Q and R - 7.docx
DOCX document 41 KB Posted
- Attached to
- R702--Study for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Outcomes of Military Exposures Epidemiology
- Solicitation number
- 36C24526Q0544
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document providing clarification on the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Outcomes of Military Exposures (HOME) Epidemiology Program solicitation for a longitudinal health survey of Post 9/11 Veterans. The document addresses 35 questions from prospective contractors regarding survey design, administration, and operational requirements for a three-year contract.
Key clarifications include: the target sample size is 109,000 records (not 30,000 as originally stated), representing the entire study population rather than annual volumes; contractors may propose either in-house or VA Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval processes; response rate benchmarks of 35-50% are considered achievable based on recent VA veteran survey experience; survey administration methodology, mailing approaches, reminder strategies, and incentive structures are design features to be developed and proposed by contractors rather than specified by the government; all educational and informational materials must be 508-compliant and available in English and Spanish; contractor personnel will be assigned position risk and sensitivity levels by VA based on job duties; no current VA Authority to Operate (ATO) is required at award, but contractors must complete all VA security documentation and obtain authorization prior to system implementation; and the contractor is responsible for call center support (estimated 1,750 live calls and 350 voicemails based on prior CHAI survey experience), contact information management and address location updates, survey printing and mailing, data collection via web and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), processing of returned materials, and interim dataset delivery as outlined in the project management plan.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Q and R - 5.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Q and R -1.docx | DOCX document | |
| Q and R - 3.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Q and R - 6.docx | DOCX document | |
| Q and R - 8.docx | DOCX document | |
| Q and R - 4.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Q and R - 2.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Amendment - Solicitation No. 36C24526Q0544 0002.pdf | ||
| Amendment - Solicitation No. 36C24526Q0544 0001.pdf | ||
| Supplemental Instructions.pdf | ||
| Solicitation No. 36C24526Q0544.pdf | ||
| Past Performance Questionnaire.pdf | ||
| Past Performance Questionnaire.docx | DOCX document | |
| QASP for Post 911 survey.pdf | ||
| VHA 1605.05 BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENT.docx | DOCX document | |
| VHA 1605.05 BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENT.pdf |
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Text version
Department of Veterans Affairs Health Outcomes of Military Exposures Epidemiology Program
Q
| Pg/Section |
| Questions/Comments |
| 1 |
| Section 7.1.4 |
| Q: Does the agency have an estimate of the volume of technical support required-how many calls and how many emails? |
A: This will be dependent on survey design elements and cannot be reliably estimated by the government. The CHAI survey fielded approximately 1750 live calls and 350 voice mails at the call center 800 line. Experience in future endeavors may differ.
| 2 |
| Section 7.2.1 |
| Q: Section 7.2.1 states that the Contractor shall prepare the required documentation and research proposal for IRB approval. Please clarify whether the Contractor is expected to provide access to an IRB and manage the submission process, or whether the Government will submit the materials through its designated IRB. |
A: The contractor can propose either alternative: in-house contractor IRB or VA CIRB. If contractor IRB is proposed anticipate some interaction with the VA CIRB.
| 3 |
| Section 7.2.3 |
| Q: Can you confirm whether the n = 30,000 for the location algorithm applies to the entire period of performance or on an annual basis? |
A: Please note the entry at Deliverable table 7.2.3 reads “30,000” - this is an error and should read “109,000”
| 4 |
| Section 7.2.3 |
| Q: Will the 30,000 records be provided and processed as a single batch, or across multiple batches? If multiple batches, approximately how many per batch? |
A: See above – the question is a design and administration feature that should be addressed by the proposal
| 5 |
| Section 7.2.3 |
| Q: What specific contact information fields will be included in the initial file provided? |
A: Address, phone, email, however there may not be missing values. The goal is to provide a complete list to enable location.
| 7 |
| Section 7.2.3 |
| Q: In section 7.2.3 it says” The contractor shall create an electronic database consisting of the name, address, and any other available contact information for each member of the target survey population.” Can you specify the other available contact information you are interested in? |
A: It appears that ‘email’ is the only absent value.
| 8 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Is the total sample size of n=109,000 for the entire study or per year, and what is the anticipated language distribution (English vs. Spanish)? |
A. This is the entire N for the study. VA has no estimate of language distribution for this sample.
| 9 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Could you clarify the overall mailing approach, including whether the initial survey will be sent as a single mailing or in cohorts over time? If in cohorts, please provide guidance on expected timing and volume per wave. |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 10 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Will follow-up reminders be mailed (e.g., postcards or second survey package mailings)? If so, what materials and approximate quantities are anticipated? |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 11 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: What is the estimated number of completed surveys expected to be returned by mail? |
A: This is dependent on study methodology and design that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 12 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Could you provide detailed specifications for all survey package components (e.g., questionnaire format (folding, binding), color requirements, paper weights, and envelope sizes)? |
A: These are design features that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 13 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Should survey packets include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for returns? |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 14 |
| Section 7.2.9 |
| Q: What completion rate does the agency expect via mail or web from this population, before CATI interviewing begins? |
A: Ordering of mode of survey administration is dependent on study methodology and design that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 15 |
| Section 7.2.9 |
| Q: What completion rate does agency expect for mail versus web? |
A: For overall response rate, consider the experience of recent VA HOME veteran surveys or other VA surveys of veterans, particularly those in post 9/11 Veterans: consider 35% to 50% as an achievable goal.
| 16 |
| Section 7.2.9 |
| Q: Does the agency have a minimum response rate requirement or a minimum number of callback attempt requirement? |
A: See response rate comment above. Call back attempts are a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 17 |
| Section 7.2.10 |
| Q: What is the estimated number of whitemail pieces (non-questionnaire documents) to be scanned into a searchable PDF? |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 18 |
| Section 7.2.13 |
| Q: 7.2.13 calls for an incentive plan. Incentives for government studies are highly constrained. What regulations govern allowable incentives for this study? |
A: Previous studies have used checks or gift cards.
| 19 |
| Section 7.2.15 |
| Q: Could you provide guidance on the expected maximum number of open-ended fields requiring coding, as referenced in Section |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal. VA would advise minimizing open response text through design features
| 20 |
| Section 7.2.16 |
| Q: With what frequency will the government require interim data sets? |
A: see text for task at deliverable table. This is a design feature that should be included in proposal but ultimately TBD through establishment of the PMP
| 21 |
| Section 7.4 |
| Q: Could you provide details on the anticipated educational and informational materials (e.g., information sheets, brochures, fact sheets), including: |
· Page length and format (single vs. double-sided, folding)
· Color requirements, paper weight
· Quantities by language distribution (English vs. Spanish)
· How will these materials be distributed?
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal
| 22 |
| Section 7.4 |
| Q: This section states all instructions and education materials shall be provided in Spanish. The RFP does not require CATI interviewing, help desk services, or questionnaire instruments should be provided in Spanish. Will the Government confirm whether these services are required? By extensions, does the Government require any mailed questionnaires be provided in Spanish? |
A: Section 7.4 specifies the requirement: “All educational and informational materials must be 508 compliant, be available in English and Spanish…”
Q: What are the risk and sensitivity levels for any personnel providing services for this contract?
A The Government will assign position risk and sensitivity levels for contractor personnel in accordance with agency personnel security policy, based on the duties and access requirements described in the solicitation if at all applicable.
Q: Will the Government provide the contract numbers for the previous NewGen and CHAI studies and identify the incumbent contractors for each?
A: This is a new requirement, no incumbent
Q: Will the government provide the response rates by mode (CAWI, CATI, etc) experienced by the NewGen and CHAI studies?
A:
CHAI
| Veteran CATI Completes |
| Veteran Web Completes |
| Veteran PC Completes (paper) |
| Veteran Mobile Completes |
| total |
| 3858 |
| 11255 |
| 8542 |
| 2713 |
| 26368 |
| 0.146313714 |
| 0.426843143 |
| 0.323953277 |
| 0.102889867 |
Q: The Government requires a literature review. Will the Government specify what topics will need to be included in the scope of the review, and how often literature reviews will need to be conducted?
A: Literature review for study design may by necessity address several topics: survey administration methodologies, sample weighting, non-response bias analysis, etc. The government seeks expertise of the contractor to provide advice which may necessitate literature review and citation in justification for decisions in study administration/interpretation.
Q:This RFP calls for incentives. Does the Government expect and accept common incentive practices in survey research for this study, or do incentives need to comply with Federal regulations?
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal. Proposed methods should employ standard practice for survey research and be in conformance with Federal Regulations.
Q: Is a VA ATO required at the time of award for the systems to be employed?
A: Offerors are not required to have a current VA ATO at time of award. However, the contractor will be required to complete all VA security documentation and obtain the requisite authorization prior to the system going live or processing VA information, in accordance with the contract’s information security clauses
Q:Will a VA ATO be required to execute the work, or will there be a requirement to develop an ATO for employed systems if the work is awarded?
A: Offerors are not required to have a current VA ATO at time of award. However, the contractor will be required to complete all VA security documentation and obtain the requisite authorization prior to the system going live or processing VA information, in accordance with the contract’s information security clauses
| 30 |
| Section 7.1.2 Task #1 |
| Q: Are there historical metrics available to help estimate the average and peak periods of calls and emails? |
A: No specifics available.
| 31 |
| Section 7.1.2 Task #1 |
| Q: Does the VA have information on the staffing levels required to adequately meet the call and e-mail demands throughout the data collection period? |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 32 |
| Section 7.2.3 |
| Q: Section 7.2.3 indicates that the contractor shall develop contact information and locate addresses to update the sampling address files provided by VA. Can VA provide any metrics that may provide insights into the quality of VA's address files for the survey population? |
A: Addresses will be provided- quality should be good
| 33 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: The opening of Task #2 indicates that VA requests the contractor to collect survey data via web and CATI modes. However, Section 7.1.4 refers to personalized letters included in the questionnaire mail package and Section 7.2.6 requests that the contractor assists with printing and mailing study/survey materials (n=109,000) as directed. |
9. Can the VA clarify what the study/survey materials entail?
a. Does the VA plan for the contractor to send related resources (such as FAQs or other informational materials) to respondents?
A: This does appear contradictory; however the contractor organization should propose the best design approach and may incorporate any or all of these modalities in providing the most cost effective and successful solution for the government’s requirement. Hard copy materials returned from survey respondents may require scanning, processing and retention/return to the VA.
a. The contractor would be responsible for all related study resources that may be mailed via post or posted online.
| 34 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Does the VA plan to mail a paper questionnaire to all respondents to immediately offer that option and assist their responding via web or phone? |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
| 35 |
| Section 7.2.6 |
| Q: Will the questionnaire mail package be sent to only non-respondents after a personalized letter and reminder postcard is sent? If so, what percentage of the initial mailing is expected to receive the full questionnaire? |
A: This is a design feature that should be developed by the contractor and included in the proposal.
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