J.07 Task Order 1 .doc

Department of Health and Human Services

Public Health Service

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCD)

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC)

Atlanta, GA 30333

DATE ISSUED: April 3, 2008

DATE RESPONSE DUE: May 19, 2008

REQUEST FOR TASK ORDER PROPOSAL (RFTP) NO: #1

TITLE:

Comprehensive Assessment of Mammography Capacity in Defined Geographical Areas Contract Reference: This RFTP is consistent with the purposes for which the multiple award competitive contracts for technical and support needs of NCCD wide umbrella contracts were awarded. TAMS 2008, Full and Open Budget Format Suggestion: Contractor shall prepare a budget by phases indicated within the deliverables section of the RFTP. Individual budgets shall be prepared by phase and a total overall budget shall be prepared with contains the amount for all phases.

Funding Range:

· Under $100,000

· Over $100,000 but less than $300,000

X Over $300,000 but less than $500,000 (for all phases)

· Over $500,000 but less than $700,000

· Over $700,000 but less than $1,000,000

· Over $1,000,000

Overview/Background:

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the U.S. Because screening mammography is currently the most efficient way to diagnose breast abnormalities and has led to reduced mortality from breast cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women aged 40 and older undergo screening mammography every 1-2 years. In July 2006, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report regarding nationwide capacity for mammography from 2001 to 2004 indicating that mammography capacity decreased by 6%. Although the current national capacity was adequate, one-fourth of counties had no mammography capacity. The purpose of this task order is to address the current issue of mammography capacity across the U.S. for screening mammograms. Additional information is needed on state and county-level geographic areas to assess the facilities, machines, and personnel, and their correlation with mammography screening behaviors, type of insurance coverage, and mammography cost. For this project, we will determine the number of mammograms able to be performed. This calculation will include the number of radiologists, the number of technicians, and the number of machines available. We will estimate the number of mammograms able to be performed to the number of women age 40 and over to determine the level of mammography capacity. We will look specifically at this estimate in areas with large populations of low-income and underinsured women who would be eligible for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. We will also look at the trend of these numbers over the past 3 years. This trend can also be used to create projections for the future mammography capacity over the next 10 years. Since the new recommendations for screening high-risk women with MRI have been released, we will assess present MRI capacity to meet this potential demand.

In order to provide a visual image of the percentage change in mammography facilities across the U.S., we will calculate the percent change in the number of facilities in each county from 2003 to 2006, code the counties by the percentile of change, and create a map of U.S. counties according to the percentile change. We can then compare this to the percentile change in the women eligible for screening based on the newly developed small areas estimates based on previous work by CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The population of interest is women aged 40 and older. This project would take advantage of already established data sets and data sets under development through ongoing DCPC projects. The primary data source will be FDA’s Mammography Program Reporting and Information System database with facility identification by address, information on number of machines at the facility, the number of technologists who perform mammograms, the number of radiologists who interpret mammograms, and the estimated number of mammograms performed. FDA also maintains a list of MRI machines across the U.S. CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System will be used to determine state and county-level prevalence of mammography screening and type of insurance coverage. Mammography costs will be obtained from data currently being collected by CDC for the NBCCEDP cost analysis project that is projected to be available in the summer of 2008. County-level population estimates will be obtained from the small-area projection estimates being developed by CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau that are projected to be available in summer 2008.

The project objective is to examine the mammography capacity as compared to screening behaviors and factors influencing screening behaviors at the state and county level with the use of geocoding. Specific questions include:

1. Which areas appear to have the greatest shortage in mammography capacity?

2. What is the current mammography capacity in areas where low-income and underinsured women live?

3. Do areas with low mammography screening rates correlate with areas having the lowest mammography capacity?

4. What is the trend in mammography capacity since 2003?

5. If it is found that there is not enough capacity (i.e., facilities, machines, and adequately trained radiologists) to meet the potential demand, we would like to estimate the resources required to meet the anticipated demand.

6. Is there adequate MRI capacity to meet the potential demand of screening high-risk women?

This project will provide useful information to policy makers, programs, and providers regarding specific barriers that need to be addressed when developing or evaluating breast cancer control policies and practices to improve and increase breast cancer screening.

Description of Work:

In order to meet the objectives of this task order, the Contractor shall supply all the necessary personnel and supplies. The Contractor shall work with CDC to develop the data collection tool and to identify and obtain access to all necessary data to complete the stated objective. CDC will assume principal scientific leadership for the project and will take lead in drafting of manuscripts. The Contractor will be invited to be co-author. At the completion of the project, the data will remain within DCPC and will be available to CDC staff for data analyses and publications. The funds identified above are for the entire task order period.

The Contractor shall perform the following tasks:

Phase 1.

1. Identify contact person and establish communication schedule. Within one week of the task order award, the contractor shall identify a primary contact person on the contractor team. Within two weeks, the contractor shall conduct a project planning meeting via telephone and create a schedule of weekly conference calls with the Technical Monitor. In addition, the contractor shall email brief (<1 page) reports summarizing all communication with CDC staff and activities related to the task order to the Technical Monitor within 2 business days following a conference call. Modifications to the schedule must be approved by the Technical Monitor.

2. Project design development. Within four weeks of the task order award, the Contractor shall schedule a conference call with the Technical Monitor to discuss project design, methods of data collection, and potential data sources. Within eight weeks of the award, the Contractor shall provide a review of relevant literature for the project to CDC. The Contractor shall work with the Technical Monitor to arrange a presentation in person or via teleconferencing by staff from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describing the technical details about the FDA’s Mammography Program Reporting and Information System database on mammography and MRI facilities, machines, and personnel. This presentation shall be held within 12 weeks of the task order award.

3. Finalizing the data collection instrument. Based upon the existing draft data collection instrument developed by CDC, the Contractor shall be responsible for revising the data collection instrument within four months of the task order award. The instrument shall be submitted to the Technical Monitor in paper and electronic form (an electronic form approved by CDC). Within two weeks of receiving the instrument, CDC shall furnish the Contractor with comments and suggested changes to be incorporated into the final instrument. The Contractor shall accommodate all revisions requested by the Technical Monitor, and provide CDC with a formatted version within eight months of the task order award.

Phase II.

4. Identify data sources and lists of variables. Within 12 months of the task order award, the Contractor shall provide a list of data sources and a list of variables. The Technical Monitor will review and provide technical direction regarding the data sources and variables. The Contractor shall incorporate suggestions requested. The Contractor shall provide a finalized formatted data collection instrument to the Technical Monitor within 15 months of the task order award based on information and recommendations from the Technical Monitor regarding the data sources and variables.

5. Data entry and database management. Within 18 months of the task order award, the Contractor shall be responsible for starting all data entry into a database and shall conduct necessary data management and/or storage. This includes all data analysis necessary of data from other sources. The Contractor shall complete all data entry within

6. 27 months of the task order award. At completion of data entry, the Contractor shall provide to the Technical Monitor a final SAS dataset and a data codebook (electronic and hard copy) with detailed documentation of data sources, variable definitions, SAS code, and analytic results.

Phase III.

7. Data analysis and submit results. Within 30 months of the task order award, the contractor shall conduct analyses and submit the preliminary results to the Technical Monitor for review and comment. The Contractor shall arrange a conference call with the Technical Monitor to discuss the preliminary results and solicit comments and suggestions.

8. Submission of final report. Within 36 months of the task order award, the Contractor shall submit to the Technical Monitor a final report summarizing the methods, data sources used and preliminary results.

DELIVERABLES:

Tasks

DESCRIPTION

DUE WITHIN

Phase I

Progress reports:

Weekly brief summary of conference call;

Monthly reports to include work done in the month, problems and corrective actions and expenditure 2 days after call;

the 5th day of the following month

2 weeks after award;

Final work plan 2 weeks after award;

4 weeks after awrd

Literature review;

Presentation on FDA’s Mammography Program Reporting and Information System database by FDA staff 1 week after call;

8 weeks after award;

12 weeks after award

Formatted data collection instrument 4 months after award;

8 months after award

Phase II

Finalized, formatted data collection instrument 12 months after award;

15 months after award

Phase III

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance for this task order shall be June 1, 2008 through May 31, 2011. This project shall be funded in phases as set forth in the Deliverables schedule.

SPECIAL CLEARANCES:

This project will not require OMB or IRB clearance because it only uses publicly available data that has already been collected and does not contain any individually identifiable information or linkable information. We will use geographical information on mammography facilities and correlate that information to screening behaviors among women in that same location at state and county levels.

This is not intended to be a research contract. The Contractor shall not use these funds to engage in any form of research involving human subjects without express authorization from the CDC Project Officer and all necessary Institutional Review Boards, exemption-granting entities and/or other organizations whose approval may be required by the Code of Federal Regulations and other applicable state and federal regulations that may be in effect at the time of such proposed research.

Performance Based Matrix

Indicators Standards-

Criteria for Acceptance

100% of work products are technically correct with no correction required by the government.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Compliance

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

3. Accuracy

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance elauated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

4. Timeliness

100% of work products are completed, in ready state, on time as specified by CDC customer.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

100% of work products are technically correct with no correction required by the government

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance elauated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Compliance

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

3. Accuracy

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

4. Format

100% of work products are in appropriate correspondence format, or as specified by CDC customer.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance elauated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

The contractor shall produce Task Order Type Service Product:

Conduct Research and Demonstation Projects

1. Work Quality

100% of work products are technically correct with no correction required by the government

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Compliance

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

3. Accuracy

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

4. Format

100% of work products are in appropriate correspondence format, or as specified by customer.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

100% of work products are technically correct with no correction required by the government

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Compliance

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

3. Accuracy

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

4. Format

100% of work products are in appropriate CDC correspondence format, or as specified by CDC customer.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

See QASP for details.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Customer Satisfaction

3. Management of Key Personnel

1. 100% of the time the contractor demonstrates attention to cost control, without sacrificing work quality.

2. 100% of the time the contractor staffing demonstrates reasonable and cooperative behavior, a commitment to customer satisfaction, and a concern for the interest of the customer.

3. 100% of the time, the contractor provided technical experts that were highly qualified and effective in performing the required services; the appropriate number of personnel were assigned to the project; and the delivered products reflected the skill and standardization required by the customer.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Work Quality

1. 100% of Task Order proposals are submitted on time.

2.100% of Task Order proposals are technically complete as required by the government.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Major Errors will result in not winning individual Task Orders.

2. Customer Satisfaction

1. 100% of Task Order proposals are submitted on time.

2. 100% of the time the contractor staffing demonstrates reasonable and cooperative behavior, a commitment to customer satisfaction, and a concern for the interest of the customer.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance elauated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

2. Work Quality

1. 100% of Monthly Status reports are submitted on time.

2. 100% of Monthly Status reports are technically complete as required by the government.

Surveillance system will be primarily customer observations.

Payment of contract fee for satisfactory service.

Contractor performance evaluated using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractor performance Report. The evaluation will be considered when future contract selections are made.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

This task order shall be awarded to the offeror whose proposal is considered to be the most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors (identified below) considered. Technical Factors will be more important than cost in this evaluation. The Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall cost to the Government to achieve only slightly superior performance.

Technical Evaluation

Technical evaluations for this RFTP are as follows:

Criteria

Value of Criteria

A. Staffing and Management ___ 40 _ ___

B. Technical Approach __ 35 _____

C. Similar or previous experience ___25 _

A.

Staffing and Management:

Contractors are to provide (1) a staffing plan that demonstrates and understanding of the labor requirements for this task order; and (2) a management plan that describes the approach for managing the work, to include subcontract management if applicable. Contractors should specify the Project Leader and Task Manager by name and indicate their degrees, areas of expertise and relevant experience. Contractors are to provide information reflecting experience of assigned staff that is appropriate to the complexity, size and subject matter of the proposed work and should include working with large databases and expertise in geocoding.

If the contractor plans to staff Task Manager position with a new hire, a letter of intent must be included. In addition, contractors are encouraged to retain outside consultants with special expertise relevant to this task order. If the Contractor plans to exercise this option, letters of intent from outside investigators should also be included. The CVs of all key personnel who will be affiliated with this task order should be provided in the appendices. The proposal should also describe the project's organization including an organizational chart of staff assigned to the project. In addition, the proposal should also describe relationships and partnerships with other organizations which are relevant to this task.

This criterion will be evaluated according to the soundness, practicality, and feasibility of the offeror’s staffing and management plans for this task order.

B.

Technical Approach:

Contractors are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the project goals and steps necessary to carry out the project tasks. The Contractors are to provide a discussion of their technical approach to providing the services required for this task order including, but not limited to, development of work plan, formatting of data collection instrument, and methods for geocoding. The Contractor’s proposal should specify how all tasks in the Description of Work will be accomplished. The Contractor is to provide a detailed time line for the accomplishment of tasks.

This criterion will be evaluated according to the soundness, practicality, and feasibility of the Contractor’s technical approach for providing the services required for this task order.

C.

Similar or Previous Experience:

The Contractor should provide information reflecting experience that is similar in complexity and size to the anticipated project. The contractor must document that they have 1) analyzed data from large population-based datasets; 2) used geocoding in describing health conditions or behaviors; 3) conducted similar project(s) focusing on similar low-income and underinsured populations; and 4) synthesized epidemiologic literature on breast cancer screening or similar health conditions.

Cost Evaluation:

A cost analysis of the business cost proposal shall be conducted to determine the reasonableness of the proposal.

INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTRACTORS

As a contract holder of NCCD Multiple Award Contracts, this is considered your fair opportunity for consideration of the RFTP in accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(1) and Section B of the basic contract.

The following pre-award Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provisions apply to this request for task order proposal, and are hereby incorporated by reference:

Number Date

Title

52.215-1

JAN 2004

Instructions to Offerors--Competitive Acquisition

Your response must be submitted in two parts: a Technical, and a Business proposal. Each part shall be separate and complete in itself so evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of the other.

Required Statements: Your proposal should indicate that the proposal is predicated on the terms and conditions of the NCCD contract ______________; is valid for a period of 60 days; and a brief statement indicating current or future commitments during the proposed performance period and what impact the commitments might have on performance if awarded. Proposals are not to include any additional information regarding past performance, letters of reference, or corporate capability. This information was submitted previously when the contracts were awarded. The proposal is to reference only the proposed work and budget for the referenced RFTP. Proposals containing information that is not specific to the proposed task will not be evaluated.

Each proposal shall be submitted via electronic mail (e-mail) by midnight EST/EDT of the day specified for receipt. Proposals shall be sent via MS Word (version 9.0 or lower), and business proposals shall be submitted using MS Excel software (version 7.0 or lower). In order to insure all pages of your proposal are included in the evaluation we request that you put a footer in your proposal that includes your company name; RFTP number, your contract number, and Page # of # Pages.

In the event there are electronic transmission problems, the following steps shall be taken:

· CDC receives the electronic file timely, but cannot access it. Contractor will be contacted and may fax in the portions that cannot be accessed.

· Contractor sends electronic file, but receives error message indicating e-mail problems at CDC. Fax in a cover sheet indicating transmission difficulties, and PGO will contact the Contractor to arrange an alternate method of submission.

· Contractors are requested not to fax entire proposals to PGO. Facsimile submission should only be used after contacting the Contract Specialist.

All proposals shall be e-mailed to the following address:

Awardees are not required to submit a proposal in response to this request for task proposal. The Government shall not pay any cost for the preparation and submission of proposals submitted in response to this RFTP. All communications concerning this project prior to the award of a task order under this RFTP shall be with the Contracting Officer or the Project Officer. Communications with unauthorized individuals concerning a specific RFTP prior to award may jeopardize your eligibility for award.

TECHNICAL MONITOR:

To Be Decided

PROJECT OFFICER:

Christine Dauer

Public Health Advisor

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC)

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K-52

Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724

Telephone: 770 488-3056