Combined Synopsis_FBO 75N91020Q00015.pdf

TITLE: Brand Name or Equal Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Informatics Special Issue with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

GENERAL INFORMATION

Document Type: Combined Synopsis / Solicitation Notice

Solicitation Number: 75N91020Q00015

Proposed Posted Date: February 4, 2020

Proposed Response Date: February 11, 2020

Classification Code: T012 – Photo/Map/Print/Publication - Reproduction

NAICS Code: 511199 – All Other Publishers

Business Size Standard: 500 employees

Contracting Office Address

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Office of Acquisitions, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 1E126, Bethesda, MD

20852, UNITED STATES.

Non-USPS mail such as FedEx, UPS and other private carriers please use Rockville, MD 20850.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT) plans to procure services to enable the publication of a cancer informatics special journal issue by a Brand Name or Equal Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) Clinical Cancer Informatics .

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items, prepared in accordance with format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation: No. 75N91020Q00015 includes all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through FAR FAC 2020-01 (November 2019) simplified procedures for commercial items.

The North American Industry Classification System code is 334516 and the business size standard is 1,000 employees.

Only one award will be made as a result of this solicitation. This will be awarded as a severable firm fixed price type contract.

The services acquired under this contract are severable services. Funds are only available for use for the contract line item (CLIN) to which the Contractor is obligated. Unused funds from one CLIN may not rollover for use in other periods.

https://ascopubs.org/journal/cci

Description

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT) plans to procure services to enable the publication of a cancer informatics special journal issue by a Brand Name or Equal Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) Clinical Cancer Informatics

1.0 BACKGROUND

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT) is working to bridge the digital divide caused by the generation of larger and more complex data sets by investing in informatics, data resources, and analytical tools designed to accelerate cancer research. Investigators from NCI’s Informatics Technology for Cancer Research program will be contributing for the special feature.

The cancer informatics special journal feature will address the following needs in cancer informatics areas:

1) Raise awareness among cancer researchers of the informatics tools and resources available to support the work;

2) Provide practical, go-to resources to the cancer research community to help them apply these tools in the research;

3) Provide examples of how these tools are being applied – individually and coordinately – to cancer research activities;

4) Continue to grow the community of cancer informatics tool developers, collaborating to address critical needs in cancer research.

2.0 OBJECTIVE

The National Cancer Institute is investing in programs to develop informatics tools and data resources necessary to effectively manage, access, integrate, and analyze cancer data with the goal of shedding light on the nature of the disease. The purpose of this project to create a special journal issue dedicated to state-of-the-art cancer informatics tools and resources sponsored by the NCI. The goal of the special issue will be to highlight publicly available resources that cancer researchers can use to take advantage of data from the Cancer Moonshot and other large initiatives as well as to analyze the data. Investigators from the NCI Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) have been invited to contribute to this special issue.

3.0 SCOPE

The Contractor shall coordinate solicitation and peer review of the papers and editing and publishing the cancer informatics special journal feature. All papers in the Special Series will be made available with a Creative Commons BY Open Access license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

https://itcr.nci.nih.gov/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

4.0 CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS/ AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

The Contractor shall coordinate the invitation, the review and publication of the NCI informatics special issue papers.

The Contractor shall provide the following tasks:

• 4.1 E-mail invitations to the ITCR investigators submit papers for the cancer informatics special journal feature

• 4.2 Receive manuscripts and coordinate peer review

• 4.3 Communicate peer review feedback to the authors

• 4.4 Finalize and publish the cancer informatics special journal feature

5.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Period of Performance shall be one year from date of award.

6.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Services shall be provided at the Contractor’s facility, unless onsite response is needed to continue operations.

7.0 REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

• DELIVERY - Article accepted for The NCI Cancer Informatics special journal feature shall be made available online on the Journal’s website immediately upon acceptance. All of the required deliverables are indicated below in Section 7.0.

However, all deliverables for the journal will be delivered in a timely manner with respect to the work being performed. Electronic copies will be delivered to the NCI Technical Point of Contact (TPC).

DELIVERABLES DELIVERABLE DESCRIPTION / FORMAT

REQUIREMENTS DUE DATE

Task 4.1

E-mail invitations to the ITCR investigators submit papers for the cancer informatics special journal feature

1 month after award

Task 4.2 Receive manuscripts and coordinate peer review

Task 4.3 Communicate peer review feedback to the authors

Task 4.4 Finalize and publish the cancer informatics special journal feature

3 months after

• INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA - Pursuant to FAR clause

52.212-4, all work described in the Statement of Work to be delivered under this contract is subject to final inspection and acceptance by an authorized representative of the Government. The authorized representative of the Government is the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), who is responsible for inspection and acceptance of all services, materials, or supplies to be provided by the Contractor.

• APPROVALS BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE

(COR) - All services delivered to the COR will be deemed to have been accepted 30 calendar days after date of delivery, except as otherwise specified in this purchase order, if written approval or disapproval has not been given within such period. The COR’s approval or revision to the services delivered shall be within the general scope of work stated in this purchase order.

8.0 Section 508 Compliance

Training material guidelines of the revised 508 Standards apply as follows:

E.205 Electronic Content

E205.3 Agency Official Communication. Electronic content that is not public facing shall conform to the accessibility requirements specified in E205.4 when such content constitutes official business and is communicated by an agency through one or more of the following:

A. An emergency notification;

B. An internal or external program or policy announcement;

C. A notice of benefits, program eligibility, employment opportunity, or personnel action;

D. A formal acknowledgement of receipt;

E. Educational or training materials; or F. Intranet content designed as a Web page.

EXCEPTION: Records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) pursuant to Federal recordkeeping statutes shall not be required to conform to the Revised 508 Standards unless public facing.

E205.4 Accessibility Standard. Electronic content shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see 702.10.1).

See the details at https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines#E205-content

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility, Section 508 Compliance is applicable to this notice and the following information is provided to assist:

16.4.1 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility, HHSAR 352.239-73(a) (December 2015)

a. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194), require that, unless an exception applies, all EIT products and services developed, acquired, maintained, or used by any Federal department or agency permit--

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

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

b. Accordingly, any vendor submitting a proposal/quotations/bid in response to this solicitation must demonstrate compliance with the established EIT accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 visions is available at http://www.section508.gov/ The complete text of Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards. The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this solicitation are identified in the Statement of Work/Specification/Performance Work Statement. In order to facilitate the Government's evaluation to determine whether EIT products and services proposed meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must prepare an HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, in accordance with its completion instructions, and provide a binding statement of conformance. The purpose of the template is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining that EIT products and services proposed support applicable Section 508 accessibility standards.

The template allows vendors or developers to self-evaluate their products or services and document in detail how they do or do not conform to a specific Section 508 standard. Instructions for preparing the HHS Section 508 Product valuation Template may be found on the HHS Web site (http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/contracting/technology/vendors.html).

d. Respondents to this solicitation must also provide any additional detailed information necessary for determining applicable Section 508 standards conformance, as well as for https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines#E205-content https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines#E205-content http://www.section508.gov/ https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/contracting/technology/vendors.html documenting EIT products or services that are incidental to the project, which would constitute an exception to Section 508 requirements. If a vendor claims its products or services, including EIT deliverables such as electronic documents and reports, meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards in its completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, and it is later determined by the Government -- i.e., after award of a contract/order, that products or services delivered do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the Product Assessment Template, remediation of the products or services to the level of conformance specified in the vendor's Product Assessment Template will be the responsibility of the Contractor and at its expense.

16.4.2 Section 508 accessibility standards for HHS Web Site Content and Communications Materials

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

The following Section 508 accessibility standards apply to the content or communications material identified in this Statement of Work:

Telecommunications products;

Video and multimedia products and;

Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

PAYMENT

Payment shall be made in arrears after delivery and acceptance of the NCI TPC. Payment authorization requires submission and approval of invoice to the NCI TPC and NIH Commercial Accounts.

BASIS OF AWARD

The purchase order will be awarded to the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA). The award will be made on the basis of the lowest evaluated price of quotations meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for the requirements/technical specifications stated above. The technical evaluation will be a determination based on information furnished by the vendor. The Government is not responsible for locating or securing any information which is not identified in the quote. The Government reserves the right to make an award without discussions.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES

The following FAR provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition:

FAR 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal. (Aug 1999)

(a) If an item in this solicitation is identified as “brand name or equal,” the purchase description reflects the characteristics and level of quality that will satisfy the Government’s needs. The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that “equal” products must meet are specified in the solicitation.

(b) To be considered for award, offers of “equal” products, including “equal” products of the brand name manufacturer, must—

(1) Meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation;

(2) Clearly identify the item by—

(i) Brand name, if any; and

(ii) Make or model number;

(3) Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or a clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information available to the Contracting Officer; and

(4) Clearly describe any modifications the offeror plans to make in a product to make it conform to the solicitation requirements. Mark any descriptive material to clearly show the modifications.

(c) The Contracting Officer will evaluate “equal” products on the basis of information furnished by the offeror or identified in the offer and reasonably available to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the offer.

(d) Unless the offeror clearly indicates in its offer that the product being offered is an “equal” product, the offeror shall provide the brand name product referenced in the solicitation.

Offerors providing an "equal" product must submit additional documentation that highlights and describes how the offer is equal in accordance with FAR Clause 52.211-6.

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2018);

52.212-2 EVALUATION COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCTOBER 2014):

52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS

(DEC 2019) WITH DUNS NUMBER ADDENDUM {52.204-6 (OCT 2016)};

52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO

SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (DEC 2019)

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision—

Covered telecommunications equipment or services, Critical technology, and Substantial or essential component have the meanings provided in clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

(b) Prohibition. Section 889(a)(1)(A) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) prohibits the head of an executive agency on or after August 13, 2019, from procuring or obtaining, or extending or renewing a contract to procure or obtain, any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

Contractors are not prohibited from providing—

(1) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(2) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(c) Representation. The Offeror represents that—

It [ ] will, [ ] will not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to the Government in the performance of any contract, subcontract or other contractual instrument resulting from this solicitation.

(d) Disclosures. If the Offeror has responded affirmatively to the representation in paragraph (c) of this provision, the Offeror shall provide the following information as part of the offer—

(1) All covered telecommunications equipment and services offered (include brand; model number, such as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable);

(2) Explanation of the proposed use of covered telecommunications equipment and services and any factors relevant to determining if such use would be permissible under the prohibition in paragraph (b) of this provision;

(3) For services, the entity providing the covered telecommunications services (include entity name, unique entity identifier, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, if known);

and

(4) For equipment, the entity that produced the covered telecommunications equipment (include entity name, unique entity identifier, CAGE code, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor, if known).

(End of provision)

FAR Clause 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS

(OCT 2018);

FAR Clause 52.212-5: CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT

STATUTES OR EXECUTIVE ORDERS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JAN

2020). The following FAR clauses cited in paragraph (b) of the clause at FAR 52.212-5 are also applicable to this acquisition;

FAR Clause 52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006) with

Alternate I (Oct 1995) FAR Clause 52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2018)

FAR Clause 52.204-25 - Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Aug 2019)

FAR Clause 52.209-6 Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Oct 2015)

FAR Clause 52.219-4 Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014)

FAR Clause 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2018)

FAR Clause 52.219-28 Post Award Small Business Program Representation (Jul 2013)

FAR Clause 52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003)

FAR Clause 52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2020)

FAR Clause 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)

FAR Clause 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (Sept 2016)

FAR Clause 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Oct 2015)

FAR Clause 52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (July 2014)

FAR Clause 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Veterans (Feb 2016)

FAR Clause 52.222-40 Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010)

FAR Clause 52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Jan 2019)

FAR Clause 52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving

(AUG 2011)

FAR Clause 52.225-1, Buy American Act--Supplies (May 2014)

FAR Clause 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (June 2008)

Far Clause 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer–System for Award Management (SAM) (Oct 2018)

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Quotations must be submitted via email to Contract Specialist, Kathy Elliott, at Elliottk@mail.nih.gov in MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 11:00 AM EST, on Thursday, February 11, 2020. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. QUOTATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THIS DATE AND TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. No collect calls will be accepted. Please refer to solicitation no: 75N91020Q00015 on all correspondence.

Full text copies of the representations and certifications for other cited provisions and clauses may be obtained on line at the NCI website at http://ncioa.cancer.gov/oa-internet/reference.jsp

OFFERORS: Offers must be submitted on an SF-1449 with a completed 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items-with DUNS Number Addendum, signed by an authorized representative of the offeror OR provide a copy of the valid certification registrations of the offeror’s Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) and Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) through www.sam.gov.

mailto:Elliottk@mail.nih.gov http://ncioa.cancer.gov/oa-internet/reference.jsp http://www.sam.gov/