutions are useful only to the extent that they can be implemented successfully. To this end, NIH-RMD seeks the support of a technical consultant with detailed knowledge of social insurance issues, existing disability programs, the policy and business environment at SSA, the execution of demonstration projects, and the current legislative landscape to support NIH-RMD program leaders in developing practical, targeted proposals that can address problems of central importance to the SSA disability determination process. The NIH-RMD seeks a contractor who will leverage their existing knowledge of social insurance issues and disability programs to perform tasks in three broad categories: 1) Propose creative solutions and alternatives to address potential barriers to conducting SSA related projects and operationalizing proposed innovations, including assistance in developing strategic partnerships and obtaining resources; 2) Suggest ways to test analytic and functional tools within and outside the SSA environment and propose methods to evaluate impact of these tools after implementation; and, 3) Identify fruitful areas for future analytic efforts to improve the SSA disability determination process based on existing SSA processes and emerging issues relevant to disability determination and outcomes. The contractor will also be expected to assist in drafting materials, including project reports and briefing materials and/or testimony for Government forums related to the SSA project, and to propose methods and strategies for analyzing and developing quantitatively driven policy options in the areas of disability, work incentives, means-tested and health insurance programs. Contractors proposing to fulfill this requirement must have extensive knowledge of all aspects of the U.S. social security disability programs. Knowledge of emerging issues relevant to disability determination and outcomes must be evident and the ability to foster partnerships to optimize SSA project outcomes must be demonstrated. In addition, contractors must demonstrate a breadth and depth of experience in improving program efficiencies using analytically and technologically driven tools; building effective coalitions; and planning and implementing large Federal demonstration projects. The ability to provide expert technical consultation on complex policy and programmatic issues is critical. The vendor responses must demonstrate their expertise in the areas described above. Please note that failure to specifically demonstrate capability to provide the required services in your response to this market survey may affect the Government's review of industry's ability to perform these services. The vendor's response shall be in sufficient detail to allow the Government to assess the capability of your firm. The vendor response shall also include any other specific and relevant information related to the requirements of this project that will enable the Government to determine the capabilities of the company to perform the specialized requirements described in this synopsis. Interested organizations must demonstrate and document in any response submitted to this market survey extensive experience with and the ability to perform all of the specialized requirements elsewhere described. This notice is a market survey and is for information and planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to any contractual agreement. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The Government will not award a Purchase Order or Contract based upon Vendor responses to this announcement. The Government shall not assume any costs for preparing or submitting any information in response to the market survey or the Government's use of the information. Any proprietary information should be clearly identified as "proprietary information". Vendors must send written capability responses by November 12, 2014, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to Lisa Schaupp, the Contract Specialist at the e-mail address Lisa.Schaupp@nih.gov. For any questions regarding the response submission process, please respond in writing to the email address provided.