SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Environmental Health Student Portal Usability Evaluation
- Notice Date
- 7/14/2011
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541519
— Other Computer Related Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Suite 105, Bethesda, Maryland, 20894, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20894
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NLM-11-120-SES
- Archive Date
- 8/12/2011
- Point of Contact
- Shari E. Shor, Phone: 301-435-4388, Robin V. Hope, Phone: 301-435-4379
- E-Mail Address
-
shorse@mail.nlm.nih.gov, hoperv@mail.nih.gov
(shorse@mail.nlm.nih.gov, hoperv@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared with the format under Simplified Acquisition Procedures at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6 Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items; and FAR Subpart 13.5, Test Program for Certain Commercial Items; as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This notice constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quotations (RFQ) HHS-NIH-NLM-11-120-SES. This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect in the March 2005-52 FAR Revision effective May 31, 2011, including all FAR Circulars issued as of the date of this synopsis. This acquisition is 100% small business set-aside and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541519, Other Computer Related Services. Background The National Library of Medicine (NLM), the Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS), produces information resources on a range of topics covering toxicology, environmental health, HIV/AIDS, drug and consumer product information, and disaster/emergency preparedness and response. It also manages and develops programs in an effort to eliminate disparities in health information access by providing community outreach training and support designing special population websites that address specific concerns in various racial, ethnic and demographic groups. These outreach programs reach health professionals, public health workers and the general public. As part of its effort to reach special populations, SIS develops K-12 resources for students and teachers at a range of grade levels. The most recent SIS K-12 Web site is Environmental Health Student Portal (http://kidsenvirohealth.nlm.nih.gov/) for middle school students and teachers. The portal includes sections on Air Pollution, Chemicals, Climate Change, and Water Pollution, linking to articles, games, activities, and videos on these four topics. The portal was developed with input from science and health educators in four US states, and reflects the existing middle school curricula and the National Science Education Standards. Project Objectives The purpose of this procurement is to conduct a usability evaluation of the Environmental Health Student Portal. Aspects of usability that SIS is particularly interested in assessing include user-friendliness, the overall site organization, ease of navigation and error recovery, overall ease of operation, readability of narrative introductions for students in grades 6-8, perceived usefulness, overall ease of understanding, reliability / accuracy, and attractiveness for students and teachers. The evaluation should identify navigational pitfalls and readability issues that create a barrier for the classroom use of this Web site and yield specific recommendations for improving the site. The evaluation will focus on the following questions: • Are the navigation, placement of content and overall organization of the Portal intuitive and audience appropriate? Specifically, o Are teachers able to navigate the site to find information they can use in their lessons on water and air pollution, climate change and chemistry? o Are students able to navigate the site to find specific information for school projects and independent topics? • Is the readability of SIS-authored site content (introduction of topics and subtopics) appropriate for students in grades 6-8? • What is teachers' and students' perception of the Portal's usefulness, accuracy / authoritativeness, functionality and overall appeal? • What changes to the Portal are needed to more effectively serve the information needs of the middle school science classroom? Scope of Work: The contractor will perform the following tasks: 1. Develop participant recruitment screeners 2. Recruit participants from the following user groups: o Nine middle school science teachers representing a range of grade levels and science subjects that they teach, and a diversity of geographic regions and settings (urban, suburban, rural) o Nine students in grades 6-8 3. Develop representative usability scenarios and a session facilitator guide for each user group o Nine to twelve pre-scripted tasks for each group 4. Develop interview separate interview scripts for teachers and students o Teachers' interview should address the site's overall appeal, desired teacher education and support materials and potential use cases for the site o Students' interview questions should address the site's perceived objectives / audience and overall appeal 5. Conduct usability tests, some remotely, and some in a contractor's usability laboratory (or in a usability laboratory identified and reserved by the contractor) 6. Provide remote test-session viewing capabilities for the SIS staff 7. Record testing session via screen capturing software 8. Analyze the usability data 9. Develop specific design recommendations 10. Develop a written report and a power point presentation Contractor Personnel The project should be conducted by contractor staff with experience working with federal Web sites, environmental health Web sites, and Web sites for special populations, preferably including K-12 teachers and students. The contractor must present evidence of successful implementation of similar projects. The contractor should also have expertise in Web design and development, and be able to make specific, technical suggestions for changes to the Portal. Location The project implementation will take place at the contractor's location. Testing of local participants will be conducted in the contractor-owned or contractor-obtained usability laboratory. Testing of non-local participants will take place remotely via Web conferencing and telephone, with real-time viewing capabilities for the SIS project staff. Travel It is anticipated that the contractor will be required to travel to the National Library of Medicine, located in Bethesda Maryland, to attend a mandatory kick-off meeting and a final presentation meeting. During the period of performance, it is anticipated that two (2) planning sessions will be held, preferably in person. Period of Performance It is anticipated that the period of performance shall be twelve (12) months from the date of award. An award is anticipated to be made on or about August 10, 2011. Award of this requirement is subject to available funding. Deliverables The contractor will produce the following deliverables: 1. Participant recruitment screeners 2. Usability scenarios, interview questions and session facilitator guide for each user group 3. Screen-captured recordings of the testing sessions 4. Written report with specific, graphically illustrated (e.g., power point) design recommendations 5. Final presentation to the project team Delivery/Schedule The following is the estimated timeline for the project implementation. Kick-off: 1 Week after Award Recruiting Plan: 2 Weeks after Award Recruit Participants: 6 Weeks after Award Develop Scenarios: 6 Weeks after Award Develop Facilitator Guide and Interview Questions: 5 Weeks after Award Conduct Tests: 9 Weeks after Award Analysis: 11 Weeks after Award Design Recommendations: 13 Weeks after Award Written Report: 15 Weeks after Award Presentation: 16 Weeks after Award The following clauses and provisions cited herein are incorporated by reference into this solicitation and may be obtained from the web site http://rcb.cancer.gov/rcb-internet/SAP/sap.htm: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial (June 2008), and FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (June 2010)-With Addenda [Stop Work Order, FAR 52.242-15 (August 1989) and Year 2000 Compliance (July 1997)]. The attached Addendum to Terms and Conditions of Purchase Order also applies to this solicitation. FAR 52.232-18, Availability of Funds, applies. FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items (January 1999), also applies with the following five evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of the provision: Technical Evaluation Criteria Understanding the Problem (25 Points) Proposal demonstrates a thorough and complete understanding of the requirements and indicates a clear awareness of the contract objectives. Proposal provides evidence that the offeror has a deep knowledge of Web design and usability guidelines for scientifically-rich topics and special populations and is able to anticipate challenges and to address them effectively. Soundness of the Approach (30 Points) Proposal describes the proposed approach to comply with the requirements specified in the Statement of Work. The proposal is consistent with the stated goals and objectives. The proposed approach of ensuring the achievement of timely and acceptable performance is well documented and sound. The approach addresses potential challenges and specific strategies for overcoming those with respect to participant sampling, recruitment, and scenarios development. The proposal also describes in-depth the technique for capturing information during the sessions. Finally, the proposal describes data analytic methods and the means by which user performance data will be converted into specific design recommendations. Personnel (15 Points) The proposed staff is competent and experienced in the skills required in the Statement of Work, particularly with regard to usability evaluation and Web design / development. The staff has expertise evaluating government websites, and websites dealing with health and environmental issues. The staff is experienced is working with special populations and with information for educational settings. Experience with children is preferable. Information is provided as to which key personnel will be used on this project. The percentage of time each project staff member will contribute to the program is adequately identified. Past Performance (20 Points) Offerors shall provide examples of contracts completed during the past three years and contracts currently in process, which pertain to a) the role of the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine, or an organization of similar size and/or mission, in promoting consumer health education, b) environmental health information for professionals and the lay public, d) health resources for special population groups, e) resources for children and adolescents, f) resources for teachers and schools. Examples that reflect more than one category from the above list in a single project are preferred. These examples should demonstrate track record of successful usability evaluation and design recommendations, adherence to contract schedules and commitment to customer satisfaction. Offerors shall also provide reference contacts for these contracts. Facility (10 Points) The proposal makes it clear that the contractor has access to a usability testing facility that provides real-time viewing capabilities for off-site project staff, as well as capabilities for both on-site and remote testing. The facility is equipped with state-of-the art screen capturing software. It is the responsibility of the vendor to report non-receipt of payment to Office of Financial Management. The phone number for payment inquiries is 301-496-6088. The vendor shall keep the COTR informed about all invoicing problems. An award will be made to the offeror who represents the best value to the Government. Offerors must submit a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (May 2011), with their offers. The clause at FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (May 2011), as well as the following clauses cited therein: FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003), and FAR 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration (October 2003). Sources having the ability to provide the professional services described above and Addendum to Terms and Conditions of Purchase Order shall submit clear comprehensive information supporting their experience, past performance, managerial experience and pricing. An offeror's response shall not exceed 10 pages, excluding resumes. Any questions can be submitted to Shari Shor, Contract Specialist, at shorse@mail.nlm.nih.gov or 301-435-4388. All information received will be considered as part of a competitive acquisition. RESPONSES ARE DUE BY 1:00 PM LOCAL PREVAILING TIME ON July 28, 2011, AND SHALL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL TO: shorse@mail.nlm.nih.gov. This advertisement does not commit the government to award a contract. ALL RESPONSIBLE SOURCES MAY SUBMIT A QUOTATION WHICH, IF TIMELY RECEIVED, SHALL BE CONSIDERED BY THE GOVERNENT.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/OAM/HHS-NIH-NLM-11-120-SES/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Vendor site, United States
- Record
- SN02499057-W 20110716/110714235315-7fef1ee69febfddfb6ba4206ac450605 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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