SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Cognitive neuroscience fMRI data analyst
- Notice Date
- 12/21/2016
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- 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, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-SBSS-2017-109
- Archive Date
- 1/18/2017
- Point of Contact
- Hunter A. Tjugum, Phone: 301 827 5304
- E-Mail Address
-
hunter.tjugum@nih.gov
(hunter.tjugum@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- INTRODUCTION This is a Small Business Sources Sought (SBSS) notice. 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 businesses; 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. This notice is issued to help determine the availability and type of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting this potential government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. The notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. The information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method including small business socio-economic set-aside possibilities and to determine the availability of qualified Small Business companies technically capable of meeting the Government's potential requirement. All Small Business companies with the capability and availability to perform the requirement under the applicable NAICS code are invited to submit a response to this notice. NORTH AMERICAN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE The NAICS code applicable to this requirement is 541990 -- All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services with associated business size standard $15,000,000.00. BACKGROUND The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 Institute Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) committed to making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. The Section on Development and Affective Neurosciences (SDAN) at NIMH seeks to understand how information processing in the brain is different among children, adolescents, and adults who have anxiety and/or depression across the lifespan and compared to healthy volunteers. SDAN uses this information to develop better treatments for these conditions. The work of the Section is to understand how this circuitry relates to impairment and recovery from anxiety and depression. A second line of investigation also seeks to understand how this circuitry changes and functions over time in those at the risk for development of these conditions later in life as adults. SDAN uses Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to identify altered brain circuitry in those with Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, and behaviorally inhibited temperament in order to inform treatment development and outcome prediction in pediatric anxiety disorders. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES SDAN research requires diverse expertise in cognitive neuroscience and statistical techniques. SDAN requires collaborative efforts to enhance the impact of research performed on site at the NIMH. In particular, SDAN needs to obtain consultation from other research groups using novel methods to conduct the statistical analysis of brain imaging data. Two particular needs have arisen. First, there is a need to use an imaging analytic approach that adaptively balances the risk for errors that arise from being either too liberal or too conservative in the particular application of statistics. Expertise is needed both in statistics and brain imaging. Second, there is a need to apply methods that can compare and contrast different methods for brain imaging, such as resting state and task-based imaging. This consultation would summarize the methods used to acquire such data and provide suggestions regarding ways to improve data collection procedures at the NIH. The purpose of this potential requirement is for SDAN to obtain contractor support to receive consultation and associated data regarding assessing aspects of brain function that relate to both normal and pathological processing of emotionally salient stimuli. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS Offerors to this Small Business Sources Sought notice MUST document evidence of being able to achieve the following critical elements of this potential requirement. Offerors shall specify the sensitivity, reproducibility, and throughput factors, and any other qualifications the Offeror deems applicable, in providing services for cognitive neuroscience fMRI data analysis as described in this notice. Contractors submitting a response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice shall possess the ability to achieve the salient government features of this potential requirement. Specifically, Offerors shall possess the ability to successfully perform the following services: The contractor will assess and analyze data from the ongoing projects and assist in manuscript preparation and publication. Ongoing Projects 1. The development and wide-spread implementation of data analytic approaches to task-based and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research on anxiety in children; 2. Implementation of a novel statistical analytic techniques to thresholding activation levels and between-group contrasts in fMRI research in anxious and non-anxious children and adolescents. The contractor will also be responsible for but not limited to the following: 1. Provide materials to collaborators so that they might analyze fMRI data on pediatric anxiety disorders and related mental health problems. 2. Perform these duties in collaboration with existing members of the Intramural Research Program. 3. Oversee training of NIMH-IRP staff on the newly implemented research procedures. 4. Work with the NIMH preparing manuscripts that present the results from this work. 5. Perform these duties by applying a range of tools with which the contractor possesses expertise. The contractor should be actively engaged in research on clinically significant alterations in brain function in mental health problems. The contractor would need to use their experience to advise the researchers at the NIH. All work will be monitored by the Government Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or delegated official. Periodic travel to the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD will be required. Period of Performance: The aniticpated period of performance for this potential requirement will be effective on or around February 15, 2017 through August 14, 2017. The Government estimates that contractor support will be required for approximately 120 hours of work per month during the performance period for a total 720 hours. CAPABILITY STATEMENT / INFORMATION SOUGHT Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm's own risk. Respondents must provide clear and convincing evidence of possessing the knowedge, skills, abilities and experience to successfully perform the requirements described in this announcement. Detailed past experience in implementing similar requirements to the requirement described in this announcement must be clearly delineated in any response provided, including a Curriculum Vitea (CV). Evidence of any published manuscripts or other documentation produced shall be used to support past experience. Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability in providing analytical quality control and any other requirements and services specified in this notice. Respondents must provide a general overview of the respondents' opinions about the difficulty and /or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts. The Respondent must also provide information in sufficient detail of the respondents' (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information. The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing. The response is limited to ten (10) pages. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, CV's or references, if requested. The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the product requirement. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must reference the solicitation number and be submitted to Hunter Tjugum at hunter.tjugum@nih.gov and NIDASSSAPurchaseRequ@mail.nih.gov prior to the closing date specified in this announcement. The response must be received on or before the closting date/time specified in this announcement. CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 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).
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- Record
- SN04357510-W 20161223/161221234721-65266fc666c85307c95883f756fe8064 (fbodaily.com)
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