SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Cancer and Other Disease Risks in Nuclear Medicine Technologists: A Feasibility Study
- Notice Date
- 7/20/2015
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bldg 1050, Frederick, Maryland, 21702, United States
- ZIP Code
- 21702
- Solicitation Number
- N02CP52648-57
- Point of Contact
- Reyes Rodriguez, Phone: 240-276-5442
- E-Mail Address
-
reyes.rodriguez@nih.gov
(reyes.rodriguez@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB), plans to procure on a sole source basis services to identify the target population of nuclear medicine technologists, develop test and administer a web-based questionnaire to the feasibility study sample from Minnesota University, 420 Delaware Street S.E., 807 Mayo, Room 1220; Minneapolis, MN 55455. This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) and 13.501- (a)(1) using simplified acquisition procedures for commercial acquisitions. The North American Industry Classification System code is 541990 and the business size standard is $14.0 Millions. Only one award will be made as a result of this solicitation. This will be awarded as a firm fixed price type contract. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. Period of Performance will be as follows: Base - Phase I & II: August 17, 2015 through August 16, 2016. Option Period - Phase III: August 16, 2016 through February 15, 2017. The Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute (NCI) carries out studies to characterize and quantify cancer risks associated with ionizing radiation exposures, improve radiation dosimetry, elucidate biological mechanisms of radiation carcinogenesis, and study factors that may modify the carcinogenic action of radiation. For more than 30 years the REB and the University of Minnesota have conducted a cohort study of cancer incidence and mortality among 146,022, primarily female (73%), U.S. radiologic technologists (USRT) to quantify radiogenic risks for protracted low dose exposures and to determine the applicability of current radiation risk estimates. The technologists in USRT study were first certified during 1926-80. Other studies of medical radiation workers have examined substantially smaller, mostly male, populations of radiologists and radiologic technologists. Unique features of the USRT cohort are the availability of annual occupational radiation dose estimates and personal radiation dose scores for each participant, corroborated by a sizeable biodosimetry effort; The USRT cohort included a subset of technologists who performed nuclear medicine procedures. Risk analysis has shown modest excesses of a few types of cancer and circulatory diseases in this subset of technologists. However, nuclear medicine technologists often performed many other types of procedures. Many of the USRT technologists, who are now a median age of 68, are currently retired and only a small fraction carried out some of the higher-dose newer nuclear medicine procedures. To assess radiation-related cancer and other disease risks in nuclear medicine technologists, a new cohort study of more recently trained and certified nuclear medicine technologists who specialize and work full time conducting nuclear medicine procedures is under consideration. The purpose of the currently proposed study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a large cohort study of technologists certified in nuclear medicine after 1980, The feasibility study will involve three components: (1) identification of the target population and a stratified random sample of 500 technologists for the feasibility study; (2) development of a web-based questionnaire; and (3) administration of the web-based questionnaire to the feasibility study sample. Contractor Requirements: The Contractor shall complete the following tasks: Phase I: Identify the target population and a feasibility study sample 1. Assist NCI in contacting the nuclear medicine technology certification boards, the ARRT and NMTCB, and the main professional society, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), to obtain lists of names and other identifiers, certification dates and specialties, and other relevant information. 2. Develop file formats and documentation and assist NCI in preparing data transfer agreements. Receive and maintain data files from the ARRT, the NMTCB, and the SNMMI. Due within three months after award 3. From the information collected in Tasks #1 and #2, develop a master database of individuals who were certified in nuclear medicine technology after 1980 by the ARRT or the NMTCB, and document the contents of the database. This dataset shall include any relevant information, including personal identifiers or identifiable information (e.g., employee identification numbers), certification dates and specialties, certifying organization, post-primary certifications, contact information (e.g., e-mail address, work and/or home address, phone number), date of birth, gender, etc. Individuals shall be assigned study-specific identification numbers. Maintain detailed documentation for this database, and retain the key linking ARRT or NMCTB identification numbers with the study-specific identification numbers. Due within five months after award 4. Match the database developed in Task #3 with the USRT study database using available personal identifying information. Include an indicator variable in the master database that denotes enrollment in the USRT study cohort, as these individuals will not be eligible for the nuclear medicine technologists target population. Due within seven months after award 5. Send a detailed progress report to NCI describing the types of information included in the data files from ARRT, NMTCB, and SNMMI, such as personal identifiers, demographic characteristics, certifying organization, and certification specialties and dates (including post-primary certifications). The report shall specify the number of individuals included in the master database, and describe any overlap identified between the nuclear medicine technologists certified after 1980 and the USRT cohort. Due within eight months after award 6. Identify a stratified random sample of 500 nuclear medicine technologists for the feasibility study. Due within eight months after award 7. For the sample of 500, trace and obtain contact information, including current physical and/or email addresses. Due within nine months after award Phase II: Develop and test a web-based questionnaire 8. With input from NCI investigators, create a questionnaire (in Microsoft Word or other electron version) containing work history questions from the nuclear medicine questionnaire and selected demographic and risk factor questions from the general questionnaire that were administered to USRT cohort members in 2013-2014. Due within three months after award 9. Convert the Word (or other electron) version of the questionnaire to a web-based version. Due within six months after award 10. Administer the web-based version of the questionnaire, and a follow-up informational survey to a sample of up to nine nuclear medicine technologists, to identify any problems with the questions. Due within eight months after award 11. Manually review the data from the completed web-based questionnaires and post-questionnaire surveys, and make final revisions based on input from NCI investigators. Due within 12 months after award Phase III: Administer the web-based questionnaire to the feasibility study sample Note: Phase III shall begin after completion of Phases I and II. 12. Pending OMB approval, administer the web-based questionnaire to the stratified random sample of 500 nuclear medicine technologists identified in Task #6 via an e-mail invitation (for nuclear medicine technologists with available and valid e-mail addresses) or via an invitation by postal mailing including a link to the web-based questionnaire (for nuclear medicine technologists without available and valid e-mail addresses but available and valid postal addresses). Due within 3 months after award of Option Phase III. 13. Resend e-mails or postal mailings to non-responders once, four weeks after the initial administration. Due within 4 months after award of Option Phase III. 14. Review, edit, and clean the data from the completed web-based questionnaires obtained in Task 12. Develop a user-friendly computerized data file and detailed documentation of variables included. Submit interim data files to NCI as requested, and a final data file before the end of the contract. Due within 6 months after award Option Phase III. Contractor Qualifications 1. The Contractor shall have experience in developing and maintaining large databases for cohort follow-up studies, performing record linkage with large databases, tracing large numbers of individuals, developing web-based study questionnaires, administering web-based questionnaires, capturing and editing questionnaire data, and developing and documenting data sets for analysis.. 2. The Contractor shall have access to the historical certification records of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). 3. The Contractor shall have access to the U.S. Radiologic Technologists Study cohort database, including personal identifiers and linked information from the ARRT. In addition, the University of Minnesota (UMN) has supported the NCI to conduct U.S. radiologic technologists (USRT) cohort follow-up, including administering four questionnaire surveys to collect information on work history, cancer and other disease risk factors, and medical outcomes for assessing radiation-related and other risks. The UMN has an established relationship with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), which certifies individuals in radiography, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and other medical radiation specialties. Based on the Contracting Office's Representative, the ARRT has granted UMN sole access to their historical certification and annual recertification records. The UMN has access to the USRT cohort database, including personal identifiers, and linked information from the ARRT. Thus, the University of Minnesota (UMN) is uniquely qualified to perform the tasks described in the Statement of Work for this procurement. This notice is not a request for competitive quotation. However, if any interested party, especially small business believes it can meet the above requirement, it may submit a proposal or quote for the Government to consider. The response and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NCI to determine if the party can perform the requirement. Responses must be received in the contracting office by 11 AM EST, on July 31, 2015. All responses and questions must be in writing and faxed to 240-276-5399 or emailed to Reyes Rodriguez, Contracting Specialist via electronic mail at reyes.rodriguez@nih.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No collect calls will be accepted. In order to receive an award, contractors must be registered and have valid certification in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) through sam.gov. Reference: N02CP52648-57 on all correspondence.
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Contractor's Site, United States
- Record
- SN03802940-W 20150722/150720235009-305891109f57dee9c9a6edc667cbb67f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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