Description
This is a Research and Development (R & D) Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential R & D requirement.
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 establishment of the National Addiction and HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP) in 2009 was based, in part, on the increasing emphasis that has been placed on the importance of data sharing in general, and specifically in the social sciences where sharing has not been standard practice. Data sharing has been increasingly encouraged or required by government and other funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which has implemented the new data sharing and management policy effective January 25, 2023. In addition, it has been identified as a necessary component of collaborations aimed at solving society's most urgent health challenges and is integral to facilitating the development of transdisciplinary science. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has made public recommendations urging greater data sharing to increase harmonization, the facilitation of linked databases to answer new scientific questions and has also urged that data collected with NIH funding be placed in the public domain to ensure widespread access to data and encourage its usage. The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law on December 13, 2016, further emphasized the importance of data sharing and public access to data, addressing the issue of how to make data broadly available for research and clinical use. By establishing this archive, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) demonstrated the priority it places on facilitating the sharing of social and behavioral sciences data on drug addiction, including that collected by NIDA funded investigators.
NIDA established the NAHDAP archive to best facilitate social science data sharing in the field of drug addiction or substance use and HIV, including the appropriate infrastructure from which investigators can access data and receive technical support, independent of a relationship with the original investigator. The archive provides guidance on necessary metadata, the format of data deposit, how to deal with missing data, and other aspects that ensure that the data are useful to the end user. Deposit of data without this level of curation and technical requirements can result in data being available but being of little use to the end user. The NAHDAP archive supports: 1) preparation of data for sharing in a manner that they are useful to the end user, 2) provision of appropriate technical assistance to primary drug addiction or drug addiction and HIV investigators to assist them in the complex process of preparing and depositing their data in a secure archive, and 3) provision of sufficient training to facilitate the sharing and utilization of the collected data. Thus, the archive includes a website from which to access data, but also provides support to investigators to prepare their data for the archive and technical assistance and training to secondary data users interested in accessing these data. The data archive has and must continue to integrate innovations in the field of archiving, data sharing, linking and harmonizing datasets, etc. to ensure that it can take advantage of advances that lead to the most cutting-edge use of archived data.
Requirements:
The Core Objectives for NAHDAP are to continue a data archive of drug addiction and drug addiction and HIV research data, primarily archiving social science and behavioral data though other data could be included. Interested organizations must demonstrate the required capabilities and in-depth knowledge in the areas listed below:
- Develop, maintain, and expand data infrastructure and data archive access that complies with federal security requirements and provide tiered level of controlled data access;
- Recruiting drug addiction or drug addiction and HIV social science and/or transdisciplinary researchers to deposit their data by actively working with the drug addiction and HIV research field;
- Providing technical assistance and, with Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) approval, support to investigators either with already collected drug addiction and HIV datasets to assist in preparing their data for archiving;
- Working to ensure that deposited data get maximum use, in part by devising and implementing strategies to ensure the drug addiction and HIV research fields are aware of the special topic archive and of what datasets are available for secondary analysis and by displaying the utility of this approach for addressing new research questions;
- Monitor and track data use statistics and citations resulting from data archived in NAHDAP;
- Providing technical assistance to users of the data sets including organized trainings when proposed and approved or directed by the COR;
- Providing technical assistance to investigators at the inception of research projects determined by the COR to be a high priority to ensure the data can be easily and effectively archived at project completion;
- Developing a system to prioritize datasets and apply the appropriate level of curation to high priority datasets while making others available with less curation and cost; and
- Staying abreast of advances in the field of data archiving and integrating cutting edge strategies into the archive and implementing them when directed by the COR.
Capable Offerors must demonstrate their experience and ability to use a combination of data archiving, data management, data analytic, training and administrative skills in support of these goals. Offerors shall describe their existing infrastructure to support both the basic elements of data archiving as well as the necessary tools to assist with data deposits for investigators as well as tools to assist end users to understand the utility of a dataset for addressing their research questions and to assist them in the use of data. These tools would include data search tools and on-line analysis tools. Prospective Offerors must possess the necessary equipment, facilities, and developed infrastructure (i.e. websites, data archiving capacity, tools for mining and exploring the data, model sharing legal agreements, etc.) for this project.
Offerors shall demonstrate their experience in data archiving and must be able to demonstrate that they are a leader in the field of data archiving by showing peer reviewed and other publications relevant to maintaining a social science data archive and demonstrating cutting edge knowledge of data archiving. Finally, Offerors shall have a developed infrastructure to support restricted use to data through a variety of practices depending on data sensitivity, ranging from experience with restricted access to possession of the necessary infrastructure to support a virtual data enclave.
Anticipated period of performance: The anticipated period of performance, including any option periods, and project phasing is as follows: five (5) years, divided into one (1) base period and four (4) option periods.
Other important considerations: In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government's need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25.
Instructions:
Interested organizations shall demonstrate and document in the submitted capability statement extensive experience in the technical areas listed above. Furthermore, organizations should include relevant and specific information on each of the following qualifications:
1) Experience: An outline of previous similar projects, specifically the techniques employed in the areas described above.
2) Personnel: Name, professional qualifications of personnel with specific experience in the work requested and knowledge of, and experience in, the field of drug addiction research.
3) Facilities and Tools: Availability and description of the facilities, tools, and equipment required to conduct this type of work.
4) Training Capabilities: demonstrated capacity and experience conducting trainings related to topical data archives. Any other specific and relevant information about this particular area of procurement that would improve our consideration and evaluation of the information presented is desirable.
The Government will assess the appropriateness of professional and technical personnel classifications. The Government will consider any other specific and relevant information about this particular announcement that would improve our evaluation of respondents. Organizations should demonstrate capability to administer and coordinate interrelated tasks in an effective and timely manner. Documentation may include, but is not limited to, contracts in which the organization performed equivalent tasks (Government and commercial); references, i.e., names, titles, telephone numbers and any other information serving to document the organizations capability; and awards or commendations.
The established NAICS code is 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). The U.S. Small Business Administration establishes a size standard for 541715 of 1,000 employees or fewer.
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: This notice is for information and planning purposes only and does not commit the Government to any contractual agreement. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on responses under this announcement nor otherwise pay for preparing any information sent for the Government's use.
All capability statements must provide the following: 1) company name and address; 2) point of contact; 3) phone/fax/email; 4) NAICS Code(s), 5) business size and status. Capability statements must be SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY NO LATER THAN 1:00 p.m. EST on MARCH 31, 2023 to the primary point of contact. The Subject line for the submission should include this Sources Sought Number.
Primary Point of Contact:
Shaun Rostad, Contract Specialist
shaun.rostad@nih.gov
Phone: (301) 594-9516
Secondary Point of Contact:
Josh Lazarus, Contracting Officer
Josh.lazarus@nih.gov
Phone: (301) 443-6677
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 www.sam.gov. 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).
