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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 07, 2008 FBO #2385
SOLICITATION NOTICE

Q -- Computer IT and Scientific Services

Notice Date

6/5/2008
 

Notice Type

Cancellation
 

NAICS

541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center/Office of Purchasing & Contracts, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Suite 106, MSC 5480, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-5480
 

ZIP Code

20892-5480
 

Solicitation Number

P103304
 

Response Due

6/30/2008 5:00:00 PM
 

Archive Date

7/15/2008
 

Point of Contact

Gail Akinbinu,, Phone: 301-496-0692, Ann G Argaman,, Phone: (301) 594-5919
 

E-Mail Address

gakinbinu@cc.nih.gov, ann.argaman@nih.gov
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

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 National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the United States Government's primary agency for medical investigation. It is located on a 317-acre campus in Bethesda, MD, with additional components at the Geriatric Research Center in Baltimore, MD. The NIH is organized into 27 research institutes and centers, and the National Library of Medicine. Although a large portion of NIH funds supports medical research at institutions throughout the country, extensive "intramural" research is also conducted on campus. At the NIH, intramural research is conducted in both the basic biomedical sciences and in clinical programs. The purpose of this contemplated contract is to acquire the research support services necessary to conduct basic and applied biomedical research in the areas of image processing, neurophysiology, pharmacology, chemistry, genetics and to help conduct clinical protocols. The development and expansion of systems used in biomedical research require a highly specialized scientific and technical staff. To reach research and clinical objectives, it is necessary to be able to acquire data from various sources, process and correct this data, analyze, interpret and present the results. This developmental work needs to have minimum impact on current research projects. The purpose of the requested contract is to obtain the scientific and technical support services needed to develop and expand systems used for medical image processing, neurophysiology, pharmacology, chemistry, genetics and to help conduct clinical protocols. The additional support staff will help to design, implement and maintain the infrastructure needed to conduct basic, applied, and clinical research for the Experimental Neurology Section (ENS) of the Image Sciences Program (ISP) of the NIH Clinical Center CC. The potential range of services may include, but not necessarily be limited to, animal care and technical laboratory support, MR technical services, biological services, data analysis, image analysis, and technical writing. The contract may also require the contractor to provide additional ADP Support Services for the Experimental Neurology Section (ENS) and the MEDx Group of the Image Sciences Program (ISP) of the NIH CC. Services that contractor staff may be required to provide include, but are not necessarily limited to, providing UNIX, MacOS X, and Windows servers/workstation, micro-computer, network, and peripheral support to facilitate the visualization and analysis of medical images and data. Such ADP support services may also include, but are not necessarily limited to, installation, optimization, system security, and troubleshooting of various types of UNIX-based, MacOS X-based, and Windows-based servers and workstations. Lastly, additional support services are needed to provide scientific application programming and interfacing laboratory equipment to computer systems on an as-needed basis. C.2 Scope of the Contract The contractor shall provide a multidisciplinary staff who will work directly with Government personnel to complete defined tasks. The contract staff shall include scientists, engineers, system analysis, programmers, technicians, and technical writers as needed. Personnel performing the potential tasks must have a range of skill levels in the following areas: Project manager Senior level Scientist Senior level Engineer Senior level System Analyst and Programmer Junior level Programmer / Engineer Research Assistant Technical Writer Note: See C.6 for the required staff qualifications The Government shall issue a series of tasks orders from time to time during the contract period of performance that will provide a detailed description of what work is necessary. These task orders may be development in scope and shall describe work to be done, including specifications, interface requirements, documentation requirements, prerequisites (such as hardware, software, and programming language), location as to where services are required, and deliverables. For other types of task orders, the individual orders shall describe the work to be done, the kind and extent of technical assistance to be provided, task prerequisites, location as to where services are required, and deliverable items. C.3 Task Areas The activities for which task orders may be issued include but are, but not limited to the following: C.3.1 Animal care and technical laboratory support C.3.1.1 Animal care and technical laboratory support in an ABSL1 and occasionally ABSL2 research environment. Animal care requirements include: Providing routine animal care such as feeding, watering, and cage changing Performing daily health observations and/or pain scoring on study animals Regularly communicating with facility staff about any husbandry issues, animal health status and study requirements Maintaining all appropriate health records on study animals as designated in the approved animal study proposals C.3.1.2 Assisting or performing in the weighing and tattooing of primates and the humane handling and restraint of animals C.3.1.3 Performing technical laboratory animal procedures including injections by various routes (IM, SQ, IV) C.3.1.4 MRI technical services including helping perform studies in brain and heart and other organs C.3.1.5 Biological services including cell and tissue culture C.3.1.6 Quantitative analysis using spectrophotometers, cell counter, flow cytometers, NMR relaxometers, … C.3.1.7 Image analysis using computer software C.3.1.8 Data analysis using spreadsheet and/or statistical analysis software C.3.1.9 Technical writing including preparation of MS Word manuscripts, MS Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, etc. C.3.2 ADP support services C.3.2.1 Application Programming Develop new biomedical application programs Integrate new algorithms into biomedical application programs Upgrade applications programs to work on new or updated systems Develop and maintain material for WEB sites. C.3.2.2 Engineer Design and Implementation Design and build new biomedical research instruments Interface new instruments to computer systems. Prepare technical and user documentation for engineering tasks C.3.2.3 Systems Programming Develop new utility programs Integrate new biomedical application programs into computer systems Upgrade operating systems and system programs on computer systems Prepare technical and user documentation for computer systems C.3.2.4 System Maintenance Maintain existing computer systems including peripherals Replace, if necessary, any computer systems and/or peripherals with updated components C.3.3 Project Management C.3.3.1 Develop project plans consisting of goals, sub-goals, tasks, methods and procedures for completing tasks, skill level for completing tasks, personnel assigned to the task, hours needed to complete the tasks, and schedule for completing the project. C.3.3.2 Manage the contract staff assigned to the projects. One or more deliverable items shall be required for each task order. For tasks involving computer programming, deliverables shall include test data, fully tested operational computer programs, test results, and documentation, all in accordance with task order specifications. Other kinds of task shall require various types of documentation, such as user manuals, training materials, and periodic and/or final reports describing items such as work completed, finding, conclusions, and recommendations, or other items to be specified in the task order. The tasks shall require the contractor to maintain activity logs and/or progress reports and submit them to the Government for review as defined in the individual task order. The progress reports shall include project activity, status, plans, issues and costs. C.4 Specific Tasks The following is more detailed information on specific tasks that the contractor personnel may be required to support: Biomedical Image Processing NIH uses a mix of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software developed in house and software acquired for other researchers to conduct biomedical image processing. The contractor is expected to provide staff who are familiar with neuroscience imaging techniques, software currently being used by ICs, and are able to develop image processing algorithms and convert them into computer programs. Development of tools for conducting neurophysiology experiments The conduction of experiments in neurophysiology requires tools (A/D and D/A signal processing interface boards and precisely written real time data collection software). Contractors are required to supply personnel trained in biomedical engineering and software engineering who are capable of developing and maintaining these tools. Support of systems used to conduct animal behavioral research Contractors must me familiar with a wide range of computer systems (Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX) in order to support primate and rodent behavioral studies. They need to be familiar with data collection apparatus used in these experiments. Support for laboratories conducting neuroscience and NMR research Research in the neurosciences involves experimental design, data collection and analysis in neurophysiology, pharmacology, chemistry, genetics and biomedical informatics. The contractor must be able to recruit and manage staffs that have the necessary knowledge and skill to assist Government conducting research in these areas. Project Management The contractor shall provide the necessary administrative and management controls required to support this contract. Administrative and management controls can be, but not limited to, work breakdown structures, invoicing, status and progress reports, correspondence, problem resolution and staffing management. C.5 Staffing Requirements See Section C.2 for a description of the labor categories of staff that the contractor will be required to provide for any task orders issued under the contemplated contract. In addition to staff managed directly by the contractor, there are tasks or sub-tasks that are more effectively done by sub-contractors or consultants. The contractor will be required to work with the requestor of the task and the project officer to select the most appropriate sub-contractor or consultant to perform a given task or sub-task. The scope of services in this contract will be accomplished through a series of projects that are implemented through the issuance of task orders under the terms and conditions of the contract. The Government research staff will develop a preliminary project plan and determine what tasks are necessary to complete the project. Government and contract staff will work together to develop a detailed project plan. The contractor will develop a task management plan which outlines what will be done, how it will be done (methods and procedures), what skill set is need to complete the task, who will be assigned to the task, what resources are needed to complete the task (hardware, software, equipment, etc.), an estimate of the number of hours needed to complete the task and an a projected schedule for completing the task. After a full agreement on the task management plan is reached; the formal task order will be issued by the Contracting Officer. C.6 Staff Personnel Qualifications Required Qualifications of Contractor staff personnel are as follows: Senior Level Scientist (MS or higher) ‑ This person should have a strong background in one or more of the following areas: medical physics, computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry or biomedical informatics. They should be capable of working independently. When involved in tasks relating to research system development, they should be able to develop algorithms in their area of expertise with minimal supervision. Senior Level Engineer (BS or higher) ‑ This person should have a strong background in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering or system engineering. The person should be able to design the research instruments described in task and have them interface to specified computer systems. Senior Level System Analyst and Programmer (BS or higher) ‑ This person should have a strong background in system programming, application design and programming using the appropriate programming language or scripts (FORTRAN, Pascal, Visual Basic, C#, C, C++, Java, Pearl, assembly, etc.). This person should have a sufficiently extensive background in science in order that they can interpret and implement algorithm developed by senior level scientist. Junior Level Programmer / Engineer and Research Assistant (college level credits in computer science, engineering, mathematics, biology or chemistry) ‑ This person should be able to handle the common routine tasks involved in science, engineering or computer systems. Technical Writer (college level credits in English, Journalism or Speech) ‑ This person should be able to write and edit both technical and end-user documentation. Knowledge of WEB site development may be necessary for some tasks. Project Manager (college level credits and experience in project management) ‑ This person should be able to oversee and mange personnel assigned to tasks and work with project and contract officers to appropriately manage the contract. Key Personnel - One (1) Project manager shall be explicitly designated as key personnel. The key personnel shall be designated by the Contractor as its primary point of contact regarding technical matters. This request is for interested firms with the capability of providing the required services to submit a corporate capability statement to assist the Government in determining in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b) whether or not this procurement will be set-aside for any of the programs described above. The intended procurement will be classified under North American Industrial Classification (NAICS Codes 541690 with a size standard of $6.5 million dollars and 541519 with a size standard of $18 million dollars respectively. All respondents are requested to identify their firm’s size and type of business. Interested firms responding to this source sought should adhere to the following: a. Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills and ability to fulfill the Government’s requirements as described above. The capability statement should contain sufficient enough detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities. b. The capability statement should include past performance references, descriptions of key personnel capabilities, resumes, description of ability to obtain qualified staff in a timely manner to meet the Government’s task order requirements and any other information deemed relevant which clearly demonstrates your ability to provide the services as described above..
 

Web Link

FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=abdf494eab25bb7fa3cce785a22b8692&tab=core&_cview=1)
 

Place of Performance

Address: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center Bldg 10, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Zip Code: 20892
 

Record

SN01587623-W 20080607/080605220310-3911601207971ed7fe762fbb8daf2e56 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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