SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- NCATS web consulting services
- Notice Date
- 6/23/2021 12:53:15 PM
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541512
— Computer Systems Design Services
- Contracting Office
- NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIDA Bethesda MD 20892 USA
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-21-001177
- Response Due
- 7/1/2021 6:00:00 AM
- Archive Date
- 07/16/2021
- Point of Contact
- Renato Gomes, Phone: 3014512596
- E-Mail Address
-
renato.gomes@nih.gov
(renato.gomes@nih.gov)
- Description
- Description:� This is a Small Business Sources Sought 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 may submitted a response to this notice. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the 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.� This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Background:� The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation�s leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people�s health and save lives. A part of NIH, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)�s mission it is to catalyze the generation of innovative methods and technologies that will enhance the development, testing and implementation of diagnostics and therapeutics across a wide range of human diseases and conditions. NCATS� mission is broad and requires extensive collaboration, transformational cultural change and disruptive innovative thinking within the science community. To accomplish this mission, the CB of NCATS� Office of Policy, Communication and Education, develops and disseminates information to a wide range of stakeholders with diverse interests and needs, including patient groups, academic investigators, potential partners in the private and federal sector (including other NIH institutes and centers), venture capital groups, technology-focused research and development organizations (both for-profit and nonprofit), and other parties interested in speeding each stage of research along the translational science spectrum, or the path from the biological basis of health and disease to interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. Although NCATS uses many communications channels for dissemination, the NCATS website (ncats.nih.gov) is the cornerstone of most communications efforts. Between January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021, the website had about 290,000 visitors and 900,000 page views. The current content management system (CMS) is Drupal 7. NCATS plans to transition to Drupal 9 in the next 1.5 years. The current website is maintained by the CB, which oversees website projects and content management, with support from a contractor for content, design, web development and content management as well as software and security upgrades and updates, and from NCATS� Information Technology Resources Branch (ITRB), which is responsible for the operating system(s), databases, server and the security infrastructure. The CB does not manage or maintain NCATS� microsites and the microsites are not included in the scope of the redesign effort and are not considered part of the �NCATS website.� However, the Contractor should be aware that there are numerous microsites on the ncats.nih.gov domain, which are supported by the ITRB and use a variety of CMS that allow ITRB meet specific needs of particular NCATS audiences. NCATS expectation is that the findings from the work described in the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) will be primarily applied not to NCATS current website, but instead will be used to inform the redesign that will be done in parallel with the transition to Drupal 9.� � � � � � � � � � � � � � Purpose and Objectives: The Communications Branch (CB) within the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is responsible for managing, coordinating, maintaining and promoting the NCATS website. CB intends to redesign the website to better meet user needs, ensure that the content is accessible and relevant, integrate new features and functionality, and update the design, layout and organization of the site to make it more intuitive and user-friendly. The purpose of this acquisition is to procure consulting services to the senior management of NCATS to strengthen the organization�s ability to effectively promote the advancement of translational science to a broad range of stakeholders by developing user-centered recommendations for improving the relevance, usability and effectiveness of the NCATS website, which will inform a future redesign of NCATS website. A critical early step in strategic, user-centered web redesign efforts is to understand the needs, goals and behaviors of the website�s users. This aligns with the first �play� � or successful practice � in the U.S. Digital Service�s Playbook: �Understand what people need.� User interviews, combined with user testing and a systematic evaluation of the current NCATS website, will provide powerful information for eliciting requirements and developing recommendations for how to proceed in the redesign and will inform broader strategic communications planning. NCATS requires contractor support for these efforts. The Contractor shall undertake the systematic collection and synthesis of information about NCATS� web audiences and its current website to provide a strategic foundation for redesign activities. The Contractor shall present findings and recommendations in order for the Center to make informed, user-centered design decisions as part of its redesign effort. Thus, in order to provide a reading of the current web environment and understand the needs, goals and behaviors of the NCATS website�s users to develop approaches for NCATS website redesign, the consulting services presented in the attached DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT are required. Capability statement /information sought. Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the services specified in this sources sought notice. Moreover, interested vendors must provide a capability statement for: the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement or proposed acquisition, possible solutions and approaches that may currently exist in the marketplace, and information regarding innovative ideas or concepts; and information regarding 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, NITAAC Contract (in any), GSA Schedule (if any), 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. Submission Instructions: � 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 information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.� A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to ten (10) pages.� The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. 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.� Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. Responses must be received by 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on July 1, 2021, and reference Sources Sought Number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-21-001177. Responses must be submitted by email to Renato Gomes, Contract Specialist, renato.gomes@nih.gov. ��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 presolicitation 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
-
SAM.gov Permalink
(https://beta.sam.gov/opp/549c4208d2474ba19e0809170006fc9b/view)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Rockville, MD 20850, USA
- Zip Code: 20850
- Country: USA
- Zip Code: 20850
- Record
- SN06040851-F 20210625/210623230114 (samdaily.us)
- Source
-
SAM.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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