SOLICITATION NOTICE
99 -- Enhance Early Career Opportunities for U.S. Health Professionals
- Notice Date
- 1/11/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541618
— Other Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Nat'l Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Diseases, 2 Democracy Plaza, Suite 700W 6707 Democracy Blvd., MSC 5455, Bethesda, MD, 20892-5455, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- NIH-NIDDK-07-108
- Response Due
- 1/26/2007
- Archive Date
- 2/10/2007
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation number is NIH-NIDDK-07-108 and is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation/contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-27. The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code is 541618 and the business size standard is $6.5M. However, this is not set aside for small businesses. This solicitation is being conducted using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center (FIC) with support from the Ellison Medical Foundation (EMF) in providing management and support of FIC program which provides opportunities for U.S. doctoral students in health sciences to engage in clinical research training at selected research center in developing countries. The program is primarily designed for advanced level medical students at U.S. medical schools and doctoral level students at schools of public health. Applications from other doctoral level health professional students are also welcomed. It is the intent to procure with the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2450 N St. NW, Washington, DC 20037 to partner with the FIC in the management of the program. The following tasks are identified: Task: Develop descriptive materials and publicize the program; Understanding: Although the fellowship program is open to doctoral level trainees in the health professions, the principal targets are students of accredited medical schools and accredited schools of public health. Accordingly, it is essential that medical students, public health doctoral-level candidates (PhD and DrPH), and their advisors be made aware of the program. As for other health professions, we believe that doctoral- level students in dental, osteopathic, and nursing schools are the major populations that should be included. The Fellowship Program must have an appropriate web presence with information that is both accurate and useful to current and past participants as well as potential applicants and their advisors. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: The AAMC and Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) will use all of their appropriate communications vehicles to make medical students, doctoral-level public health students and their advisors aware of the Fellowship program. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Deans of Nursing Schools, the National Institute for Nursing Research (NIH), the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) will be made aware of the program. Messages to appropriate listserves will be written and distributed, notices will be placed in various AAMC publications, and a one-page, two-color, tri-fold style flier will be created and distributed. The AAMC, in consultation with ASPH and FIC, will continue to monitor the Fellowship web site that provides detailed information about the program and the participating institutions. Links to program sites and the application will be maintained. Sets of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) will be updated for various audiences (applicants, advisors, parents, etc.). Efforts to publicize the program will also utilize the site as an information and promotion link. Individual program sites will be monitored and suggestions will be made, when appropriate. However, the responsibility for maintaining individual program sites will remain the responsibility of the individual programs. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: The FIC will participate in the preparation and review of the web site, FAQs, and programmatic materials, as appropriate. The FIC will publicize the program through its own networks and through government publications. 2) Task: Foster the application process across schools; Understanding: The AAMC and ASPH will work with institutions engaged in the graduate training of health professionals to publicize the program and solicit applications from a broad range of candidates. Each educational institution will be responsible for developing its own procedures for making the program known to its students and encouraging applications. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: The application forms and process will be managed by AAMC, in consultation with FIC, and will be posted on the Fellowship web site. Screening will be conducted by an internal process established by AAMC. ASPH will review applications from public health students. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: As above. 3) Task: Implementation of a selection process in choosing finalist pool of applicants: Understanding: As stated. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: AAMC, in consultation with ASPH and FIC, will develop a roster of external reviewers and an evaluation instrument. Screened applications will be circulated and evaluations returned by email. The number of finalists will depend on the number of applications, the number of open positions, and the evaluations. The goal will be to have a ratio of around 2:1. AAMC will host an External Review Committee meeting in January at which time all committee members will meet to make final decisions about the top candidates to be invited to attend the annual interview conference in March. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: As above. 4) Selection and Assignment of Awardees: Understanding: The finalists will be invited to an annual scheduled conference at NIH in early March, at which time the Steering Committee will also meet. There, the finalists will be able to meet with prior fellows, explore opportunities with mentors, and be interviewed by site representatives and members of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will make the final assignments based on input from the program mentors and candidates? preferences, as well as the assessments from the finalist selection committee and other sources. AAMC and ASPH will participate in this process via their membership on the Steering Committee. Specific AAMC Tasks: AAMC will develop for the conference a schedule of appointments for student finalists and interviewees. The student finalists will have the opportunity to speak with FIC site representatives (each of the FIC foreign site?s U.S. partners and/or the foreign program site representative) to determine their interest level and then will submit to the Steering Committee a rank-order list of their top preferences for site assignment. The AAMC will develop a process by which Steering Committee members may interview the student finalists and determine final assignments. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: FIC will determine among their program sites the U.S. partners and foreign program site representatives that will participate in the annual meeting. The FIC will play the lead role in working with the Steering Committee to match the finalists? interests to foreign sites and mentors. Following selection and assignment, Fogarty will be fully responsible for the awardees. 5) Task: Organization and Logistics of annual Interview/Site Selection Meeting in Early March: Understanding: The annual conference will be held on the NIH campus. The goals of the meeting include programmatic review by the Steering Committee, presentations of research accomplishments by ?alumni? of the program, and activities related to the selection and assignment of the incoming finalists. Each annual meeting will provide an opportunity for the finalists to interact with the alumni fellows, and permit adequate time for socialization among the finalists and the alumni. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: AAMC will organize and have responsibility for the on-site logistics of the conference. This will include the arrangement of meeting participant travel and overnight accommodations as necessary; ground transportation from an area hotel to the NIH campus; securing of catering; organization of any audio visual equipment needs; the dissemination of conference materials or related communications; oversight of printing/creative services, and the staffing of a welcome/registration table. ASPH will assist AAMC through their membership on the Steering Committee and by providing on-site meeting assistance. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: FIC will be responsible for securing the meeting space facility and the direct charges for meeting costs, including: meeting participant travel; accommodations, food; meeting participant incidental charges; ground transportation from an area hotel to the NIH campus; meeting management services; audio visual costs; speaker honoraria (if any); information dissemination costs to include printing services, and food and beverages. The cost of the meeting are included in the total contract costs. 6) Task: Pre-Training Preparation: Understanding: Following the annual selection conference, up to 30 applicants will be selected as Fogarty Fellows. The Fellows will need guidance and preparation for their year abroad. Specific AAMC Tasks: The AAMC, in consultation with FIC, will announce the final Fellowship decisions, provide guidance and preparation materials (prepared by FIC) to the selected Fellows, and make updates to the Fogarty website. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: FIC will be responsible for determining the preparation and guidance of the selected fellows, and for preparing any supportive materials for AAMC?s dissemination. 7) Task: Development and implementation of new participant orientation program: Understanding: New Fellowship participants will be brought together at NIH in July for a three-week intensive orientation program that will include instruction in the bioethical framework of patient-oriented clinical research, research methodology, and advice regarding personal health and safety. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: AAMC and ASPH will participate in the general orientation of the new Fellows and be recognized as a resource of the program. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: FIC will bear the entire responsibility for the Fellowship?s orientation program planned for July on the NIH campus. 8) Task: Maintaining a U.S. mentoring: Understanding: It is important for the trainees? home institutions, the directors of the clinical research training programs, and FIC staff to cooperate with AAMC in designing and implementing the tracking system. The primary source of follow up information for medical student participants will come from the home institutions until such time as the trainees apply for/receive NIH funding (training or research) and/or receive a faculty appointment in a medical school. Due to the fact that the AAMC is not able to track non-medical students who are likely to choose careers in their own professional fields (e.g., the CDC, schools of public health, state health programs, etc.) a post card size reminder asking them to go to the Fellowship?s web site and complete a brief questionnaire/survey will be mailed to program participants every other year for a total of fourteen years, inquiring about their current career status, including training and research awards, publications, and employment. Each participating fellow will sign an agreement upon acceptance into the program stating that he/she will respond in a timely manner. Also important is the component of the program that involves fellow mentoring. Mentoring will be the responsibility of the trainees? home institutions, the directors of the clinical research training programs, and FIC staff. The cognizant mentors are expected to file a progress report with FIC at the end of the FIC fellow?s first post-fellowship year (before the individual graduates from the home institution) detailing their mentoring activities and the fellow?s follow-on accomplishments, if any. Ongoing program evaluation will be measured via entrance and exit surveys of participant expectations. The surveys will be distributed to fellows during the program?s orientation period and upon completion of the students? one-year fellowship. This process may help identify problem programs and mentors. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: AAMC will continue to maintain a student tracking system, subject to the constraints identified above. Staff also will develop ways to use existing AAMC (and, as necessary, AMA) databases to track graduate and residency information for program participants and applicants, and will contact institutions seeking information for those participants and applicants whose information is missing or incomplete. ASPH will continue to coordinate with AAMC in order to provide input into the maintenance of appropriate tracking systems for SPH fellows. ASPH will also work with SPH fellows to develop information on their research and general fellowship experience, in order to provide better marketing pieces to attract future applicants. Regarding the established mentoring component, the AAMC will continue to manage the system only as far as posting to the fellowship web site a listing of mentoring assignments and contact information. AAMC will develop with FIC approval entry and exit surveys and be responsible for evaluation of the results. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: Cooperation, as above. In addition, FIC will develop, oversee and have full responsibility for a mentoring system at the participating domestic sites. 9) Task: Student tracking system and provide ongoing program evaluation and Serving on the Program Steering Committee: Understanding: The Program Steering Committee will be responsible for the guidance and support of the Fellowship Program. Specific AAMC/ASPH Tasks: AAMC and ASPH will have equal representation on the Steering Committee and attend all Steering Committee meetings. Specific Fogarty International Center Tasks: FIC will have the responsibility of initially forming the Steering Committee, managing its communications and determining its meeting schedule. FAR Clause 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial; As stated in FAR Clause 52.212-2 (a), ?The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.? The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical Evaluation, Price, and Past Performance. The offeror must include a completed copy of the provision of FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications ? Commercial Items; FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statues or Executive Orders ? Commercial Items, Contract Terms and Conditions ? Commercial Items; and FAR Clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders ? Commercial Items ? Deviation for Simplified Acquisitions. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations however; all responses received within 15 days from the date of publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed acquisition is based upon responses to this notice and is solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive acquisition. The offeror must include in their quotation, the unit price, the list price, shipping and handling costs, the delivery period after contract award, the prompt payment discount terms, the F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size. The clauses are available in full text at http://www.arnet.gov/far. Interested vendors capable of furnishing the government with the item specified in this synopsis should submit their quotation to the below address. Quotations will be due fifteen (15) calendar days from the publication date of this synopsis or January 26, 2007 at 3:00P.M. EST. The quotation must reference ?Solicitation number? NIH-NIDDK-07-108. All responsible sources may submit a quotation, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. Quotations must be submitted in writing to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 6707 Democracy Blvd., Room 774B, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, Attention: V. Lynn Griffin. Faxed copies will not be accepted.
- Record
- SN01209391-W 20070113/070111220332 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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