SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Bioinformatics analyses of longitudinal plasma metabolomics data
- Notice Date
- 8/28/2014
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support/Simplified Acquisitions, 31 Center Drive, Room 1B59, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-14-648
- Archive Date
- 9/24/2014
- Point of Contact
- Hunter A. Tjugum, Phone: 301 435 8780, ,
- E-Mail Address
-
hunter.tjugum@nih.gov, NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov
(hunter.tjugum@nih.gov, NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-14-648 and the solicitation is issued as a Request For Quotation (RFQ). This acquisition is for a commercial service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-76, dated 25 JULY 2014. The associated NAICS code is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services with associated small business size standard $14.0 million. This requirement is released on an unrestricted basis. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Background, purpose and objectives: The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. The Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience (LBN) in the NIA studies individual differences and age-related changes in cognition, personality, brain structure and function, and their influences on age-related changes. Laboratory investigators employ a variety of methods, including experimental, longitudinal, epidemiological, neuroimaging, biomarker, neuropathological, and genetic methods in the analyses of behavioral, psychological, and biological aspects of aging. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), National Institute of Aging (NIA),Intramural Research Program (IRP), studies age-related changes in medical, physiological, cognitive and physical functioning across the adult life span. The LBN studies age-related changes, including development of a variety of medical conditions and the effects of these comorbidities on physical and psychological health and resilience of data from BLSA participants. The purposes of this requirement focuses on The LBN has a potential requirement for contractor support to perform advanced bioinformatic data analyses from measurements that have been obtained from plasma samples collected from participants in the neuroimaging sub study of the BLSA. The final objective is the identification of peripheral biomarkers associated with changes in brain volume, amyloid deposition, cognition and cardia-metabolic parameters in non-demented older individuals. Subject announcement includes performing a novel type of data analysis on a longitudinal metabolomics dataset for the identification of blood biomarkers predictive of rates of brain atrophy, amyloid deposition, cognitive decline and changes in cardia-metabolic parameters in non-demented older individuals. The metabolomics data have been derived from the analysis of 390 plasma samples (totaling 130 individual participants at three discrete time points). General Scope of Work: The Scope of Work for this requirement includes identifying mathematical models that will aim to isolate variables that are relevant to associate with the rates of decline in cognitive performance, the rates of brain atrophy, in vivo brain amyloid accumulation in non-demented elderly and other physiological variables (such as v02max, body-mass index, insulin resistance). This will be done using symbolic regression and employing solvers which are based on genetic programming techniques. Contractor requirements and tasks to be performed: Contractor shall be required to perform the following tasks: Perform biostatistical and bioinformatics analyses on metabolomics data provided by the Unit of Clinical and Translational Neuroscience at the LBN to identify longitudinal small metabolite predictors of changes in rates of: a. Cognitive decline; b. Brain atrophy; c. Amyloid deposition; and d. Cardio-metabolic parameters (vO2max, body-mass index, insulin resistance) Assist in the bioinformatics analysis for the subtype identification, data mining and biomarker discovery of the subject data. The data to be provided will be a metabolomic dataset which will be presented in two matrices i.e. in positive and negative ionizations that refer to the two data acquisition modes. Each matrix consists of quantitative values for mass/charge: retention times (approximately 3,000 in the positive mode and 800 in the negative mode) which represent the abundance of individual metabolites. Compute divergence matrices among the samples to identify subgroups of samples that have some common characteristics. Clustering of samples will be conducted employing methods of community detection based on the optimization of modularity. Methods of community detection shall identify correlated sets of biomarkers that lose correlation with the progression of the disease. Adjusted Rand Index, measures of inter-rater agreement, interpretation of data matrices, measures of dissimilarity, and analysis of similarities between metabolic profiles may be used in performing this requirement. Perform analysis of data-mining matrices to derive metabolites predictive of brain atrophy, amyloid deposition, cognitive performance, adiposity, insulin resistance and cardio-respiratory fitness taking advantage of the longitudinal information and to identify sample clusters and metabolites in groups of longitudinal correlation. The period of performance shall be effective on or around September 30, 2014 for a period of 12 months. The anticipated place of performance shall primarily include the contractor's place of work. The government estimates approximately 1000 hours of effort is required to perform the statement of work for the 12-month period of performance. Deliverables and Reporting requirements: The Contractor shall be required to provide a detailed report (WORD document) of analytical methodology applied to the metabolomics data provided to the contractor. This deliverable shall detail the metabolite concentrations (both cross-sectional and longitudinal changes) predictive of changes in the following: a) cognitive performance b) brain volume c) brain amyloid burden d) cardio-respiratory fitness (v02max) e) body mass index and f) insulin resistance. The contractor is required to provide written progress reports every two (2) months during the performance period of this requirement. Government's responsibilities: NIA will provide an Excel spreadsheet containing data matrices (positive and negative ionization modes) of longitudinal metabolomic measurements performed on BLSA-neuroimaging (NI) participants (130 samples at 3 distinct time points). The data will include the following outcome variables: Trajectories of cognitive performance; Changes in brain volumes acquired by MRI; Changes in brain amyloid burden over time; Longitudinal data on v02max and body mass index; and Longitudinal data on insulin resistance The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will be responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance. Technical Evaluation criteria: Offerors may respond with a proposal indicating their ability to provide the technical requirements stated in this solicitation. Pricing proposals shall indicate the hourly rate for performing bioinformatics analyses described in this solicitation. Responses from Offerors will be evaluated on the following criteria showing an Understanding of the Requirements. The Offeror's technical approach shall indicate compliance with Contractor Requirements, and describe an essential understanding of the requirements involved in accomplishing the work. Offerors will be evaluated on their ability to meet the essential government requirements listed in the Statement of Work in this solicitation. Offerors will be evaluated on providing documented evidence of published manuscripts and/or other published articles in scientific or medical journals for a relevant subject to this requirement. Offerors will be evaluated on past performance for work on government and commercial contracts for similar requirements in the past two (2) years. Responses to this RFQ must not exceed a combined 25 pages in length, inclusive of appendices, and be submitted in Microsoft Word or searchable PDF format in a font size of 11 or 12 point and font type of Arial or Times New Romans. Margins must be 1-inch wide (top, bottom, left, and right). Responses must references this solicitation number and include the name of the contractor. Pages in excess of the specified page limit will not be considered or evaluated. The following FAR provisions shall apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors--Commercial Items, 52.212-2, Evaluation--Commercial Items. Evaluation factors that will be used to evaluate the offer most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered, include ability to meet the technical requirements stated in this pre-solicitation and on basis of best value to the government. Offerors must include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, with their offer. The Clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and the Clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. In addition the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All Offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov." All responses must be received no later than the response deadline indicated on September 9, 2014, 12:00 pm Eastern time. Late responses will not be accepted. All responses must reference solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-CSS-14-648. Responses may be submitted electronically to Hunter.Tjugum@nih.gov and to NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov. Fax responses will be accepted at (301) 480-1358. For information regarding this solicitation, contact Hunter Tjugum by email at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov or by phone at (301) 435-8780.
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