17-233-SOL-00536_BASE.pdf

Solicitation 17-233-SOL-00536_National Data on Child Abuse and Neglect

SECTION A - Solicitation/Contract Form

A.1 COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued in conjunction with FAR Part 15 Contracting by Negotiation as applicable. The solicitation number is 15-233-SOL-00250. This announcement is issued as a Request for Proposal.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-82, 05/17/2015.

This solicitation is issued as unrestricted. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541690. The small business size standard is $15 million.

This announcement serves to notify offerors that the government contemplates awarding a time-and-material contract resulting from this solicitation for the services defined herein. Prospective offerors are responsible for downloading the solicitation and any amendments. It is offerors’ responsibility to monitor the FedBizOpps website for the release of any amendments to this solicitation

SECTION B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

B.5 CONSIDERATION AND PAYMENT (Fixed Price – Severable Services)

In consideration of satisfactory performance of the work as described throughout this contract, the Contractor shall be paid a fixed price for each CLIN (if exercised). If the options are exercised, funding will be obligated by modification to the contract. The base period and option periods are priced as follows:

Contract Period Period of Performance Fixed Price CLIN 1 Base Period August 31, 2017-August 30, 2018

CLIN 2 Option Period 1 August 31, 2018-August 30, 2019 CLIN 3 Option Period 2 August 31, 2019- August 30, 2020 CLIN 4 Option Period 3 August 31, 2020- August 30, 2021 CLIN 5 Option Period 4 August 31, 2021- August 30, 2022 TOTAL Potential Value inclusive of all CLINS

Payment shall be made upon the delivery and acceptance of the services required in accordance with the following payment schedule:

Offeror is to provide a twelve month payment schedule in their business proposal

SECTION C - Description/Specifications/Statement of Work

National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect

C.1 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND

Purpose

A core mission of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) is to prevent child abuse and neglect and ensure that children who are victims receive treatment and care. Data collection and analysis, and the research knowledge that results, is integral to making important policy decisions, raising awareness, and effecting change. There are many datasets related to child abuse and neglect; some are large, national in scope, and legislatively mandated; other data collection efforts are on a smaller scale through discretionary grants or privately funded research evaluation projects. The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN) serves as a central repository for these datasets and makes them available for secondary analysis to researchers throughout the country. Providing analytic support, connecting the child maltreatment research community and providing a critical point of access to micro-level data for analysis is a critical function that fosters the continued growth of research-based knowledge on the incidence, causes, consequences, and prevention of child maltreatment, and other child welfare-related topics. The ultimate goal is to promote the expansion of a knowledge base leading to greater safety, permanency, and well-being for America’s children.

Background

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are most vulnerable. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is the agency within HHS that is responsible for Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. ACYF administers the major Federal programs that support social services which promote the positive growth and development of children, youth and their families; protective services and shelter for eligible children and youth in at-risk situations; and adoption for eligible children with special needs. Within ACYF, the Children’s Bureau (CB) plans, manages, coordinates, and supports child abuse and neglect prevention and child welfare service programs.

In 1988, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and now CB funded the NDACAN through a cooperative agreement until 2015. In 2015 NDACAN was funded through a one base year contract with one option year. Since its inception, NDACAN has resided at Cornell University, and is now found within Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu).

Data sharing has long been recognized as an important part of the research process (American Statistical Association, 1999; Fienberg, Martin, & Straf, 1985). The Federal government has adopted data sharing as a standard for Federal agencies and grantees (Zients & Sunstein, 2010.)

In recognition of the importance of data sharing to the development of the field of child abuse and neglect CB adopted policy in 1994 that requires applicable research grantees to archive datasets with NDACAN. CB’s archiving requirement allows a two-year grace period during which the original investigator has exclusive use of the research data, following the conclusion of Federal funding.

In 1993, the Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect of the National Research Council identified the NDACAN archive as a key component of a strong research structure in its book, Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect, (National Academy Press, 1993). Much progress has been made over the last 20 years to further the field of child abuse and neglect, however, key research questions still remain (National Research Council, 2014). Well-designed, theoretically grounded studies can inform research and policy for decades to come (Institute of Medicine & National Research Council, 2013). Secondary analysis of such well-designed research requires an environment in which data sharing is integral to the research process. Additionally, research has demonstrated an increased citation rate for investigators who share their data (Piwowar, Day, & Fridsma, 2007). NDACAN is a centralized facility that acquires, preserves, and disseminates machine-readable data sets to qualified researchers to foster exploration of important issues in child welfare and child maltreatment.

NDACAN currently holds nearly 126 data sets. Their holdings include, but are not limited to, all of the major datasets reported to the Children’s Bureau, such as:

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS): collects case-level information from state and tribal title IV-E agencies on all children in foster care and those who have been adopted with title IV-E agency involvement. Title IV-E agencies are required to submit AFCARS data twice a year.

The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS): a voluntary data collection system that gathers information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico about reports of child abuse and neglect.

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD): collects information about youth in foster care, including outcomes for those who have aged out of foster care.

Datasets from CB-funded discretionary grants for research and program development that may be of interest for secondary analysis.

Voluntary contributions of data from well-designed quantitative research studies.

In addition to the data sources that are funded and facilitated by the CB, there are other very important datasets housed at NDACAN, such as:

o National Incidence Study (NIS) o The Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) o National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW)

NDACAN actively supports secondary analysis of its datasets by providing technical support, workshops, and researcher networking opportunities including but not limited to the following:

promotes a scholarly exchange among researchers by operating a listserv to disseminate information related to child maltreatment; acquires micro-data to distribute among leading researchers and promote national data collection efforts; provides datasets to the research community for secondary analysis; serves as a forum to connect the research community on child abuse and neglect; supports information sharing by maintaining the Child Maltreatment Research List (CMRL) and developing the Updata e-newsletter; and provides data analysis through conference workshops and an annual summer research institute, where a select group of researchers are invited to gain hands-on access to data, statistical consultants, and dive deep into analysis with the support of a team to help them with their questions.

C.2 STATEMENT OF WORK - Severable Services

The purpose of the Statement of Work (SOW) is to award a contract to continue the operation of the NDACAN and to continue the processing, housing, and dissemination of high quality data sets, and related activities to increase the knowledge base in the child welfare field. Specific activities to be undertaken include: maintaining and expanding the existing archive of data sets; promoting the use of the data sets among researchers through a variety of training, technical assistance, dissemination and marketing activities; maintaining and updating a digital library of research publications using datasets in the archive; conducting ad hoc analyses of selected data sets within the archive for CB and ACYF staff, and other requestors; creation of an online dashboard to query to retrieve tables and aggregate statistics on a variety of topics related to child maltreatment and child welfare; and the continued operation of a listserv of child welfare researchers around the country to promote the exchange of ideas and information that will help move the field forward.

The Contractor shall furnish all of the necessary personnel, materials, services, facilities (except as otherwise specified herein), and otherwise do all that is necessary for or incident to the performance of the work as set forth below.

C.2.1 SPECIFIC TASKS

The Contractor shall furnish the necessary qualified personnel, equipment, materials, supplies, services, facilities, and otherwise do all that is necessary for, or incidental to, the performance of the work set forth below. Respondents responding to this SOW may propose alternative approaches in addition to addressing the tasks as proposed by the government; justification for alternatives (e.g., cost efficiency, etc.) must be provided with any alternatives proposed.

Respondents are expected to draw on their own expertise to propose the most effective approach to addressing the tasks. The Contractor is expected to work with the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) to refine the activities and proposed plans once the contract is awarded.

The Contractor will be responsible for working with the COR and other CB staff, and will be responsible for the following tasks:

Task 1: Project Management

This task addresses the requirements of maintaining effective and efficient project management processes throughout the task order. The COR will be responsible for establishing how the work requirements of this project are addressed; ensure the protocols for communication with CB and ACYF staff are followed; and resolve conflicting priorities. Under this task, a Contractor’s Project Director (PD) shall be hired and maintained to serve as the primary liaison to the COR.

Additionally, the Contractor shall develop a potential quality assurance surveillance plan for measuring the work as described below, especially those that the offeror has used on previous similar performance based government contracts. This may include:

Proposed standards, metrics, or acceptable quality levels.

Methods of surveillance and/or inspection.

Evaluation methods and/or procedures.

Proposed incentive structures (positive and/or negative).

Any other procedures used to ensure high quality and cost effective work.

The frequency and content of all reports, briefings, and other reporting tools to be created and delivered to the COR may be modified at the COR’s discretion. Agendas and materials for key project meetings or calls shall be submitted to the COR for review and approval at least five (5) days prior to the meeting or call. All project artifacts (e.g., documentation, reports, and plans) should be stored in a common, shared repository accessible by the COR. Specifically, the Contractor shall:

Subtask 1.1 Ongoing Project Management

1. The Contractor shall develop kick-off meeting agenda and materials for COR review five

(5) business days prior to the meeting.

2. The Contractor shall conduct a kick-off meeting with the COR and other key stakeholders within two (2) weeks of award (and annually thereafter) to discuss overall project expectations, tasks, timelines, and expected outcomes.

3. The Contractor shall submit a meeting report within two (2) weeks of the task order award detailing the items discussed and agreements reached during the kick-off meeting.

4. The Contractor shall conduct project review meetings or conference calls on a monthly basis, or as otherwise requested by the COR. These meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss the status of the work, problems encountered, issues needing resolution, documents requiring review, and coordination and collaborations with other CB and ACYF staff. The Contractor, after discussions with the COR, shall provide all relevant materials for these meetings.

5. The Contractor shall develop agenda and materials for COR review five (5) business days prior to the meeting/call.

6. The Contractor shall develop minutes for COR review within two (2) weeks of meeting/call.

7. The Contractor shall provide monthly progress reports by the 15th day following the month of performance. The report shall include information on activities accomplished in each of the major task areas, outstanding issues or problems needing resolution, actions taken or proposed to address those problems, and an overview of major activities to be completed in the next period of reporting.

8. The Contractor shall provide an annual report within 30 days after the end of each fiscal year throughout the contract period. The report shall summarize the major accomplishments for the project during the task order year and recommendations for enhancements.

9. The Contractor shall provide close out report on or before the last day of the contract period. The report shall summarize the major accomplishments for the project during the period of performance as well as the activities conducted by the Contractor throughout the entire contract performance period. The final report must also make recommendations for enhancements and future activities to the NDACAN.

Subtask 1.2 Project Management Plan

1. The Contractor shall maintain effective and efficient project management processes throughout the task order by conducting on-going project management to coordinate project team activities, monitor progress toward key milestones, maintain communication, and manage open issues. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that the project is conducted on schedule and within budget. Reports should be submitted electronically to the COR as indicated in the Project Management Plan.

2. The Contractor shall develop and maintain a Project Management Plan (PMP) that includes information on the overall Project Approach (i.e., project methodologies) and Project Plan (i.e., how the tasks and project will be carried out). The PMP will detail activities and timelines for the coming year for all contract tasks. The PMP is due to the COR within two (2) weeks of the kick-off meeting. COR will provide comments within two (2) weeks of receipt, and the PMP will be finalized within two (2) weeks after those comments are received and fully incorporated. Once the COR and other stakeholders have approved the initial plan, key modifications to the plan must be discussed with and approved by the COR.

Subtask 1.3 Prepare Materials for Contract Close-Out

1. The Contractor shall develop and provide a transitional provision in the event that a transfer of responsibilities for the NDACAN from the Contractor to another party is necessary, and this transition cannot be completed 30 days prior to contract close-out. The Contractor shall ensure a smooth and timely transition and the transition period shall not exceed this date, unless this deadline is otherwise extended by the contract specialist. All products and data sets acquired or developed under this contract are the sole property of the Government and shall be provided to the COR and/or a successor. This transition includes the information gained under this contract, including all materials, files, programming, codes, tools, databases, mailing lists, newsletters, listserv, reports, website and all other features and supporting documentation prepared for or purchased. Per the Rights in Data Clause (FAR Clause 52.227‐ 17), the Contractor shall provide all software, databases, interfaces, and data under a no‐cost, no strings license to another party, in the case this contract is terminated.

2. The Contractor shall prepare and deliver a disposition plan that provides for the disposition of all content developed under the contract within 30 day prior to contract close-out. The plan shall include recommended life‐span or life‐cycle support needed for all data sets. The Contractor shall provide training to CB staff and others designated by the COR to facilitate smooth transfer of operations so that CB is able to manage the operation of all data sets and websites, or other deliverables after the contract ends. All transition activities, including those granted “extensions” by the COR, must be completed no later than the last day of the contract period.

Task 2: Maintain contents of the existing data archive, and archive additional data sets as they become available

The current data archive includes nearly 126 data sets. (See http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu for a complete listing) The data sets and their supporting materials and activities (guides, codebooks, licensing arrangements) must be maintained and updated as needed under this contract. Existing guides for contributors for the preparation of data sets for archiving must also be maintained and updated as needed. In addition, any child welfare investigator, regardless of funding source, is welcome to house data with NDACAN, and many research grantees funded by CB will archive their data with NDACAN within two (2) years of the end of their funding period. As a result, NDACAN shall be expected to receive and process new data sets each year, though the number varies from year to year.

In addition to electronic data security requirements, the contractor must have a plan for the protection of any paper records, field notes, or other documents that contain sensitive or personally identifiable information. A data security plan shall be included to ensure the protection of the datasets as described above, especially those that the offeror has used on previous similar performance based government contracts. This shall include:

Specific system details How the information will be stored How will the information be protected How the information will be shared with requestors

In addition, the Contractor must notify – within one hour – the COR of any suspected or confirmed instance of compromised data security.

The Contractor shall ensure that all of its employees, subcontractors (at all tiers), and employees of each subcontractor, who perform work under this contract/subcontract, are trained on data privacy issues and comply with all requirements.

The Contractor shall submit a written plan and assurance for complying with the above requirements at least annually. See Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Breach Response Team (BRT) Policy: http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/20080001.003.html.

The Contractor shall be familiar with the following clauses and comply with all requirements:

FAR 27.403 Data rights—General

All contracts that require data to be produced, furnished, acquired, or used in meeting contract performance requirements, must contain terms that delineate the respective rights and obligations of the Government and the contractor regarding the use, reproduction, and disclosure of that data.

Data rights clauses do not specify the type, quantity or quality of data that is to be delivered, but only the respective rights of the Government and the contractor regarding the use, disclosure, or reproduction of the data. Accordingly, the contract shall specify the data to be delivered.

FIPS 199- Security Clearance Requirements/Security Categorization Contractor Use of non-HHS Laptop/Computer requirements

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall comply with the HHS Standard for Encryption Language in HHS Contracts (http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/2009-0002.001s.html) to prevent unauthorized access to HHS information.

a. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall use FIPS 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Module (http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips140-2/fips1402.pdf) compliant encryption to protect all instances of HHS sensitive information during storage and transmission

b. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall verify that the selected encryption product has been validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/) to confirm compliance with FIPS 140-2. The Contractor shall provide a written copy of the validation documentation to the COR and/or Contracting Officer.

c. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall use the Key Management Key (http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips201-1/FIPS-201-1-chng1.pdf) on the HHS personal identification verification (PIV) card; or alternatively, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall establish and use a key recovery mechanism to ensure the ability for authorized personnel to decrypt and recover all encrypted information (OMB Encryption Guidance at http://csrc.nist.gov/drivers/documents/ombencryption-guidance.pdf ). The Contractor shall notify the COR and/or Contracting Officer of personnel authorized to decrypt and recover all encrypted information.

d. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure that HHS/ACF/Children’s Bureau specific encryption standard is incorporated into the Contractor’s property management/control system or establish a separate procedure to account for all laptop computers, desktop computers, and other mobile devices and portable media that store or process sensitive HHS information.

e. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure that encryption keys are provided to the COR and/or Contracting Officer upon request and at the conclusion of the contract.

FAR 52.239-1 Privacy or Security Safeguards

As prescribed in 39.106, insert a clause substantially the same as the following:

Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996)

(a) The Contractor shall not publish or disclose in any manner, without the Contracting Officer’s written consent, the details of any safeguards either designed or developed by the Contractor under this contract or otherwise provided by the Government.

(b) To the extent required to carry out a program of inspection to safeguard against threats and hazards to the security, integrity, and confidentiality of Government data, the Contractor shall afford the Government access to the Contractor’s facilities, installations, technical capabilities, operations, documentation, records, and databases.

(c) If new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either the Government or the Contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately bring the situation to the attention of the other party.

Safeguarding Information and Information Systems

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) is responsible for the following:

o On behalf of HHS/ACF/Children’s Bureau, protecting federal information and information systems in order to ensure their:

Integrity, which means guarding against improper information modification or destruction, and ensuring information non-repudiation and authenticity;

Confidentiality, which means preserving authorized restrictions on access and disclosure, including means for protecting personal privacy and proprietary information; and

Availability, which means ensuring timely and reliable access to and use of information.

o Providing security of any Contractor systems, and information contained therein, connected to an HHS network or operated by the Contractor on behalf of HHS regardless of location per clause 52.239-1 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/current/far/html/52_233_240.html).

HHSAR 48 CFR 352.239-74, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Protection of Sensitive Information. All federal information that may be sensitive (as defined in the Departmental Standard for the Definition of Sensitive Information) shall be protected in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum (M) 06-16 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/fy2006/m06-16.pdf), Protection of Sensitive Agency Information and encrypted with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant solution.

Subtask 2.1 Guides and best practices to support the data set preparation and submission process, with associated written guides and forms

1. The Contractor shall support the data set preparation and submission process with the creation and maintenance of associated written guides and forms. These include but are not limited:

overview of the entire archiving process; guide to preparation and proper annotation of the data files; instructions for the preparation of the codebook; instructions for the removal of individual identifying information from the data; and lists of additional materials to be submitted such as the study protocol, published articles and final reports, data collection instruments, and Institutional Review Board (IRB) letters of approval.

2. The Contractor shall maintain, review, and update these documents and their associated processes as NDACAN practices evolve.

3. The Contractor shall develop new documents and their associated processes as NDACAN practices evolve.

4. Review and update AFCARS, NYTD, and NDCANDS data dictionaries for CB data set leads and COR review. Create new data dictionaries as needed.

5. Review and update licensing agreements for AFCARS, NYTD, and NDCANDS data set leads and COR review. Create new licensing agreements as needed.

Subtask 2.2 Work actively with potential contributors

1. The Contractor shall work with potential contributors to the archive from initial contact through final submission. Initial meetings will include but are not limited to the following activities: determination of the suitability of the data for submission to the archive; an overview of tasks and timeline leading to submission; identification of any confidentiality issues and how to handle them; and answering any other questions the contributor may have about the submission process, the NDACAN facilities and procedures, and so on.

2. The Contractor shall provide guidance as needed, review draft submission materials, and approve final submissions.

3. The Contractor, with coordination and oversight by the COR, may enhance the usability of distributable data sets by creating additional derived variables from existing data elements, or creating single date fields from three distinct ones. Wherever additional fields are added, it should be made clear through variable labels and/or documentation that they are not part of the original reported dataset.

4. Receive, process, and archive new data sets from child welfare researchers and applicable CB grantees.

Subtask 2.3 Establish and maintain best practices to maintain data confidentiality for all data sets distributed by NDACAN

The protection of participant identities is a critical function of NDACAN. Common practices include the deletion or masking of identifying information; and restricted access to identifiable data with proper licensing and monitoring procedures in place. The latter are often adopted when the removal of such identifying information would substantially diminish the value of the data for research.

1. The Contractor shall work with contributors to develop a coordinated confidentiality strategy which may include one or a combination of approaches such as those described above.

2. The Contractor shall maintain all necessary licensing agreements and associated monitoring procedures with users of archive data to assure that these protocols are met.

3. All data sets submitted to NDACAN shall be reviewed by the Contractor for compliance with all confidentiality requirements and agreements, and edit data as necessary to maintain protection of personal identities.

4. The Contractor shall maintain and update all data security requirements for NDACAN. A data security plan shall be included to ensure the protection of the datasets. The plan shall include:

o Specific system details;

o How the information will be stored;

o How the information will be protected; and o How the information will be shared with requestors.

5. The Contractor’s staff shall be thoroughly familiar with existing Federal law and regulations affecting data confidentiality for research purposes and apply them as appropriate in preparing and disseminating data files. These include: Federal Privacy Act of 1974; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); Title III of the E-Government Act of 2002, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

(FERPA); and other applicable laws. The Contractor shall make staff familiar of applicable new laws and regulations as needed.

6. The Contractor shall ensure that all of its employees, subcontractors (at all tiers), and employees of each subcontractor, who perform work under this contract/subcontract, are trained on data privacy issues and comply with the above requirements.

7. The contractor must notify the COR of any suspected or confirmed instance of compromised data security.

8. The Contractor shall submit a written plan and assurance for complying with the protection of any paper records, field notes, or other documents that contain sensitive or personally identifiable information at least annually. See PII BRT Policy:

http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/20080001.003.html

Subtask 2.4 Establish and maintain security protocols for the transmission and storing of all data sets and associated support materials

1. The Contractor shall provide or make use of a secure means for the exchange of data. The Contractor shall make these data exchange protocols clear to contributors, so they do not unwittingly violate them by emailing micro-level data. Access should always be password-protected when being uploaded or downloaded from a secure site.

2. The Contractor shall establish clear guidelines for researchers accessing the data regarding proper storage.

3. The Contractor must maintain and update security plans and other documents as necessary to comport with security provisions imposed by HHS that are relevant to the NDACAN data sets.

4. The Contractor’s server will require a security assessment from HHS Office of Chief Information Officer. The assessment is a risk-based framework that analyzes how a vendor has implemented the security controls within their Information Technology (IT) environment. The assessment will determine if the Contractor needs an Authorization to Operate or Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program approval to archive datasets.

Task 3: Promote the use of NDACAN data sets within the research community

While the archiving of data sets is a critical component of NDACAN’s responsibilities, the success of NDACAN’s mission is ultimately defined by the extent to which it is able to increase the use of those data in child welfare research. The Contractor shall undertake a variety of strategies to promote the use of its data holdings, including: a Summer Research Institute to train interested researchers in the use of particular data sets; workshops at professional conferences focusing on particular data sets of greatest interest to the research community; ongoing technical assistance and support to NDACAN’s data users as they pursue their research; and marketing its holdings to researchers through various means including newsletters, email notifications, webinars, videos and information booths at professional meetings and conferences.

Subtask 3.1 Summer Research Institute (SRI)

1. The Contractor shall organize and host one (1) SRI session each summer for the duration of the contract. For over 20 years NDACAN has hosted a Summer Research Institute to support and train researchers on specific projects using an NDACAN data set of their choice, with a particular focus on graduate and post-doctoral students, and researchers new to the field, from a variety of disciplines including social work, sociology, psychology, epidemiology, law, and others. Participants are chosen on a competitive basis by NDACAN. The SRI may include presentations on such topics as methodology, statistics, and data management. Most of the time, however, is spent in hands-on work with the data sets, interacting with NDACAN staff.

2. The Contractor shall select participants in consultation with the COR.

Subtask 3.2 Workshops and Webinars

1. The Contractor shall develop and host up to 12 workshops per year at professional research conferences.

2. The Contractor shall develop up to 12 webinars focusing on a particular data set of broad interest to the research community. Examples would include major administrative and survey data sets such as NYTD, NCANDS, AFCARS, LONGSCAN, and NSCAW, as well as certain unique or high profile data sets such as the data from the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response cross-site evaluation. The choice of topics will be made in consultation with the COR, the NDACAN Advisory Board, and the NDACAN user community.

3. The Contractor shall prepare materials for presentations, webinars or briefings.

Subtask 3.3 Ongoing Technical Assistance

1. The Contractor shall provide free, ongoing technical assistance to NDACAN data users.

Topics may include but are not limited: importing data into user’s analytical software, interpreting variable and value labels, and any technical problems preventing the user from successfully accessing and analyzing the data.

2. The Contractor shall maintain and update existing technical assistance documents addressing common problems experienced by users (e.g. importing and merging data for major statistical software packages) as well as issues specific to the more popular data sets such as NSCAW and LONGSCAN.

3. The Contractor shall develop new technical assistance documents as needed.

4. The Contractor shall track and maintain all technical assistance provided to data users.

This shall be included in monthly and annual reports.

5. The Contractor shall maintain and update the existing searchable Measures Index, which provides online access to measures used in its databases, including details about each measure, and the data sets in which they appear. The current Measures Index can be accessed at http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu.

Subtask 3.4 Communications and Marketing to the Research Community

1. The Contractor shall actively market the NDACAN data, activities and services to the child welfare research community in order to increase awareness and encourage greater and more informed use of the data.

2. Respondents are encouraged to describe how they will maintain and extend these efforts, and propose any additional activities to increase NDACAN’s profile and increase the use of its resources and data by the research community. Current strategies used by NDACAN include: regular announcements through a listserv targeting child welfare researchers throughout the country; periodic newsletters covering more in-depth developments; booths at major research conferences; as well as the workshops and webinars discussed above.

Subtask 3.5 Establish an NDACAN National Advisory Board

The purpose of this board is to provide advice to CB and NDACAN leadership on ways that NDACAN can most effectively serve the research community.

1. The Contractor shall recruit members who will serve for a period of three years. The board will include up to five members, and every attempt will be made to recruit senior researchers from leading academic research institutions around the country.

2. The Contractor shall plan, coordinate and facilitate one (1) annual face to face meeting and

(2) two virtual meetings annually, to review existing procedures and recommend any new activities.

3. The Contractor shall develop agenda and materials five (5) business days prior to the meeting/call.

4. The Contractor shall develop minutes for COR review within two (2) weeks of meeting/call.

Task 4: Provide ad hoc analyses of selected NDACAN data sets for CB, other ACYF staff, and other requestors

NDACAN shall provide adequate programming support to provide occasional analyses to CB and other ACYF staff on major data sets including NSCAW, LONGSCAN, NIS, NYTD, AFCARS, and NCANDS. Analyses may be made to support research briefs, CB Informational Memoranda, and in response to data requests to CB from Congress or other Federal agencies. Requests from individuals and organizations outside the Federal government may also be forwarded from CB to NDACAN on a selected basis. It is estimated that programming support equal to one full time FTE will be needed. Staff should have substantial familiarity and experience with the data sets, and be capable of producing both descriptive and more complex multivariate analyses.

Subtask 4.1: Establish and maintain a NDACAN online dashboard

1. The Contractor shall provide an online dashboard to query to retrieve tables and aggregate statistics on a variety of topics related to child maltreatment and child welfare.

Subtask 4.2: Analytic support for ad hoc reports and online dashboard

1. The Contractor shall hire and maintain a subject matter expert (SME) to provide analytic support in the development of ad hoc reports and the online dashboard. SME should have substantial familiarity and experience with the child welfare population and data sets. The SME must be capable of producing both descriptive and more complex multivariate analyses.

2. The Contractor shall work with the COR and CB staff to develop and maintain a list of measures and outcomes for the online dashboard.

Task 5: Maintain and update the Child Abuse and Neglect Digital Library (CANDL)

The CANDL provides NDACAN data users and the broader child welfare research community with ready and searchable access to citations for all published research articles related to NDACAN data sets and secondary research. CANDL can be used to create reference lists and bibliographies, and references can be imported into existing citation management software such as EndNote. Further, articles can often be viewed in full-text depending on the existing journal descriptions of the user’s organization. The library is searchable by topic, title and author. It is currently contained in a RefShare database.

Task 5.1 Maintain, update and provide searchable CANDL access

1. The Contractor shall maintain the CANDL database, update its contents continuously as new articles are published, and provide searchable online access.

2. The Contractor shall track all updates to the digital library. The summary shall be provided in monthly and annual reports.

Task 5.2 Maintain CANDL metrics

1. The Contractor shall propose and pursue strategies to expand the CANDL user community and to encourage its use.

2. The Contractor shall propose and pursue metrics to account for the population of the CANDL user community including but not limited to the number of visits, topics, themes, and trends.

Task 6: Maintain and support the NDACAN Listserv

NDACAN supports and moderates a listserv for the child welfare research community. The goal of the listserv is to promote scholarly discussion and sharing of information among researchers in the field of child abuse and neglect. Examples of topics regularly included in listserv communications include: upcoming conferences; new online resources; calls for papers; recent and ongoing research; funding opportunities; methodological and research issues; new data resources.

1. The contractor shall support and actively moderate the listserv, reviewing and approving all posts before they are distributed.

Task 6.2 Maintain NDACAN Listserv metrics

The listserv supports the other goals of NDACAN, and should be used by the contractor in pursuit of those ends, but also goes beyond them to provide a broader platform for the sharing of research-related information and ideas for the whole research community.

1. The Contractor shall propose and pursue strategies to expand the listserv user community and to encourage its use.

2. The Contractor shall propose and pursue metrics to account for the population of the NDACAN Listserv user community including but not limited to the number of visits, topics, themes, and trends.

C.3 RESERVED

C.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

The Government intends to utilize a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) to monitor the quality of the Contractor’s performance. The oversight provided for in the contract and in the QASP will help to ensure that service levels reach and maintain the required levels throughout the contract term. Further, the QASP provides the COR with a proactive way to avoid unacceptable or deficient performance, and provides verifiable input for the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). The QASP will be developed by the Government in conjunction with the performance work statement. It will be finalized upon award and a copy provided to the Contractor after award. The QASP is a living document and may be updated by modification to the contract.

Required Services/Tasks

Performance Standards

Method of Surveillance (Quality Assurance)

Standard to be Met/ Allowable Deviation

Customer Satisfaction

Contractor complies with SOW specifications.

Contractor adheres to guidance provided by

COR.

COR feedback

Fewer than 2 written complaints from COR during the period of performance.

Overall Contract Management, Including Timeliness

Contractor maintains high level of quality assurance.

Contractor informs COR timely of issues or problems.

Contractor meets time frames agreed upon.

COR and Contracting Officer monitoring and review of activities and deliverables.

COR makes no more than 2 valid written complaints during the period of performance. No more than a two week delay in agreed upon schedule.

Written Products

Contractor provides high-quality written materials.

COR and other Federal staff reviews of draft and final products.

Minimal rewriting or editing required; product utilized (e.g., disseminated) as planned.

Cost Performance Contractor is performing within the budget of the contract.

COR to review monthly invoices and cost reports

Contractor shall perform within the negotiated budget/cost of the contract each month.

C.5 HHS SECTION 508 ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS

This contract is subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (the Act) of 1973 (29 U.S.C.

794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) Electronic and Information Accessibility Provisions (36 CFR Part 1194). Section 508 of the Act requires that, unless an exception applies, all communications products and services that require a contractor or consultant to produce content in any format that is specifically intended for publication on, or delivery via, a federally owned or federally funded website permit the following:

(1) Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use information and data that is comparable to the access and use of information and data by federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities.

(2) Members of the public with disabilities seeking information or services from a federal agency to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use of information and data by members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities.

(Note: Information about Section 508 of the Act is available at http://www.section508.gov/. The complete text of Section 508 can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/provisions.htm.)

Accordingly, regardless of format, all web content or communications materials specifically produced for publication on, or delivery via, HHS websites, including text, audio, or video, under this contract shall conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. Remediation of any materials that do not comply with the applicable accessibility standards of 36 CFR Part 1194 as set forth herein shall be the responsibility of the Contractor.

The following Section 508 accessibility standards apply to the content or communications material identified in this SOW or PWS:

1194.21 Software applications and operating systems

1194.22 Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications

C.6 SECURITY AND POSITION SENSITIVITY

C.6.1 To perform the work specified herein, contractor personnel will require access to proprietary, privacy protected and/or sensitive data, regular access to HHS-controlled facilities and/or access to HHS information systems.

C.6.2 To gain the required access and successful award, the contractor shall comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, and with the personal identity verification and investigation procedures contained in:

HHS Information Security Program security requirements, outlined in the HHS Information Security and Privacy Policy (IS2P) – copy can be obtained by emailing fisma@hhs.gov HHS Continued Implementation for the HSPD-12 Program, dated January 13, 2017 OPM Final Credentialing Standard, dated June 2008 OMB M-05-24, dated August 5, 2005, Implementation of Homeland Security

Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 --Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors

Executive Order 13467 5 CFR Part 1400.201

C.6.3 The minimum Government investigation to receive an HSPD-12 PIV Credential is a Tier 1 (NACI), which consists of searches of records covering specific areas of a person’s background during the past five years. The minimum Government investigation to receive Elevated Privilege (any access beyond normal email or data entry) is a Tier 4 (BI High Risk Public Trust).

C.6.4 The contractor must comply with the instructions and timeframes provided by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) regarding the handling of the security requirements specified in this section. Typically, each employee must submit at a minimum: a completed OF-306; a current resume; and a completed HHS 828 form. Additional requirements may apply to Foreign National Applicants who will follow a slightly different level of initial checks. No contractor may begin any work or obtain any access to HHS facilities, information or information systems unless and until codified credentialing standards are met, and the Office of Security and Strategic Information informs the COR initial security requirements are complete or HSPD12 badges have been issued, whichever occurs first. Contractors should ensure that the employees whose names they submit have a reasonable chance for access approval. In some cases, employees with existing background investigations commensurate with sensitivity designations will expedite performance. Delays associated with rejections and consequent reinvestigations may not be excusable. Investigations may delay performance, regardless of the outcome of the investigation.

The facts surrounding individual cases will determine whether a delay is excusable.

C.6.5 Typically, the Government investigates personnel at no cost to the contractor, but the expense of multiple investigations for the same position is difficult to justify. Consequently, multiple investigations for the same position may, at the Contracting Officer’s discretion, justify reduction(s) in the contract price of no more than the cost of the extra investigation(s), i.e., within one year of established employment.

C.6.6 Language similar to this Security section shall be included in any subcontracts which require subcontractor personnel to have access to an information system, access to proprietary, privacy protected and/or sensitive data, other than occasional or intermittent access to an HHS-controlled facility, or any combination of these three.

C.6.6. a. The 2017 DOI/Bureau of Indian Affairs Self-Governance Negotiation Guide cites particular language to use for agreements with Sovereign Nations/Entities, Tribes and Consortia to either comply with HSPD-12 or elect to not have access to federal information or information systems, either by hardcopy or electronic means.

C.6.7 Inquiries, including requests for forms and assistance, should be directed to the COR, listed in Section G of the contract.

C.6.8 Within seven (7) calendar days after final acceptance of the work specified herein, the contractor shall return all…