Attachment 2 DERT STARS SOW 10_29_19.pdf

Attachment 2

FINAL 10/29/19

DERT SCIENCE, TRANSLATION,

ANALYSIS, AND RESEARCH

SUPPORT (STARS) STATEMENT OF

WORK

1.0. BACKGROUND

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is one (1) of the 27 research institute and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The mission of the NIEHS is to discover how the environment affects people to promote healthier lives.

The Division of Extramural Research and Training (DERT) is responsible for providing leadership for the NIEHS mission through the development of research priorities and allocation of resources. Through its relationships with its sister agencies within NIH, other federal agencies (EPA, CDC, etc.) and with public and private institutions and organizations, the Division maintains an awareness of national research efforts, and is positioned to assess the need for research and training in environmental health sciences.

2.0. CONTRACT OBJECTIVES

i. To provide service and support to DERT staff by providing technical and logistical support.

ii. To participate in developing methods and tools that enable the work of DERT staff.

iii. To contribute to ongoing efforts in analysis, evaluation, and assessment of DERT research programs and portfolio areas.

iv. To assist with translating, communicating, and disseminating DERT environmental health programs, activities and accomplishments.

3.0. SCOPE OF REQUIREMENT

This Statement of Work (SOW) will be used to execute a broad range of technical, logistics, & administrative support tasks under the resultant Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. This SOW is organized into three (3) areas of service:

1. Service Area 1 – Portfolio Management, Analysis, and Translation

Service Area 1 shall be limited to a single awardee, as the tasks provided in this area are so integrally related, the Government has determined that only a single contractor can reasonably perform the work.

2. Service Area 2 - Science Writing and Content Development

Service Area 2 shall be multiple award and shall be limited to a maximum of three (3) awardees.

3. Service Area 3 – Special Project Support

Service Area 3 shall be multiple award and shall be limited to a maximum of three (3) awardees.

During the contract period, the Government will identify tasks required to complete each specific project. Task orders with more specific details will be placed against the contract as needed by the NIEHS. Specific performance dates and deliverables will be specified on each individual task order. The contractor shall provide staff with skills and experience in science and research, journalism and electronic communications, and event planning (i.e., presentations, document preparation and production, categorization of grant information) capable of supporting a wide range of environmental health science topics.

4.0. GENERAL TASKS AND SERVICE AREAS

The Contractor shall execute a broad range of technical, administrative, and logistics tasks, which may include but are not limited to:

• Categorization of funded grants to assist in the portfolio analyses;

• Data entry and management of material archives and systems to assist program planning, monitoring, and evaluation;

• Technical assistance with analysis and reporting of program strategies and initiatives;

• Preparation and facilitation of staff meetings, conference calls, and online meetings, including webinars and teleconferences with global participation;

• Development of scientific and/or educational content for communication and outreach materials;

• Technical assistance with the development and drafting of newsletters, podcasts, reports, PowerPoint presentations, manuscripts, social media content (video), etc.

• Convening and organizing meetings, conferences, and workgroups of scientists and program staff to review scientific issues, develop scientific consensus and produce documents, including drafts of peer reviewed publications, to help translate and disseminate research results.

All communications and outreach tasks shall be carried out in accordance with federal guidelines and policies and in coordination with, the NIEHS Office of Communication and Public Liaison.

4.1 SERVICE AREA 1: PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, ANALYSIS,

AND TRANSLATION

• The contractor shall categorize all funded grants. The categorization will be based on a defined taxonomy of science areas.

• The contractor shall manage and improve, as needed, an existing system, including documentation, that captures attributes of funded grants for the purposes of program/portfolio analysis.

• The contractor shall collaborate with the Program Analysis Branch and work with DERT staff to design and implement program evaluation projects for DERT’s scientific research and management programs and provide support for evaluation related activities.

• The contractor shall create and manage bibliographies based on scientific grant portfolios.

• The contractor shall update the NIEHS ontology system with any coding changes.

• The contractor shall create and manage listservs to facilitate communication between various grantee groups and NIEHS staff.

• External Collaborations o The Contractor shall help organize conferences and workshops of varying size and complexity. Tasks include but are not limited to:

securing hotel rooms, drafting registration web pages, traveling meeting participants, etc.

o The contractor shall help identify, establish, support, and promote appropriate virtual collaborative workspaces for use by DERT staff, grantees, and other federal partners.

• The contractor shall coordinate all details of the Keystone Lecture series;

including but not limited to room reservations, advertisement, and speaker travel.

4.2 SERVICE AREA 2: SCIENCE WRITING AND CONTENT

DEVELOPMENT

• The contractor shall create and manage programmatic website content within the Content Management System (CMS). NIEHS currently uses Percussion but is currently in the process of migrating to Drupal.

NOTE: This is subject to change at the discretion of the government. The contractor is responsible, at its own expense, for obtaining and maintaining proficiency in the government’s chosen system, even if that system changes during the contract.

• The contractor shall draft stories of success/grantee highlights that highlight exemplary research findings, grantees, etc.

• Monthly, the contractor, in conjunction with DERT staff, shall participate in identifying high quality publications supported by DERT funding, and shall write lay summaries of these papers.

• The contractor shall create and manage briefing materials that can be used by various science programs (e.g. the DERT Briefing Book).

• The contractor shall produce, disseminate, and promote professional quality newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube videos, in coordination with the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL).

• The contractor shall create and/or edit PowerPoint presentations for staff use at various internal and external meetings/conferences.

• The contractor shall assist in the creation and maintenance of a strategic communication plan for DERT.

4.3 SERVICE AREA 3: SPECIAL PROJECT SUPPORT

• The contractor shall manage and expand a digital document repository for:

o all deliverables created under the contract o other presentations/posters given at DERT-related meetings

• The contractor shall manage all contract-related databases/document repositories; providing help desk level support to users; adding documents and or data as needed. The Contractor will work with the DERT Application-development contract (currently GADS) to perform any required maintenance/upgrades.

• As needed, the Contractor will add DERT documents to a NIEHS-wide document repository.

• The contractor shall support existing management tools and processes, such as the DERT Monthly Report, DERT Executive Secretary, and the FOA Timeline, as well as develop and support additional tools and processes.

• The contractor shall perform business analyses in order to inform business process reengineering.

5.0. OVERALL MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES

Contractor shall use NIH-approved project management software for task management, such as Jira or SharePoint.

5.1 DELIVERABLES - IDIQ CONTRACT:

In addition to those deliverables required by Section C of the contract, the contractor shall provide the following deliverables upon award of the IDIQ contract:

• Quality Control Plan - The Government is committed to a highly interactive relationship between quality control by the contractor and quality assurance by the government. This relationship shall be achieved through an effective prevention-based quality control program dedicated to ensuring the best possible products and services to end users. As part of quality control, the Contractor shall submit a Quality Control Plan (QCP) which at a minimum shall include a self-inspection plan, an internal staffing plan, and an outline of the procedures that the contractor shall use to maintain quality, timeliness, responsiveness, customer satisfaction, and any other requirements set forth in this SOW. The QCP shall be updated five (5) days after contract award. The QCP shall document how the contractor intends on meeting and complying with the standards established in this SOW. The Contractor’s QCP shall be maintained throughout the life of the contract and shall include the Contractor’s procedures to routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the plan to ensure the Contractor is meeting requirements of their awarded Service Area(s).

5.2 OTHER REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES – TASK ORDERS

The following is a list of reports and deliverables may be required under each task order issued under this contract. Specific reports and deliverables will be identified at the task order level and may include, but are not limited to:

• Monthly Reports/Invoice by the 15th of each month: the monthly report will include a description of the time spent by contractor employees on tasks and subtasks for that month.

• Annual Reports due no later than 30 business days after the end of the task year:

the report should include data to demonstrate quality of services provided.

• Final Report and presentation slides: the report shall include an executive summary and Presentation slides that summarize the highlights and accomplishments for the duration of the task.

• Project Management Plan: For each task order, the contractor shall deliver a project management plan that includes, but is not limited to, a work breakdown structure, schedule, cost estimate, risk management plan, change management plan.

• Meeting Minutes: The contractor shall deliver a meeting summary capturing action items, next steps, and overview of meeting highlights. Meetings include, but are not limited to, meetings with COR, task meetings, etc.

• Data Collection Instruments - As required by the project and requested by the COR, the Contractor shall develop data collection instruments such as surveys, forms, etc. The Contractor shall assist in the preparation of clearance packages for the Office of Management and Budget in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

• Reports and Graphs: The contractor shall provide contract management reports and graphs as requested by the COR.

• Transition Plan: The Contractor shall deliver a Transition Plan indicating how ongoing activities will be transferred; including lessons learned, personnel and staffing needs, as well as skills/expertise, and transportation of all deliverables listed under the task.

o Transition Planning: The contractor is expected to develop a transition plan at the end of the task period that facilitates transition of the task work back to the Government:

Transition In: Upon award of a task, the Contractor shall begin an effective transition of work from the incumbent, if applicable. The Contractor shall assume full responsibility for an orderly phase-in of operations that minimizes the impact to NIEHS. The Contractor shall ensure that transition activities are transparent to the current operations and do not adversely affect the current day-to-day operations. The transition-in period shall not exceed 30 days after task order award. By the end of the 30-day transition, the Contractor shall ensure that it:

• Is knowledgeable of DERT and all current Deliverables and associated timelines, associated SOPs, and current NIEHS software and content management systems; current inventories of hardware, software, database content organization and their systems, and website workflows; and ongoing maintenance activities for database and website;

• Has requested all account and system privileges which will be required to assume operational control of the DERT databases and website and relevant NIH data systems on Day One after the transition;

• Has scheduled monthly meetings with DERT staff for 1-year and is knowledgeable of NIEHS points of contact for the Office of Communications and Public Liaison and the Computer Technology Branch; and

• Is prepared to assume complete operational control of applicable Deliverables on Day One after the transition.

Transition Out: The Contractor shall accommodate transition for two (2) months of its functions to a new Contractor upon re-compete of the task order. The Contractor shall deliver all documentation and information for DERT operational information, protocols, etc., and the Contractor shall provide communications, training, and support to NIEHS to ensure a successful transition of NIEHS to another vendor. This Transition Plan shall include detailed background information, workflow and processes, work plans and procedures, and specific activities the Contractor shall use and conduct, if not selected for a follow-on contract, to adequately educate and train the successful Contractor’s employees and effectively transition STARS work activities to a new Contractor.

6.0. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Non-personal Services: This is a non-personal services contract. The Government shall not exercise any supervisory control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn, is responsible to the Government. No Contractor employee will be directly supervised by the Government. All individual Contractor employee assignments, and daily work direction, shall be given by the applicable Contractor employee supervisor.

Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) may also meet periodically with the Contractor to review contract performance and discuss any problems that may be occurring. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

Government Furnished Property, Equipment, Software and Training: The Government may provide the Contractor with IT equipment, software, and access to information as may be required to successfully perform the requirements of the contract. All Government-furnished property and Contractor-acquired property shall be subject to the applicable property clauses as provided by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The following items shall be provided to the Contractor for purposes of contract performance:

• Materials: At the task order level, the Government shall identify and provide any background documents/information or other materials relevant to the task.

• Software and licenses: The contractor will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining all necessary licenses and access to commercially available software such as Tableau. The Government will provide access and licenses to any government-specific software and/or applications that cannot otherwise be obtained commercially.

• Equipment: The Government will provide a small number of laptops with VPN capability for the Contractor’s use, as needed. All other equipment shall be the responsibility of the Contractor.

• Training: The Contractor is responsible for acquiring and maintaining all necessary training and certification required for performance of this contract, unless such training or certification is government-specific and cannot otherwise be obtained.

• Facilities: The Contractor shall provide all facilities and work space necessary to perform the contract.

Personnel: The Contractor shall be responsible for providing trained, experienced staff for performing the work ordered under this contract, and for continuously monitoring, managing and controlling the work. The Contractor shall make its best efforts to retain staff members who have gained experience on this contract, and to minimize staff turnover. The Contractor shall ensure employees on this contract are trained on "contract-specific" issues such as HHS ethics, standards of conduct, individual conflicts of interest, confidentiality requirements, HHS security requirements, the function of reporting, and the importance of quality control and quality assurance.

Key Personnel: The key personnel specified in this contract are considered to be essential to work performance. At least 30 days prior to diverting any of the specified individuals to other programs or contracts (or as soon as possible, if an individual must be replaced, for example, as a result of leaving the employ of the Contractor), the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and shall submit comprehensive justification for the diversion or replacement request (including proposed substitutions for key personnel) to permit evaluation by the Government of the impact on performance under this contract. The Contractor shall not divert or otherwise replace any key personnel without the written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Government may modify the contract to add or delete key personnel at the request of the Contractor or Government.

NOTE: Key Personnel will be identified at the Task Order level.

Travel: Travel will be required under this contract and identified at the Task Order level.

All travel shall be coordinated and approved by the COR and the CO and performed in accordance with GSA Federal Travel Regulations and applicable contract clauses. Itineraries and estimated costs are required and submitted to the COR and CO for approval prior to travel. Reimbursement for travel shall not exceed the rates and expense types allowed by the GSA Travel Regulations to a government employee traveling under similar circumstances.

Data Rights: The Contractor agrees that upon completion (or termination with or without cause) of this contract, it shall have no property or possessor rights to any of the correspondence, files, or materials of whatever kind or description, or any copies or duplicates of such, whether developed or prepared by it or furnished to it by the Government in connection with the performance of this contract; and that upon demand it shall surrender immediately to the Contracting Officer such items, matters, materials, and copies. The Contractor shall not provide any Government documents, information or licensed material in any form to sources not authorized by the Government, during or after performance of this contract, without the written approval of the COR. All data/information first produced as a result of performing task assignments under this contract shall become the Federal Government’s property and the Contractor shall surrender any and all rights to its ownership.

Section 508 Compliance: The Contractor shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) which requires Federal agencies to purchase Electronic and Information Technologies (EIT) that meet specific accessibility standards.

In order to conform to the Section 508 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards, the Contractor shall perform all work required under this contract in compliance with the provisions delineated in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 36 (36 CFR Part 1194) and outlined below.

All electronic deliverables including reports, data entry, web pages, web applications, audio and video shall be Section 508-compliant; drafts do not need to be compliant. Detailed data that is meant to be processed by a program and not meant to be read by people does not need to be Section 508 compliant. The following Section 508 accessibility technical standards apply to the general task areas identified in this SOW.

• 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

• 1194.24 Video and multimedia products.

• 1194.41 Information, documentation, and support.

If an individual Task Order requires different accessibility standards than those identified here, the Contractor shall also be required to conform to those standards.

The Contractor shall submit an annual Section 508 report in accordance with the schedule set forth in the ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY Article in SECTION H of the contract. The Section 508 Report Template and Instructions for completing the report are available at:

https://www.hhs.gov/web/508/contracting/technology/vendors.html under "Vendor Information and Documents."

Remediation of any materials that do not comply with the applicable provisions of 36 CFR Part 1194 as set forth in the SOW, shall be the responsibility of the Contractor.