SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Electronic Outreach Planning
- Notice Date
- 4/6/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 561990
— All Other Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Administration, 6011 Executive Blvd, Rm 538, Rockville, MD, 20892-7663, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 263-2007-Q-DT-0120
- Response Due
- 4/16/2007
- Archive Date
- 5/1/2007
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a sources sought synopsis for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The National Institute of General Medical Sciences(NIGMS) NIH is seeking qualified, capable and interested small business, small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, veteran owned small, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, and women owned small business, very small business and emerging small business concerns that can provide the NIH with the following: Purpose The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) requires a contractor to plan, perform, and evaluate a variety of electronic outreach activities. The contractor will function as the Institute?s expert advisor on electronic outreach opportunities and trends related to the NIGMS Web site, NIGMS programs and events, and other communication needs. Background NIGMS is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the principal biomedical research agency of the Federal Government. NIGMS supports basic biomedical research that lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. With a budget of nearly $2 billion, the Institute funds more than 4,000 research grants at universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions across the country. Unlike most other NIH components, NIGMS does not conduct research in its own laboratories on the NIH campus. Contractor Requirements The work to be performed under this Statement of Work (SOW) includes, but is not limited to: ? Enhance, implement, and evaluate the results of a plan to market and promote awareness and use of the NIGMS Web site. ? Advise and work with NIGMS staff on using electronic media to reach key audiences to receive input and enhance public participation in NIGMS planning and activities. ? Develop, implement, and evaluate mechanisms for enhancing the Institute?s interaction with the scientific community, such as e-newsletters and Web-based town meetings. ? Plan, implement, market, and evaluate the impact of electronic outreach products. Products may include Wikis, blogs, online feedback mechanisms, RSS feeds, podcasts, and interactive chats. The contractor will need to identify the pros and cons of various approaches and make recommendations regarding those that best meet the needs of a particular effort (based on target audience, subject matter, etc). Special Requirements The contractor must have extensive experience in strategic outreach to the biomedical research community. The contractor must also have experience assisting biomedical scientists to communicate effectively with audiences including other researchers, journal editors, stakeholder organization leaders, the news media, and the science-attentive public. As part of their proposals, offerors shall submit a plan that outlines how they would execute this project. The plan shall include key steps, with a brief description and rationale for each, and a timeline for implementing each step, including an estimate of the number of hours over the contract period to complete proposed activities. The plan will be assessed by NIGMS based on the extent to which it is practical and likely to produce useful and comprehensive results. The contractor shall meet with the Project Officer within one week of the contract award and shall be in contact with the Project Officer during the contract period via e-mail, telephone, or in person. Either the Project Officer or the contractor may determine that such contact is needed. Reporting Requirements The contractor shall provide the project officer with reports at the beginning of each month summarizing key activities that were completed or in progress during the preceding month. Location of Work The majority of the work performed under this contract will be done off-site; however the contractor is expected to visit the NIGMS offices in the Natcher Building on the NIH campus as needed to discuss and implement various outreach products. Travel-related expenses will not be paid under this SOW. Other Requirements Information Technology Systems Security 1. Non-Personal Services and Inherently Government Functions (1.1) Pursuant to FAR 37.1, no personal services shall be performed under this contract. All work requirements shall flow only from the Project Officer to the Contractor's Project Manager. No Contractor employee will be directly supervised by the Government. All individual employee assignments, and daily work direction, shall be given by the applicable employee supervisor. If the Contractor believes any Government action or communication has been given that would create a personal services relationship between the Government and any Contractor employee, the Contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of this communication or action. (1.2) Pursuant to FAR 7.5, the Contractor shall not perform any inherently Governmental actions under this contract. No Contractor employee shall hold him or herself out to be 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. In all communications with third parties in connection with this contract, Contractor employees shall identify themselves as Contractor employees and specify the name of the company for which they work. In all communications with other Government contractors in connection with this contract, the Contractor employee shall state that they have no authority to in any way change the contract and that if the other contractor believes this communication to be a direction to change their contract, they should notify the Contracting Officer for that contract and not carry out the direction until a clarification has been issued by the Contracting Officer. (1.3) The Contractor shall insure that all of its employees working on this contract are informed of the substance of this article. Nothing in this article shall limit the Government?s rights in any way under the other provisions of the contract, including those related to the Government?s right to inspect and accept the services to be performed under this contract. The substance of this article shall be included in all subcontracts at any tier. 2. NIH Information Security The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-347) (FISMA) requires each agency to develop, document, and implement an agency-wide information security program to safeguard information and information systems that support the operations and assets of the agency, including those provided or managed by another agency, contractor (including subcontractor), or other source. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a number of publications that provide guidance in the establishment of minimum security controls for management, operational and technical safeguards needed to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of a Federal information system and its information. Pursuant to Federal and HHS Information Security Program Policies the following requirements apply: Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA), Title III, E-Government Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-347 (Dec. 17, 2002); http://csrc.nist.gov/policies/FISMA-final.pdf 3. Position Sensitivity Designations Prior to award, the Government will determine the position sensitivity designation for each contractor (including subcontractor) employee that the successful offeror proposes to work under the task order. 3.1 For this SOW the position sensitivity designation shall be: As the first phase of the Statement of Work does not require access to a Federal Information System and contract staff will not be provided with badges and as the implementation phase security requirements are not yet known, standard suitability language from the contracting office will apply. Once an implementation plan is decided upon no work may begin until it has been submitted to the NIGMS ISSO for review. The NIGMS ISSO and Project Officer will work to develop security requirements for the accepted implementation plan to include Position Sensitivity Designations. The contractor must return a favorable formal response to the security requirements before work may begin. The contractor may not physically access any HHS\NIH\NIGMS system under the current security requirements. In the event that access is required the NIGMS ISSO must be notified immediately to ensure appropriate security requirements are included in this SOW. 4. Commitment to Protect Non-Public Departmental Information Systems and Data 4.1 Contractor Agreement The Contractor and its subcontractors performing under this SOW shall not release, publish, or disclose Non-Public Departmental information to unauthorized personnel, and shall protect such information in accordance with provisions of the following laws and any other pertinent laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information: -18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records) -18 U.S.C. 1905 (Criminal Code: Disclosure of Confidential Information) -Public Law 96-511 (Paperwork Reduction Act) 4.2 Contractor-Employee Non-Disclosure Agreements Each contractor/subcontractor employee who may have access to non-public Department information under this contract shall complete the Commitment to Protect Non-Public Information - Contractor Agreement within 10 business days of contract award. A copy of each signed and witnessed Non-Disclosure agreement shall be submitted to the Project Officer prior to performing any work under the contract. http://irm.cit.nih.gov/security/Nondisclosure.pdf The date of submission must be indicated on the Suitability Roster. 5. FAR Clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (a) The Contractor shall comply with agency personal identity verification procedures identified in the contract that implement Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance M-05-24, and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) Number 201. (b) The Contractor shall insert this clause in all subcontracts when the subcontractor is required to have physical access to a federally-controlled facility or access to a Federal information system. 6. NIGMS Specific Security Requirements 6.1 Implement Safeguards The contractor shall establish and implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of Government information. The Contractor shall comply with any specific NIGMS security plan(s) and security standards for Government data that the contractor may access during the performance of this Statement of Work. 6.2 Subcontracting No part of the work under this contract may be subcontracted without written authorization of the Project Officer. If any work is subcontracted, subcontractors must comply with all requirements contained in this Statement of Work. 7 Offeror?s Official Responsible for Information Security The offeror shall include in the "Information Security" part of its Technical Proposal the name and title of its official who will be responsible for all information security requirements should the offeror be selected for an award. 8 Offeror?s Security Response and Acknowledgement of Contract Requirements 8.1 Acknowledgment of Understanding The offeror shall include as part of its Technical Proposal/Response a section titled ?Information Security.? At a minimum, the offeror must address the security requirements identified in this SOW and demonstrate that the offeror?s proposed managerial, technical and physical safeguards meets or exceeds the security guidelines listed in the DHHS Information Security Program Handbook. http://intranet.hhs.gov/infosec/docs/policies_guides/ISPPH/PG_IT_Security_Handbook_12012005.pdf At this time the Offeror must acknowledge that before access to any system is granted or any implementation begins the Offeror must submit the implementation plan to the NIGMS ISSO for review and security requirements determination. At that time the contractor must respond to and meet any and all specified security requirements. Only upon authorization from the NIGMS ISSO will access to systems be provided and implementation and/or development work may begin. The offeror must also acknowledge understanding and compliance with security sections 4, 5 and 6. 8.2 Subcontractor?s Response Provide similar information for any proposed subcontractor accessing an AIS. Period of Performance The performance period will be one year from the date of the award, with renewal options for years two and three. The target award date is March 1, 2007. The contract may be terminated without penalty at any point with 30 days notice by either the contractor or the project officer. Evaluation Criteria for Contractor Selection Experience ? Demonstrated extensive experience in electronic outreach planning, implementation, and evaluation. ? Experience in assisting biomedical scientists to communicate effectively with audiences including other researchers, journal editors, stakeholder organization leaders, the news media, and the science-attentive public. ? Experience in reaching teachers and students with various electronic outreach products. ? Educational background in science, especially biomedical science, or a demonstrated strong familiarity with basic biomedical research. Technical/Management Approach ? Demonstrated full understanding of the goals, expectations, and technical/managerial aspects of this contract. The proposed approach will be evaluated according to the soundness, practicality, and feasibility of the written description. Cost/Price ? While price will not be the most important evaluation factor, proposed prices will be considered in determining the contractor that represents the best value to the government. This request is for interested firms with the capability of providing the required position to submit a capability statement along with projected pricing, to assist the Government in determining in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b) whether or not this acquisition will be set-aside for any of the programs described above. The intended acquisition will be classified under North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) code 561110 All respondents are requested to identify their firm?s size and type of business. Interested firms responding to this market survey must provide (a) capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills and capability to fulfill the Government?s requirements for the above. The capability statement shall be in sufficient enough detail, but not to exceed 10 pages, so that the Government can determine the experience and capability of your firm to provide the requirements above. Your capability statement, not to exceed 10 pages, should include references. A copy of the capability statement must be received at the address identified in this synopsis by no later than close of business (1:00p.m local time) on April 16, 2007. Responses by fax or e-mail WILL BE ACCEPTED. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Point of Contact Lloyd Garnes, Purchasing Agent, Phone (301) 402-3341, Fax (301) 480-3476, Email garnesl@od.nih.gov
- Place of Performance
- Address: Bethesda, MD
- Zip Code: 20892
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN01267985-W 20070408/070406220346 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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