A1b PWS_Infant Feeding Practices_sam.docx

Performance Work Statement Title: Infant Feeding Practices Study III - Journal Supplement

Period of performance of this contract is: August 15, 2026 – August 14, 2027

SECTION 1 – BACKGROUND

Nutrition during the first 1,000 days--pregnancy through a child’s second birthday--plays an important role in child health and development.1-3 Nutrition behaviors, including breastfeeding, timing of solid food introduction, intake of different food groups, and maternal and infant feeding styles have been associated with a range of health outcomes.4-8 Two previous longitudinal studies, Infant Feeding Practices Study I (IFPS I) (1993–1994) and IFPS II (2005–2007) provided knowledge on topics related to when, what, and how infants were fed, including breastfeeding behaviors and association with maternity care practices, infant formula use and preparation practices, and the timing and types of complementary foods consumed in the first year.9,10 However, the landscape of infant feeding has changed over the past two decades, including the release of federal dietary guidelines for pregnant women, infants and toddlers,1 improvements in maternity care practices,11,12 increases in breastfeeding rates,13 and changes in policies and practices in early care and education settings.14 With limited current longitudinal data available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with support from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the US Department of Agriculture, funded a new longitudinal study that followed participants from late pregnancy until their child’s second birthday (IFPS III). Like other IFPS surveys, IFPS III focused on infant feeding and care topics but used updated recruitment and data collection methods, expanded survey topics and extended follow-up from age 12 months to 24 months.

The proposed journal supplement will feature up to ten unique articles outlining the findings from IFPS III including a review of the study methods, descriptions of maternal dietary quality during pregnancy and postpartum, an assessment of how early factors like maternity care practices or feeding behaviors can impact later infant feeding behaviors, and how returning to work or experiences with child care play a role in infant and toddler nutrition behaviors. Although separate from the journal supplement, the data from IFPS III will be made publicly available in conjunction with the release of the findings.

The dissemination of these findings can (1) help fill gaps in our understanding of infant and child feeding and care practices, maternal diet, and early life health outcomes, (2) alert researchers interested in these topics that data are now available for use, and (3) serve as a way to inform clinicians, public health and healthcare entities, and policymakers of key findings.

SUBSECTION A – DEFINITIONS

IFPS: Infant Feeding Practices Study

SECTION 2 – PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this action is to procure the services of a publisher for production, publication and dissemination of a supplement (stand-alone issue) of the Infant Feeding Practices Study III findings.

SECTION 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

The services include all tasks to (1) publish articles as a journal supplement to be distributed through traditional journal subscription channels and (2) promote and disseminate findings of the journal supplement to partners and stakeholders internal and external to CDC.

SECTION 4 – TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

Task 1: Contractor shall review and assess submissions for acceptable publication.

1. Submitted articles are triaged by the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) and then assigned to the Pediatrics Editor in charge for additional assessment.

2. If the Editor in charge considers that a submission is a priori not publishable and should not be sent out for review, the article is rejected.

3. All submitted articles deemed appropriate for peer review will undergo peer review.

a. Peer review will be directed by the EIC. Guest Editors can be used as needed and following discussions between COR and EIC.

b. Because Editors are the experts on what is considered publishable in Pediatrics, and because the EIC has editorial independence and freedom, all final decisions regarding accepts and rejects reside with the Pediatrics Editorial team.

Task 2: Contractor shall provide editing and proofreading of the articles identified for the supplement to CDC.

Task 3: Contractor shall work with CDC to develop and review all promotional material, content and images pertaining to the supplement issue.

Task 4: Contractor shall submit the supplement final draft for review by CDC and article authors prior to publication and circulation.

Task 5: Contractor shall make the supplement available to the Pediatrics subscribers and the general public on-line as open-access.

a. Work with CDC to coordinate news releases, promotion activities, and social media posts upon release.

SECTION 5 – GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

Up to 10 articles.

SECTION 6 – PLACE OF PERFORMANCE AND CONTRACT SUPPORT HOURS

SUBSECTION A – PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Performance will be at the contractor’s facility

SUBSECTION B – CONTRACT SUPPORT HOURS

No specific hours are required to support any task areas

SECTION 7 – TRAVEL

None

SECTION 8 – DELIVERABLES/REPORTING SCHEDULE

SECTION 9 – REFERENCE MATERIALS

None

SECTION 10 – MINIMUM VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS

At a minimum, the vendor should be a journal that publishes research related to pediatric populations, including a focus on infant feeding and toddler nutrition. The vendor’s audience needs to include pediatric health care providers since many of the findings relate to practices that are influenced by pediatricians or other health care providers who care for young children. Ensuring that the journal is indexed by some of the databases that would be relevant to these groups is also important. The vendor should have an impact factor greater than 6.0 in 2025, as an indicator of the journal's influence and importance within its field of study. The journal should have high American readership numbers and be one of the top cited journals in the field.

SECTION 11 – ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Information Security and Privacy Procurements Requiring Information Security and/or Physical Access Security Baseline Security Requirements

1) Applicability. The requirements herein apply whether the entire contract or order (hereafter “contract”), or portion thereof, includes either or both of the following:

a. Access (Physical or Logical) to Government Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee will have or will be given the ability to have, routine physical (entry) or logical (electronic) access to government information.

b. Operate a Federal System Containing Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) will operate a federal system and information technology containing data that supports the HHS mission. In addition to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 2.1 definition of “information technology” (IT), the term as used in this section includes computers, ancillary equipment (including imaging peripherals, input, output, and storage devices necessary for security and surveillance), peripheral equipment designed to be controlled by the central processing unit of a computer, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

2) Safeguarding Information and Information Systems. In accordance with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS)199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. Protect government information and information systems in order to ensure:

· Confidentiality, which means preserving authorized restrictions on access and disclosure, based on the security terms found in this contract, including means for protecting personal privacy and proprietary information;

· Integrity, which means guarding against improper information modification or destruction, and ensuring information non-repudiation and authenticity; and

· Availability, which means ensuring timely and reliable access to and use of information.

b. Provide security for any Contractor systems, and information contained therein, connected to an HHS network or operated by the Contractor on behalf of HHS regardless of location. In addition, if new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either the agency or contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately, within one (1) hour or less, bring the situation to the attention of the other party.

c. Adopt and implement the policies, procedures, controls, and standards required by the HHS Information Security Program to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government information and government information systems for which the Contractor is responsible under this contract or to which the Contractor may otherwise have access under this contract. Obtain the HHS Information Security Program security requirements, outlined in the HHS Information Security and Privacy Policy (IS2P), by contacting the CO/COR or emailing fisma@hhs.gov.

d. Comply with the Privacy Act requirements and tailor FAR clauses as needed.

3) Information Security Categorization. In accordance with FIPS 199 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-60, Volume II: Appendices to Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Appendix C, and based on information provided by the ISSO, CISO, or other security representative, the risk level for each Security Objective and the Overall Risk Level, which is the highest watermark of the three factors (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) of the information or information system are the following:

Based on information provided by the ISSO, Privacy Office, system/data owner, or other security or privacy representative, it has been determined that this solicitation/contract involves:

[X] No PII [ ] Yes PII Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Per the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, “PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.” Examples of PII include, but are not limited to the following: social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, biometric records, etc.

PII Confidentiality Impact Level has been determined to be: [X] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High

4) Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). CUI is defined as “information that laws, regulations, or Government-wide policies require to have safeguarding or dissemination controls, excluding classified information.” The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must comply with Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information, (implemented at 3 CFR, part 2002) when handling CUI. 32 C.F.R. 2002.4(aa) As implemented the term “handling” refers to “…any use of CUI, including but not limited to marking, safeguarding, transporting, disseminating, re-using, and disposing of the information.” 81 Fed. Reg. 63323. All sensitive information that has been identified as CUI by a regulation or statute, handled by this solicitation/contract, shall be:

a. marked appropriately;

b. disclosed to authorized personnel on a Need-To-Know basis;

c. protected in accordance with NIST SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations applicable baseline if handled by a Contractor system operated on behalf of the agency, or NIST SP 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations if handled by internal Contractor system; and

d. returned to HHS control, destroyed when no longer needed, or held until otherwise directed. Destruction of information and/or data shall be accomplished in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization.

5) Protection of Sensitive Information. For security purposes, information is or may be sensitive because it requires security to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall protect all government information that is or may be sensitive in accordance with OMB Memorandum M-06-16, Protection of Sensitive Agency Information by securing it with a FIPS 140-2 validated solution.

6) Confidentiality and Nondisclosure of Information. Any information provided to the contractor (and/or any subcontractor) by HHS or collected by the contractor on behalf of HHS shall be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract and shall not be disclosed or made known in any manner to any persons except as may be necessary in the performance of the contract. The Contractor assumes responsibility for protection of the confidentiality of Government records and shall ensure that all work performed by its employees and subcontractors shall be under the supervision of the Contractor. Each Contractor employee or any of its subcontractors to whom any HHS records may be made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the Contractor that information disclosed to such employee or subcontractor can be used only for that purpose and to the extent authorized herein.

The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of such information shall be protected in accordance with HHS and CDC policies. Unauthorized disclosure of information will be subject to the HHS/CDC sanction policies and/or governed by the following laws and regulations:

a. 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records);

b. 18 U.S.C. 1905 (Criminal Code: Disclosure of Confidential Information); and

c. 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, Subchapter I (Paperwork Reduction Act).

7) Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). All procurements using Internet Protocol shall comply with OMB Memorandum M-05-22, Transition Planning for Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).

8) Government Websites. All new and existing public-facing government websites must be securely configured with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) using the most recent version of Transport Layer Security (TLS). In addition, HTTPS shall enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to instruct compliant browsers to assume HTTPS at all times to reduce the number of insecure redirects and protect against attacks that attempt to downgrade connections to plain HTTP. For internal-facing websites, the HTTPS is not required, but it is highly recommended.

9) Contract Documentation. The Contractor shall use provided templates, policies, forms and other agency documents to comply with contract deliverables as appropriate.

10) Standard for Encryption. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. Comply with the HHS Standard for Encryption of Computing Devices and Information to prevent unauthorized access to government information.

b. Encrypt all sensitive federal data and information (i.e., PII, protected health information [PHI], proprietary information, etc.) in transit (i.e., email, network connections, etc.) and at rest (i.e., servers, storage devices, mobile devices, backup media, etc.) with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption solution.

c. Secure all devices (i.e.: desktops, laptops, mobile devices, etc.) that store and process government information and ensure devices meet HHS and CDC-specific encryption standard requirements. Maintain a complete and current inventory of all laptop computers, desktop computers, and other mobile devices and portable media that store or process sensitive government information (including PII).

d. Verify that the encryption solutions in use have been validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program to confirm compliance with FIPS 140-2. The Contractor shall provide a written copy of the validation documentation to the COR and ISSO within 30 days of contract award.

e. Use the Key Management system on the HHS personal identification verification (PIV) card or establish and use a key recovery mechanism to ensure the ability for authorized personnel to encrypt/decrypt information and recover encryption keyshttp://csrc.nist.gov/publications/. Encryption keys shall be provided to the COR upon request and at the conclusion of the contract.

11) Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Each Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee having access to non-public government information under this contract shall complete the CDC non-disclosure agreement. A copy of each signed and witnessed NDA shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) and/or CO Representative (COR) prior to performing any work under this acquisition.

12) Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA)/Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) – The Contractor shall assist the CDC Senior Official for Privacy (SOP) or designee with conducting a PTA for the information system and/or information handled under this contract to determine whether or not a full PIA needs to be completed.

a. If the results of the PTA show that a full PIA is needed, the Contractor shall assist the CDC SOP or designee with completing a PIA for the system or information within 30 days after completion of the PTA and in accordance with HHS policy and OMB M-03-22, Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002.

b. The Contractor shall assist the CDC SOP or designee in reviewing the PIA at least every three years throughout the system development lifecycle (SDLC)/information lifecycle, or when determined by the agency that a review is required based on a major change to the system, or when new types of PII are collected that introduces new or increased privacy risks, whichever comes first.

Training

1) Mandatory Training for All Contractor Staff. All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees assigned to work on this contract shall complete the applicable HHS/CDC Contractor Information Security Awareness, Privacy, and Records Management training (provided upon contract award) before performing any work under this contract. Thereafter, the employees shall complete CDC specific Information Security Awareness, Privacy, and Records Management training at least annually, during the life of this contract. All provided training shall be compliant with HHS training policies.

2) Role-based Training. All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees with significant security responsibilities (as determined by the program manager) must complete role-based training annually commensurate with their role and responsibilities in accordance with HHS policy and the HHS Role-Based Training (RBT) of Personnel with Significant Security Responsibilities Memorandum.

3) Training Records. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall maintain training records for all its employees working under this contract in accordance with HHS policy. A copy of the training records shall be provided to the CO and/or COR within 30 days after contract award and annually thereafter or upon request.

Rules of Behavior

1) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure that all employees performing on the contract comply with the HHS Information Technology General Rules of Behavior, and any CDC-specific rules, as applicable.

2) All Contractor employees performing on the contract must read and adhere to the Rules of Behavior before accessing Department data or other information, systems, and/or networks that store/process government information, initially at the beginning of the contract and at least annually thereafter, which may be done as part of annual CDC Information Security Awareness Training. If the training is provided by the contractor, the signed ROB must be provided as a separate deliverable to the CO and/or COR per defined timelines above.

Incident Response The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall respond to all alerts/Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) provided by HHS Computer Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC)/CDC CSIRT teams within 24 hours, whether the response is positive or negative.

FISMA defines an incident as “an occurrence that (1) actually or imminently jeopardizes, without lawful authority, the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of information or an information system; or (2) constitutes a violation or imminent threat of violation of law, security policies, security procedures, or acceptable use policies.. The HHS Policy for IT Security and Privacy Incident Reporting and Response further defines incidents as events involving cybersecurity and privacy threats, such as viruses, malicious user activity, loss of, unauthorized disclosure or destruction of data, and so on.

A privacy breach is a type of incident and is defined by Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) as the loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or any similar occurrence where (1) a person other than an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses personally identifiable information or (2) an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses personally identifiable information for an other than authorized purpose. The HHS Policy for IT Security and Privacy Incident Reporting and Response further defines a breach as “a suspected or confirmed incident involving PII” .

In the event of a suspected or confirmed incident or breach, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

1) Protect all sensitive information, including any PII created, stored, or transmitted in the performance of this contract so as to avoid a secondary sensitive information incident with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption.

2) NOT notify affected individuals unless so instructed by the Contracting Officer or designated representative. If so instructed by the Contracting Officer or representative, the Contractor shall send CDC approved notifications to affected individuals following CDC’s designated process.

3) Report all suspected and confirmed information security and privacy incidents and breaches to the CDC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) [CSIRT@CDC.gov], COR, CO, CDC SOP (or his or her designee), and other stakeholders, including incidents involving PII, in any medium or form, including paper, oral, or electronic, as soon as possible and without unreasonable delay, no later than one (1) hour, and consistent with the applicable CDC and HHS policy and procedures, NIST standards and guidelines, as well as US-CERT notification guidelines. The types of information required in an incident report must include at a minimum: company and point of contact information, contract information, impact classifications/threat vector, and the type of information compromised. In addition, the Contractor shall:

a. cooperate and exchange any information, as determined by the Agency, necessary to effectively manage or mitigate a suspected or confirmed breach;

b. not include any sensitive information in the subject or body of any reporting e-mail; and

c. encrypt sensitive information in attachments to email, media, etc.

4) Comply with OMB M-17-12, Preparing for and Responding to a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information HHS and CDC’s incident response policies when handling PII breaches.

5) Provide full access and cooperate on all activities as determined by the Government to ensure an effective incident response, including providing all requested images, log files, and event information to facilitate rapid resolution of sensitive information incidents. This may involve disconnecting the system processing, storing, or transmitting the sensitive information from the Internet or other networks or applying additional security controls. This may also involve physical access to contractor facilities during a breach/incident investigation.

Position Sensitivity Designations All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees must obtain a background investigation commensurate with their position sensitivity designation that complies with Parts 1400 and 731 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The following position sensitivity designation levels may apply to this solicitation/contract: Not Applicable and Level 1: Non-sensitive, depending on roles and responsibilities.

Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) and its employees shall comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12, Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors; OMB M-05-24; FIPS 201, Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors; HHS HSPD-12 policy; and Executive Order 13467, Part 1 §1.2. For additional information, see HSPD-12 policy at: https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-12) Roster. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall submit a roster by name, position, e-mail address, phone number and responsibility, of all staff working under this acquisition where the Contractor will develop, have the ability to access, or host and/or maintain a government information system(s). The roster shall be submitted to the COR and/or CO within the CDC Specified timeline of the effective date of this contract. Any revisions to the roster as a result of staffing changes shall be submitted within 7 days of the change. The COR will notify the Contractor of the appropriate level of investigation required for each staff member.

If the employee is filling a new position, the Contractor shall provide a position description and the Government will determine the appropriate suitability level.

Contract Initiation and Expiration

1) General Security Requirements. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must comply with information security and privacy requirements, Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) processes, and HHS Enterprise Architecture requirements to ensure information is appropriately protected from initiation to expiration of the contract. The EPLC framework provides a standard structure for planning, managing, and governing IT projects from concept to disposition. The framework consists of ten phases to review the project’s management quality, soundness, and technical feasibility remain adequate, and the project is ready to move forward to the next phase. Within each phase, the activities, responsibilities, reviews, and deliverables are defined. All new information systems development or major enhancement tasks supported by the contractor should utilize CDC’s North Star Architecture as a “blueprint” to guide any decisions on technologies and processes and projects must be reviewed and approved by NCCDPHP’s local governance, the CDC Information Technology and Data Governance (ITDG) Board and the CDC Architectural Review Team (ART). All IT projects must follow the CDC EPLC framework and methodology, pass each review as appropriate, and meet all conditions outlined during the stage gate, ITDG, ART reviews, and attend all required meetings. The contractor shall use NCCDPHP approved stage gate templates, adhere to tailored processes, and utilize the NCCDPHP Project Process Agreement (PPA). The contractor shall produce all required EPLC documentation per project phases. The work must be in accordance with the HHS Contract Closeout Guide (2012). HHS EPLC requirements may be located here: Policy for Information Technology (IT) Enterprise Performance | HHS.gov.

2) System Documentation. Contractors (and/or any subcontractors) must follow and adhere to NIST SP 800-64, Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle, at a minimum, for system development and provide system documentation at designated intervals (specifically, at the expiration of the contract) within the EPLC that require artifact review and approval.

3) Sanitization of Government Files and Information. As part of contract closeout and at expiration of the contract, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall provide all required documentation to the CO and/or COR to certify that, at the government’s direction, all electronic and paper records are appropriately disposed of and all devices and media are sanitized in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization.

4) Notification. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall notify the CO and/or COR and system ISSO within 7 days before an employee stops working under this contract.

5) Contractor Responsibilities Upon Physical Completion of the Contract. The contractor (and/or any subcontractors) shall return all government information and IT resources (i.e., government information in non-government-owned systems, media, and backup systems) acquired during the term of this contract to the CO and/or COR. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide a certification that all government information has been properly sanitized and purged from Contractor-owned systems, including backup systems and media used during contract performance, in accordance with HHS and/or CDC policies.

6) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall perform and document the actions identified in the CDC Contractor Employee Separation Checklist when an employee terminates work under this contract within 7 days of the employee’s exit from the contract. All documentation shall be made available to the CO and/or COR upon request.

Records Management and Retention The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall maintain all information in accordance with Executive Order 13556 -- Controlled Unclassified Information, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records retention policies and schedules and HHS/CDC policies and shall not dispose of any records unless authorized by HHS/CDC.

In the event that a contractor (and/or any subcontractor) accidentally disposes of or destroys a record without proper authorization, it shall be documented and reported as an incident in accordance with HHS/CDC policies.

Data Analysis: CDC’s Enterprise Data and Visualization (EDAV) Platform and CDC’s One Data Platform (1CDP) should be used for all data, analytics and visualization projects. For NEW data collection, management, analysis, and visualization projects, the project team must meet with local governance for review of the business need then with the OCIO team to determine if the business need can be met by the enterprise capabilities for data management, analysis, and/or visualization. For new or ongoing data activities, CDC (or CDC contractors) must avoid building new or duplicative analytic or visualization tools or purchasing licenses (e.g., Tableau resources). The project team must: 1. Identify the existing analytic or visualization solution or tool in use or planned to use. 2. Avoid purchasing or building new or duplicative analytic or visualization tools or licenses, unless an exception is granted by CDC; 3. Consult with the EDAV and/or 1CDP team to identify opportunities for integration or use of enterprise services; and 4. If appropriate, prepare a migration plan and timeline to shift away from siloed solutions to enterprise services (e.g., plan for migrating to the EDAV/1CDP platform, including technical and workforce development components); 5. When appropriate, all datasets should have metadata available in a CDC metadata catalog.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Any uses of artificial intelligence tools or technology should follow CDC’s Guidance for Generative Artificial Intelligence which establishes principles and practices for the responsible use, development, and procurement of generative artificial intelligence technology by CDC staff, to support the agency’s public health mission to equitably protect the nation’s health, safety, and security. CDC data cannot be stored into a non-CDC tool with AI capabilities. Contractors may not utilize non-CDC AI technology to transcribe calls with CDC staff.

Human Subjects Protections in Research

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Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)

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Section 508 and Accessibility Requirements Part A – Provision Reference HHSAR 352.239-73[8] Electronic Information and [Communication] Technology Accessibility Notice.

[(Deviation)] [(a) Any offeror responding to this solicitation must comply with established HHS Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/index.html.

(b) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this solicitation are stated in the clause at 352.239-79 Information and Communication Technology Accessibility. In order to facilitate the Government’s determination whether proposed ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, and documentation meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an appropriate HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist (see https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html) or an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) (based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) see https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), in accordance with the completion instructions. The purpose of the checklists and conformance reports are to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, and documentation conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. Checklists and ACRs evaluate—in detail—whether the ICT conforms to specific Section 508 accessibility standards and identifies remediation efforts needed to address conformance issues.

(c) If an offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support delivered do not conform to the described accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

(d) In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed ICT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an Accessibility Conformance Report, in accordance with its completion instructions and tailored to the requirements in the solicitation. The purpose of the Report is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed ICT supplies conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The template allows offerors or developers to self-evaluate their supplies and document, in detail, whether they conform to a specific Section 508 accessibility standard, and any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues. Instructions for preparing the Template are available at https://www.section508.gov/.

(e) Additionally, offerors must provide enough information to assist the Government in determining that the ICT services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards, including any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues.

(f) Respondents to this solicitation must identify any inability to conform to Section 508 requirements. If an offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies or services delivered do not conform to the described accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

(g) Items delivered as electronic content must be accessible to HHS acceptance criteria. Checklist for various formats are available at http://508.hhs.gov/. Materials, other than items incidental to contract management, that are final items for delivery should be accompanied by the appropriate checklist, except upon approval of the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative.

(End of provision)] Part B - Clause 352.239-74[9] Electronic, Information, and Communication Technology Accessibility.

[(Deviation)]

(a) Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, all information and communication technology (ICT) supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, and services, or support developed, acquired, maintained or delivered under this contract or order must comply with the Revised 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. 1194.1 and Appendices A, B, and C, and are available at https://www.access-board.gov/ict/. Information about Section 508 is available at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/index.html.

(b) Additional Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract or order are identified as follows:

205 WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA Success Criteria 302 Functional Performance Criteria 502 Inoperability with Assistive Technology 504 Authoring Tools 602 Support Documentation 603 Support Services If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, and services support provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(c) In the event of a modification(s) to this contract or order, which adds new ICT supplies or services or revises the type of, or specifications for, supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support, the Contracting Officer shall require that the Contractor submit a completed HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist (see https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html) or an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) (based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) see https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the ICT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, and services support provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(d) If this is an Indefinite-Delivery type contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement or a Basic Ordering Agreement, the task/delivery order requests that include ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support will define the specifications and accessibility standards for the order. In those cases, the Contractor shall be required to provide a completed HHS Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Checklist (see https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html) or an ACR (based on the VPAT see https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the ICT supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the provided documentation, remediation of the supplies, products, platforms, information, documentation, or services support to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

(e) The contractor shall identify to the Contracting Officer any perceived exception or exemption to Section 508 requirements for review by the agency Section 508 Program.

Printing

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OTHER CONSIDERATIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR OFFICE OF ACQUISITION SERVICES

SECTION 1 – PROPOSED CONTRACT TYPE

SECTION 2 – OPTIONAL SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

SUBSECTION A – PAYMENT CLAUSES

10%

SUBSECTION B – DATA RIGHTS CLAUSES

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SECTION 3 – EVALUATION FACTORS

SUBSECTION A – TECHNICAL

Technical Evaluation Criteria:

This solicitation will be awarded to the Offeror whose proposal is considered to be the most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors identified below considered.

1. Technical Approach

The Offeror shall provide a discussion of their technical approach for developing, editing and publishing a journal supplement issue. The Offeror shall provide their understanding of the task requirements, deliverables, and timeline. The Government will evaluate the quality and feasibility of the methodology.

The Offeror shall provide a Project Plan describing the process and approach they propose to use in successfully completing this project. The Project Plan should correlate to the Offeror’s price/cost proposal. The Offeror shall:

a. Provide a detailed and comprehensive statement of the problem, scope, and purpose of the project to demonstrate complete understanding of the intent and requirements of the contract.

b. Discuss the plan and solutions for overcoming difficulties involved with performing the work requirements.

2. Staffing Plan

The Offeror shall provide a staffing plan that demonstrates their understanding of the labor requirements for this project and the personnel required to complete said requirements. The plan should include proposed labor categories, descriptions of the services to be provided, estimated labor hours, etc.

The Offeror shall provide qualified technical labor resources in numbers adequate to address the technical and administrative requirements and deliverable schedules outlined in the solicitation.

3. Management Approach

The Offeror shall provide a management plan that describes their approach for managing the work, identifying the roles and responsibilities of pertinent players, and subcontracting management plans, if applicable. The Offeror shall demonstrate an overall understanding of the project and adequacy and feasibility of plans to address all items within the project.

This includes the detailed description of specific tasks to be performed, methods and resources to be used and a discussion of problems likely to occur and plans for addressing them.

a. The Offeror shall describe their organizational structure and how they propose to manage this task, including a discussion of timelines and issues. Document the decision-making authority of the project director as related to other elements of the organization, including subcontractors if applicable.

SUBSECTION B – PROCUREMENT POINT OF CONTACT (POC) INFORMATION