SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) IV
- Notice Date
- 12/8/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Contracts Management, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland, 20850
- ZIP Code
- 20850
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-AHRQ-SBSS-12-009
- Archive Date
- 1/7/2012
- Point of Contact
- Erin C. Lange, Phone: 3014271010, Gayle R. Sunde, Phone: 3014271573
- E-Mail Address
-
Erin.Lange@ahrq.hhs.gov, gayle.sunde@ahrq.hhs.gov
(Erin.Lange@ahrq.hhs.gov, gayle.sunde@ahrq.hhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice (SBSS). 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 business; 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. The classification code for this project is A - Research & Development. The NAICS code for the project is 541990. The small business size standard is $7M. Background: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) conducts and supports a broad base of scientific research and promotion of improvements in clinical and health systems practices, including the prevention of diseases and other health conditions. AHRQ sponsors and conducts research that develops and presents evidence-based information on healthcare outcomes, quality, patient safety, cost, use and access. Included in AHRQ's mandate is support of synthesis and dissemination of available scientific evidence, including dissemination research and analytic methods or systems for rating the strength of scientific evidence. AHRQ sponsors and conducts research on existing as well as innovating technologies, and conducts research on methods for measuring quality and strategies for improving quality. AHRQ also recognizes that a number of populations experience persistent disparities in health status, access to care, quality of care, and poor health outcomes. To address these disparities, AHRQ encourages research projects to include special populations such as low-income groups, racial and ethnic minority groups, women, children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of the proposed acquisition is to identify Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) which are the cornerstone of the Effective Health Care Program (EHC). The EPCs were created in 1997 to synthesize existing scientific literature about important health care topics and promote evidence-based practice and decision-making. Additional information on the EHC program in general, resources it provides, and descriptions of processes can be found at: http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/what-is-the-effective-health-care-program1/. Information on each of the component parts of the EHC Program can be found at: http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/who-is-involved-in-the-effective-health-care-program1/ Examples of products produced by each of the component parts of the Effective Health Care Program may be found at: http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/. These reviews use the research methodology of systematic review to systematically and critically appraise existing research and synthesize knowledge on a particular topic. These are systematic reviews based on rigorous, comprehensive methods, emphasizing explicitly detailed documentation of methods rationale and assumptions. Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, information concerning their capability to respond to this requirement on a large scale basis. Through the EHC program, the EPCs will continue to work with a variety of partners such as guideline development groups, patients, providers, policy-makers and other consumers of evidence reports, including researchers and funders of research within given areas of concentration to identify, develop, refine questions for systematic review, synthesize evidence, and identify future research needs. It is anticipated that within the EHC Program, the EPCs will continue to work with stakeholders to synthesize evidence relating to their questions across the priority conditions and cross-cut areas listed below: Table 1: EHC Program priority conditions and cross-cut areas 1. Arthritis and nontraumatic joint disorders 2. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder 3. Cancer 4. Cardiovascular disease, including stroke and hypertension 5. Dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease 6. Depression, other mental health disorders 7. Developmental delays, autism 8. Diabetes mellitus 9. Functional limitations and disability 10. Infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS 11. Obesity 12. Peptic ulcer disease and dyspepsia 13. Pregnancy, including preterm birth 14. Pulmonary disease/asthma 15. Substance abuse 16. Cross-cut theme 1 a. Care delivery, management, and coordination b. Prevention 17. Cross-cut theme 2 a. Medical testing b. Imaging technologies c. Medical and assistive devices It is anticipated that multiple award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contracts will be established. The Contractor shall function in a supportive technical role carrying out specific tasks, and shall not engage in independent research as part of this contract. Project Requirements: The ultimate goal of EPC work is to present the "state of the science" on a given topic in a manner that can be directly applied to decisions made by users of health care information. These users include clinicians, patients, policy-makers, and payers, and may be individuals or their related organizations. Specifically, evidence reports and technology assessments have been used as a scientific foundation for development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines, clinical pathways, review criteria, performance measures, and other clinical quality improvements tools, individual treatment decisions, coverage or reimbursement policies, and to develop research agendas. With funding from a variety of sources, each with a different program goal, EPCs work with various partners and stakeholders to review a variety of health care delivery and clinical areas of focus. Clinical areas may focus on traditional therapeutics as well as complementary, alternative, nutritional, and other emerging areas such as genomics and may span from preventative services to implementation of medical devices. The EPCs will implement a collective mission to meet the following objectives: • Promote the synthesis and translation of evidence within given topic areas. • Engage stakeholders to identify and refine questions in which systematic review will help disseminate and translate research findings for the stakeholder audience. • Conduct comparative effectiveness reviews (CERs), technical briefs, and updates of reviews with systematic and transparent methods. • Engage stakeholders to identify and characterize Future research needs to inform real-world healthcare decisions. • Collaborate with partners, including other EPCs and AHRQ programs, to promote relevant, consistent, transparent and valuable implementation of the systematic review process, dissemination of findings from systematic reviews and methodology projects, and the EPC Program as a whole. • Improve validity and utility of systematic reviews for decision-making o Advance methods of systematic review through empiric methods research o Ensure quality of EPC reviews through associate editor and peer review. • Improve consistency and cohesiveness of program o Develop methods guidance and translation of methods guidance to aid implementation efforts  CERs and systematic reviews  Reviews of medical tests  Identification of Future research needs  Topic identification o Development of tools to improve EPC program efficiency Anticipated Period of Performance: The anticipated period of performance for this proposed acquisition will be from August 2012, through August 2017, for a period of five years. Other Important Considerations: Sources are expected to have personnel, corporate history, and facilities adequate for conducting reviews using research methodology of systematic review to systematically and critically appraise existing research and synthesize knowledge on a particular topic. Capability Statement/Information Sought: Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, information concerning (a) understanding of EPC Program and the role of systematic reviews, comparative effectiveness reviews, and technical briefs in improving health care delivery; (b) engaging stakeholders to improve usability and applicability of systematic reviews; (c) identifying, prioritizing, developing, and refining topics for systematic review, and new research; (d) conducting rigorous systematic reviews, synthesizing results and reporting the findings; (e) collaborating to improve validity and efficiency and to reduce unnecessary variation in systematic reviews; (f) staff experience, including their availability, experience, and training; (g) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (h) prior completed projects of similar nature; (i) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information; (j) corporate experience and management plan; and (k) facilities and resources. Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement, not to exceed 20 single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, that clearly details the ability to perform the aspects of the notice described above. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement, as well as the eligible small business concern's name, point of contact, address and DUNS number. Information Submission Instructions: All Capability Statements sent in response to this SMALL BUSINESS SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Erin C. Lange, Contract Specialist, at Erin.Lange@ahrq.hhs.gov in MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), by December 23, 2011, 3:00 PM, EST. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. 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/AHRQ/DCM/HHS-AHRQ-SBSS-12-009/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02636081-W 20111210/111208234509-66abfdc38ddbd44b0e663e32e4780b05 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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