36C25919Q0310-001.docx

36C25919Q0310

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SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

36C259-19-AP-1575

554-19-2-129-0025 36C25919Q0310 05-03-2019 Mary Good 303-712-5728 05-24-2019

3:00PM MST

36C259 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office

NCO 19

6162 South Willow Drive, Suite 300 Greenwood Village CO 80111 X X 541910 $15 Million X N/A X 36C554

DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL

VETERAN AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER

1700 N. WHEELING ST

AURORA CO 80045

36C259 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office

NCO 19

6162 South Willow Drive, Suite 300 Greenwood Village CO 80111

SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY

Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Service Center PO Box 149971 Austin TX 78714-9971 See CONTINUATION Page The contractor shall provide services to assess social and community environments with national data (ASCEND) for Veteran Suicide Prevention: Development Phase in accordance with the Statement of Work.

Period of performance will be:

Base Year: June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 Option Year 1: June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021 Option Year 2: June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 See CONTINUATION Page X X Mary E Good Contracting Officer Table of Contents

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

(Continuation from Standard Form 1449, block 18A.)

B.1.1. Contract Administration: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

B.1.1.1. CONTRACTOR: Name:

B.1.1.2. GOVERNMENT: Mary E. Good, Contracting Specialist Department of Veterans Affairs Rocky Mountain Network

NCO 19

6162 S. Willow Drive Ste 300 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Telephone: 303-712-5728

B.1.2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with:

B.1.3. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

c. Other [X] MONTHLY IN ARREARS B.1.4. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: All invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically to the VA Financial Services Center for payment processing, free of charge. For any questions about the e-invoicing program, please contact the FSC at the phone number or email address listed below:

1. OB10/Tungsten e-Invoice Setup Information: (877) 752-0900

1. OB10/Tungsten e-Invoice email: USClientServices@ob10.com

1. FSC e-Invoice Contact Information: (877) 353-9791

1. FSC e-invoice email: vafsccshd@va.gov

1. The following two codes will be required when creating a vendor profile in OB10:

OB10 Buyer Number AAA544240062 Promo Code: VAPC7Y18 B.1.5. DUNS NUMBER: Please provide the Dun and Bradstreet Number assigned to your firm in the space provided:

B.1.6. TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: Please provide the tax identification number to be utilized for this contract:

B.1.7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Services required herein shall be for the following time period:

Base Year: June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020 Option Year 1: June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021 Option Year 2: June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022

B.1.8. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WAGE DETERMINATION: The following Department of Labor Wage Determination is incorporated into this contract:

No. 2015-5419, Revision No. 11, dated December 26, 2018

B.2 STATEMENT OF WORK

1. Contract Title.

Assessing Social and Community Environments with National Data (ASCEND) For Veteran Suicide Prevention: Development Phase

2. Background.

Effective surveillance systems are the cornerstone of public health. They are necessary to inform the development of prevention strategies tailored to the characteristics and needs of established or newly emerging risk populations and to evaluate the impact of newly implemented programs. Suicide is no exception. Accordingly, enhancing surveillance of suicide and non-fatal suicidal self-directed violence (NF-SSDV) is widely recognized to be of critical importance to enhancing successful, national suicide prevention efforts. During the past decade, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made considerable strides to advance Veteran suicide surveillance, with the development of the VA-DoD Suicide Data Repository (SDR).

Through development of the SDR and the associated release of national and state-level Veteran suicide statistics, the VA has established itself as a clear leader in suicide surveillance. Results from these efforts have been highly informative in enhancing and targeting the VA’s suicide prevention programs. During the same timeframe, the VA also established the Suicide Prevention Applications Network (SPAN) to track NF-SSDV events. Although SPAN is an innovative and valuable internal system, it is primarily limited to NF-SSDV events that occur among Veterans who use Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services and that are known to providers; thus, SPAN cannot be used to track the prevalence of NF-SSDV events among the broader Veteran population. This poses a substantial barrier for understanding the prevalence of NF-SSDV and key community risk and protective factors among particular subgroups of Veterans (e.g., rural Veterans and those not using VHA care). Creating a similar clinical-based NF-SSDV surveillance system for all Veterans is likely not feasible. It is widely recognized that routine, national surveys (e.g. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), National Health And Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES)) can serve as valuable surveillance tools for tracking health-related behaviors. Thus, one of the most promising approaches to documenting the prevalence of NF-SSDV among Veterans and tracking changes in these estimates over time is to use data from reoccurring, nationally representative surveys.

Accordingly, the prevalence of past-year suicide ideation (SI) has been estimated at 3.8% and lifetime suicide attempt (SA) at 0.4% for Veterans, using data from the 2010 CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Using more recent 2010-2012 BRFSS data and 2008-2015 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, we found similar rates of SA and SI among non-Hispanic White Veterans. However, these existing national surveys are not designed to produce a nationally representative sample of U.S. Veterans. Furthermore, given the broad scope of these surveys, assessment of NF-SSDV is limited and SI and SA estimates are based on single questions. There remains a critical need to produce a more nuanced assessment of NF-SSDV among Veterans. Such assessments would be strengthened by utilizing more robust and sensitive measurement tools, and optimally would evaluate risk in relation to community, as well as individual level risk and protective factors. Community risk and protective factors include social determinants of health (e.g., poverty, community substance use, and economic distress) and socio-cultural factors (e.g., public stigma and social cohesion); whereas individual risk and protective factors include behavioral health (e.g., substance use and mental health) and interpersonal factors (e.g., social capital and connectedness). Understanding how these factors relate to suicide risk among Veterans would be instrumental in designing and tailoring public health oriented suicide prevention programs as this information is essential for identifying modifiable community-level variables that may convey increased risk, or alternately that support and enhance Veteran resilience.

Comprehensive surveillance of suicide risk is essential to inform suicide prevention strategies and the allocation of resources to address changing risk over time, across a Veteran’s lifespan, and within subpopulations of Veterans who are known or believed to be at elevated risk for suicide (e.g., those who are females, not utilizing VHA services, recently separated, or rural). Likewise, through identification of the most impactful interpersonal and community-level factors, population-level suicide rates can be further reduced. Effective, comprehensive, public health approaches to suicide prevention combine community wide health promotion and risk reduction with robust clinical suicide prevention services. Assessment of SI and SA in relation to community risk and protective factors, such as social determinants of health, is critical to designing effective, public health oriented suicide prevention strategies. The public health model demands developing universal strategies to reduce community risk and increase community protective factors in addition to designing programs to reach high-risk individuals—such comprehensive strategies have been successful at reducing population level suicide rates. The results from this project will help identify those modifiable social and community factors that are most critical to reducing suicide risk among Veterans, as well as provide critical information on high-risk groups of Veterans.

Finally, this project seeks to recruit and engage hard to reach Veteran populations, such as those residing in rural areas and Veterans not using VHA services. Although the majority of research to date on Veteran suicide has been limited to the VHA patient population, Veterans who are not using VHA services are at particularly high risk for dying by suicide. This juxtaposition between risk and current research underscores the importance of surveying these Veterans to better understand the prevalence of SI, SA, and other key, modifiable risk factors. Not only does this allow us to compare risk across these two groups (Veterans using vs. not using VHA services), but this surveillance survey project will be instrumental in tracking NF-SSDV prevalence over time across subpopulations of Veterans, in addition to implementing effective community-partnered suicide prevention among all Veterans.

3. Scope. The scope of this contract is to design a national survey of Veterans that will:

1) Serve as a national surveillance system through recurring administration to document prevalence and trends over time in self-directed violence (SDV);

2) Provide estimates of the impact of risk and protective factors on SDV.

The scope of work shall consist of 1) survey development; 2) stakeholder engagement; 3) collection and management of data; 4) analysis of data; 5) survey refinement; and 6) project management.

This project shall survey the Veteran population as a whole, not only those using VHA services, and findings will be used to inform policy and service development, program evaluation, and quality improvement for Veteran suicide prevention. The final sample size and sampling approach will be developed within the scope of this contract, in partnership with VA PIs.

4. Specific Tasks.

4.1 Tasks required across all contract years

Project Management

4.1.1 The Contractor shall provide a designated project manager and project management support. A Project Management Plan (PMP) that lays out the contractor’s approach, timeline and tools shall be provided in the execution of each task order. The PMP shall include a narrative and graphic format displaying schedule, specifically defined milestones, risks, communication, and resource support. The PMP shall explain how contractor shall coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection and preparation. Upon acceptance, initial PMP shall be considered baseline and shall be updated monthly. Any changes to the schedule/project plan shall be subject to Contracting Officer Representative (COR) written approval. The contractor shall update and maintain the approved PMP throughout the period of performance of the contract. The PMP shall incorporate:

· a Risk Management Plan/Register,

· a Quality Control Plan incorporating quantifiable/ measurable elements, and

· a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) that delineates a comprehensive overview of the level of effort of the tasks. WBS elements used in the Project Schedule should indicate developmental work, tasks, start/finish dates, allocated resources and, at a minimum, include the following:

NOTE: Upon COR acceptance, the following PMP items shall be considered “Baseline”

· Project Schedule

· WBS

· Tasks Start/Finish Dates, Allocated Resources (Equipment or Personnel)

4.1.2 The contractor shall provide a detailed Project Plan that shall describe the procedures to be used. The project plan shall include, but may not be limited to, all of the following elements:

· Procedures to be employed in the training of staff necessary for the project;

· Quality control measures to ensure that all aspects of contract work are accurate;

· The sample management plan and survey databases to be used for the project.

An updated project plan shall be provided to the COR annually.

4.1.3 The contractor shall provide a Confidentiality Plan and Data Security Procedures. A process for managing participant consent and any related forms and responses from the completed online and CATI questionnaires shall be developed (e.g., data entered into separate, dated electronic databases). Data from medical records and other national datasets shall be linked to participant response data, and a merged dataset shall likewise be stored in a separate, dated database. A cumulative file of all respondent records should be created and maintained by the contractor.

The contractor shall ensure the highest degree of security to protect personal and confidential data of Veterans from intentional or unintentional release, loss, or destruction. Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.

4.1.4 The contractor shall provide a toll free number and email technical support during normal business hours. Highly trained and professional staff shall be trained to promptly answer questions and complete telephone questionnaires if requested by Veterans. The toll-free number(s) must be posted prominently on the Web site, consent forms, and other recruitment materials. The technical support staffing level must be adjusted to adequately meet the call and e-mail demands throughout the data collection period by closely monitoring the contact volume and times. Calls should be answered in under 30 seconds and hold times after answering should be avoided unless initiated by the caller. The contractor shall coordinate with the VA Crisis Hotline to facilitate call transfers in the case of distressed Veterans who require immediate referral to VA services. No distressed Veteran may ever be put on hold and transferring of Veterans in distress must be fluid to insure the Veteran is never dropped from the call during the transfer. All staff who answer the phones must have training to support their ability to assess distress, and technical expertise to warm transfer the caller to the VA Crisis Hotline or National Crisis Hotline. The contractor is expected to implement policies and procedures around this for staff answering the toll-free number. The contractor shall also set up a project e-mail account to answer respondent questions as well for use for communicating with Veterans who prefer email contact. All e-mail inquiries shall receive a response not later than the next business day. E-mail inquiries shall be recorded and provided to the COR.

4.1.5 The contractor shall prepare agendas and minutes for project meetings. It is anticipated that these shall be weekly at first, but gradually decrease in frequency to bi-weekly or monthly meeting as project needs dictate. The contractor shall take minutes of all conference calls and/or meetings held with the VA Principal Investigators (PIs), COR, and Stakeholders. Copies of these minutes shall be attached to the weekly progress report.

4.1.6 The contractor shall provide weekly progress reports during data collection. Outside of this, any immediate concerns (e.g., safety, Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol deviation, etc.) shall need to be communicated within 24 business hours of concerning event taking place. The contractor shall brief the VA PIs, COR, and/or designees and survey research staff as to the status of the project, quality control findings, description of any problems anticipated or encountered and their resolution or non-resolution, and milestones obtained or missed. The contractor shall keep a log of decisions made during the course of the study and provide the COR with an updated log of any new decisions made following the weekly meeting within 7 business days following each meeting. After review of the decision log, the COR shall provide any necessary corrections to the decision log, which then shall be revised.

4.2. Contract Base Year

Survey Development

4.2.1 The VA will establish and convene two external advisory boards. One board, the National Stakeholder Engagement Board, will include partners from other Federal Agencies (e.g., Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMSHA, CDC) and academic subject-matter experts. The second board, the Veterans Engagement Board, will include Veterans representing diverse perspectives on Veteran experiences (e.g., different geographic regions, different service eras, different military branches, women, rural, and transitioning) and National Veteran Service Organizations. A representative of the contractor shall attend annual meetings of each of these boards.

4.2.2 The contractor shall collaborate with VA PIs to thoughtfully brand ASCEND. This work shall involve development of the ASCEND Survey logo and design and production of necessary recruitment materials, including online advertisements, a study web page, recruitment fliers, and recruitment letters. The contractor shall prepare for approval by the COR all survey and contact materials (physical or online) used for recruitment, data collection, or public dissemination.

4.2.3 The contractor shall collaborate with VA PIs to identify opportunities for engaging Veterans in and conducting Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches. This may include key informant interviews and/or focus groups, advisory panels of key veteran sub-populations, presentation to VA Veteran Research Engagement Boards, and online platform(s) to gather and organize Veteran input. The contractor shall prepare a CBPR Plan for incorporating CBPR into the ongoing development and maintenance of the ASCEND survey to be reviewed by and discussed with the VA PIs. The contractor shall work collaboratively with VA PIs to implement the CBPR plan and establish mechanisms and methods for institutionalizing CBPR into the ASCEND surveillance system.

4.2.4 The contractor shall need to document an existing or obtain in new a VA Authority To Operate (ATO). This shall be necessary to have in place prior to the start of contract option year one, in order to collect geographic location data and other Personally Identifiable Information (PII) (e.g., name, SSN) from survey participants. Given the time required to obtain a new ATO, the contractor shall have all necessary security requirements in place to obtain an ATO at the time of contract initiation.

4.2.5 The contractor shall develop the multi-stage sampling design and frame for ASCEND using the USVets database for both the pilot and the initial wave of data collection. The survey shall focus on the Veteran population as a whole, not only those using VHA services. The total sample size for this survey is expected to be approximately 50,000 Veterans. The final sample size and sampling approach shall be developed within the scope of this contract, in partnership with VA PIs. The primary sampling unit shall be states to support development of the ASCEND surveillance system which shall aim to provide state-based estimates. Key subgroups to be oversampled include women, rural, and recently transitioning (i.e., within one year of military discharge) Veterans. The oversampling strategy shall be developed in consultation with VA PIs and the engagement boards. The contractor shall be responsible for completing:

· Power analysis to finalize survey sample size

· Development of the multi-stage sampling design

· Sampling frame

· Updates to Veteran contact information prior to recruitment (using, for example, Lexis Nexis, National Change of Address, Credit Bureau, or other comparable databases). The contractor shall report to the COR all Veterans with incorrect address information and the extent to which they have succeeded in locating the correct address. The contractor shall compute error rates for addresses by source of address information (Department of Defense, Internal Revenue Service, and VA). The contractor shall create an electronic database consisting of the name, each address and any other available contact information for each member of the target survey sample. Each address provided to the contractor shall be included, together with a variable denoting whether the final recruitment address was “good” or “not delivered.”

4.2.6 The contractor shall prepare a recruitment strategy and plan for achieving the target sample. The recruitment plan shall include strategies necessary to achieve oversampling goals for target Veteran subgroups (i.e., women, rural, and transitioning Veterans). Contractor shall submit recruitment plan to COR for review and written approval. Recruitment plan shall additionally:

· Provide an efficient and cost-effective staged sampling design. The government anticipates added value of contractor involvement in sampling and recruitment.

· Identify alternative/supplemental active recruitment strategies (i.e., beyond the use of USVets as a sampling frame) to employ as needed to obtain the desired sampling plan balance across demographically-defined Veteran subgroups.

4.2.7 In collaboration with the VA team, the contractor shall finalize the ASCEND survey instrument, using validated scales, instruments, and/or questions whenever possible. ASCEND shall serve as a national surveillance system through recurring administration to document prevalence and trends over time in Veteran SDV (i.e., suicide ideation [SI] and suicide attempt [SA]) across the life course (e.g., lifetime, post-military service, past-year) nationally and by state, and estimates of the impact of social and community risk and protective factors (e.g., social determinants of health, social capital, and interpersonal needs) on SI and SA among Veterans. Question and response option formats shall follow best practice guidelines for collecting valid and reliable data. The contractor shall help compile, format, and modify scales as necessary to achieve a survey of approximately 30 minutes in total length and may include a planned missingness design if appropriate. The survey shall be composed of multiple cohesive survey modules, which can be compiled in unique ways for different Veteran subgroups. The survey questionnaire shall be submitted to COR for review and written approval.

4.2.8 The contractor shall develop a data collection plan and requisite tools for data collection. Contractor shall develop and host a secure online platform for the survey, which shall serve as the primary data collection mode, including securing a domain name and hosting the site. The survey must be optimized for completion on both desktop/laptop computers and mobile-devices. The survey must be built within a password protected firewall to ensure participant confidentiality. Maintenance of the online data collection platform must include procedures for limiting individuals from completing the survey multiple times, identifying duplicates, and aggregating data collection online with alternative data collection (i.e., CATI). The contractor shall develop a CATI alternative mode, including data collection procedures for using the alternative mode, to supplement online data collection as needed to achieve recruitment goals. Contractor shall recommend the best alternative data collection strategies based on their expertise and industry standards. The data collection plan and tools shall be submitted to COR for review and testing and written approval obtained prior to use.

Survey Implementation and Data Collection

4.2.9 The contractor shall prepare and submit requisite paperwork to obtain IRB approval, through the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC Research and Development Committee (VA R&D) and the Colorado Multiple Institution Review Board (COMIRB). Complete IRB approvals shall be required prior to initiating any recruitment for either pilot or main survey.

4.2.10 The contractor shall create a telephone script for Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), as necessary based on the data collection plan. The Telephone script shall be submitted to the COR for written approval before use and shall be submitted with the above-mentioned IRB paperwork.

4.2.11 The contractor shall develop and implement a data management system. The data management system shall include, but is not limited to:

· An automated method for data entry and data editing, including computer programs for range edits, logic edits, and checks for skip patterns inherent in the questionnaire, as necessary based on approved data collection plan;

· A method for systematic documentation of all edit specifications and all corrections made during the editing process;

· A system of computer programs that provide quality control checks to ensure the accuracy of data after the editing process is complete.

4.3 Contract Option Year 1

Survey Implementation and Data Collection

4.3.1 The contractor shall conduct a pilot test the ASCEND survey with up to 500 Veterans. The pilot test shall be used to refine the survey instrument (i.e., questionnaire), data collection modes (i.e., online, CATI), and recruitment strategies. The contractor shall develop a pilot test plan, including a draft questionnaire and a proposed sample size, and submit to VA PIs and COR. The Contractor shall secure written approval from the COR to proceed with the pilot test prior to implementing the pilot. The contractor shall submit findings from the pilot study to the VA PIs and COR for review along with any recommendations for changes. The recommended changes shall be incorporated into the main survey only with the written approval of the COR. The pilot study shall include web and CATI modes of data collection as necessary to test the proposed sampling, recruitment, and data collection plans.

4.3.2 The contractor shall implement recruitment and data collection procedures to meet the targeted sample size. The contractor shall compile written survey protocols, train interviewers, perform extensive survey related tasks and appropriate survey follow-up. Based upon a recent, prior study using similar recruitment strategies and survey modes, we conservatively anticipate a Contact Rate (the proportion of all eligible member households reached by the survey) of approximately 40%, and a Cooperation Rate (number of all eligible sample members with completed interviews divided by the total number of eligible sample members contacted) of approximately 85% resulting in a final Response Rate (number of completed interviews by eligible sample members divided by the total number of eligible sample members) of approximately 34%. Additional data collection tasks include:

· The contractor is expected to use their expertise and standard commercial practices to suggest ways to improve survey/data collections processes. The government anticipates added value of contractor involvement in in data collection.

· The contractor shall conduct literature reviews, based on the needs of the study/survey requested.

· The contractor shall provide guidance and recommendations for related Information Technology such as encoding survey into electronic format or use of computers to conduct survey.

· The contractor shall submit an outline for the methodology report, which articulates the steps taken to complete the study, for COR approval.

The contractor shall print and mail any survey and recruitment materials as specified in the recruitment plan. Based on the contractor-created Project Plan and Project Management Plan, there may be several waves of mailings.

The contractor shall conduct data collection using the appropriate modes as specified in the approved data collection plan.

The contractor shall conduct data entry. The contractor shall combine data from all questionnaire modes into a single database. Data shall be provided both as text files and analytical datasets.

The contractor shall create and manage an incentive plan for all data collection (that is, incentive payments for participation), including CBPR and qualitative research, pilot survey, and main survey modes.

Contractor shall track recruitment progress by method and sample demographics and refine recruitment strategy in real-time to obtain target sample. Contractor shall provide weekly progress reports to VA team, and collect data necessary to assess for non-response bias.

4.3.3 Contractor shall develop a plan for merging external data sets with ASCEND survey data and complete approved data merges. Contractor is expected to identify complementary clinical and non-clinical, individual-level and community-level datasets and secure approvals and access for data merges. Some data sources may be directly obtained by contractors (e.g., County Health Rankings, census, labor, housing, crime, healthcare workforce). Other data sources (e.g., VHA clinical records) shall be compiled by VA PIs using subject identifiers supplied by the contractors. Contractor shall meet with VA PIs to review goals and objectives related to data merges and specify what data (e.g., population characteristics, health, employment) at what levels (e.g., individual, census tract, county, state) shall be merged with survey data based on desired variables, availability, and feasibility. Contractor shall prepare a comprehensive and detailed Data Merge Plan identifying the potential databases to access and variables to merge and submit this plan to COR.

4.4. Contract Option Year 2

Project Management

4.4.1 The contractor shall develop a destruction plan and allocate resources for destruction of any paper materials, depending on instructions from the COR.

Survey Implementation and Data Collection

4.4.2 The contractor shall complete all primary data collection. The contractor shall submit an interim data set comprised of data collected for the ASCEND survey. This excludes pilot data that is collected and submitted during option year 1 and prior to the implementation of the full ASCEND survey.

4.4.3 The contractor shall implement the data merge plan, including securing approvals and access and completing data merges as defined in the final data merge plan approved by the COR.

4.4.4 The contractor shall submit pre-final databases, including survey and merged data.

4.4.5 The contractor shall prepare a draft methodology report for the Project PI and COR review that describes the entire study process. The outline for the methodology report shall be submitted to the COR for approval. The contractor shall then use the approved outline and submit a draft report. The methodology report shall describe possible biases or errors arising from each stage and mode of the survey. The stages to be examined shall include questionnaire design and implementation; interviewer training; participant location; data collection; and data preparation and implementation (data keying, coding, cleaning, editing, imputation). All the sources resulting in successful location of Veterans shall be documented in the methodology report.

4.4.6 The contractor shall submit final databases to the COR, following security guidance on how to submit dataset based off instructions from the COR which could include (secure digital transfer or secure physical transfer via hard drive).

4.4.7 The contractor shall prepare a final methodology report for submission to the COR. The final report shall be submitted after the COR approval of the draft report.

Data Analysis and Reporting of Results

4.3.8 Contractor shall provide draft report of primary results, based on directions from VA PIs as to the exact initial analyses. Initial results shall provide reporting on prevalence of key survey outcomes (e.g., non-fatal SSDV prevalence overall and within key subgroups). Contractor shall submit the draft report to COR for review. Upon receipt of review from VA PIs and COR, the contractor shall revise the draft report and submit a final report of primary results.

4.4.9 Contractor shall complete a draft data analysis plan. Data analysis plan shall be finalized in collaboration with VA PIs. The data analysis plan shall be submitted to COR for review and approval.

4.4.10 Contractor shall complete and submit a final data analysis plan to VA PIs and COR.

4.4.11 Contractor shall complete analyses as specified in the approved final data analysis plan. Contractor shall complete all required analyses, including purchasing and using appropriate software for the analytic tasks.

4.4.12 Contractor shall complete literature reviews to accompany results.

4.4.13 Contractor shall complete a draft report of ASCEND survey results, and submit to COR for review and comment.

4.4.14 Contractor shall complete a final results report based on feedback provided on the draft report.

Surveillance Design

4.4.15 Contractor shall produce recommendations for survey enhancements based on evaluation of survey implementation, professional expertise and industry standards, and results of CBPR processes. Based upon CBPR recommendations, field experiences with survey implementation, and final wave 1 survey findings, contractor shall work with VA PIs to refine and enhance survey methods and instrument modules to be used for the reoccurring ASCEND surveillance survey (wave 2, not included in this contract).

4.4.16 Contractor shall prepare a detailed plan and recommendations for implementing the ASCEND survey on a recurring basis. The surveillance plan shall include recommending sample size and sampling plan at national and state levels, period of recurrence (e.g., annually, every two years), and other details as discussed with Project PIs. The contractor shall collaborate with VA PIs to identify the elements of the recurring surveillance plan. The contractor is expected to use their expertise and standard commercial practices to suggest best methods and other considerations for implementing the reoccurring ASCEND surveillance system. The government anticipates added value of contractor involvement in surveillance design.

5. Performance Monitoring.

Performance of the contractor shall be monitored based upon the delivery schedule and quality of work. The contractor shall meet all deliverables on time, as detailed in the deliverable table below. All tasks and products shall be conducted and finalized with integrity and be of high quality. All regulatory guidelines set forth by VA Research and Development, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Institutional Review Boards for research ethics must be met.

The Government will monitor performance and review deliverables utilizing solicited and unsolicited feedback from all applicable resources as follows:

· Methodological, suicide prevention, and Veteran health subject matter experts

· Rocky Mountain Mental Illness, Education, and Clinical Center staff

· Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

· VA Leadership

6. Security Requirements.

General - All contractors and contractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards and VA policies as VA, and VA personnel, regarding information and information system security. Contractors must follow policies and procedures outlined in the latest version of VA Directive 6500, Information Security Program and its handbooks to ensure appropriate security controls are in place.

The contractor agrees to comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 (the Act) and the agency rules and regulations issued under the Act in the design, development, or operation of any system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function when the contract specifically identifies –

• The systems of records; and

• The design, development, or operation work that the contractor is to perform; and

• Include the Privacy Act notification contained in this contract in every solicitation and resulting subcontract and in every subcontract awarded without a solicitation, when the work statement in the proposed subcontract requires the redesign, development, or operation of a system of records on individuals that is subject to the Act; and, Include this Privacy Act clause, including this subparagraph (3), in all subcontracts awarded under this contract which requires the design, development, or operation of such a system of records.

7. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI).

a. USVETS data: The U.S. Veterans Eligibility Trends and Statistics (USVets) dataset will be used to derive the survey sampling frame. USVets is an integrated dataset of Veteran demographic, socioeconomic, and military service data for all living and deceased Veterans, and designed to support statistical research. The dataset compiles information from various sources such as VHA, Deparment of Defense (DOD)’s Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), VA/DoD Identity Repository (VADIR), and commercial data sources. USVets is used by VA for statistical analytics, predictive modeling, and other data reporting. The dataset contains one record per Veteran, including Veterans residing in states, U.S. territories and foreign countries. While all of the social security numbers (SSNs) in USVets datasets are valid, last known vital status, name, address, gender, deployment status, branch, and service component can change over time and will require updating prior to sample recruitment.

8. Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations.

a. Changes to the Contract/Task Order: Only the CO is authorized to make any changes to this contract. The CO will keep a copy of each change in the contract folder along with all other products of the project. The Contractor shall bear any and all costs incurred by and/or through the actions of parties other than the CO.

b. Key Personnel: Specific skilled and experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed. “Key personnel” for purposes of this contract will be defined as those individuals preparing the deliverables. Key personnel should include both a statistician and an epidemiologist with a PhD in Statistics, Epidemiology and/or Survey Methods and at least 10 years of post-dissertation experience using advanced statistical methods with relevant publications in peer-reviewed journals. Personnel working on this contract should have experience in areas including research involving complex survey sampling design; data collection and management; techniques for maximizing recruitment efforts and response rates; community based participatory research methods; programming; statistical analysis; and report writing. The team shall include subject matter expertise in the following fields: disease surveillance, Veterans health, social and community determinants of health.

c. Data Rights: The deliverables, and other materials deemed relevant by the VA which have been generated by the contractor in the performance of this task order, are the exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the COR at the conclusion of the task order. VHA shall be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this task order. No information shall be released by the Contractor. Any request for information relating to this task order presented to the contractor shall be submitted to VHA for response.

d. Identification of Possible Follow-on Work.

Follow up work has been detailed above in the specific task section. Deliverables for the Option Years are also detailed in the deliverable table below.

e. Identification of Potential Conflicts of Interest (COI).

If the Contractor is currently providing support or anticipates providing support to the VHA that creates or represents an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest (OCI), the Contractor shall immediately disclose this actual or potential OCI in accordance with FAR Part 9.5. The Contractor is also required to complete and sign an Organizational Conflict of Interest Statement in which the Contractor (and any Subcontractors, consultants or teaming partners) agree to disclose information concerning the actual or potential conflict with any proposal for any solicitation relating to any work. All actual or potential OCI situations shall be handled in accordance with FAR Subpart 9.5.

f. Inspection and Acceptance Criteria.

Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and deliverables shall occur at the place of delivery designated by the COR. Final approval and acceptance of documentation required herein shall be by letter of approval and acceptance by COR. The Contractor shall not construe any letter of acknowledgment of receipt of material as a waiver of review, or as an acknowledgment that the material is in conformance with this SOW.

Contract shall notify the CO/COR as soon as it becomes apparent to the contract that a scheduled delivery shall be late. The contractor shall include in the notification the rationale for late delivery, the expected date for the delivery and the project impact of the late delivery. The CO/COR shall review the proposed schedule and provide guidance to the contractor via a modification. Such notification in no way limits the Government's right to any and all rights and remedies up to and including termination.

9. Risk Control.

A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) will need to be established due to the sharing and access to PHI shared by the VA to the contractor via the USVETS data and the collected information shared to the VA. A Contractor will be responsible for mitigating risk around the sharing data and must complete paperwork required to obtain BAA or already have a BAA in place by the date the data share would be required.

10. Records Management Contractor shall meet any requirements pertaining to Federal Records Management obligations for Federal Documents.

Information made available to the contractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the contracting officer. This clause expressly limits the contractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

Information generated by a Contractor as a part of the contractor’s normal business operations, such as medical records created in the course of providing treatment, is subject to a review by the Office of General Counsel (OGC) to determine if the information is the property of VA and subject to VA policy. If the information is determined by OGC to not be the property of VA, the restrictions required for VA information will not apply.

The contractor shall receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. Applicable Federal information security regulations include all Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and Special Publications (SP) issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies, including FIPS or SP, in this contract.

The contractor shall not make copies of VA information except as necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor needs to be restored to an operating state.

11. Place of Performance.

The contract services and activities shall take place at the contractor’s place of business. The government building shall be used for in-person meetings only if the selected contractor is able/willing to bear costs associated with an in-person meeting at a location dictated by the COR.

Dates and times of these in-person meetings will be agreed upon. If the contractor is not local, meetings will be coordinated using a mutually-agreed upon IT service available to the government and the contractor.

12. Period of Performance.

The period of performance for the base contract shall be 1 year from the contract effective date.