SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Evidence-Based Practice Centers (EPC III)
- Notice Date
- 12/20/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Contracts Management, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD, 20850, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- AHRQ-07-10021
- Response Due
- 1/4/2007
- Archive Date
- 1/19/2007
- Description
- This is a market survey. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is conducting a market survey to seek potential sources from qualified small business firms under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541611 ($6 million) which have the capability to continue and expand the impact of the Evidence-based Practice Centers Program - a flagship program in AHRQ focusing on research with systematic review methodology and critical appraisal of scientific literature. The EPCs will provide a variety of services and products, including the development of evidence reports, comparative effectiveness reviews, and technology assessments. These are systematic reviews based on rigorous, comprehensive syntheses and analyses of relevant scientific literature, emphasizing explicitly detailed documentation of methods rationale and assumptions. Multiple task order driven contracts are anticipated. Task orders may address a variety of assignments and may include brief as well as comprehensive systematic review or methodologic projects, depending on the current needs of the program. The assignments will likely have tight and/or overlapping deadlines by which specific products will be required, and duration of individual Task Orders may vary. EPCs also will be expected to have the methodological competence and management flexibility to satisfy a range of solo and multiple tasks that need to be performed concurrently. Topics of task orders are expected to cover all health care clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic areas of focus. Clinical areas may focus on traditional therapeutics as well as complementary, alternative, nutritional, and other emerging areas such as genomics. Topics may also include a focus on implementation, delivery and systems of care, effectiveness and efficiency of health care and the group or organizational unit of analysis. EPCs will a.) conduct rigorous systematic reviews of relevant scientific literature. Systematic reviews will implement methods for general evidence reports, effectiveness reviews, technology assessments, comparative reviews, systematic review updates and other substantive reports of evidence to be developed during the course of the contract; b.) Synthesize results of systematic reviews and report the findings with high transparency; i.e., explicitly detailed methods, rationales, and assumptions in a format(s) appropriate to the topic and intended audience; c.) Advance the methodology of systematic review in organized projects which include detailed and descriptive reports; d.) Collaborate with partners, including other EPCs and AHRQ programs, to promote relevant, consistent, transparent and valuable implementation of the systematic review process, dissemination of findings from systematic reviews and methodology projects, and the EPC Program as a whole. In addition, an EPC may be assigned related tasks such as a.) Perform special analyses, such as meta-analyses, cost effectiveness analyses, decision analyses, individual patient-level data analysis; e) Collaborate with public and private partners in specific educational or training projects; for example, developing evidence-based curricula, providing training opportunities in systematic reviews, or in conducting educational sessions on interpretation and understanding of research studies; f.) Collaborate with other programs within AHRQ and the Federal government, where a systematic review may be supportive of that program mission; g.) Provide technical assistance to organizations that seek to use EPC reports as a basis for decision-making; for example, developing consensus statements, producing tools to enhance the quality and effectiveness of patient care, etc.; and/or h.) Contribute to efforts to develop relevant topics for systematic review; for example, scan published and grey literature; interact with partners regarding practices needing a summary of the evidence-base, etc. The EPCs are to be comprised of core staff of seasoned professionals in fields such as medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, epidemiology, statistics and data analysis, health services research, behavioral research, public health, social sciences, library science, and science writing and editing. Key personnel who are constant across EPC projects should include an EPC Director, EPC Associate Director and/or Project Manager, and Investigators, who will apply their scientific and content expertise in conducting systematic review methodology and managing the progress of systematic reviews. In addition, it is expected that there will be ready access to expert individuals who can serve in Librarian, Statistician/Data analyst, and Editor roles. Interested small businesses capable of performing the above with the requisite qualifications and expertise, should submit a statement of capabilities with documentation supporting its ability to meet the Government?s requirements as described above no later than January 4, 2007. No solicitation document is currently available. Capability statements should be submitted electronically to Sharon Williams at sharon.williams@ahrq.hhs.gov or paper copies (original and two copies) to Sharon Williams, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850. Capability statements received after January 4, 2007, will not be reviewed. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a small business set-aside or a full and open competitive procurement.
- Record
- SN01200194-W 20061222/061220220325 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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