SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- Annual Population Estimates for Counties and Census Tracts
- Notice Date
- 7/11/2023 6:55:05 AM
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541720
— Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities
- Contracting Office
- NIH NCI Bethesda MD 20892 USA
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- 75N91023Q00125
- Response Due
- 7/25/2023 12:00:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 08/09/2023
- Point of Contact
- Dana Summons, Phone: 2402765319
- E-Mail Address
-
dana.summons@nih.gov
(dana.summons@nih.gov)
- Description
- Contracting Office Address The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, UNITED STATES 1.0�� �DESCRIPTION The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) plans to procure services, on a sole source basis, from Woods & Poole Economics, Inc., 4910 Massachusetts Ave. NW Ste. 208, Washington D.C. 20016-4368. The response close date of the notice for this requirement is in accordance with FAR 5.203(b). This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13.106-1(b)(1)(i); and is exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6. The North American Industry Classification System code is 541715 and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. It has been determined there are no opportunities to acquire green products or services for this procurement. 2.0�� �BACKGROUND The National Cancer Act (NCA) of 1971 expanded the authorities of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its director, including the mandate to establish the National Cancer Program. As a direct result of the NCA, the National Cancer Program required the creation of a data bank for the collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination of cancer data to support research on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This marked the birth of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, the main program that the NCI uses to support cancer surveillance activities that enable monitoring trends in cancer diagnosis and outcomes. Case ascertainment and data collection for the SEER Program began with January 1, 1973, diagnoses in several geographic areas of the United States and its territories. Geographic area and demographic coverage have expanded over the past 50 years, to represent nearly 50% of the U.S. population today. SEER is supported by the Surveillance Research Program (SRP) of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) at NCI.� The primary functions of the NCI, DCCPS, SRP are to: (1) plan, develop, coordinate, and maintain SEER program to measure and report periodically on cancer in the United States population, providing accurate, reliable, and detailed national estimates of cancer incidence, survival and mortality and integrates patient data with associated demographic, behavioral and medical data; (2) plan, develop and direct a quality control program which establishes, monitors, and maintains national and international collaboration and liaison with organizations and agencies that promote comparability of cancer information systems; (3) plan and direct surveillance studies that coordinate with other research efforts in the Division, Institute and other Federal agencies; and (4) develop and implement, using statistical modeling and operations research techniques, methodologies to resolve quantitative questions in cancer prevention, control, and surveillance, including analysis of trends, forecasting cancer rates, and development of models for diffusion of cancer control. SRP has a requirement to report cancer statistics annually, which occurs in April of each calendar year. Cancer statistics are calculated based on the number of cancer cases per year and population estimates from the matching calendar year. To satisfy this requirement, SRP has to obtain annual population estimates for counties and census tracts based on the counts produced by the US Census Bureau every calendar year. 3.0�� �SCOPE The purpose of this requirement is to obtain annual population estimates for state, counties and census tracts based on the counts produced by the US Census Bureau. �These specifically-developed estimates will be used to produce cancer statistics and to monitor trends over time by county and census tract characteristics such as age, gender, race, as well as by other population socioeconomic characteristics. �In addition to meeting crucial NCI data needs, these estimates will enable NCI scientists to better assess sociodemographic patterns and disparities in cancer rates. 4.0�� �PURCHASE ORDER REQUIREMENTS 4.1�� �TASKS 4.1.1�� �(Data will be delivered via secured file exchange server provided by NCI)Delivery instructions for data) 4.1.2�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide Census tract-level populations 2000-2009 in 2010 geographies with 85+ split into 85-89 and 90+. 4.1.3�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide Census tract-level populations 2010-2020 in 2010 geographies with 85+ split into 85-89 and 90+ and controlled to postcensal populations. 4.1.4�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide Census tract-level populations 2020-2022 in 2010 geographies with 85+ split into 85-89 and 90+ and controlled to postcensal populations. 4.1.5�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide County-level annual populations age 85+ by single year of age, gender, and race (White including Hispanic, Black Including Hispanic, Other), 1969 through 1989. 4.1.6�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide County-level annual populations age 85+ by single year of age, gender, and race (NH and Hispanic White, Black, AIAN, API), 1990 through 2022. 4.1.7�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide State-level Hispanic detail 2000-2022 for age groups through 100+. 4.1.8�� �The Contractor shall compute and provide State-level API detail 2000-2022 for age groups through 100+. 4.2�� �PROHIBITION AGAINST PERSONAL SERVICES The Contractor shall not perform personal services under this contract. Contractor personnel are employees of the Contractor or its subcontractors and are under the administrative control and supervision of the Contractor. A Contractor supervisor must give all individual Contractor employee assignments and daily work direction. The Government shall not supervise or direct Contractor employees in the performance of their assignments. If at any time the Contractor believes that any Government action or communication has been given that would create a personal service relationship between the Government and any Contractor employee, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of this communication or action. The Contractor shall not perform any inherently governmental functions under this contract. No Contractor employee shall represent or give the appearance that he or she is a Government employee, agent, or representative. No Contractor employee shall state orally or in writing at any time that he or she is acting on behalf of the Government. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all employees assigned to this contract understand and are committed to following the requirements of the Contract. 5.0�� �TYPE OF ORDER This is a firm fixed price purchase order.� 6.0�� �NON-SEVERABLE SERVICES The services specified in each contract line item (CLIN) have been determined to be non-severable services - a specific undertaking or entire job with a defined end product of value to the Government. 7.0�� �PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance shall be from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024. 8.0�� �PLACE OF PERFORMANCE All work shall be performed at the Contractor�s facility.� 9.0�� �REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE All written deliverables shall be sent electronically to the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), TBD at award, in a Microsoft-compatible format, such as Microsoft Excel or text file unless approved by the TPOC in accordance with the deliverable schedule below. The TPOC shall review the contents of all draft deliverables. If no comments or requests for revisions are provided to the Contractor within 30 business days, the deliverables shall be considered acceptable. If revisions are required, NCI shall respond to the Contractor within five (5) business days of receiving the deliverable, specifying the required changes/revisions. Final copies of approved drafts shall be delivered to the NCI TPOC within five (5) business days after receipt of the Government�s comments. DELIVERABLE �� �DELIVERABLE DESCRIPTION / FORMAT REQUIREMENTS�� �DUE DATE Task 4.1.2, 4.1.3, and 4.1.4�� � All Population Data shall be in Excel Format and uploaded on the secure exchange server provided by NCI.�� � Within eleven (11) months after award Task 4.1.5 and 4.1.6 �� � All Population Data shall be in Excel Format and uploaded on the secure exchange server provided by NCI.�� � Within eleven (11) months after award Task 4.1.7 and 4.1.8�� � All Population Data shall be in Excel Format and uploaded on the secure exchange server provided by NCI.�� � Within eleven (11) months after award 10.0�� �INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA Pursuant to FAR clause 52.212-4, all work described in the SOW to be delivered under this contract is subject to final inspection and acceptance by an authorized representative of the Government. The authorized representative of the Government is the NCI TPOC, TBD, who is responsible for inspection and acceptance of all services, materials, or supplies to be provided by the Contractor. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities. Remediation of any materials that do not comply with the applicable Section 508 requirements as set forth below, shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. Products, platforms and services delivered as part of this work statement that are ICT, or contain ICT, must conform to the Revised 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. � 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D, and available at https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and- standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards- and-guidelines Per Section 508 and as mandated under HHS Policy for Section 508 Compliance and Accessibility of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) (07/2020) all documents or electronic files provided to the NIH NCI under contract must be conformant with Section 508 standards and accessible to persons with disabilities. �Conformance shall be confirmed by use of material provided at HHS OS Factsheets & Reference Guides and verified through the use of the HHS Checklist Documents (WCAG 2.0 Refresh); in addition, contractors and vendors are encouraged to make use of the instructional materials and checklists at GSA Section 508.gov�s Create Accessible Digital Products. 11.0�� �UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONTRACTOR The current requirement for the latest available population data must be facilitated using the same methodology and expertise to assure consistency with earlier datasets and timely delivery.� Given the urgency of the current request for data, Woods & Poole Economics is uniquely positioned to assure speedy production and delivery of custom population estimates described in the current SOW in the period between December 30th and February 28th because their expertise in the �hybrid methodology� and computational codes ready to be implemented with the latest Census data as soon as SRP receives them from Census in December of 2023. The production of annual cancer statistics by the Surveillance Research Program requires annual county-level population estimates from US Census Bureau and annual census tract population estimates that are not available from the US Census Bureau. In addition, SRP requires custom population estimates by state, custom geography, earlier time periods, different population subgroups, different age classification. The county level estimates have been provided annually to SRP by US Census Bureau under the standard IAA. The custom population estimates have been provided annually under the separate contract. The custom population estimates require the latest US Census Bureau data produced for SRP as a basis for calculation.� Woods & Poole Economics, Inc. specializes in developing detailed data sets and forecasts that are used by researchers as input to a wide range demographic, economic, planning, and modeling applications. Woods & Poole Economics has over 30 years of extensive experience producing intercensal estimates of the state and country populations by single year of age, gender, and detailed racial/ethnic group. The population estimates and other time series data they produce are used by demographers, economists, and researchers in the military, federal government, state and local government, universities, and institutions nationwide.� Over the past two decades, Woods & Poole Economics has been contracted by SRP to develop, update, and apply methodology for estimating annual population estimates from 1969 to present. These estimates have been used by the SRP extensively and successfully to produce required annual cancer statistics for presentation to the NCI Director, on NCI websites, and appear in numerous publications, software applications, and data sets available to the public.� In 2021, Woods & Poole Economics has been contracted to develop in consultation with SRP and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) a hybrid regression, demographic, and proportional model for estimating census tract level population data. Details of methodology are described in W&P�s technical documents (PDF, 75 KB) published at �https://seer.cancer.gov/censustract-pops/.� The recently released census tract population estimates based on the latest hybrid model match to the Census Bureau's Vintage 2020 bridged single-race population estimates for 2010-2020, and intercensal population estimates for 2006-2009 when tracts are collapsed to counties.� This requirement is urgent for the following reason: The planned release of the Decennial Census (2020) population estimates was postponed until Spring of 2023 due to COVID-19 pandemic. This caused the delay in the estimation and delivery of annual intercensal (2010-2020) and postcensal (2021 and 2022) population estimates by US Census Bureau to SRP. Consequently, in April of 2023 NCI published cancer statistics that were calculated based on outdated population estimates. US Census Bureau is making best effort to make up for the delay under the current IAA (APC21011-001-00002) promising to deliver delayed intercensal and postcensal 2021 and 2022 population estimates on December 30th, 2023. NCI also needs the matching custom population estimates described in the current requirement no later than end of February of 2024 to assure the release of updated cancer statistics in April of 2024. � While it is possible that other vendors can generate population estimates described in the SOW, to be considered, the alternative vendors would first need to demonstrate the following: 1) Ability to produce detailed population component time series data for small geographical areas that is consistent across racial/ethnic definition changes, geographic boundary changes, and decennial Census. 2) The estimates would have to be statistically comparable to the estimates generated for NCI by Woods and Poole over the past two decades. This process would cause the disruption in the overall project given the likely delay in the production of yearly population estimates described in the SOW. 12.0�� �SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS This notice is not a request for competitive quotations. However, if any interested party believes it can meet the above requirements, 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. �All responses and questions must be sent via email to the Contract Specialist, Dana Summons, at dana.summons@nih.gov by no later than 3:00 PM EST on July 25, 2023, (7/25/23). 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. In order to receive an award, Contractors must be registered and have valid certification through SAM.gov. Reference: 75N91023Q00125 on all correspondence.
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