Addendum I.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Quality Control of the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN)

SOLICITATION #693JJ923R000139

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

B.1 CONTRACT SUMMARY

B.1.1 SUPPLIES/SERVICES

The Contractor shall furnish all the facilities, materials, information, and personnel necessary to provide the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with services for quality control (QC) of crashes investigated by the participants in the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) as described in Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work. Unless otherwise noted, all equipment and software required for work under this contract will be furnished by the Government and will remain government-owned property.

B.1.2 CONTRACT TYPE

The Government anticipates award of one Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) or Cost (no fee) type contract as a result of this solicitation.

B.2 DEFINITIONS

B.2.1 ESTIMATED LABOR COSTS

As used in this contract, the term “Estimated Labor Costs” means the direct cost of labor, consisting of the hourly rate to be paid to contractor employees assigned to the labor categories in Section B.4 (excluding any indirect costs and fee, if applicable), and the estimated number of hours anticipated to successfully accomplish this contract.

B.2.2 OTHER DIRECT COSTS

As used in this contract, “ODC” means “Other Direct Costs.” ODCs are costs other than the

Contractor’s labor costs and may include such items as subcontractor costs, travel, and material. Travel costs shall be reimbursed in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.

B.2.2.1 ODC Indirect Cost Category, Base, and Rates

As used in this contract, “ODC Indirect Cost Category and Base” means the type of indirect cost (e.g., G&A, F&A, O/H, etc.) and the base on which the indirect cost is applied (e.g., travel costs, subcontracting costs, all other direct costs).

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.2.2.2 ODC Indirect Costs

ODC Indirect Costs shall be applied to the contractor’s Other Direct Costs in accordance with the Contractor’s established and approved accounting system.

Indirect Costs are presented in Section G.3 of this contract.

B.2.3 FEE

Applicable fixed fee shall apply to the total cost of labor, other direct costs, and applicable indirect costs. This fee shall be fixed at time of contract award. The Government will not pay the Contractor a fee when reimbursing a contract effort awarded on a “Cost, no fee” basis.

B.3 LABOR CATEGORIES AND DESCRIPTIONS – KEY PERSONNEL

The following paragraphs define the duties each labor category is responsible for performing.

Subject to prior written approval of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor may revise the list and/or labor category descriptions provided.

B.3.1 PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST

The full-time Principal Scientist shall demonstrate extensive experience with motor vehicle crash investigation, reconstruction, and analysis. Responsibilities of the principal scientist shall include, but not be limited to, overall leadership of the team, identifying human and material resources required to accomplish project goals, tabulating and analyzing data, writing reports and making presentations to sponsors and at professional meetings.

The Principal Scientist shall demonstrate experience with field crash research and work related to quality control of crash investigation and crash injury causation data. The Principal

Scientist shall demonstrate knowledge and technical expertise to review all crash and medical aspects of a case and shall demonstrate expertise in comprehensive assessment of crash injury causation.

B.3.2 ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST

The Associate Scientist shall demonstrate experience with motor vehicle crash investigation, reconstruction, and analysis. Additionally, the Associate Scientist shall demonstrate a history of working with medical documentation and trauma injury coding. Responsibilities of the

Associate Scientist shall include experience with field crash research, tabulating and analyzing data, writing reports and making presentations to sponsors and at professional meetings. The Associate Scientist shall demonstrate experience with field crash data analysis and prior work related to quality control of crash investigation and crash injury causation data.

The Associate Scientist shall demonstrate knowledge and technical expertise to review all crash and medical aspects of a case and shall demonstrate expertise in comprehensive assessment of crash injury causation.

B.4 COST SCHEDULE

NOTE: No overtime shall be used in the performance of the work without prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

The estimated total value of the contract (inclusive of all Costs and Fixed Fee) is $TBD at award. This amount may be increased upon execution of a bilateral modification.

B.4.1 BASE YEAR (CONTRACT YEAR 1)

(Date of Contract Award through 12 Months) Estimated Labor Cost $

Indirect Costs Applied to Labor $

Total Estimated Labor Cost $

Other Direct Costs Categories

Materials and Supplies $

Travel $

Equipment $

Indirect Costs Applied to ODCs $

Total Estimated ODCs $

Fixed Fee $

Base Year Total Estimated Costs $

B.4.2 OPTION YEAR 1 (CONTRACT YEAR 2)

(End of Base Year through 12 Months)

Travel $

Equipment $

Option Year 1 Total Estimated Costs $

B.4.3 OPTION YEAR 2 (CONTRACT YEAR 3)

(End of Option Year 1 through 12 Months)

B.4.4 OPTION YEAR 3 (CONTRACT YEAR 4)

(End of Option Year 2 through 12 Months)

Travel $

Equipment $

Option Year 3 Total Estimated Costs $

Travel $

Equipment $

Option Year 2 Total Estimated Costs $

B.4.5 OPTION YEAR 4 (CONTRACT YEAR 5)

(End of Option Year 3 through 12 Months)

Travel $

Equipment $

Option Year 4 Total Estimated Costs $

B.4.6 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999): TBD - TBD

Travel $

Equipment $

Option to Extend Services Total Estimated Costs

(End of Section B)

C.1 ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS

C.1.1 ACRONYMS

AIS Abbreviated Injury Scale

CDAN Crash Data Acquisition Network

CDS Crashworthiness Data System

CIREN Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network

CISS Crash Investigation Sampling System

CO Contracting Officer

COR Contracting Officer’s Representative

CPT Current Procedural Terminology

CRSS Crash Report Sampling System

DOT Department of Transportation

EC Engineering Center

FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation

FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System

GES General Estimates System

GFE Government Furnished Equipment

GFP Government Furnished Property

ICDM International Classification of Diseases Modifications

MC Medical Center

NASS National Automotive Sampling System

NCSA National Center for Statistics and Analysis

NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

OSVR Office of Vehicle Safety Research

QC Quality Control

SCI Special Crash Investigations

C.1.2 DEFINITIONS

• “CDAN”: Refers to the common information technology infrastructure and architecture resources for the NHTSA crash data collection studies.

• “CDAN IT Contractor: Refers to the contractor that supports the information technology applications and infrastructure for the NHTSA crash data collection studies.

• “Engineering Center”: Refers to centers that provide the analysis of case evidence acquired by the medical centers to assign injury causation for all case subject injuries.

• “Medical Center”: Refers to centers that are responsible for prospective high-volume

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/ STATEMENT OF WORK

enrollment of CIREN case subjects (injured motor vehicle occupants or vulnerable road users), conducting vehicle- and scene-based crash data collection, and providing medical and research expertise to the entire network.

• “Integrated Center”: Refers to centers that perform the roles of medical centers and engineering centers.

• “QC Incomplete”: Refers to the case status where the quality control contractor (subject of this RFP) finds the case data in an unfinished or poor state and does not conduct the quality control review.

• “QC Complete”: Refers to the case status once the quality control contractor finishes its quality control review.

• “Key Personnel”: Refers to the Principal Scientist and Associate Scientist, who are expected to perform the majority of the work requirements of this RFP (See G.3.2)

C.2 INTRODUCTION

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce traffic-related economic costs. The agency develops, promotes, and implements effective educational, engineering and enforcement programs with the goal of ending vehicle crash tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. The Office of Vehicle Safety Research (OVSR) conducts extensive research, development, testing, crash investigation, and data collection and analysis activities to provide the scientific basis needed to support the agency’s motor vehicle and traffic safety goals. In addition to supporting NHTSA efforts, NHTSA-sponsored research provides high-quality publicly accessible data that serves as the basis for countless other research endeavors.

C.3 BACKGROUND

Motor vehicle traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of death for children and adults in the

United States1. In 2020, there were 38,824 fatalities in traffic crashes on U.S. roads.

NHTSA strives to base its rulemaking and research priorities on findings from field crash data. In the late 1970s, NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) devised an approach to provide nationally representative traffic crash data. NHTSA’s NCSA operates data programs consisting of records-based systems (crash records recoded for uniformity) which include the

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Automotive Sampling System

General Estimates System (NASS-GES), and the investigation-based National Automotive

Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) and Special Crash Investigations

(SCI) programs. NHTSA replaced the NASS-GES with the Crash Report Sampling System

(CRSS) and replaced the NASS-CDS with the Crash Investigation

1 FARS data for 2020

Sampling System (CISS) in 2016. While the nationally representative data systems provide crucial data to understand overall trends in motor vehicle safety, more detailed data on injury causation are needed to support NHTSA research efforts. A recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences2 for multidisciplinary injury studies involving medical, engineering, and other research professionals, led to the creation of injury-focused hospital-based studies of motor vehicle crash victims. Those efforts led to the creation of the trauma center-based Crash Injury Research and

Engineering Network (CIREN) in 1997.

CIREN is a multi-center research and data collection program involving a collaboration of clinicians and engineers in academia, industry, and government pursuing in-depth studies of crashes, and the resultant injuries and treatments, to improve processes and outcomes. CIREN centers are based at Level One Trauma Centers and biomechanics research laboratories. CIREN’s mission is to improve the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of motor vehicle crash injuries to reduce deaths, disabilities, and human and economic costs. The CIREN process combines prospective data collection with professional multi-disciplinary analysis of medical and engineering evidence to determine injury causation in every crash investigation conducted. The injury data collected under the CIREN program includes hundreds of medical data elements such as radiological images, operative notes, and pre-existing conditions that may play a role in injury severity and long-term outcome. This data is collected and reviewed by highly regarded professionals from the medical and engineering fields. The coded biomechanical causation of all serious injuries is a hallmark of CIREN and serves as a starting point for further injury and vehicle safety research.

Collaboration between the medically- and engineering-oriented participants in CIREN leads to a better understanding of the issues related to injury causation and treatment for the medical side and enables the engineers to develop better designs for automobiles, restraint systems, and test devices and criteria. Involvement in the system provides a rich learning experience, and the real-world knowledge contributed from involved parties cannot be found in a textbook. CIREN enables constructive discourse among various professionals, including vehicle designers, social workers, and first responders, that leads to a better overall understanding of the injury causation in investigated cases. CIREN brings together many facets of the motor vehicle crash and provides a more comprehensive overview of the effects of motor vehicle trauma.

The CIREN data model and collection system follows NHTSA investigation-based protocols for vehicle and crash documentation, reconstructions of crash dynamics, and review of official records.

Due to the increased injury and engineering focus, CIREN collects more medical and injury mechanism-related data. Injury-focused variables from the medical data are based on a variety of sources including the National Trauma Registry, the Orthopedic Trauma Association, and the

Uniform Pre-Hospital EMS Data Elements.

The CIREN program provides insight into developing trends in motor vehicle crash injury causation. This insight translates into emerging research topics, and CIREN research projects frequently graduate to full research programs. This contract seeks to provide the OVSR with a

2 Injury in America: A Continuing Public Health Problem, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1985.

mechanism to ensure the quality, completeness, compliance, and consistency of data collected in the CIREN program. Utilization of a third-party quality control agent ensures NHTSA can provide the public with timely data from the investigations of seriously injured victims of traffic crashes.

The findings of the CIREN program will broaden the knowledge of a wide range of crash victims, crash modes, and injury mechanisms, and shall ultimately provide a basis for improved vehicle and restraint design. The long-term outcome of CIREN helps lead to a reduction in serious injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle crashes.

C.4 OBJECTIVE

The primary objectives of this contract are to support the CIREN program by performing quality control functions through a detailed and unbiased review of the case data collected and entered by the CIREN centers and to prepare the data for researcher analysis and public release. Secondary objectives include aiding NHTSA in refining data collection and review processes and serving as a knowledgebase about crash investigation and injury causation.

C.5 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall perform the requirements according to contract language, process documentation, and guidelines established by NHTSA – deliverables include quality control findings, edit check scripts, overall CIREN quality performance assessments, and periodic reports.

The networked nature of the CIREN program requires frequent interaction with NHTSA, the

CDAN IT contractor, and the CIREN medical center, engineering center, or integrated center contractors.

The general function of the entire CIREN program is shown in the figure below. Functions of the case production process performed by the CIREN center contractors, Crash Data Acquisition

Network (CDAN) information technology (IT) contractors, or NHTSA are shaded with gray or white. The primary contributions from this Contract are indicated by the black-shaded cells, though the quality control role shall provide support and consultation throughout the entire case production process.

The CIREN process includes frequent case review web conference meetings. The Contractor shall participate in each case review web conference meeting.

The Contractor shall attend meetings and training sessions provided by NHTSA for the CIREN program and the CDAN data system as deemed necessary by the NHTSA COR or NHTSA CIREN

Program Manager, in coordination with the NHTSA COR. The Contractor may be required to lead instructional or informational sessions on quality control at these training sessions.

For the duration of this contract, the Contractor shall demonstrate and maintain the background and technical expertise to independently review all aspects of an investigated crash (i.e., the vehicle crash aspects, the medical aspects in CIREN, and the CIREN-specific injury mechanism

Bio-Tab) and successfully document findings back to the CIREN team and NHTSA.

C.6 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

C.6.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

C.6.1.a Kick-Off Meeting

Within two (2) weeks of the effective date of contract award, the Contractor shall coordinate with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Contracting Officer to schedule a teleconference or web meeting interface for no more than two (2) hours. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the contract objectives, contract administration, and necessary coordination to conduct CIREN.

C.6.1.b Staff Training

NHTSA will specify training requirements for the Contractor project personnel and offer training on a periodic basis to meet CIREN program needs. The Contractor shall ensure that contractor project personnel attend required training courses. Basic start-up training for contractor project personnel not trained to NHTSA field crash investigation protocols, which may be condensed for experienced NHTSA- trained investigators, shall consist of self-paced, computer-based lessons and up to five (5) one- week classroom sessions at a location to be specified by NHTSA (currently

Oklahoma City, OK).

C.6.1.c Periodic CIREN Network Teleconferences

As deemed necessary by the NHTSA COR, the Contractor project personnel may be required to participate in periodic network-wide teleconference or web meetings to discuss processes, performance, and program progress. Meetings will be scheduled by the NHTSA COR such that participation by Contractor project personnel can be maximized. The objective of the meetings will be to solicit input from contractor project personnel, discuss technical issues, and develop solutions to problems associated with case production. Generally, no more than one periodic network teleconference will be scheduled each month with a duration of typically one hour.

C.6.1.d Annual CIREN Team Meeting

All Contractor project personnel shall attend an annual, in-person (if possible) team meeting at a time and location to be determined by the NHTSA COR. The purpose of the annual in-person meetings shall be for contractor project personnel to participate in training sessions related to the

CIREN program, discuss CIREN-related research topics, or to share CIREN program findings

(with NHTSA and/or the public). The team meeting will typically last one or two days at a location to be determined by NHTSA (e.g., DOT HQ in Washington, DC).

C.6.1.e Field Crash Investigator Annual Training

The Contractor project personnel shall attend a NHTSA-sponsored field crash investigator training session once annually. The training sessions will typically last three to four days at a location to be determined by NHTSA (e.g., Phoenix, AZ).

C.6.1.f Establish Site and Infrastructure

Within one (1) month of the effective date of contract award, the Contractor shall establish and maintain suitable office space to house the CIREN Quality Control project personnel and hardware. The office space shall be secure and include climate control for computers and other environmentally sensitive hardware. The office site shall include high-speed internet access and telephone connectivity.

C.6.1.g Reporting

The Contractor shall provide quarterly and annual progress reports to the NHTSA COR and

Contracting Officer, summarizing progress of work conducted. The quarterly reports shall also include details on problems encountered and remedies to overcome identified problems. The quarterly reports shall include a graphical display clearly and accurately showing the level of effort performed to date (by contract year, if an option is exercised) and funds expended against the contract year’s totals as stipulated in Section B of the contract. The quarterly report shall be due by the 15th day following the quarter being reported. The annual report shall be due by the 15th day following the year being reported, except if an option is not exercised or in the final option period, the annual report shall be due by the end of the year being reported. Required case production details (only include raw case count) and content for reports includes:

Item Quarterly Report Annual Report

1 # of cases advanced by CIREN

Engineering Centers

Quarter-specific Cumulative (If an option is exercised, the contractor shall include all contract years)

2 # of cases returned as QC

Incomplete

Quarter-specific Cumulative (If an option is exercised, the contractor shall include all contract years)

3 # of cases returned as QC Complete Quarter-specific Cumulative (If an option is

4 # of web-based joint case review meetings attended

Quarter-specific Cumulative (If an option is

C.6.2 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

C.6.2.a Contractor project personnel shall be required to sign a U.S. Department of Transportation

(DOT), Information Technology (IT) Systems Rules of Behavior Form (or equivalent) before being granted access to the CIREN data system. This form will be provided by the COR within thirty (30) days after contract award. All users shall agree not to discuss or divulge the source of any data to third parties (i.e., anyone outside the CIREN network).

C.6.2.b CIREN deals with highly sensitive material that shall be protected against intentional or unintentional disclosure to unauthorized individuals or entities. The Contractor project personnel shall take reasonable steps to prevent the release of personal and location data identifiers to anyone outside of the CIREN network.

C.6.2.c The Contractor project personnel shall follow U.S. DOT procedures to protect personally identifiable information in Section H.8.1, Personally Identifiable Information, Section H.9.1

Security and Privacy Protection, and Section I. The Contractor project personnel shall not release any information to the public, unless the COR provides prior approval consistent with Section H.

C.6.2.d All Contractor project personnel will be required to pass the standard Public Trust security clearance process used by DOT and will be issued DOT email addresses. Application packages must be submitted within two weeks of the effective date of contract award. Contractor project personnel will be required to obtain Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards from NHTSA and establish an authentication-as-a-service account (e.g., MAX.gov). The Contractor project personnel shall be responsible for data center systems security, including:

• Security and access privileges to data and/or currently available reports to specified users and groups;

• Running and submitting vulnerabilities scan reports;

• Running security control testing, continuous monitoring, and Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP);

• Coordinate and perform activities needed for Certification and Accreditation of the system every three years;

Providing patch management service; to ensure system security protection and continuity of the data collection operations. The Contractor shall take immediate actions to mitigate any vulnerabilities, intrusions, or other security breaches and shall notify the COR on issues and/or incidents that affect the security of the systems operations center within one hour of discovery.

C.6.3 QUALITY CONTROL FUNCTIONS

C.6.3.a Web-Based Joint Case Review Sessions

The Contractor project personnel shall participate in periodic Internet-based case review meetings, during which generally three to five CIREN cases shall be presented and discussed. Other case review participants include the CIREN Medical Center, the CIREN Engineering Center, and representatives from NHTSA. Other participants, from other CIREN centers or from outside the

CIREN network may be invited at the discretion of NHTSA COR. A typical case review meeting will last two hours, and up to five meetings will occur each month depending on CIREN Medical

Center case throughput and scheduling constraints. Each case review shall include a presentation of the crash-related materials and the patient’s injuries delivered by the CIREN Medical Center according to a NHTSA-specified template. The involved CIREN Engineering Center shall present the injury causation scenarios according to a NHTSA-specified template. The case review session is intended to foster a discussion of the available evidence by subject matter experts to develop comprehensive injury causation scenarios that best describe the causation of every injury sustained by each CIREN case subject. Following each case’s review session, the CIREN centers responsible for the case(s) shall make any required changes to the coding and prepare the case for submission for the quality control review process.

The CIREN Medical Center will coordinate scheduling of case review meetings in cooperation with

NHTSA and the CIREN Engineering Center. The Contractor shall accommodate the case review meeting schedule such that at least one (1) principal or associate scientist participates in each case review meeting. Schedule conflicts that may prevent participation by the Contractor project personnel must be announced to the NHTSA COR in advance of the case review meeting. Case review presentations may be delivered in one of three formats – Full, Expedited, or In-system – as determined by the NHTSA COR and explained in Attachment J.1 - CIREN Phase IV Process and

Coding Manual. The Contractor is not required to prepare or present material during the case review session but shall participate in the meeting to provide guidance on coding issues and monitor case throughput.

C.6.3.b Detailed Case Content Review

The Contractor shall perform an in-depth review of all crash reconstruction and related case elements, medical coding, injury coding, and injury causation for approximately 200 CIREN cases per year. Most of the cases involve motor vehicle occupants or struck pedestrians, though the

CIREN program may conduct special studies of other road users. The time required to review each case will vary as some cases are more complex than others, but a reasonable estimate of time required per case is eight (8) hours.

Upon completion of case data entry by the CIREN Centers, the case status shall be advanced by the CIREN Engineering Center to the QC Review state which places the case in the Contractor’s queue (see Attachment J.1: CIREN Phase IV Process and Coding Manual for details on case flow and status definitions). The Contractor has four weeks from the date a case is placed in its queue to complete the quality control review prior to marking the case as QC Complete for repair by the responsible CIREN Centers.

The Contractor project personnel shall follow case review guidelines set forth in Attachment J.1:

CIREN Phase IV Process and Coding Manual and the therein-referenced process documents applicable to each case reviewed. The Contractor’s review shall include element-by-element review of coded data and associated case documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, compliance, consistency, and appropriateness for each case. Quality review findings shall be entered into the CIREN data system in the designated fields and become a permanent element in the case. The Contractor shall not change any coded case data without explicit direction from the NHTSA COR. The Contractor shall send an email message to the responsible CIREN Centers and the NHTSA COR upon completion of the quality control review when the case status is changed to QC Complete.

The CIREN program is expected to provide NHTSA and the public with the most comprehensive crash and injury data to support research and reconstruction, so the completeness and accuracy of

CIREN case data is of critical importance. Adherence to protocols and standards must be enforced, and the CIREN quality control review supports this goal.

Complete security and protection of coded and stored information is a critical component of the quality control process. CIREN cases submitted for quality control review containing omissions or egregious errors shall be returned to the responsible CIREN Center(s) with the status of QC

Incomplete without undergoing complete review. This approach minimizes the time spent by the

Contractor on cases that cannot be fully reviewed. The Contractor shall notify the NHTSA COR of any cases returned to a CIREN Center with the status QC Incomplete.

C.6.3.c Interaction with CIREN Centers

The collaborative nature of the CIREN Program requires interaction between the Contractor project personnel, CIREN Centers, NHTSA, and the CDAN IT contractor, throughout the case production process. Communication by telephone and via e-mail will be required.

C.6.3.d Identifying Problems and Training Needs

The Contractor project personnel, in the course of performing the reviews described in C.6.3.b, shall identify and document performance problems or patterns of coding irregularities that may be remedied with process improvements or specialized training for the CIREN Centers. The

Contractor project personnel shall provide support to the NHTSA COR to develop appropriate training materials for delivery at CIREN training events.

C.6.4 DATA SYSTEM SUPPORT

C.6.4.a Development and Enhancement of Automated Error Checking

The Contractor project personnel shall develop and maintain automated error checking algorithms

(also known as edit checks) in the CDAN data system that ensure complete, accurate, and consistent data entry. The edit checks may be tailored to provide instant feedback to data entry personnel upon entry of potentially erroneous data, or may provide feedback to the data entry personnel as part of a report generated by the data system. The CDAN data system contains an extensive array of edit checks, and the Contractor project personnel shall support NHTSA in crafting new edit checks while ensuring continued functionality of existing checks in light of potential changes in the data system or coding requirements.

C.6.4.b Software and Data System Review

The Contractor may be required to document system failures and errors observed during case production and provide related information to the NHTSA COR.

C.6.4.c Support for Public Release of Data

The Contractor project personnel shall provide technical support to ensure CIREN case data prepared for public release comply with program requirements and undergo acceptable translations upon conversion into alternate formats. The CIREN program releases case data to the public via a single case viewer and in compiled data sets.

(End of Section C)

D.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Preservation, and packing of all shipments or mailing of all work delivered under this contract shall be done in accordance with good commercial practices and to ensure acceptance by common carrier (if applicable) and safe transportation at the most economical rate(s).

Any deliverables required by this contract shall be submitted to the applicable personnel identified in Section F of this contract. Due to security concerns, deliverables transmitted via regular U.S. Mail experience significant delay in reaching an intended destination and, as part of the screening process, may be damaged. For these reasons, the U.S. Mail should not be used to transmit deliverables. Rather, the Contractor is encouraged to use electronic mail to the maximum extent possible.

D.2 FORMATTING TEXT AND IMAGE DELIVERABLES (JUN 2009)

For those deliverables submitted electronically as text or image files, the following specifications apply.

D.2.1 TEXT

Text files shall be delivered in a format compatible with Microsoft WORD 2016. Font type of Times New Roman with a font size of 12 shall be used throughout the document. The

Contractor shall minimize additional formatting as much as possible, for example, avoid use of columns. Avoid using any design/layout elements (however, see D.2.2, D.2.3, and D.2.4 below).

D.2.2 CHARTS AND GRAPHS

The Contractor shall develop charts or graphs using a format compatible with Microsoft

EXCEL 2016 and shall insert these in the appropriate places within the text document. The

Contractor shall also provide the Microsoft EXCEL source file from which charts or graphs were developed.

D.2.3 ILLUSTRATIONS

NHTSA’s Office of Communication Services is responsible for developing or acquiring most illustrations found in NHTSA publications. These illustrations can take two forms:

D.2.3.1 Graphics – In the majority of cases, the Office of Communication Services will develop any needed graphics in collaboration with the COR. The Contractor shall provide text, graphs, and charts following the guidelines stipulated in D.2.1 and D.2.2 above. In some cases, the Contractor may be required to develop graphics.

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

In these cases, the Contractor shall use only software approved by the U.S. Government

Publishing Office (e.g., Adobe Illustrator.)

D.2.3.2 Photographs – When photos are used in Agency publications, the Office of

Communication Services typically uses existing photos or photos purchased through royalty-free sources. In the event the Contractor must supply photos for use in a publication, the photos must be high resolution images at least 300 dpi at the size used in the publication. Photos shall be supplied on a CD or DVD in either .tif format (for scanned images) or .jpg (for images downloaded to the CD or DVD directly from the digital camera.).

NOTE: If a photograph is supplied by an outside source (Contractor, grantee, national organization, etc.), a release form must accompany the photo indicating that the human subjects in the photo authorize NHTSA to use the photo in its publications and on its

Internet site. The Contractor shall not use a release form under this contract that has not been first reviewed and approved for use by the Agency. The Contractor also is responsible for ensuring that the necessary arrangements have been made with the photographer and the subjects in the photo to ensure that NHTSA has unlimited rights to use the images in print and on the web. The Contractor shall obtain, and provide to

NHTSA, a written statement indicating that NHTSA has unlimited, unrestricted rights to the use of such photos.

D.2.4 WEB-BASED IMAGES

The Contractor is cautioned that copyrights may restrict use of web-based images even if it is not expressly indicated at the website. Additionally, the resolution of most web-based images is not high enough to provide a clear image when published. For these reasons, web-based images typically should not be used under this contract, and need to first be approved by the COR.

(End of Section D)

E.1 FAR 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=/browse/far/52

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clauses:

52.246-5 Inspection of Services - Cost-Reimbursement (APR 1984)

E.2 INSPECTION AND/OR ACCEPTANCE

The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), as designated in this contract, shall be responsible for performing the inspection of all supplies or services rendered under this contract and for recommending acceptance or replacement/correction of services or materials that fail to meet the contract requirements to the Contracting Officer.

(End of Section E)

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=/browse/far/52

F.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=/browse/far/52

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clauses:

52.242-15 Stop Work Order (AUG 1989)

52.247-35 F.o.b. Destination, Within Consignees Premises (APR 1984)

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

All work and services required hereunder shall not exceed 60 months from the effective date of the contract inclusive of one (1) base period and four (4), one-year option periods and one (1) 6-month Option to Extend Services, that may be exercised at the Government’s discretion subject to the provision in Section I.

Base Period (12 Months): TBD – TBD

Option Period 1 (12 Months): TBD – TBD

Option Period 2 (12 Months): TBD – TBD

Option Period 3 (12 Months): TBD – TBD

Option Period 4 (12 Months): TBD – TBD FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999): TBD - TBD

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work to be performed under this contract shall be accomplished at the Contractor’s facility.

F.4 DELIVERABLES AND MILESTONES

All deliverables shall be submitted to the COR in accordance with the schedule specified below.

All written deliverables shall be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format, via e-mail.

Paper copies shall be submitted only upon request of the Government. The following is a list of all deliverables and milestones which are considered to be significant in the performance of this contract.

Item Section Milestone (M)/Deliverable (D) Due Date

1 C.6.1.a Kick-off meeting (M) Within two weeks of award

3 C.6.1.b Staff training (M) As scheduled by NHTSA

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

4 C.6.1.c Teleconference attendance (M) As scheduled by NHTSA

5 C.6.1.d Project personnel annual CIREN meeting attendance (M)

Annually, by end of each contract year

6 C.6.1.e Project personnel annual Field Crash

Investigator Training attendance (M)

Annually, by end of each contract year

7 C.6.1.f Establish site and infrastructure (M) Within one month of award

8 C.6.1.g Monthly case progress report (D) 15th day following the quarter being reported

9 C.6.1.g Annual case progress report (D) 15th day following the year being reported or last day of performance period, whichever is earliest

10 C.6.2 Security clearance application packages (D) Within two weeks of award

11 C.6.3.a Monthly case review sessions (M) Each month, as scheduled by

CIREN program

12 C.6.3.b Detailed case review and documentation of findings for each CIREN case submitted by centers (D)

Within 4 weeks of case submission

13 C.6.3.d Documentation of problems and training needs (D)

As they occur and in quarterly reports

14 C.6.4.a Development of automated error checking

(D)

As they occur and in quarterly reports

15 C.6.4.b Documentation of data system failures and errors (D)

As they occur and in quarterly reports

16 C.6.4.c Support for public release of data (D) Annually, by end of each contract year

F.5 PLACE OF DELIVERY

All deliverables shall be furnished to the following addresses in the number of copies specified:

Mailing Address Deliverable Item

Numbers

Number of

Deliverable

Copies

DOT/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Human Injury Research Division (NSR-220)

Attention: TBD, (COR)

1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E., Rm. TBD

Washington, D.C. 20590

Telephone: (202)-366-TBD

Email: tbd@dot.gov

8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, DOT/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Office of Acquisition Management (NFO-300)

Attention: TBD, (Contracting Officer)

1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E., Rm. WXX-XXX

Washington, D.C. 20590

Telephone: (202)-XXX-XXXX

Email: TBD@dot.gov

8, 9, 1

F.6 COMPLIANCE WITH REHABILITATION ACT

The Contractor may be required to ensure that electronic documents it prepares will meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Rehabilitation Act requires that all electronic products prepared for the Federal Government be accessible to persons with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments. When an electronic document developed under this effort has been identified by NHTSA as necessary and required to meet the requirements of Section 508, it is understood that all reasonable costs incurred by the

Contractor that are associated with meeting the requirements for Section 508 compliance will be fully reimbursed by the Government.

The Contractor should review Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Federal IT Accessibility

Initiative (Home Page) website at http://www.section508.gov for further information on these requirements.

(End of Section F) mailto:tbd@dot.gov mailto:TBD@dot.gov http://www.section508.gov/

G.1 SUBMISSION OF INVOICES

Definitions. As used in this clause—

1) Contract financing payment has the meaning given in FAR 32.001.

2) Payment request means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for contract financing payment or invoice payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), “Content of Invoices,” this clause, and the applicable Payment clause included in this contract.

3) Electronic form means an automated system transmitting information electronically according to the accepted electronic data transmission methods and formats identified in paragraph (c) of this clause. Facsimile, email, and scanned documents are not acceptable electronic forms for submission of payment requests.

4) Invoice payment has the meaning given in FAR 32.001.

a. Electronic payment requests. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this clause, the contractor shall submit payment requests in electronic form. Purchases paid with a

Governmentwide commercial purchase card are considered to be an electronic transaction for purposes of this rule, and therefore no additional electronic invoice submission is required.

b. The Department of Transportation utilizes the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal for processing invoices. For vendors submitting invoices, and certain grantees submitting payment requests, they will be required to submit invoices to Operating Agency (NHTSA) electronically via the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal which is accessed via https://einvoice.esc.gov, and is authenticated via www.login.gov. All persons accessing the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal will be required to have their own unique user Delphi eInvoicing ID and be credentialed through login.gov. See www.login.gov for instructions.

c. In order to receive payment and in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act, all invoices submitted as attachments in the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal must contain the following:

i. Invoice number and invoice date.

ii. Period of performance covered by invoice.

iii. Contract number and title.

iv. Task/Delivery Order number and title (if applicable).

v. Amount billed (by CLIN), current and cumulative.

vi. Total ($) of billing.

vii. Cumulative total billed for all contract work to date.

viii. Name, title, phone number, and mailing address of person to be contacted in the event of a defective invoice.

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

If the contract includes allowances for travel, all invoices which include charges pertaining to travel expenses will catalog a breakdown of reimbursable expenses with the appropriate receipts to substantiate the travel expenses. Electronic authentication. See www.login.gov for instructions. Click on the following link for instructions on establishing a login.gov account: https://login.gov/help/.

1. To create a login.gov account, the user will need a valid email address and a working phone number. The user will create a password and then login.gov will reply with an email confirming the email address.

2. Agency POC’s will be responsible for communicating with vendor POC’s to initiate the Delphi eInvoicing account creation process. Vendor POC’s who will require access to the eInvoicing web-portal for invoice submission and payment tracking purposes will be required to provide their full name, valid email address, and current phone number to the agency POC to initiate the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal account. Vendor users and the agency POC will be notified via e-mail when the account is created. The vendor user will be provided detailed instructions for logging into their Delphi eInvoicing account.

3. Training on Delphi. To facilitate use of DELPHI, comprehensive user information is available at http://einvoice.esc.gov.

4. Account Management. Vendors are responsible to contact the Delphi Help Desk when their firm’s points of contacts will no longer be submitting invoices, so they can be removed from the system. Instructions for contacting the Delphi Help Desk can be found at http://einvoice.esc.gov

NHTSA vendors will submit invoices to NHTSA electronically via the Delphi eInvoicing web- portal. To initiate this process, you are requested to provide NHTSA with the following information (company name, contract/Delivery Order number/purchase order [PO] number, and up to two Points of Contact [POC] full names and their email addresses) as shown on the table

Company

Name

NHTSA

Contract/Delivery

Order No.

Primary

POC

First

Name

Primary

POC

Last

Name

Primary

POC

Email

Secondary

POC First

Name

Secondary

POC Last

Name

Secondary

POC Email

Email the above information to the following email address: NHTSAISPVendors@dot.gov .Please note that the POCs you provide are the individuals you authorize to submit invoices to NHTSA on behalf of your company. Your POCs will then receive a welcome letter from Delphi eInvoicing processing center with instructions on creating a L gin.gov user account. This account can then be used to access the eInvoicing web-portal.

G.2 GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL

G.2.1 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

(a) The Contracting Officer will designate a technical representative to assist in monitoring the work under the resultant contract. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) serves as the technical liaison between the Government and the Contractor. The COR is not authorized to https://login.gov/help/ mailto:NHTSAISPVendors@dot.gov change the scope of work or specifications as stated in the contract, to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government, or to authorize any changes which affect the contract price, delivery schedule, period of performance or other terms or conditions.

(b) In the event any technical direction offered by the COR is interpreted by the Contractor to be outside the scope of this contract, or if the direction may result in a change to the cost or price of this contract, the Contractor shall not implement such direction, but shall notify the

Contracting Officer in writing of such interpretation within five (5) calendar days after the

Contractor’s receipt of such direction. Such notice shall include (1) the reasons upon which the

Contractor bases its belief that the technical direction falls within the purview of the “Changes” clause, and (2) the Contractor’s draft revisions to the terms of the contract that it thinks are necessary to implement the technical direction.

(c) The Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit or obligate the

Government for the expenditure of public funds. The technical administration of the resultant contract shall not be construed to authorize the revision of the terms and conditions of this contract. Any such revision shall be authorized only in writing by the Contracting Officer.

The performance of the work required under this contract shall be subject to the technical review of the

NHTSA COR.

The following individual has been designated as the NHTSA COR:

TBD

DOT/NHTSA/NSR-XX

1200 New Jersey Ave SE, WXX-XXX

Washington, DC 20590

(202) 366-XXXX

G.2.2 Alternate COR

Designation of “Alternate” COR. In the event that the NHTSA COR of record (identified in

G.2.1 above) is unavailable for a period of time during which the Contractor requires technical guidance or during which other COR duties must be fulfilled, then the person identified below has been designated by the NHTSA Contracting Officer to perform those duties as the Alternate

COR.

DOT/NHTSA/NSR-XX

1200 New Jersey Ave SE, WXX-XXX Washington, DC 20590

(202) 366-XXXX

E-mail: TBD@dot.gov

G.3 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

mailto:TBD@dot.gov

G.3.1 Project Manager

(a) The Contractor shall appoint a Project Manager who shall be the Contractor's authorized supervisor for technical and administrative work performed under the resultant contract. The Project Manager shall act as the single point of contact between the Contractor and the NHTSA COR or other designated NHTSA personnel.

(b) The Project Manager shall receive and execute, on behalf of the Contractor, such technical assignment directives as the COR, or his duly authorized representative, may issue within the terms and conditions of the contract.

G.3.2 Key Personnel

(a) The personnel as specified below are considered essential to the work being performed under this contract and may, with the consent of the contracting parties, be changed from time to time during the course of the contract by adding or deleting personnel, as appropriate.

(b) Before removing, replacing, or diverting any of the specified individuals, the

Contractor shall notify the contracting officer, in writing, before the change becomes effective. The Contractor shall submit information to support the proposed action to enable the contracting officer to evaluate the potential impact of the change on the contract. The Contractor shall not remove or replace personnel under this contract until the Contracting Officer approves the change.

(c) The Key Personnel under this Contract are: TBD

(End of Section G)

H.1 CONFIDENTIALITY OF REPORTS AND OTHER DATA

Neither the Contractor, nor any affiliate, subsidiary, consultant, subcontractor, or personnel thereof, shall divulge to any third party any information concerning deliverables produced, work performed, results obtained, or any information provided by the Government in connection with this contract without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

The provisions of this clause shall survive the expiration of the contract.

H.2 NHTSA REVIEW OF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PUBLISHING

Neither the Contractor, nor any affiliate, subsidiary, consultant, subcontractor, or personnel thereof, shall make public releases of information or any matter pertaining to this Contract, including, but not limited to, the…