MODIFICATION
R -- Production of Scientific Journal Supplement on HIV/AIDS
- Notice Date
- 8/19/2014
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 511120
— Periodical Publishers
- Contracting Office
- Department of State, Office of Acquisitions, Acquisition Management, 1735 N. Lynn St., Arlington, Virginia, 22209, United States
- ZIP Code
- 22209
- Solicitation Number
- RFI_HIV_AIDS
- Archive Date
- 9/30/2014
- Point of Contact
- Andrew T. Rothstein, Phone: 703-875-5867
- E-Mail Address
-
RothsteinAT@state.gov
(RothsteinAT@state.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Notice - The deadline for submission is extended until Friday, August 22, 2014 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time Request for Information (RFI) for Department of State-Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Production of Scientific Journal Supplement on HIV/AIDS PURPOSE: This Request for Information (RFI) is issued to identify capable contractors that can provide editorial and scientific review and produce and publish a scientific supplement in a leading HIV/AIDS journal on the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for the Department of State's (DOS) Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI marked "Proprietary" will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responses to this RFI will assist DOS in determining the potential level of interest, competition adequacy, and technical capabilities of potential contractors to provide the required products and services. DOS may also use this information to assist in developing any subsequent subcontract plans and small business goal percentages. The Government does not guarantee any action beyond this RFI. BACKGROUND: In November 2012, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) released the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation, which outlined ambitious goals to achieve an AIDS-free Generation. Landmark scientific advances coupled with success in implementing effective programs have put an AIDS-free generation within sight. As access to anti-retroviral treatment (ART) expands in many countries, with many people living with HIV (PLHIV) living longer, healthier lives, there is also a recognition that the needs of PLHIV are changing. From a public health perspective, it is critical to identify and prioritize interventions which impact key outcomes for PLHIV, namely interventions which reduce mortality and morbidity, prevent ongoing HIV transmission, improve retention in care and adherence to ART, and improve quality of life. Priority interventions must be supported by evidence, address critical needs, and have demonstrable public health impact on these key outcomes. PEPFAR has recently undertaken an extensive, in-depth review of the scientific evidence for current PEPFAR care and support interventions for adult PLHIV. Care and support activities include key interventions for PLHIV other than ART, including clinical and non-clinical activities (e.g. screening for HIV-associated infections, or support for retaining patients in care). The review examined the impact of each intervention on five outcomes - morbidity, mortality, retention in care, quality of life, and HIV transmission, also considering data on cost-effectiveness where available. The goal of the review was to rigorously evaluate and summarize the scientific evidence base for care and support interventions, in order to help PEPFAR programs and countries prioritize interventions. In order to broadly disseminate the results of this scientific review to an international audience including health care providers, public health specialists, researchers, scientists, program planners and government and international public health leaders, PEPFAR, specifically the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC), proposes to support publication of a scientific supplement to a leading peer-reviewed HIV/AIDS journal. REQUIREMENTS: S/GAC will fund a scientific supplement through a leading peer-reviewed HIV/AIDS journal with significant experience in the publication of basic and translational science, clinical science, and epidemiology and prevention. Under guidance from S/GAC, appointed Guest Editors will work with journal editors and staff to coordinate preparation of the supplement, which will contain approximately 17 articles summarizing and evaluating the scientific evidence on the impact of various care and support interventions on key outcomes, as described above. The contractor should be the publisher of a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal addressing domestic and global aspects of HIV/AIDS. The contractor will work with S/GAC appointed Guest Editors to plan the supplement, coordinate editorial and scientific review of manuscripts by Guest and journal editors, and assure scientific and technical quality of the final publication, with anticipated release of the supplement in print and online by December 2014. The project also includes proofreading, editing, and typesetting of articles, then publishing and publicizing the issue for wide dissemination to critical stakeholders, including free online access to the articles. All content shall be reviewed for relevance to the supplement's objectives and scientific accuracy and rigor, including providing editorial input to improve the technical and scientific content of manuscripts during the review process, and noting weaknesses or problems for the contents of the scientific supplement. The final content will be determined with input from the review process, S/GAC, and the Guest Editors with the journal's independent editorial judgment. The contractor shall work with S/GAC to track the status of development and editorial review of the manuscripts. The contractor shall assure that the supplement and all included articles are publicly available and accessible to journal subscribers and non-subscribers alike. The contractor shall outline the process of making articles ‎available to the public at no charge, and shall make recommendations in their proposals for such access, including outlining any associated costs. The supplement is estimated to be approximately 95 pages black and white with a four-color cover. Color illustrations may be required. The full supplement shall be mailed to all journal subscribers. In addition, approximately 200 print copies of the supplement shall be made available and shipped to one location. The full supplement shall be posted on the journal's website. The journal responsible for publishing the supplement shall be indexed in MEDLINE and searchable through PubMed. The Supplement and all included articles shall be indexed and searchable as well. The tasks associated with the scientific supplement are: 1. Guest Editorship: The contractor will work with S/GAC and S/GAC appointed Guest Editors and journal editors to assure the scientific and technical quality of the supplement. This process includes the scientific and technical evaluation of manuscripts as well as proofreading and editing. 2. Facilitating a review process: The contractor will support S/GAC, S/GAC appointed Guest Editors, and journal editors to review manuscripts for the scientific supplement. 3. Publication and dissemination of scientific supplement: The contractor will publish the scientific supplement in print and online and disseminate to their readership as well as key stakeholders in the HIV/AIDS community. The target audience consists of interdisciplinary readers in the basic and translational sciences, epidemiology, and the medical, public health and prevention communities. Among others, this audience may include infectious disease specialists, health care providers, epidemiologists, researchers, public health specialists, social scientists, and other professionals interested in the management of AIDS and complications of AIDS. The journal (the contractor) must demonstrate experience in the publication and peer review of advances in HIV science and programs. The contractor will provide free online public access to the content of the supplement. The deliverables associated with this project include: • Editorial review of scientific content with journal editors, guest editors, and S/GAC - estimated completion September/October 2014 • Production of scientific supplement - estimated completion November 2014 • Publication and dissemination of scientific supplement, including free online public access - estimated completion November/December 2014 RFI RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: RFI responses should conform to the format below and provide the following information: Section 1 - Cover Letter - The cover letter shall include the following: Company information - Include company name, point of contact and contact information (name, address, phone number, email address, and fax number). Also, include a brief description of the company, its history, mission, and core competencies. Include the Company business size with socioeconomic classification based on North American Industry Classification Code 511120. Also, include the name and number of any GSA contracts the contractor holds, under which the contractor can perform the required work. Section 2 -Past Experience The contractor shall provide up to three detailed examples of similar experience with the publication of scientific journals and medical publications, preferably with a focus on HIV/AIDS in the past three years, including audience, topics covered, readership, past performance on the production of similar supplements, and impact factor. Section 3 - Technical Approach and Capability The contractor shall describe its technical approach and capability to meet the contract requirements. Specifically the contractor shall describe the following: • Technical approach - The contractor shall describe how it will provide the required products and services described above. • Management approach - The contractor shall describe how it will manage the project and provide the following: o Staffing approach - Describe the labor categories and number of staff for each category that you will use to staff the project. o Key personnel - Brief descriptions of the qualifications of the potential key staff members on the project. o Management processes - Describe the processes and techniques you will use to manage the project and ensure high quality products and services. • Subcontractors - Identify any potential subcontractors you will use to support this project. Describe their role on the project and their capabilities • Cost Estimate - Provide a cost estimate for the project to include the following o Labor costs - Provide hourly rates for each required labor category and an estimate of the number of hours required to determine an estimated cost per labor category and a total labor cost o Other direct costs - Provide an estimate of other direct costs broken out by category to include travel, supplies, shipping, etc. Provide detail to support these estimate. Base the cost estimate on producing approximately 95 pages black and white with a four-color cover; free online viewing access is required. Color illustrations may be required. Costs must include numbers of distribution through the journal's readership. RFI EVALUATION FACTORS: To determine the best procurement approach for this contract the Government will review RFI submissions based on the following factors: • Technical approach - The Government will evaluate the viability of the contractor's technical approach to ensure it is technically sound, meets the requirements, and will enable DOS to produce a high-quality product on schedule. • Management - The Government will evaluate the contractor's management plan to ensure the contractor has the ability to effectively manage the project, has a staff with sufficient experience, and a sufficiently staffed team to complete the project on time and within budget while providing a high-quality product • Past Experience - The Government will evaluate the contractor's past experience to ensure it has the experience necessary to complete the project successfully. • Cost - The Government will review the contractor's cost estimate to ensure the total costs and labor rates reasonable for the scope of work required. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Responses to this RFI shall not exceed 20 pages, with text no smaller than 12 point; however, text included in graphics, tables, and figures can be no smaller than 10 point. Limit any foldout pages to two per section. The cover page, cover letter, and a table of contents, are not included in the total page count. DOS will also accept a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet for the required cost estimate information. The submissions must be in sufficient detail and clarity to provide DOS with the information it needs. Please provide an electronic version of your written response in Microsoft Word and Excel 2010 compatible files to: Andrew Rothstein, Contract Specialist, RothsteinAT@state.gov, no later than Monday, August 18, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Government will not accept questions after Wednesday, August 13, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please submit questions to RothsteinAT@state.gov Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/State/A-LM-AQM/A-LM-AQM/RFI_HIV_AIDS/listing.html)
- Record
- SN03471880-W 20140821/140820001146-99c78e3e3053e7380d4af31ce20bdf43 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |