SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Died Blood Spots Kits
- Notice Date
- 7/25/2016
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting 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-2016-582
- Archive Date
- 8/18/2016
- Point of Contact
- Pamela J. Daugherty, Phone: 3014802467
- E-Mail Address
-
pamela.daugherty@nih.gov
(pamela.daugherty@nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Description: This is a 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 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 Friendship Bench Project is a task shifting mental health intervention delivered by lay health workers trained in screening and identification of common mental disorders. The lay health workers deliver up to 6 sessions, including two at-home visits. The intervention, which has been tested in pilot studies and in a randomized control trial led by Dr. Dixon Chibanda, University of Zimbabwe, has proven to be effective at addressing kufungisisia (Shona for ‘thinking too much', a common manifestation of depression). Early data show that depression in PLWH has also been treated using the Friendship Bench. Due to the low cost/high payoff nature of the Friendship Bench, the intervention is currently being scaled up in clinics across Harare and its surroundings. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) seeks to benefit from this timely scale-up effort, by embedding a sub-study to address the effectiveness of the Friendship Bench on adherence to ART in people living with HIV (PLWH). Overall, the embedded study seeks to address the integration of depression and HIV care, improvements to ART adherence, and answer other questions about quality of life and cost-effectiveness. The dried blood spots (DBS) kits will be administered to HIV-positive patients enrolled in the Friendship Bench intervention (n=800) and HIV-positive patients who are seeking out standard care from a neighboring clinic (n=200). We plan to collect at baseline which will occur in September 2016 and another DBS collection at 6 months post-intervention which is set to occur in March 2017. Both sets of DBS kits will be stored until September 2017. Purpose and Objectives: The Friendship Bench Project is a task shifting mental health intervention delivered by lay health workers trained in screening and identification of common mental disorders. The intervention has been tested in pilot studies and in a randomized control trial led by Dr. Dixon Chibanda, University of Zimbabwe. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) seeks to conduct a sub-study to address the effectiveness of the Friendship Bench on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in people living with HIV (PLWH). Overall, the embedded study seeks to address the integration of depression and HIV care, improvements to ART adherence, and answer other questions about quality of life and cost-effectiveness. To fulfill the aims of this sub study, NIMH is seeking to purchase dried blood spots (DBS) kits to be used to collect baseline viral load among people receiving the Friendship Bench intervention in Zimbabwe. Project requirements: Administration of 1,000 kits within 180 days of receipt and 2,000 total kits within 365 days. There will be biweekly reporting requirements that cover: 1. Number of blood spots collected 2. Problems encountered 3. Problem resolution 4. Unresolved problems The contractor is required to have working relationships with clinical staff at sites where the Friendship Bench will be implemented, understand the Friendship Bench Protocol to collect the specimens from individuals with mental illness and HIV, have intimate knowledge of the Friendship Bench Project, and be able to rapidly mobilize the data collection team to capitalize on the already-in-progress scale-up activities in the Harare area. Anticipated period of performance : September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017 Other important considerations: Capability statement /information sought: Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the products specified in this notice. Also, information must be provided in sufficient details of the respondents' (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and other 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. Finally, respondents are also encouraged to provide a general overview of the respondent's opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any other information regarding innovative ideas or concepts that may be applicable. 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 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) page limit. 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 and Contracting Officer. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Pamela Daugherty, Contract Specialist, NIH/NIDA/SSSA at pamela.daugherty@nih.gov The response must be received on or before August 3rd, 2016 at 3:00 pm, Eastern Time. 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
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-2/HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-2016-582/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Non-U.S., Zimbabwe
- Record
- SN04194599-W 20160727/160725235518-3daca6e1d0a2a7b8f3225f94b7742c5c (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |