Attachment_1_-_Statement_of_Work_(ARCR_2025).pdf

Attachment 1 Page 1 of 13 August 30, 2024 Solicitation # 75N94025R00001

STATEMENT OF WORK

Project Title: Management, Development, and Publication of Alcohol Research: Current Reviews

(ARCR)

1. BACKGROUND

The mission of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is to generate and disseminate fundamental knowledge about the adverse effects of alcohol on health and well-being, and apply that knowledge to improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol-related problems, including alcohol use disorder, across the lifespan. In support of this mission, NIAAA publishes Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (ARCR), an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal that is composed of review and perspective articles on alcohol research topics. Areas of interest include the effects of alcohol across the lifespan on health, function, and well-being in addition to basic science, genetics, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol-related conditions. Topics are approached from basic, translational, and clinical perspectives. Reviews are written in a style accessible to a broad audience of scientists and clinicians, including trainees, with varying specialties and degrees of expertise in the field.

ARCR has a continuous/rolling publication format and publishes approximately 16-24 articles online each year. ARCR articles are currently accepted for inclusion based on invitation only and are peer-reviewed.

The journal can be viewed at https://www.arcr.niaaa.nih.gov/.

The objective is to perform work and provide expertise in scientific journal management, development, and online publication to manage, develop, and publish ARCR under the direction of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and Task Leaders. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting a variety of efforts including project management, technical evaluation, writing and editorial functions, budgeting services, strategic meeting planning, administrative services, promotional and marketing activities, document repository administration, and web content updates.

2. SCOPE

The scope of the contract includes the management, development, and publication of ARCR.

3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, materials, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform task assignments. The Contractor shall subcontract tasks or subtasks within this statement of work (SOW) to obtain specific subject matter expertise, services, or materials as necessary. It is the Contractor’s responsibility solely to manage, monitor, and report progress on all task assignments under this SOW, including the management and coordination of any subcontracted tasks.

The Contractor shall proactively keep the Government informed of issues or problems as they occur (including technical, cost, or schedule issues).

The Contractor shall support a variety of efforts including project management, technical evaluation, writing and editorial functions, budgeting services, strategic meeting planning, administrative services, Attachment 1 Page 2 of 13 August 30, 2024 promotional and marketing activities, document repository administration, and web content update to assist with activities associated with the management, development, and publication of ARCR.

3.1 Journal Management

The Contractor shall provide program management and budget control and reporting, as required to ensure the efficient planning, initiation, implementation, and timely completion of all projects carried out under this contract. It is the Contractor’s responsibility solely to manage, monitor, and report progress on all task assignments under this SOW, including the management and coordination of any subcontracted tasks.

The Contractor shall provide a technical and administrative infrastructure to ensure the efficient planning, initiation, implementation, and timely completion of all projects carried out under this contract, as well as effective and efficient communications with the COR and Task Leaders.

3.1.1 Project Management Applications and Processes

a. The Contractor shall utilize an internal commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) project management application(s) so that the COR, Task Leaders, and the Contractor can all easily see which production stage each article and each journal-related project (routine and ad hoc) is in at any given time.

b. Project management applications and processes may be proposed but must be approved for use by the COR and Task Leaders. The Contractor shall implement changes to project management tools or processes or change project management applications based on feedback from the COR and Task Leaders on its utility.

c. The Contractor shall develop and maintain a Project Management Plan (PMP) that describes their project management approach; risk mitigation strategies; project team roles, responsibilities, contact information; and contract activities. An initial PMP shall be provided as described in Section 3.13.a. The Contractor shall update the PMP within seven (7) days after any relevant changes (e.g., listed personnel changes) and submit it to the COR.

3.1.2 Managing Editor and Associate Managing Editor (or Other Key Personnel Delegates)

a. The Contractor shall provide a principal point of contact to serve as the Managing Editor of the journal to coordinate all aspects of ARCR’s article and issue development, digital publication, and overall management.

b. The Managing Editor shall coordinate all journal-related efforts with the COR and Task Leaders and facilitate efficient and effective communications with authors, scientific reviewers, and ARCR’s Editorial Advisory Board as their primary point of contact as needed. The Managing Editor shall receive direction from the COR and Task Leaders, and then delegate assignments as and if necessary.

c. The Managing Editor shall have extensive subject matter expertise in the field of scientific journal management and online publication. The Managing Editor must have first-hand knowledge of the current standards and best practices in the field of scientific journal management and publication.

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d. The Managing Editor shall provide recommendations for enhancements and changes to ARCR to the COR and Task Leaders for consideration when and where appropriate with the goal to improve all aspects of the journal. The Contractor shall propose metrics to gauge improvement as approved by the COR and Task Leaders.

e. The Managing Editor shall assist with the formulation and implementation of ARCR standards, policies, and procedures as requested by the COR and Task Leaders.

f. The Managing Editor shall update, maintain, and track all relevant internal standard operating procedures (SOPs) and other journal documentation and forms, including, but not limited to, author and reviewer invitations, checklists, and instructions, as directed by the COR and Task Leaders.

g. In consultation with the COR, the Managing Editor shall propose, develop, and maintain project and program management planning and scheduling tools (e.g., milestone and Gantt charts). These tools shall indicate the various steps, task assignment, and dates for completion of each activity that can be easily viewed by the COR and Task Leaders. Activities to be tracked include article development, beginning with approval of the article topic through submission of the final manuscript for online publication, as well as recurring and ad hoc journal-related projects and initiatives. The Managing Editor shall assess the data derived from these tools and provide performance metrics and updates on the completion status of all journal activities, report on any current and forecasted task completion delays, provide notification of upcoming tasks that work needs to be initiated on to ensure timely completion, provide recommendations to avoid and mitigate any delays, and provide suggestions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of journal processes and procedures to the COR and Task Leaders. A report on all regular and ad hoc project and program steps, assignments, and due dates shall be provided and discussed during the first regularly scheduled meeting of each month that the Managing Editor has with the COR and Task Leaders.

h. The Managing Editor shall work with the Task Leaders, authors, and scientific reviewers throughout production to ensure publication goals set by the Task Leaders. The Managing Editor shall coordinate with all Contractor and subcontractor personnel (as needed) to ensure that all ARCR publication and project goals are met.

i. The Managing Editor shall coordinate and participate in two (2) one- (1-) hour meetings/teleconferences scheduled with the Task Leaders each week, or as needed (as determined by the Task Leaders). As directed by the Task Leaders, the Managing Editor shall develop and distribute an agenda prior to each meeting; develop and distribute meeting minutes after each meeting; and track the completion of all action items. The schedule for these meetings will be established by the Task Leaders after contract award.

j. The Contractor shall provide an Associate Managing Editor to support the activities of the Managing Editor. Division of tasks between the Managing Editor and Associate Managing Editor shall be discussed with the COR to ensure optimal workflow.

3.1.3 Editorial Advisory Board (EAB)

The Contractor shall:

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a. Maintain ARCR’s Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) composed of approximately ten (10) experts in the field of alcohol research. EAB members identify topics and authors for future articles, recommend enhancements to the journal, identify article peer reviewers, and recommend promotional activities.

b. Be responsible for maintaining an official roster of all EAB members (including contact information, term start and expiration) and for conducting all regular and special communications with the EAB members.

c. Coordinate approximately two (2) EAB meetings a year (up to one [1] in-person meeting as a satellite meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism [RSA] annual meeting). Any room and audio-visual costs associated with in-person EAB meetings are not included in the scope of this SOW. However, the Contractor shall be responsible for facilitating the obtainment of meeting rooms and audio-visual equipment for any in-person EAB meeting at the request of the COR (as needed).

d. Administer an honorarium for each EAB member attending the two (2) EAB meetings as directed by the COR with concurrence of the Contracting Officer (CO). This includes obtaining all necessary documentation from the EAB members, paying for the honoraria, and distributing the honoraria.

e. Track member term expirations and coordinate with the Task Leaders to propose nominations for replacement members at least six (6) months prior to each member’s term expiration. The Contractor shall complete all tasks related to recruiting new members to serve on the EAB, as well as rotating old members off. This shall include, but not be limited to, drafting emails, sending and responding to emails, and tracking responses.

3.2 Concept Development and Review

a. Obtain and track proposed article topics, including a brief statement about the focus of each article; authors; and reviewers for future articles from EAB and NIAAA staff as directed by the COR and Task Leaders.

b. Prepare biographical information for each proposed author and reviewer (if needed) for each article as directed by the Task Leaders.

c. Coordinate and manage article submission and the peer review process. This includes, but is not limited to, inviting suggested authors and reviewers for each article, following up with authors and reviewers as needed to ensure articles and reviews are submitted in a timely fashion, providing reviews and additional feedback to authors, soliciting for revised manuscripts from authors, requesting additional author revisions as necessary, assisting authors with table and figure development and revisions, and expanding the journal’s reviewer pool as required. One of the Task Leaders will be assigned to each article (as discussed and agreed upon by the Task Leaders). The Managing Editor shall track these assignments and obtain the assigned Task Leader’s review, edits, and approval as relevant for each of the scientific reviews and every version of each article throughout the publication process as directed by the Task Leaders.

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d. Provide and manage the usage and maintenance of any journal management software utilized for ARCR’s article submission and peer review process. Editorial Manager is the software package currently used to manage the journal.

e. If not available through journal management software, develop and maintain an up-to-date spreadsheet or list of individuals who have been invited to serve as authors and reviewers for ARCR, including a list of those who declined and accepted invitations to participate, and any pertinent information that might be useful when considering future invitations as directed by the Task Leaders.

f. Develop and maintain an up-to-date sortable spreadsheet or list of all historic, current, future, and proposed article topics that allows for efficient detection and categorization of articles that cover similar research topics. This information will be utilized to determine when topics with older reviews should be covered again/updated and aid in identifying new topics for coverage.

3.3 Writing and Editorial Functions

a. Perform all writing and editorial functions such as editing, copyediting, and proofreading — including automated reference verification — according to the style specified by the COR and Task Leaders and shall perform all other tasks necessary for online publication of approximately 16-24 articles each year.

b. Provide experienced science writers and copyeditors to work with authors, reviewers, and the Task Leaders in preparing and revising manuscripts for an audience that includes scientists, clinicians, and trainees with varying specialties and degrees of expertise in the alcohol field.

Experience in substance use, mental health disorders, and/or neuroscience is desired, but not required.

c. Develop online-specific journal content as requested, including, but not limited to, development and maintenance of curated collections, “News and Notes” announcements, new and previously launched initiatives, and figures and graphics as requested by the Task Leaders.

d. Obtain and review disclosure forms, submission checklists, and other items from authors and reviewers as relevant. Provide recommendations to improve these materials to COR and Task Leaders as needed.

e. Evaluate all articles to ensure they meet ARCR requirements for manuscript submission as outlined in their respective submission checklist and work with the author(s) to correct all identified omissions and errors prior to initiating the journal’s peer review process.

f. Perform a preliminary check to determine whether any conflicts exist between the reviewers and author(s) for each article and report any findings to the COR and Task Leaders.

g. For each reference cited in each ARCR manuscript, provide a direct link to the article’s digital object identifier (DOI).

h. Obtain Open Researcher and Contributor IDs (ORCIDs) from authors and provide a direct link to each ORCID in manuscripts for publication.

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i. Submit electronically ARCR draft manuscripts to the Task Leaders for review and approval as dictated by ARCR’s current SOPs.

j. All writing and editorial functions shall be performed using common COTS applications that are approved for compatibility by the COR and Task Leaders.

3.4 Online Publication

The Contractor shall perform all tasks related to the online publication of ARCR, including, but not limited to, creation of final article proofs for publication, DOI assignment, PubMed Central (PMC) and other online database indexing, and uploading each article to the ARCR website as directed by the COR and Task Leaders and based on industry standards. This SOW excludes website development tasks. ARCR website-related tasks included in this SOW can be found in Section 3.7.

For the electronic publications and all electronic data, the Contractor shall be responsible for all document management, including:

a. Conducting 508-compatibility testing for all publications and ensuring compliance. A copy of the accessibility report, or a statement certifying that the document is 508 compliant, must accompany all items developed for the Web. The certification statement must include the name and version of the software used to check the document.

b. Preparing electronic versions of each publication based on industry standards (currently PDF – with possible expansion into other formats as common practices evolve).

c. Uploading redesigned files for existing publications as directed by Task Leaders (as applicable).

d. Providing quality control for all files on the server, including ensuring the accuracy of all links and proper formatting of all content.

e. Creating backup copies, to be separately maintained by the Contractor, of all files at least once per week.

f. Provide a publication-ready PDF of each curated collection as defined and directed by the Task Leaders.

3.5 Analysis

In addition to the other analyses included in this SOW, the Contractor shall:

a. Provide experts as needed to identify and conduct analyses of performance metrics for journal content to determine scholarly impact.

b. Provide a biannual analytics report that includes an overview on various website metrics, article views and citations, author and reviewer metrics, and other relevant metrics for the journal that contains recommendations for discussion with the COR and Task Leaders. Additional analytics may be requested on an ad hoc basis as necessary.

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3.6 Promotional and Marketing Activities

a. Perform various promotional and marketing activities for ARCR as requested by the COR and Task Leaders with concurrence by the CO, including, but not limited to, developing and disseminating various announcements for ARCR content through GovDelivery, LinkedIn, and other appropriate channels.

c. Evaluate best practices in the field and identify new promotional and marketing opportunities to recommend to the COR and Task Leaders. Add new items to ARCR’s marketing and outreach plan as discussed with the COR and Task Leaders.

b. Implement and update ARCR’s marketing and outreach plan as items are completed and new reportable metrics are available to add to the plan.

d. Gather and assess data and report on relevant metrics on all promotional and marketing activities with recommendations to improve outreach, impact, and efficiency to the COR and Task Leaders as requested.

3.7 ARCR Website Content

As needed, the Contractor shall provide qualified and experienced personnel to support various content updates for ARCR’s website (https://www.arcr.niaaa.nih.gov/). This includes, but is not limited to, developing and uploading content onto the site (e.g., PDF journal articles, graphics, tables), proposing ways to improve the look and feel of the website (as needed), and providing mock-ups of proposed changes related to the look and feel of the website within requested deadlines. As requested by the COR and Task Leaders, the Contractor shall coordinate with the COR for NIAAA’s web development/management support contract (an NIAAA staff member) and other identified individuals to facilitate any updates to the ARCR website as necessary.

The overall web development/management support contract for all NIAAA websites, including the ARCR website, is currently held by IQ Solutions, Inc. (contract number 75N94020C00001).

3.7.1 Content Updates

a. Produce, upload, and manage website content (as applicable) that is accurate, well-written and designed, error-free, up-to-date, and accessible within requested deadlines.

b. Have experience with Drupal 8 content editing.

c. Ensure that all provided content meets 508 compliance and other federal regulation requirements. A copy of the accessibility report, or a statement certifying that the document is 508-compliant, must accompany all items developed for the website. The certification statement must include the name and version of the software used to check the document.

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3.7.2 Site Design

As needed and requested by the COR and Task Leaders, the Contractor shall:

d. Review and recommend improvements to ensure that the ARCR website is an effective and user-friendly repository for permanent/evergreen information.

e. Review and recommend improvements for website branding, including visual identity, color scheme, type treatment, and associated messaging to meet ARCR goals and user needs.

f. Review and recommend improvements for website information architecture, including content organization, labeling, navigation, and search.

g. Provide graphics and photographs for use on the ARCR website as requested by the COR and Task Leaders. Artwork shall include high-quality photographs, logos, and data-rich information designs (static or interactive), as relevant to the website content and design. Graphics and photographs shall be originals produced by the Contractor (or subcontractor[s]) rather than purchased stock photos or graphics, to the extent feasible.

h. Develop mock-ups for page designs and website features within requested deadlines.

i. Research and recommend emerging and best-practice web technologies that may be relevant to the ARCR website. Examples include but are not limited to: social media platforms and features and tools for web analytics, evaluation, and marketing strategies. The Contractor shall implement web analytics, evaluation, and marketing strategies as requested by the COR and Task Leaders.

3.8 Administrative Program Support

The Contractor shall provide staff to support administrative services in support of ARCR’s activities.

Services shall include, but are not limited to, calendar management; meeting planning; creation and maintenance of administrative reporting; data collection and tracking (i.e., records, invoices, timekeeping); record maintenance and data entry; correspondence and document creation; editing and proofing (i.e., memos, talking points, reports, directories, SOPs, meeting minutes); literature searches;

ARCR website content maintenance and updates; coordination of honoraria for EAB members; electronic file updates and maintenance; and program management and analysis.

3.9 Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)

NIAAA will provide use of appropriate GFE for use by the Contractor to access NIAAA’s network, both onsite and via National Institutes of Health (NIH) remote access, as deemed necessary for the duration of the contract. The Contractor shall store all documents and data stemming from this contract on an NIAAA file share location specified by the COR or Task Leaders. The Contractor shall follow all United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH, and NIAAA specific policies and procedures with regard to use of GFE. The Contractor shall not use contractor-owned equipment to store work product or data that are acquired to conduct the tasks stemming from this contract. If the Contractor already has NIH-supplied GFE, the contractor shall provide the GFE at the request of the COR for inspection to ascertain if it meets policies and standards.

3.10 Monthly Reporting

In addition to fulfilling other reporting requirements included in this SOW, the Contractor shall:

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a. On a monthly basis, provide the COR with the Monthly Project Status Report, a brief written summary of all activities, their status, and expected activities for the upcoming month. The Monthly Project Status Report shall include a list of all task assignments performed the previous month (by the Contractor and any subcontractor[s]), including open issues and recommended solutions, risks and constraints that have emerged, plans for the next reporting period, the overall schedule (including major tasks, milestones, and deliverables with planned and actual start and completion dates for each), and any personnel gains and losses.

b. On a monthly basis, provide the COR with the Monthly Financial Report. The Monthly Financial Report shall include an itemized invoice detailing total monthly spending against the remaining budget for the contract year; forecasted hours, actual hours, and variance by month up to the previous month; forecasted costs and actual costs including approved amount, amount expended, amount remaining, and percentage expended; summary of travel expenses applicable) including rate per hour and monthly hours worked each month.

3.11 Accessibility Conformance

All documents required herein shall be submitted in electronic format. In addition, one hardcopy of each document shall be submitted to the COR.

Requirements for accessibility based on the Revised Section 508 Standards of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) are determined to be relevant under this SOW for the Section 508 Criteria specified in the attached Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART).

Before acceptance, when the Contractor is required to perform testing to validate conformance to the Revised Section 508 accessibility requirements specified in this Task Order, the Contractor shall provide a Supplemental Accessibility Conformance Report (SAR) that contains the following information:

• Accessibility test results based on the required test methods.

• Documentation of features provided to help achieve accessibility and usability for people with disabilities.

• Documentation of core functions that cannot be accessed by persons with disabilities.

• Documentation on how to configure and install the Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) item to support accessibility.

• When an ICT item is an authoring tool that generates content (including documents, reports, videos, multimedia productions, web content, etc.)., provide information on how the ICT item enables the creation of accessible electronic content that conforms to the Revised 508 Standards, including the range of accessible user interface elements the tool can create.

• Before final acceptance, the Contractor shall provide a fully working demonstration of the completed ICT Item to demonstrate conformance to the agency's accessibility requirements. The demonstration shall expose where such conformance is and is not achieved.

Before acceptance, the Government reserves the right to perform independent testing to validate that the ICT solution provided by the Contractor conforms to the applicable Revised 508 Standards.

Before final acceptance of any ICT item, including updates and replacements, if the Contractor claims its products or services satisfy the applicable Revised 508 Standards specified in the SOW, and the Contracting Officer determines that any furnished ICT item is not in compliance with such requirements, the CO will promptly inform the Contractor in writing of the noncompliance. The Contractor shall, at no

Attachment 1 Page 10 of 13 August 30, 2024 cost to the Government, repair or replace the non-compliant products or services within the period specified by the CO.

Electronic documents delivered must be made available in alternate formats when requested by the COR, including formats compatible with assistive technology, at no additional charge.

Labor Categories:

The Contractor shall ensure the personnel providing the labor hours possess the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary to address the applicable Revised 508 Standards defined in this Task Order; and shall provide supporting documentation upon request.

3.11.1 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility

Pursuant to current guidance, agencies have been instructed to proactively address the requirements of the Revised Section 508 Standards in their procurement processes while the FAR Council prepares regulatory updates to the FAR. Specifically, agencies have been instructed to incorporate the Current Revised Section 508 Standards into their procurement planning and execution. See: https://www.section508.gov/blog/Revised-508-Standards-Safe-Harbor-and-FAR- Update/ In response to current guidance, appropriate revisions have been made to HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) Clause 352.239-74 (December 2015) and are applicable to this Task Order:

ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY, HHSAR 352.239-

74 (December 2015)

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 electronic and information technology (EIT) supplies and services developed, acquired, or maintained under this contract or order must comply with the “Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Standards” set forth by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also referred to as the “Access Board”) in 36 CFR part 1194.

Information about Section 508 is available at https://www.hhs.gov/web/508. The complete text of Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards.

b.

The accessibility standards applicable to this Task Order shall be in accordance with the Revised Section 508 Standards. The Contractor must provide any necessary updates to its submitted Vendor Product Assessment Template (VPAT) at the end of each contract or order exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (see FAR 2.101) when the contract or order duration is one year or less. If it is determined by the Government that the ICT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in this Task Order, remediation of the ICT supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the Task Order will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

c. The Revised Section 508 Standards applicable to this Task Order are specified in the attached Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART).

d. In the event of a modification(s) to this contract or order, which adds new EIT supplies or services or revises the type of, or specifications for, supplies or services, the Contracting Officer

Attachment 1 Page 11 of 13 August 30, 2024 may require that the contractor submit a completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the EIT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. Instructions for documenting accessibility via the HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template may be found under Section 508 policy on the HHS website: (https://www.hhs.gov/web/508). If it is determined by the Government that EIT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of

e. If this is an Indefinite Delivery contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement or a Basic Ordering Agreement, the task/delivery order requests that include EIT supplies or services will define the specifications and accessibility standards for the order. In those cases, the Contractor may be required to provide a completed HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the EIT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. Instructions for documenting accessibility via the HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template may be found at https://www.hhs.gov/web/508. If it is determined by the Government that EIT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the provided documentation, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

3.11.2 Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)

The Contractor shall provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for each ICT item that is developed, updated, configured under this Task Order, and when product substitutions are offered. The ACR should be based on the latest version of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT™) provided by the Industry Technology Industry Council (ITIC). An ACR must be submitted for each ICT Item and must be completed according to the instructions provided by ITIC. See: https://section508.gov/buy/define-accessibility-criteria#acceptance.

3.12 Subcontract Management and Reporting

For any tasks to be subcontracted, the Contractor shall:

a. Solicit, evaluate, award, and manage subcontracts, including overseeing the technical, administrative, and operational activities of subcontractors; audit subcontractor facilities, services, and financial expenditures; and track deliverables and reporting requirements.

b. Assess subcontractor performance and progress toward achievement of defined tasks and responsibilities within established timelines and provide updates in the Monthly Project Status Report.

c. Identify and resolve problems with subcontractor performance.

d. Ensure that subcontractor personnel, equipment and facilities are compliant with regulatory requirements in effect throughout the contract period of performance.

e. Perform all necessary transition and closeout functions on each subcontract.

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3.13 Meetings, Teleconferences, and Location Assignment

a. Contract Initiation Meeting

Within 21 calendar days after the effective date of the contract, the Managing Editor and any other key Contractor staff shall participate in a one-day Contract Initiation Meeting with the CO, COR, Task Leaders, and other NIAAA personnel designated by the Task Leaders. The purpose of the Contract Initiation Meeting shall be to orient the Contractor to NIAAA contract procedures and serve as an introduction to the CO, Task Leaders, COR, and any other relevant NIAAA and NIH staff.

At least five (5) days prior to the meeting, the Contractor shall provide input to the CO for an agenda. The agenda shall include, at a minimum, the following topics/deliverables:

• Points of contact (POCs) for all parties

• Draft Project Management Plan (PMP) and discussion including schedule, tasks, etc.

• Personnel discussion (i.e., roles and responsibilities and lines of communication between the Contractor and the COR, Task Leaders, authors, reviewers)

• Staffing plan and status

• Security discussion and requirements (i.e., building access, badges, GFE)

• Invoicing considerations

• Initial and final transition discussion

• Any concerns or general considerations

The Contractor shall draft and provide meeting minutes documenting the contract initiation meeting discussion, capturing any action items (to be approved by the COR and Task Leaders.

The Contractor shall be responsible for tracking the completion of any action items.

b. Meetings/Teleconferences

i. The Managing Editor shall coordinate and participate in at least two (2) one- (1-) hour meetings/teleconferences scheduled with the Task Leaders each week. The duration and frequency of these meetings shall be determined by the Task Leaders. As directed by the Task Leaders, the Managing Editor shall develop and distribute an agenda prior to each meeting; develop and distribute meeting minutes after each meeting; and track the completion of all action items. The schedule for these meetings will be established by the Task Leaders after contract award.

ii. The Contractor shall plan and conduct meetings/teleconferences with the COR two (2) times a month, or as needed (as determined by the COR), to review any proposals, the status of projects, and discuss any matters relevant to the administration of the contract and future activities. The schedule for this meeting will be established by the COR after contract award.

3.14 Initial and Final Transition

a. Initial Transition

Editorial Manager is the software package currently used to manage journal submissions. The active licensing agreement shall be transferred to the Contractor after award.

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Access to journal-related documentation and SOPs shall be made available to the Contractor after award.

b. Final Transition

The Contractor shall ensure an orderly, secure, and efficient transition of contract-related materials, including, but not limited to, all archived materials related to the journal, all GFE, and any active journal management software licensing agreements, and activities to the successor contractor or to the Government. A description of transition activities, timelines, and assigned staff shall be provided in a Draft and Final Transition Plan, which will be reviewed and approved by the COR and Task Leaders. The Draft Transition Plan shall be submitted two (2) months prior to the completion date of the contract, and the Final Transition Plan (approved by the COR and Task Leaders) shall be submitted one (1) month prior to the completion date of the contract.

3.15 Section 508 and Electronic and Information Technology products or service requirements:

The contract involves the production of reports, transition plans and data modules. Data exported as deliverables shall be accessible by those that use assistive technologies in addition to the reports and transition plans described within the SOW as deliverables. They shall be compliant and in conformance with the Revised Section 508 Standards of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d). Additional information remediating and testing all deliverables and reports including guidance and specific checklists, by application, as well as completion of VPATs for Section 508 compliance and conformance, can be found at HHS Digital Accessibility & Section 508 and "HHS Accessibility Conformance Checklists" in excel or word format. For additional information for completion of appropriate VPAT templates using the ARC tool that need to be completed please refer to ITIC.org VPAT under Resources as Word document For further Information on the standards go to the ICT Accessibility 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines and GSA Section508.gov.