Attachment_1_-_Statement_of_Work_Statement_-_NARIC.pdf

Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW)

RFQ # 140D0421Q0335

NARIC SOW – NIDILRR/ACL 1

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC)

2021 - 2026

Part 1: Introduction

A. Overview

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIDILRR mission is to generate new knowledge and promote its effective use to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities of all ages.

NIDILRR/ACL requires services of a contractor to operate a National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC). The purpose of NARIC is to serve as a library of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information. NARIC collects maintains, and disseminates information related to disability, independent living, and rehabilitation produced by NIDILRR/ACL grantees and other researchers.

The base contract period is for six months, with two 12-month option periods.

B. Legislative authority

The authorization for this procurement is contained in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L 93- 112), as amended, specifically sections 200, 201 and 202 of the Act. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 (P.L. 113-128) amends the Rehabilitation Act and transfers responsibility for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL). WIOA also changed the legal name of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

C. Background information

NARIC has been funded by NIDRR/NIDILRR since 1977 to provide information services to the public. NARIC maintains databases that include 340,504 records (as of 3/22/2021) including publications and their accompanying information records with abstracts, on all aspects of disability and rehabilitation, knowledge base of disability related resources, research tools and

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informational products developed by NIDRR/ACL grantees, and a directory of NIDRR/ACL funded projects.

D. Target users of information services

Target users for NARIC shall include persons with disabilities and their families; international, national, state and local rehabilitation agencies and facilities, both private and public;

administrators and practitioners in agencies serving persons with disabilities; NIDILRR/ACL and other federal agencies; educators of rehabilitation professionals and their students;

researchers; disability organizations and advocates; independent living organizations; and the general public.

E. Materials available for review

Current NARIC materials are available for review at the incumbent contractor’s location, 8201 Corporate Drive, Suite #500, Landover, MD 20785, during normal business hours. NARIC material is also available for review at www.naric.com.

Part 2: Goal and objectives

The goal of this procurement is to continue the operation of NARIC for the purpose of providing information services in disability, independent living, and rehabilitation to anyone who needs such information. Information records include publications, publication citations, abstracts, information materials, electronic media, and others.

NARIC's products and services must be accessible to everyone. The NARIC web site shall be in full compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. '794 d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105 - 220) (information can be found at http://www.section508.gov). NIDILRR/ACL recommends that all potential vendors consider the Web Content Accessibility Guidance (WCAG) 2.0 AA standard when considering designing and developing for accessibility and usability for this and any ACL-related application and web site.

Publications must be available in alternative formats such as large print, compact disc, and Braille, upon requests.

To meet the goal of this procurement, the NARIC contractor shall complete tasks required to address the following five objectives:

1. Conduct project administration, management, and performance reporting

2. Provide information services to target users

3. Operate and maintain NARIC website and databases, and other information technology systems supporting the operation of NARIC

4. Collect disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information and add information records to the databases

5. Promote the use of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information by target users http://www.naric.com/ http://www.section508.gov/Section-508-Of-The-Rehabilitation-Act http://www.section508.gov/

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Part 3: Tasks and deliverables

Objective 1: Conduct Project Administration, Management, and Performance Reporting

The success of the project will require effective planning, coordination, and ongoing project management. In order to ensure that this effort is successfully progressing, the contractor will need to develop key project management materials and maintain regular contact with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) including regular status meetings, submitting monthly progress reports, and making necessary adjustments to the Project Work Plan as needed, in consultation with the COR. The contractor is expected to work very closely with NIDILRR/ACL throughout the period of performance.

Task 1.1: Conduct Transition operation at the beginning of the contract

The NARIC contractor shall receive all materials, both in paper and electronic copies from the existing contractor (contract # GS-06F-0726Z). These materials are currently stored at HeiTech Services, 8201 Corporate Drive, Suite #500, Landover, MD 20785.

The transition period shall begin on the effective date of this contract. The contractor shall inform the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) of any problems it encounters so that the problems can be solved and the smoothest possible transition can be achieved.

NARIC shall be fully operational not later than 30 days after the contract is awarded.

The contractor shall establish linkages with other NIDILRR/ACL funded knowledge translation projects and other information centers relevant to providing research-based disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information per consultation with NIDILRR/ACL.

Task 1.2: Conduct an initial kick-off meeting

Within 10 business days after the contract effective date, the NARIC contractor shall meet in person with the Contract Officer (CO), Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), Contract Specialist (CS), Project Officer (PO), and other relevant ACL personnel including staff from the Office of Acquisition and Personnel and the Office of Information Resources Management.

The kick-off meeting is the first meeting with the project team members to discuss the work that will be completed. This meeting introduces the members of the project team and provides the opportunity to discuss the role of each team member in the contract work. Discussion topics may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Review of contract purpose, objectives, tasks, and deliverables.

• Overview of existing program issues.

• Development of a plan for getting NIDILRR/ACL feedback on contract work and deliverables.

• Development of a project work plan to guide the overall direction of the project.

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• Discussion of the format and timetable for deliverables.

• Review of the project governance strategies and processes.

• Any other questions or issues identified by the contractor and/or NIDILRR/ACL.

The meeting shall be held either virtually (via teleconference or other virtual meeting platforms);

or in person (at 330 C Street, SW, Washington DC, 20201). The date and time will be mutually agreed upon by both parties. The contractor shall provide a written report of this meeting and a schedule of deliverables to the CS and COR within 30 days of the contract effective date.

Deliverable 1.2.1: Kickoff meeting report and a schedule of deliverables

Task 1.3: Develop a Project Work Plan

While a work plan shall be submitted as part of the contractor’s proposal, the Kick-Off Meeting may result in modification or refinement of the plan as the contractor becomes more familiar with NIDILRR/ACL’s needs. The contractor shall manage the work to be accomplished under this contract through a project work plan that is a formal written deliverable, due within 15 business days after the Kick-Off Meeting. A draft of the Project Work Plan is due within 5 business days of the Kick-Off Meeting. NIDILRR/ACL will provide feedback to the contractor on the draft of the Project Work Plan no later than 5 business days after the receipt of the draft Project Work Plan. The contractor shall make appropriate revisions and submit the revised project work plan no later than 5 business days after receiving feedback from NIDILRR/ACL, for review and approval.

The project work plan shall be a refinement of the work plan presented in the contractor’s Technical Proposal that addresses any initial comments or questions arising from NIDILRR/ACL’s initial review of the technical proposal, feedback from the initial kick-off meeting described in Task 1.2, and NIDILRR/ACL review of drafts of the project work plan.

The project work plan shall:

• Clearly delineate the contractor’s approach for maintaining regular contact with the COR;

• Specify contractor responsibilities, including responsibilities for roles and corresponding personnel assignments, and if applicable, subcontractors;

• Establish plans for documenting key project decisions;

• Propose an approach for ensuring adequate NIDILRR/ACL feedback on key project deliverables;

• Propose a work schedule for the project including key project milestones with due dates and deliverables. This may include work breakdown or other specific structures that define the work of this project;

• Propose use of management control systems that facilitate project performance measurement, and quality assurance and improvement against the work breakdown or other structures; and

• Establish performance and service levels, and reporting intervals for specific tasks.

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The contractor may submit the project work plan in a combination of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, and Adobe Portable Document Format documents, as agreed upon by both the contractor and the COR.

The project work plan is a living document that shall be revised as agreed upon by the PO, the contractor, the COR, and the CO.

Deliverable 1.3.1: Project work plan

Task 1.4: Conduct Project Management and Performance Reporting Activities

The contractor shall conduct the project management activities articulated in the project work plan delivered to NIDILRR/ACL in Task 1.3, and maintain regular contact with the COR and other program stakeholders identified by NIDILRR/ACL. This shall include monthly reports on project status, as well as other interim communications as needed to maintain optimal project management and performance. Should a meeting be needed, the Contractor is responsible for preparing a brief agenda to be distributed to the COR at least 1 business day prior to the meeting.

The monthly reports shall include, at a minimum, the following:

• Description of the progress attained, problems that have been resolved or are in need of a solution, and a discussion of the work performed doing the monthly reporting period.

• The number of documents, informational materials, tools, and other resources acquired, screened, and entered into NARIC databases with information on any difficulties in obtaining such information.

• Statistics on web site visits and usage, and user services/technical assistance provided.

• The number of outages of the NARIC website, e-mail services, and/or telephone services, including the duration of each outage, the cause of the outage, and the solution implemented for each outage

• Other mutually agreed upon performance and service levels.

The contractor shall submit a monthly report to the COR and CO within 10 business days of the month following the reported month. The monthly report of month 6 of the contract base period and month 12 of each option year shall become an annual report and shall summarize the activities of the full contract base period and option year respectively.

Under this task, the Contractor is also responsible for making any necessary revisions to the project work plan as needed in consultation with the PO and the COR. NIDILRR/ACL considers this to be an informal deliverable that will be provided to NIDILRR/ACL on an ongoing basis throughout the course of the contract.

All project deliverables shall be provided by the contractor to the COR and CO in a mutually agreed upon electronic format.

Deliverable 1.4.1: Monthly reports

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Task 1.5: Conduct Transition operation at the end of contract

The electronic copies of all NARIC databases and websites, and all other electronic and hard copy materials acquired as part of the NARIC contract, shall be delivered to the new contractor by the end of the contract or to the COR in the case of discontinuation of NARIC. The contractor shall provide necessary information and consultation to the new contractor on the management and operation of such databases upon delivery. The domain name’s ownership of www.NARIC.com shall be transferred to the new contractor promptly at the end of contract.

Task 1.6: Ensure that all projects materials meet accessibility standards

All final electronic materials produced to complete any and all tasks, as specified in the Statement of Work, must be fully accessible in compliance with Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and the HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR). This includes any content, in any format, that will be electronically posted or distributed on NARIC websites, or provided for use via electronic medium. This includes any and all communications materials: reports, documents, charts, graphs, posters, presentations, or video materials.

In the instances of complex graphs and visual images, the essential information should still be available in equivalent alternatives and include all the information available to the sighted users.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) requires federal agencies to purchase information and communication technology (ICT) that meet specific accessibility standards. Therefore, all equipment provided by the contractor for the purpose of completing the tasks must also meet this standard.

Objective 2: Provide information services to target users

NARIC shall be available to provide information services 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM eastern time on all business days of the US Government, unless a request is made to the COR for an exception.

The contractor shall be available to receive and respond to information service requests via telephone and other communication channels during the hours of operation indicated above. The contractor shall make available at least one Spanish-speaking information specialist to provide services to Spanish-speaking users.

The contractor shall work with the COR to establish and maintain a toll-free number to provide free telephone calls to long distance users within 30 days of the contract effective date.

Task 2.1: Provide information services to all users

The contractor shall provide information services on disability, independent living, and rehabilitation topics to the public as requested at no or minimal cost to only cover actual copying cost per page (in case of providing paper copies of publications)—including referrals of users to additional outside resources as appropriate. Inquiries shall be answered by phone, electronic mail, fax, letter, or other available channels, such as social media, as appropriate. The contractor

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shall respond within two working days to information requests requiring a research time of less than 30 minutes. If the request cannot be fulfilled within this time frame because a longer research time is required or for any other reasons, the contractor shall inform the inquirer of the delay and document such a delay in the applicable monthly report.

The contractor shall provide a mechanism for users to download records and documents in NARIC’s collection directly from NARIC web site whenever permissible by copyright agreements. The contractor shall make available to users, at a minimal cost to only cover actual copying cost per page, paper copies of documents in the collection except those for which distribution is not permissible by law.

The contractor shall establish a tracking system for inquiries, and shall keep monthly totals of requests received by types of inquiry, whether the request is for personal or business use and more specific information about the requestor (if it is volunteered by the requester), and mode of request (phone, mail, fax, social media, etc.). The contractor shall include in the monthly report the NARIC web site use statistics that illustrate the volume and level of access to NARIC web site by target users.

Task 2.2: Provide information services to NIDILRR/ACL

Subtask 2.2.1: Provide search and document delivery services to NIDILRR/ACL staff

The contractor shall provide information services to NIDILRR/ACL staff at no cost to information requesters, including searches of the database and document delivery services to as requested. If the requested document is not available in NARIC collection and cannot be obtained at no purchasing cost to the contractor from other sources, NARIC shall obtain the document at a cost and provide to NIDILRR/ACL staff at no cost to document requesters--up to 30 such documents per contract year. The turnaround time for delivery of documents to NIDILRR/ACL staff shall be 2 business days.

Subtask 2.2.2: Provide citation analyses of NIDILRR/ACL grantees’ published peer-reviewed articles

Citations of published work provide a level of evidence for the use and impact of such work in the scientific community. NIDILRR/ACL is interested in understanding the use and impact of NIDILRR/ACL funded work in furthering scientific advancement through citation analyses of NIDILRR/ACL grantees’ published work in various areas.

Using a subscription service to relevant citation databases, the contractor shall perform up to 5 citation analyses in the six-month base contract period, and 5 citation analyses per each option contract year in response to NIDILRR/ACL requests. Examples of analysis grouping are those by funding programs, specific research areas, specific time periods, and others as requested. The analysis reports shall be submitted to the COR within 30 days of the request.

Deliverable 2.2.2.1: Citation analysis reports

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Subtask 2.2.3: Conduct annual follow-up phone calls/emails to previously funded NIDILRR/ACL grantees

NIDILRR/ACL is interested in learning about products/accomplishments generated from NIDILRR/ACL funded projects beyond their funding cycle. While some information can be obtained through NARIC’s current literature search and acquisition, where publications are matched with previously funded projects using acknowledgement of funding on the publications, more complete information is needed to better determine the outputs from, and impact of, NIDILRR/ACL funded work. In addition, there could also be outputs other than those captured through publications that otherwise will be missed if the information is obtained through publications alone. NIDILRR/ACL is interested in collecting such information annually and voluntarily for its previously funded projects for up to three years after the project’s final end date.

The contractor shall conduct the follow-up contacts in the months of October and November of the 6-month base contract period, and each option contract year. The contractor shall submit the follow-up report to the COR by December 31 of the 6-month base contract period, and each option contract year.

The contractor shall collect information from NIDILRR/ACL grantees whose funding cycle ended within 3 years prior to the data collection period of each contract year. The contractor shall contact each former grantee, on a 1-year interval, for 3 years after the project has ended to solicit voluntary information on additional outputs from, and impact of, their NIDILRR/ACL funded work. For projects that the funding has ended, but are in a no-cost extension status, the contact shall be initiated 1 year after the no-cost extension period has ended.

For each year’s cohort, the data collected will come from grantees whose project ended 1, 2, and 3 years before the data collection begins. Please see the table below for specific descriptions of the targeted grantees for each year, beginning with the base contract year and each option year thereafter.

Contract year Target grantees’ project end dates Data collection Base year September 29, 2018 - September 29, October - November 2021

Option year 1 September 29, 2019 - August 31, October - November 2022

Option year 2 September 29, 2020 - August 31, October - November 2023

The contractor shall use the data collection tool developed in the previous contract, with refinement as needed in consultation with the PO, and work with the COR to obtain OMB-approved for data collection .The contractor shall consult with the PO and the COR for any proposed changes to the tool as needed, and work with the COR to obtain any necessary additional approvals from OMB.

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Deliverable 2.3.3.2: Reports on output/impact generated by former NIDILRR/ACL grantees

Objective 3: Operate, maintain, and update the NARIC website, databases, and other information technology systems supporting the operation of NARIC

Task 3.1: Operate and maintain NARIC website, database and other Information technology systems supporting the operation of NARIC

As of the contract effective date, the Contractor shall be responsible for operating and maintaining the current NARIC web site, the databases, and other information technology systems supporting NARIC operation.

These components require an ongoing support to ensure that they remain secure, up-to-date with upgrades, and enable NARIC to provide levels of services that meet its user needs. The contractor shall ensure that the system continues to meet the needs of NARIC users by undertaking the following tasks:

• Ensure all licenses, subscriptions, and maintenance contracts for services, software, and hardware supporting the web site, databases, and systems are current and up-to-date.

• Oversee and monitor the operation of the services, software, and hardware supporting the web site, databases, and systems.

• Ensure that adequate security measures are undertaken to prevent loss of data from the NARIC web site and the databases, and shall establish backup files and other techniques to prevent the loss of data.

• Perform any activities required to ensure that the web site, databases, and systems satisfy

IT security requirements as outlined in Part 4 of this PWS, as well as other emerging requirements as more HHS/ACL IT security policies are put in place in the course of this contract.

The contactor shall continue to provide access in Spanish to the NARIC-generated web site contents and other NARIC-generated information products, with the exception of documents and other materials that, NARIC acquired externally.

Task 3.2: Optimize NARIC website usability through heuristic evaluation, usability testing, and website user input/feedback

Usability refers to the quality of a user's experience when interacting with products or systems, including websites, software, devices, or applications. Usability is about effectiveness, efficiency and the overall satisfaction of the user (details on usability can be found at http://www.usability.gov). To promote usability, any modification/revisions of the NARIC http://www.usability.gov/

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website shall be based on the results of two activities within this objective: heuristic evaluation and usability testing.

In a heuristic evaluation, usability experts review a website’s interface and compare it against accepted usability principles. The analysis results in a list of potential usability issues (https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/heuristic-evaluation.html). Usability testing refers to evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users. Typically, during a test, participants will try to complete typical tasks while observers watch, listen and takes notes. The goal is to identify any usability problems, collect qualitative and quantitative data and determine the participant's satisfaction with the product (https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/usability-testing.html).

The updating of the NARIC web site user interface shall be based on the results of the heuristic evaluation and usability testing procedures as outlined below. The contractor shall use an independent contractor (as a subcontractor of this contract) to perform heuristic evaluation and usability testing.

Subtask 3.2.1 Heuristic evaluation

The independent contractor shall conduct a heuristic evaluation of the existing website using at least 2 evaluators for such evaluation. The website evaluators shall use the research-based web design and usability guidelines (https://www.usability.gov/sites/default/files/documents/guidelines_book.pdf) or other comparable research-based guidelines to guide this effort.

The contractor shall submit an original written report of the heuristic evaluation results and recommendations, as received from the independent contractor, to the COR within 60 days of the contract option year 1 effective date. The evaluation results and recommendations will be reviewed and returned to the contractor within 30 days after receipt. The contractor shall begin to address the recommendations for improving usability within 90 days of the contract option year 1 effective date, and correct all issues identified in the report within 180 days from the contract option year 1 effective date.

Deliverable 3.2.1.1: Heuristic evaluation report

Subtask 3.2.2: Usability testing

After the contractor modifies the NARIC website based on findings from the usability evaluation, the independent contractor shall conduct usability testing using 9 users, representing various user groups of NARIC including users with varying abilities and levels of experience, to further understand the usability issues. The findings shall be used to further improve the NARIC website interface.

The contractor shall submit an original written report of the usability testing results and recommendations, as received from the independent contractor, to the COR within 270 days of the contract option year 1 effective date. The testing results and recommendations will be https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/heuristic-evaluation.html https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/usability-testing.html https://www.usability.gov/sites/default/files/documents/guidelines_book.pdf

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reviewed and returned to the contractor within 30 days of receipt. The contractor shall correct all issues identified in the report by the last date of the contract option year 1.

The contractor shall conduct periodic (at least once per year) assessments of usability of the NARIC website in contract option years 2 to maintain the website’s optimal usability, including usability when accessed through mobile devices. The contractor shall use an independent contractor (as a subcontractor) to conduct such assessments. A variety of methods can be used for this purpose as appropriate. Examples of available methods can be found at https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/index.html.

The contractor shall submit a written plan outlining appropriate and effective approaches for periodic and ongoing assessment of usability during the contract option years 2, as received from the independent contractor to the COR within 60 days of the contract option year 2 effective date. Feedback will be provided within 30 days of receipt. The contractor shall begin the implementation of such plan within 90 days of the contract option year 2 effective date.

Deliverable 3.2.2.1: Usability testing report Deliverable: 3.2.2.2: Plan for periodic assessments of usability of NARIC website.

Subtask 3.2.3: Solicit input/feedback from website users

The contractor shall use a non-intrusive mechanism to solicit input/feedback from the website users on a regular basis. The purpose of this solicitation is two-fold: to identify additional content related to NARIC services and/or additional features on the NARIC web site that will make the users’ experience on the site most meaningful and useful as a revised web site and systems are developed; and to identify features than may post barriers for users to access the information effectively and efficiently. Once developed and approved, the input/feedback mechanism may be modified as needed in consultation with the PO and the COR. The synthesis of users input/feedback and proposed strategies by the contractor to address them shall be included as part of the monthly report for the 6th month of the base contract period, and every 6th and 12th month in each contract option year.

Deliverable 3.2.3.1: A plan outlining nonintrusive mechanism to solicit input/feedback from website users Deliverable 3.2.3.2: A report containing synthesis of user input/feedback and proposed strategies by the contractor to address them

Task 3.3: Ensure that update to the NARIC website, databases, and other information technology systems supporting the operation of NARIC meets Federal and HHS requirements for data rights, information security, and 508 compliance.

ACL adheres to the principles of accessibility and security for all information and technology systems. There are compliance requirements that ACL must meet in order for the any update to the system to be placed in production.

https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/index.html

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Subtask 3.3.1: Develop a Data Rights Plan

The contractor shall work with ACL to develop a data rights plan that meets ACL specifications.

Rights in Data – all data collections as gathered on behalf of the Federal government must adhere to Federal laws for use and dissemination of the data collection as detailed in the Federal Acquisition Regulations - FAR 52.227-14 -https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2027_4.html.

A second part of the plan is the development and submission of the Information Collection Request, required as part of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1974. The Information Collection Request for the new systems will replace the existing Information Collection Requests for

NARIC.

Subtask 3.3.2: Ensure compliance with ACL/HHS IT Security and Privacy requirements

The contractor shall ensure that any updates to the NARIC website, databases, and other information technology systems supporting the operation of NARIC will be in full compliance with ACL and HHS security and privacy requirements as outlined in Part 4 of this PWS.

Subtask 3.3.3: Ensure that the system meets HHS Section 508 compliance standards

The contractor will work with ACL on an ongoing basis to ensure that all products meet specified Section 508 compliance standards. Approval of compliance with the HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA) and HHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Accessibility Testing is a formal deliverable.

Objective 4: Acquire publications and informational products in disability, Independent living, and rehabilitation; and develop, maintain, and update their accompanying information records

The contractor shall establish a systematic, efficient, and cost-effective approach for identifying, screening, and acquiring of materials that would be appropriate to be added as new information record to NARIC databases. The contractor shall continue to use the existing templates for different types of information to add new information records, unless changes/additions are requested by NIDILRR/ACL upon changing needs.

The contractor shall utilize qualified staff who are familiar with and have extensive knowledge about disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research landscape; familiarity with NIDILRR’s grant programs, grantees’ work, and funding mechanisms; and knowledge and experience on indexing and cataloging information based upon acceptable standards in library science. The staff shall also have prior experience in managing and maintaining databases for disability and rehabilitation research literature and other related informational products, including experience on providing technical assistance for literature and informational product searches and retrievals to users.

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Task 4.1: Acquire disability, independent living, and rehabilitation publications and text-based informational product; and develop, maintain, and update their accompanying information records

The contractor shall add a minimum of 1,500 new publications and other text-based informational products to the NARIC’s REHABDATA collection (see https://www.naric.com/?q=node/104) during the 6-month base contract period, and 3,000 of those new publications and other text-based informational products during each contract option year.

The contractor shall identify relevant publications related to disability, independent living, and rehabilitation produced by outside sources through screening and reviewing publication databases, web sites, and other resources for the disability, independent living, and rehabilitation areas. NIDILRR/ACL may request that particular publications in additional areas be added to the collection, or that the format of the collection be altered from its original configuration. The contractor shall make every effort to obtain complimentary copies of publications in order to save purchase costs. The publications may include those authored by NIDILRR/ACL grantees as well as other researchers at large.

The contractor shall directly solicit submission of publications and other text-based informational materials produced under NIDILRR/ACL funded grants and contracts from grantees and contractors on a quarterly basis using contact information available in NARIC’s grant and contract database. In addition, NIDILRR/ACL will provide the contractor with a list of publications and other text-based informational materials as reported by grantees to NIDILRR/ACL through the Annual Performance Report. Publications and other text-based informational materials from grants and contracts include final reports, journal articles, state-of-the-art research reports, scholarly papers, policy briefs, fact sheets, and other text-based information products related to disability, independent living, and rehabilitation.

The contractor shall abstract and index all publications and text-based information products added to the collection, and create appropriate metadata for each item. These items shall be prepared in a form that is compatible with the format now being used by NARIC, unless otherwise instructed by NIDILRR/ACL. Abstracts currently do not exceed 250 words. Each publication and text-based information record shall be indexed using both RAHABDATA and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) terminologies.

The contractor shall process all publications and text-based informational products within 30 calendar days of receipt at NARIC. This includes cataloging, indexing, abstracting, creating metadata, entering the publication/product and accompanying information record into the REHABDATA database, shelving the book or document in the library, and making the documents and text-based informational materials available online (when applicable) for public consumption. The contractor shall update the REHABDATA database daily to ensure that requests for REHABDATA searches are answered with the most recent information on the subject.

https://www.naric.com/?q=node/104

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The contractor shall obtain any necessary permits/releases for duplicating copyrighted materials in the collection and keep such release forms on file as documentation for reproducing documents.

Task 4.2: Acquire video- and audio-based informational products in disability, independent living, and rehabilitation produced by NIDILRR grantees; and develop, maintain, and update their accompanying information records

The contractor shall acquire and maintain video and audio informational products that were produced by NIDILRR/ACL grantees as a part of their NIDILRR/ACL-funded work. The contractor shall create metadata and a brief narrative description of each video and audio informational product, and verify the description accuracy with the grantee before making it available for public use.

The contractor shall solicit submission of the video and audio informational products from NIDILRR/ACL grantees on a quarterly basis at the same time as the solicitation of publications and other text-based information materials conducted in Task 4.1. The contractor shall process the video and audio informational products within 30 days of receipt at NARIC. This includes cataloging, indexing, abstracting, entering into the REHABDATA database, and making available through the NARIC web site for public consumption. The video and audio informational products shall be indexed using both RAHABDATA and ICF terminologies.

The video and audio informational products shall be made available for viewing on publicly available media platform (e.g. YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.) at no cost to users. The contractor shall, as needed, convert the original file format into a format that can be readily displayed on the chosen platform. All audio and video informational products shall be archived as part of the ongoing collection of NIDILRR-funded products.

Task 4.3: Acquire research tools in disability, independent living, and rehabilitation developed by NIDILRR grantees; and develop, maintain, and update their accompanying information records

The contractor shall collect information on research tools developed by NIDILRR/ACL grantees that are available for other grantees and researchers to use in their research. The contractor shall create metadata and a description of each research tool using a format currently used by NARIC (see examples from http://www.naric.com/?q=toolscollection), unless instructed otherwise by NIDILRR/ACL. The tool descriptions and metadata shall be available for viewing on a portion of the NARIC website. The contractor shall verify the description’s accuracy with the original tool developer before posting.

The contractor shall establish effective and efficient methods for updating information in the tool database on a regular basis, collect information on the use of those tools by researchers and other users, and incorporate such information into the monthly report to NIDILRR/ACL (Task 1.3).

http://www.naric.com/?q=toolscollection

NARIC SOW – NIDILRR/ACL 15

Task 4.4: Acquire, maintain, and update information on other resources in disability, independent living and rehabilitation; and accompanying information records

The contractor shall acquire, maintain, and update information about other resources for disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information. These resources differ from the information and records obtained through tasks 4.1 – 4.3. These resources are what information specialists use to further serve users when they may need related disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information that is not currently provided by NARIC. The contractor shall maintain current list of the resources related to disability, independent living, and rehabilitation, including but not limited to, information clearinghouses and resource centers, professional organizations, service organization, other agencies’ databases and information services, and NIDILRR/ACL grantees and contractors’ relevant web sites. Examples of those resources are available at https://naric.com/?q=en/node/27.

Task 4.5: Acquire citations and abstracts of international peer-reviewed publications in disability, independent living, and rehabilitation; and develop, maintain, and update their accompanying information records

The contractor shall add at least 500 new citations and abstracts of international peer-reviewed publications in disability, independent living, and rehabilitation to the REHABDATA database in the 6-month base contract period and 1,000 of new citations and abstracts in each of the contract option years.

An international peer-reviewed publications, for the purpose of this task, are those that meet 3 criteria: Based on a study in disability, independent living, or rehabilitation conducted outside of the United States; is published in languages other than English; and has a publicly available abstract in English.

The contractor shall identify relevant citations through screening and reviewing publication databases, publishers’ website, other web sites, and other sources in the disability, independent living, and rehabilitation areas.

The contractor shall index the citation records, including abstracts, added to the collection and create appropriate metadata for each record. These records shall be prepared in a form that is compatible with the format now being used by NARIC for RAHABDATA records, unless otherwise instructed by NIDILRR/ACL. Abstracts currently do not exceed 250 words.

The contractor shall process the citations within 30 calendar days of receipt at NARIC. This includes cataloging, indexing, abstracting, creating metadata, entering into the REHABDATA database, and making the citation records available online for public consumption. The contractor shall establish a mechanism for ongoing identification of new international rehabilitation research citations to ensure that requests for REHABDATA searches on international rehabilitation research citations are answered with the most recent information on the subject.

https://naric.com/?q=en/node/27

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Task 4.6: Index information records in tasks 4.1 – 4.5 using terms from both NARIC’s REHABDATA thesaurus and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) terminologies

NARIC information records are indexed with both the terms from the REHABDATA thesaurus and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) to enable users to search for documents using terms from either system. The REHABDATA thesaurus reflects accumulated knowledge of and experience in the field of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation, and grounded in terminologies used in published literatures in this area. The REHABDATA thesaurus has been expanded and modified as necessary over the years in response to the changes and addition of terminologies in the field.

The ICF is a classification of health and health-related domains developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). ICF also includes a list of environmental factors. ICF is the WHO framework for measuring health and disability at both individual and population levels, and was officially endorsed by all 191 WHO Member States in the Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly on 22 May 2001(resolution WHA 54.21) as the international standard to describe and measure health and disability. Additional information on the ICF can be found at http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/ and from related page links from this web page.

The contractor shall continue to index all REHABDATA records using terms from both REHABDATA thesaurus and ICF classification. This is so that the users of NARIC can search documents and other informational materials using either REHABDATA or ICF terminologies

Task 4.7: Update REHABDATA thesaurus as needed

The contractor shall expand and modify the thesaurus as necessary in response to an increase in items contained in REHABDATA and new and changing terminologies in the field.

The contractor shall make the REHABDATA thesaurus available on the NARIC website, and also available in other accessible formats (e.g., compact disc, print) upon request. The REHABDATA thesaurus shall be continually updated in real time as new terminologies are added/modified. In addition, the contractor shall provide assistance to requestors in using the REHABDATA thesaurus to search and identify relevant documents and other materials in the REHABDATA databases.

Deliverable 4.7.1: Published REHABDATA thesaurus

Task 4.8: Update the crosswalk between the REHABDATA thesaurus and the ICF terminologies

The contractor shall update the crosswalk between the REHABDATA thesaurus and the ICF terminologies to reflect changes in either the REHABDATA thesaurus or the ICF. The crosswalk shall be updated yearly and published on the NARIC website. The most up-to-date edition, with the changes highlighted, shall be submitted to the COR by the last day of 6-month base contract period, and the last day of each contract option year.

http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/

NARIC SOW – NIDILRR/ACL 17

Deliverable 4.8.1: Published crosswalk between the REHABDATA thesaurus and the ICF terminologies

Objective 5: Promote the use of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information and resources produced by NIDILRR grantees

The contractor shall undertake outreach efforts to make NARIC known to NIDILRR/ACL target audiences and the general public as an information center for disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information. The contractor shall increase a public awareness that NARIC is a primary source of information on past and present NIDILRR/ACL's funded projects and on the informational products of NIDILRR/ACL funded research; and that NARIC is also a major resource for disability, independent living, and rehabilitation-related information from other sources in addition to information resulted from NIDILRR/ACL funded work.

Task 5.1: Conduct a need assessment on information needs of the target users

In the contract option years 1, the contractor shall develop a proposal to conduct a need assessment of information needs of the target users of NARIC, with the overall purpose of using the findings to incrementally increase the use of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information provided by NARIC.

The contractor shall focus on conducting a need assessment of relevant target users (see Part 1, D. Target users) on contract option year 1, with no more than 9 users participating in the need assessment..

The need assessment plan must include, but not limited to, the following components:

• Clearly stated goals and objectives of the need assessment;

• Participant recruitment methods, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and sample size;

• Need assessment methodology;

• Specific assessment questions relevant to the goals and objectives;

• Data analysis plan; and

• Projection of how the results will be used to increase the use of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information provided by NARIC

The contractor shall submit a draft need assessment plan to NIDILRR/ACL within 120 days of the contract option year 1 start date for initial review. NIDILRR/ACL will provide feedback to the draft within 30 days of receipt. The contractor shall submit the final plan to NIDILLRR/ACL within the 180 days of the contract option year 1 start date, and conduct the need assessment upon receiving NIDILRR/ACL approval.

The contractor shall submit a draft report of the need assessment findings within 300 days of the contract option year 1 start date for initial review. Based on the findings, the report shall include recommendations of possible actions that NARIC can take to better meet the needs of its target users. NIDILRR/ACL will provide feedback to the draft within 30 days of receipt. The

NARIC SOW – NIDILRR/ACL 18

contractor shall submit the final plan to NIDILLRR/ACL within 360 days of the contract option year 1 start date, and be prepared to implement the approved actions within 60 days of the contract option year 2 start date.

Deliverable 5.1.1: A need assessment plan Deliverable 5.1.2: A report on the need assessment results

Task 5.2: Develop and implement yearly public education, outreach, and networking plans.

The contractor shall develop yearly innovative, efficient, and cost-effective public education, outreach, and networking plans describing activities to increase public awareness of NARIC services and NIDILRR-funded work. This plan shall include methods and approaches to determine the plan’s effectiveness in achieving the goals, as well as periodic measurable, objective indicators to continually evaluate the success of the plan (e.g. growth of the number of visitors to the NARIC web site for that year, growth in social media followers and other use statistics, etc.). The scope and implementation of public education, outreach, and networking shall be compatible with other outreach activities planned by NIDILRR/ACL.

The contractor shall continue to utilize social media to enhance the outreach activities.

The contractor shall establish and maintain a professional network with other dissemination professionals within disability, independent living, and rehabilitation organizations at-large to enhance NARIC’s effectiveness in disseminating disability, independent living, and rehabilitation information.

The contractor shall submit a public education, outreach, and networking plan within 30 days, and shall implement the plan within 45 days, of the contract…