SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Strategy, Innovation and Evaluation Services
- Notice Date
- 5/26/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541618
— Other Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Procurement and Grants Office (Atlanta), 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, Atlanta, GA, 30341-4146, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 2007-R-OSI01
- Response Due
- 6/11/2007
- Archive Date
- 6/26/2007
- Description
- This is a request for information only. It is not a request for proposals and does not commit the Government to issue a solicitation, make an award, or pay any costs associated with responding to this announcement. All submitted information shall remain with the Government and will not be returned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Office of Strategy and Innovation (OSI) is seeking small businesses to perform evaluation and assessment services as specified below. If your company believes it has the expertise and experience to meet the requirements for any of the three (3) domains: Evaluation Design; Strategy and/or Policy Assessments; and Program Assessments, please respond with a capability statement. Studies in the three evaluation domains--?evaluation design?, ?program assessments? and ?policy assessments?--are expected to be consistent with the steps and standards of CDC?s Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health (www.cdc.gov/eval/framework.htm). While not all studies will encompass all steps in the Framework, and while designs and approaches need not adopt the steps verbatim, evaluation and assessment studies are expected to be consistent with the underlying key premises of the framework. These include: engagement of stakeholders; clarity on program description?both the activities the program comprises and the intended outcomes it aims to achieve; and a matching of the evaluation design, data collection, and analysis to the situation at hand. Evaluation Design These studies propose a technical design(s) to be used in evaluating a program, including, in some cases, testing or validating those designs by collecting available and readily obtainable information on program performance. The following are the core components that the Contractor may be requested by the Government to undertake in the design and conduct of evaluation design studies. a. Identify and engage key stakeholders for the program or policy being studied to ensure consistency and consensus on program description and preferences and options related to design and data collection and analysis. b. Identify components of the program or policy being studied, including program process and intended outcomes. c. Develop an inventory of program activities and assess whether the expected impact is definable and what would be required to make that activity evaluable in terms of process and outcome measurements. d. Initiate and complete a feasibility study aimed at identifying, collecting, and analyzing relevant background information concerning a specified topical area. e. Develop preliminary evaluation design options and protocols that assess program implementation and outcomes. f. Develop detailed descriptions of a set of model evaluations that could be used to describe alternative evaluation plans. g. Develop and implement intervention and evaluation protocols, including evaluation protocols that can be used within one specific site or replicated in a variety of settings. Knowledge of cluster analysis and site-specific evaluation methods may be required, as identification and utilization of demographic, epidemiological, media and other data to identify a set of comparable communities which could serve as test sites for the evaluation study may be needed. h. Conduct data collection and analysis of existing or task specific information. This may include an assessment of the relevance and usefulness of current information, identification and level of satisfaction of current/previous stakeholder, assessment of the perspectives and expectations of program staff and experts regarding programs or policies to be evaluated. i. Conduct and perform evaluability assessments of a proposed study design to include: ? Development of a program model ? Identification of evaluation questions ? Assessment of barriers to successful implementation ? Identification of processes and outcomes to be evaluated ? Relationship to other programs which have been or are currently being evaluated j. Develop and submit an evaluation design including the following components: ? Proposed methods to assess validity of data ? Proposed methods to evaluate response rates ? Proposed methods to evaluate current utilization of data ? Proposed methods to evaluate existing and emerging issues ? Recommended schedule for implementation of design ? Methodology to collect and analyze information from evaluation plan ? Additional information that can be gathered from proposed evaluation design option ? Recommendations for most appropriate way to utilize evaluation data k. Develop (1) process evaluation, (2) outcome evaluation, and (3) evaluation management plans. Strategy and/or Policy Assessments These studies require quick turnaround analyses of major strategy/policy issues currently being considered by key CDC officials. Strategy and policy assessments are focused somewhat broadly and prospectively on emerging issues and changes in the larger policy context and program environment. Because timeliness of information is critical to these assessments, studies typically require special review, abstraction, and analysis of current information and existing data bases. For some strategy/policy assessments, it may be necessary to gather primary data. The following are the core components that the Contractor may be requested by the Government to undertake in performance of policy assessments/evaluations. a. Perform literature reviews within specified topical areas, usually limited to one specific issue. This may include summarization/inventory of existing curricula, studies, or regulations. b. Select, convene, and utilize groups of expert consultants within a specified topical area, or conduct focus groups of relevant stakeholders. c. Assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of relevant professionals concerning current policies within a topical area developed or recommended by CDC or externally. This may include identification and prioritization of gaps in current policies under study, assessment of needs versus results of policies under study, and identification of options for improvement. d. Analyze and assist in the development of strategic plans for policy development and issue frameworks, to include discussion as to what was planned and done, as well as why, how, and what obstacles or barriers were involved. e. Conduct data collection and analysis of new and existing task-specific information. This may include an assessment of the relevance and usefulness of current information, identification of current/previous audiences, satisfaction of audience/users, assessment of the perspectives and expectations of program staff and experts regarding policies, examination of public health impact of policy, measurement of direct and indirect effects, and assessment of the possibility of adaptation of policy to other or broader audiences. f. Develop policy frameworks, defining policy issues requiring examination. g. Develop or refine policy evaluation protocols to include the development and/or administration of needs assessment or data collection instruments to include written surveys or in-person interviews of individuals within representative study groups. Development of such instruments shall include preparation of OMB packages where applicable. h. Provide training assistance in administration of approved data collection instruments. i. Pilot test approved research/evaluation protocols. j. Develop and implement site visit protocols. k. Identify the extent to which state and local infrastructure to support a public health policy has been developed. l. Summarize conclusions drawn from study activities with emphasis on the ability of the subject policy(ies) to meet needs or goals of CDC and/or states/localities including a summary of lessons learned in policy development and implementation for various policy stakeholders. The Contractor may also be required to perform process and outcome evaluation of the impact/effect of subject policies. m. Provide recommendations as to the ability of such policies to meet future needs or goals. This may include the development of tools to improve policy and an assessment of estimated costs (in dollars and personnel) as well as an in person presentation of such conclusions or recommendations to CDC or other relevant decision makers. Program Assessments These assessments or small-scale evaluation studies focus on current programs and defined issues or problems. They may also involve program management processes, procedures or intervention techniques, and may be distinctly management oriented. The following are the core components that the Government may request the Contractor to undertake in performance of program assessments/evaluations. a. Perform literature reviews within specified topical areas, usually limited to one specific issue. This may include summarization/inventory of existing curricula, studies, or regulations. b. Select, convene, and utilize groups of expert consultants within a specified topical area, or conduct focus groups of relevant stakeholders. c. Conduct data collection and analysis of new and existing task-specific information. This shall include an assessment of the relevance and usefulness of current information, identification of current/previous audiences, satisfaction of audience/users, assessment of the perspectives and expectations of program staff and experts regarding the program, examination of the public health impact of the program, measurement of direct and indirect effects, and assessment of the possibility of adaptation of the program to other audiences. d. Develop a program description, including specification of the activities/processes that comprise the program and the intended short-, mid-, and long-term outcomes. e. Review and select for study current or previous programs including comparable programs within a specified topical area. f. Identify and prioritize gaps in current programs under study, assess needs versus results of programs under study, and identify options for improvement. g. Develop or refine evaluation protocols to include the development and/or administration of needs assessment or data collection instruments to include written surveys or in-person interviews of individuals within representative study groups. Development of such instruments shall include preparation of OMB packages where applicable. h. Provide training assistance in administration of approved data collection instruments. i. Pilot test approved research/evaluation protocols. j. Develop and implement site visit protocols. k. Summarize conclusions drawn from study activities with emphasis on the program?s/system?s ability to meet needs or goals of CDC and/or states/localities. The Contractor may also be required to make recommendations as to the ability to meet future needs or goals. This may include the development of tools to improve the program and an assessment of estimated costs (in dollars and personnel) as well as an in person presentation of such conclusions or recommendations to CDC or other relevant decision makers. To be considered for this opportunity, contractors must have: (1) an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to run protocol reviews for human subjects; (2) experience in public health; and (3) the capability in a competitive task order environment and be able to prepare reasonably complex responses within 14-21 days. Capability statements must be no more than 10 pages, and must clearly state for which domain(s) you are responding. Interested small businesses must submit a capability statement to be received by the Contract Specialis no later than 12 noon Monday, June 11, 2007.
- Record
- SN01303979-W 20070528/070526220049 (fbodaily.com)
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