SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Patient Recruitment Support for Intramural NIAID Clinical Research
- Notice Date
- 10/6/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases/AMOB, 10401 Fernwood Drive, Suite 2NE70, MSC 4811, Bethesda, Maryland, 20817
- ZIP Code
- 20817
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIAID(AO)-SBSS-10-23
- Point of Contact
- Ivan Hernandez, Phone: 301-402-6954, Terrie L Nestor, Phone: 301-402-6790
- E-Mail Address
-
ihernandez@niaid.nih.gov, tnestor@niaid.nih.gov
(ihernandez@niaid.nih.gov, tnestor@niaid.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Small Business Sources Sought: This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Background and Objectives: The capacity to evaluate pathophysiologic processes and evaluate innovative therapeutic modalities in an efficient and expeditious manner is an essential element of the efforts of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The Institute has supported efforts to evaluate control measures for infectious diseases during past decades and Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of drugs and immunomodulating agents for the prevention and therapy of infectious diseases. With an increasing perception that old barriers to the spread of infectious diseases not longer are sufficient, the necessity for intramural activities and the Division for Clinical Research to broaden recruitment both nationally and in the increasingly diverse Washington metropolitan area has heightened. The objective of this contract is to assist (NIAID) investigations of infectious and inflammatory diseases of importance by facilitating patient recruitment both locally and nationally. Project Requirements: The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is seeking sources that can assist its investigations of infectious and inflammatory diseases of importance by facilitating patient recruitment both locally and nationally. Specifically, the Contractor must be capable of providing the following services: Establishing and maintaining relationships with community-based, public health and hospital-based clinics in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area within 50 miles of the National institutes of Health, Bethesda campus, with the purpose of promoting recruitment of eligible patients into various NIAID clinical studies, including candidates from the immigrant populations served by health facilities within this recruitment area, especially Africa, Latin America and Asia. The Contractor shall establish and maintain liaisons with clinics that are diagnosing and treating either US citizens or immigrant communities which regularly present with diseases of interest to the current intramural NIAID research program, such as HIV, tuberculosis chronic hepatitis, and Lyme disease. Currently, the NIAID has established relationships with the following clinics: Upper Cardozo Health Center, Unity Health Care, Inc. (Washington, D.C.) Carl Vogel Center. (Washington, D.C) La Clinica Del Pueblo (Washington, D. C.) Whitman-Walker Clinics ( Max Robinson- Washington, D.C.) Family and Medical Counseling Services (Washington, D. C) Phoenix Health Center, Unity Health Care (Washington, D. C) Washington Hospital Center, Infectious Diseases Clinic (Washington, D.C) Casey Health Center (Alexandria, V.A.) Walker-Jones Health Center, Unity Health Care (Washington, D. C) Prince Georges County Health Department Greater Baden Medical Services (Prince Georges County) Dennis Avenue Health Center (Silver Spring, MD) The Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) will reassess these relationships on an annual basis based on the productivity assessment, and decisions about continuing these associations or developing others. In addition to efforts focused on the Washington metropolitan area, the contractor will also provide support to selected NIAID protocols for which nation-wide recruitment is desired. The Contractor will design, develop and distribute informational materials appropriate for patient and physician populations. These informational materials will describe the disease processes of interest to NIAID researchers in a way that improves patient and provider understanding of the importance of biomedical research activities and the nature of clinical trials in general. Two topic brochures and one topic booklet are required on an annual basis. A draft of the brochure will be required for review and approval by the COTR within 30 days after a topic has been identified. The required materials shall be produced in sufficient quantities (i.e. 1000-2000 copies) for patients and physicians in collaborating facilities. These brochures will need to be updated or modified as new treatments and trials become available. The Contractor will also design, develop, implement and monitor results of annual recruitment campaigns for clinical studies conducted by NIAID. This requirement comprises: media campaigns including advertisements in area newspapers and other print media: radio and/or television advertisement: internet-based campaigns and postings in buses and metro trains: outreach campaigns that consist of Contractor facilitated meetings in communities of interest (i.e. immigrants form Africa, Latin America and Asia who main language is other than English) that integrate the interests of that community with a review of the impact and relevance of current NIAID Protocols; targeted mailings of informational material regarding NIAID intramural protocols to physician and patient groups and monitor responses received from these mailings. Recruitment and outreach liaison activities shall incorporate transportation of patients from their homes or clinics to the NIH Clinical Center or affiliated clinics for study related visits, transportation of specimens collected in the community to NIH or associated research facilities, on site pre-screening of potential participants for intramural NIAID studies by trained recruitment specialists, provision of translation services as needed for outreach patients, and provision of phlebotomy services when needed. Contractor's targeted monthly referrals shall be approximately twenty (20) appropriately screened candidates to NIAID per month. Provide administrative support to both NIAID activities in the community and to community facilities and organizations in order to facilitate the participation of providers and patients in basic and clinical research projects. Administrative support shall include but not be limited to: providing support for patient data entry; making appointment reminder calls to patients: assist patients in completion of paperwork related to obtaining release of medical records; facilitate distribution and accounting of patient support funds; provide meeting support; and quarterly technical progress reports to the COTR. The contractor shall also provide for the collection and timely transportation of biologically viable clinical materials such as blood, blood products, Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) and relevant microbiologic specimens as identified by the COTR, to the NIH, Bethesda or Rockville, Maryland, or NIH-associated research facilities in Frederick, Maryland. It is anticipated that there might be the need for regular collection and delivery of more than 200 samples per week from the metropolitan Washington DC, George Washington and Johns Hopkins areas. The potential biohazards and transmissibility of agents of interest in infectious diseases research (emerging infectious diseases, HIV, chronic hepatitis viruses, etc) require strict adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, OSHA guidelines, and any other state, local, or federal guidelines and regulations relating to the health and safety of personnel. Additional technical risks include handling of blood samples and human secretions that could potentially be contaminated with infectious agents. The Contractor shall demonstrate that its staff has the appropriate training and knowledge, and that it poses the appropriate facilities and waste handling techniques for work with this contract. The contractor shall assume responsibility for compliance with all state, local, and federal regulations for shipping, transporting and disposing biological and/or hazardous materials. The contractor will be required to provide community outreach workers, along with administrative support, data management and web support staff. Qualifications of these key personnel will be evaluated prior to contract award. For personnel communicating directly with the patients, bilingual and multilingual candidates (especially Spanish speaking) may be more highly rated (depending on other qualifications.) Anticipated period of Performance: One base year starting approximately in September/October of 2011, and including four 12 month option periods. Capability statement: Capability statements (limit of 15 numbered pages) must describe the ability to meet the above requirements and provide references for similar work that the offeror has performed, or is currently performing, and the dollar value of that work, and must be submitted to Ivan Hernandez at ihernandez@niaid.nih.gov by October 21, 2010. Please CLEARLY INDICATE DUNS NUMBER, SMALL BUSINESS CLASSIFICATION [i.e. small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses] and BUSSINESS SIZE based on the average annual receipts size criteria for NAICS code 541990 (see 13 CFR § 121.104) in the front cover of the capability statement. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s)."
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/AMOB/HHS-NIH-NIAID(AO)-SBSS-10-23/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Washington D.C. and the towns of Baltimore, Bethesda, Frederick and Rockville, in Maryland, United States
- Record
- SN02306858-W 20101008/101006234205-767d2af66122954db8a8d10f9437250f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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