RFQ_Work_Form.doc

HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-RFQ-2016-165

TABLE OF CONTENT

Standard Form 18, Request for Quotation

PART I – INSTRUCTIONS

Article 1 – General

Article 2 – Quote Submission

Article 3 – Requests for Clarification

Article 4 – Socio-economic Set-Aside

Article 5 – Price Reductions

Article 6 – Evaluation of Quotes and Award Determination

Article 7 – Physical, Functional, or Performance Specifications

Article 8 – Delivery Period / Period of Performance

Article 9 – Price Quote

Article 10 – Technical Approach / Plan

Article 11 – Past Performance

Article 12 – Quote Packaging and Delivery Instructions

PART II – SCOPE OR WORK / STATEMENT OF WORK

Purchase Description or Scope of Work – Statement of Work

PART III – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

Contact Points Key Personnel

Invoice Instructions

Option Provisions

PART IV – ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS

Information and Physical Access Security

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility, HHSAR 352.239-73(b)

Access to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Electronic Mail

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment 1: Invoice Instructions

Attachment 2: Terms and Conditions

PART I – INSTRUCTIONS

ARTICLE 1 – General

This request for quote is issued in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

This request for quote does not commit the Government to pay any cost incurred in the submission of quotes or make necessary studies or designs for the preparation thereof, nor to procure or contract for the articles or services. It is also brought to your attention that the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition. Any other commitment, either explicit or implied, is invalid.

In addition to the clauses/provision of this request for quote, the resultant purchase order shall include any clauses/provisions required by Public Law, Executive Order, or acquisition regulations, in effect at the time of execution of the award.

Responses’ to this RFQ are not to be considered an offer that can be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The actual purchase order award is considered the offer by the Government to the contractor and the contractor's written acceptance of the purchase order, or the commencement of performance under the purchase order, is the contractor's indication of their acceptance of the offer.

THE GOVERNMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE AN AWARD WITHOUT FURTHER DISCUSSIONS OF THE QUOTES RECEIVED. THEREFORE, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE QUOTE IS INITIALLY SUBMITTED ON THE MOST FAVORABLE TERMS FROM BOTH THE TECHNICAL AND COST STANDPOINTS.

All communications must be directed to the attention of the Contract Specialist / Contracting Officer.

All documents and deliverables described in this RFQ and amendments or modifications, shall be submitted in a professional manner and on the prime contractor's letterhead.

ARTICLE 2 - Quote Submission

1. Responses to this RFQ are due on February 19, 2016 at 8:00AM Eastern Standard Time (EST), under solicitation number HHS-NIH-NIDA-SSSA-2016-165.

2. The email subject line must include the RFQ Number, the Title and the Offerors’s name.

3. The proposal must be in submitted in the format as described in Part II – Proposal Submission Instructions, Paragraph B – Proposal Format.

4. The proposals must be signed by an authorized signatory authority of the offeror.

5. The Offeror submit with their proposal the following:

· Cost-Price Quote, inclusive of all costs, which shall include but is not limited to, unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs for deliverables.

· Any other information or factors that provide clear and convincing evidence of the interested parties’ bona-fide capabilities of providing the service, meeting EACH of the requirements set forth in this solicitation or factors that may be considered in the award decision.

· Technical Specifications or Technical Plan that illustrates how the work will be completed and how the quotation meets each of the requirements of this solicitation.

· Redacted Invoice (which is an edited version of an invoice issued within 12 months of this solicitation, that shows the details of similar or identical services/items) and/or Published Price Listing or other information to determine price reasonableness

· Dun and Bradstreet Number (DUNS); and

· Verification of System for Award Management (SAM) Registration www.sam.gov.

6. Late Proposal Provisions

a. Any proposal, modification, or revision that is received at the designated Government office after the exact date and time specified for receipt of proposals is “late” and will not be considered. Proposals received “late” will not be evaluated or considered for award and will be returned to the offeror.

b. Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the proposal wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

c. If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that proposals cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of proposals by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation closing date, the time specified for receipt of proposals will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume.

ARTICLE 3 - Requests for Clarification

1. Requests for clarification may be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer, not later than February 15, 2016.

2. When submitting requests for clarification, contractors must cite the relevant section, paragraph, and page number. Questions should be written in a way that enables clear understanding of the contractors’ issues or concerns. Statements expressing opinions, sentiments, or conjectures are not considered valid inquiries and will not be provided a response. Further, contractors are reminded that the Contract Specialist will not address hypothetical questions aimed at receiving a potential “evaluation decision.”

3. Offerors may submit no more than five (5) questions for clarification.

4. Responses will not disclose proprietary information of the offeror.

5. Requests to extend the proposal due date will not be granted.

ARTICLE 4 - Socio-Economic Small Business Set-Aside Program

1. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541511—Custom Computer Programming Services and the size standard is $25.5 Million.

2. This requirement is not a socio-economic small business set-aside.

ARTICLE 5 - Price Reductions

Vendors are expected to propose pricing that is fair and reasonable and should consider offering prices which are guided by the complexity, scope and estimated value of the requirement.

ARTICLE 6 - Evaluation of Quotes and Award Determination

1. The Government will evaluate all responses received using the evaluation criteria set forth in the article titled: “Evaluation Criteria.”

2. Each quote will be evaluated in strict conformity with the evaluation factors, utilizing point scores and written critiques. The evaluation will be based upon the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective contractor in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFQ.

3. The price quoted will also be evaluated taking into consideration any price reductions, the level of effort and the mix of labor proposed to perform the work under this contract. A price reasonable determination will be made and a best value analysis will be performed. The best value analysis will take into consideration the results of the technical evaluation, price evaluation, and the ability to complete the work within the Government's required schedule. The analysis will document that the award represents the lowest overall cost alternative (considering price, special features, administrative costs, etc.) to meet the Government’s needs. The Government reserves the right to issue an order to the best advantage of the Government, technical merit, price, and other factors considered.

4. All aspects of a quote are subject to discussion, including price, technical approach and terms and conditions. At the completion of discussions, the contractor will ensure his technical plan and price quote reflects the mutual understandings of the requirement and if requested, submit a revised technical plan and price quote to the Contracting Officer. The technical plan should consist of the contractor’s intent and approach to this particular effort, any considerations that should be made by the government, as well as any additional information that expresses the Contractor’s position above others for this effort.

5. The Government may request clarifying information from the schedule contractor, as it relates to its quote.

6. If an award will be made without conducting discussions, schedule contractors may be given the opportunity to clarify certain aspects of their quote (e.g., the relevance of the schedule contract, the contractor's past performance information, and adverse past performance information to which the schedule contractor has not previously had an opportunity to respond) or to resolve minor or clerical errors.

7. The Government reserves the right to make a single award, multiple awards, or no award at all as a result of the RFQ. In addition, the RFQ may be amended or canceled as necessary to meet the Government’s requirements.

ARTICLE 7 - Evaluation Criteria

1. Mandatory Qualifications Criteria

There are no mandatory qualifications criteria applicable to this requirement.

2. Evaluation Factors

a. The major evaluation factors for this solicitation include technical capability, experience, and past performance factors, and cost/price factors. Although technical factors are of paramount consideration in the award, cost/price is also important to the overall contract award decision. All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. The Government intends to make an award(s) to that offeror whose proposal provides the best overall value to the Government.

b. The evaluation will be based on the demonstrated capabilities of the Prospective Contractors in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the solicitation. The merits of each proposal will be evaluated carefully. Each proposal must document the feasibility of successful implementation of the requirements of the solicitation. Offerors must submit information sufficient to evaluate their proposals based on the detailed factors listed below.

(1) Technical Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation factors are used by the technical evaluation panel when reviewing the technical proposals. The factors below are listed in the order of relative importance with weights assigned for evaluation purposes. Sub-factors are considered to be of equal importance.

Criterion

Number

Possible

The proposal demonstrates the offeror’s ability to manage the requirements expressed in the scope of work. The timely delivery of quality services or products is thoroughly demonstrated, evidence of specific methods and techniques for completing the work including as quality assurance, and customer-service.

The technical approach provides a clear, logical plan for organizing the work. The methods, techniques, and processes are applied to the NIA environment in a manner consistent with the scope, scale, and risk profile of the NIA program. The proposed approach reflects a clear understanding of work required including creativity and thoroughness shown in understanding the objectives of the SOW and the planned execution of the contract. The time frames proposed for performing the work is realistic.

The proposal demonstrates an understanding of and expertise in the applicability of the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the methods to be applied to ensure compliance including intranet sites and custom software developed in the performance of the contract as applicable.

At a minimum the key personnel must have a Doctor of Philosophy degree in an area relevant to image processing and must possess at least 5 years’ experience, including postdoctoral training, in the field of biomedical image processing.

In depth knowledge of active contour (snakes, level-sets) and atlas-based segmentation for identification and quantification of anatomical structure in MRI and CT imaging. Research experience with watershed-based analysis and graph optimization techniques for region merging based on minimum and maximum techniques (for example, spanning trees, optimization by division of equivalent classes).

Experience in development, validation and testing of image segmentation, identification and quantification of soft and hard tissues, i.e. muscle, subcutaneous, intermuscular, visceral adipose tissue, cortical and trabecular bone in abdominal CT, thigh MRI and CT and lower leg CT and pQCT imaging data in a clinical setting. More specifically, experience in analysis of big data sets for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of aging.

Working knowledge of pattern recognition and machine learning techniques, with emphasis on clustering using k-means, fuzzy c-means and expectation–maximization techniques, non-parametric density estimation using kernels (mountain clustering),, linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction, genetic algorithm optimization and supervised machine learning techniques (SVM and related methods).

Publication record in the above areas that supports technical knowledge and experience.

Strong programming skills in Matlab, Java with JNI interface, template C++ with ITK, and python with ITK and VTK bindings in both Windows and Linux environments. Experience in development of standalone and plug-in software tools (MIPAV, 3D-slicer, ImageJ) for image segmentation and quantification.

Experience applying the knowledge and skills described herein to human aging research is preferred but not required.

The proposal describes the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned for direct work on this contract. The personnel plan provides information that shows the composition of the work or work group, specifying the direct technical supervisors and key technical personnel, and the approximate percentage of the total time all personnel will devote to this contract.

The proposal included resumes for the personnel proposed that demonstrated the currency, quality, and knowledge, depth of experience, the appropriate certifications and the applicability of that experience.

In addition to a resume, the proposal included letters of commitment for all key personnel that specifies the expertise they will provide; their availability; and the amount of time anticipated.

ARTICLE 8 - Period of Performance

1. Base Period:

May 1, 2016 through April 30, 2017

Option Period One:

May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018

Option Period Two:

May 1, 2018 through April 30, 2019

2. Location where the work is to be performed is the contractor’s location.

ARTICLE 9 – Cost/Price Proposal Instructions

1. Instructions

a. The cost-price proposal is submitted separately from the technical proposal and shall be submitted as specified in the ‘Cost-price Proposal’ format as specified in the statement of work for each year / partial year of the period of performance, including a summary of the costs for the entire period of performance.

b. The cost-price proposal shall indicate the proposed labor categories, the number of labor hours (see item 6. below) the fixed hourly rate, the total amount, and authorized other direct costs, if applicable, for each year/partial year of the period of performance.

c. The cost-price proposal should contain all information necessary to allow for a comprehensive evaluation of the prices including an accompanying narrative that fully describes all assumptions made by the contractor.

d. The cost-price proposal should contain sufficient information to determine the reasonableness of services proposed and to evaluate whether the proposed costs-prices are consistent with the technical proposal.

e. Full-Time Equivalent Labor Estimates. The Government considers one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) employee as equaling 1,920 direct labor hours. The 1,920 hours are based on the most common direct work year of 2,080 hours less 80 hours for vacation, 40 hours for sick leave, and 40 hours for paid holidays. The contractor is expected to propose the 1,920 for one FTE, since vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are factored as an overhead expense in a contractor’s the fixed hourly rate. The federal government is not open for services to be performed or deliveries accepted on Saturdays, Sundays or the ten (10) Federal legal holidays, therefore, the contractor shall not schedule its employees to work on those days.

f. The estimates are for information purposes only and are not to be considered restrictive for proposal purposes. The estimates were formulated by government staff based on prior experience and historical data.

LABOR HOUR ESTIMATES

g. The cost-price proposal must list all other direct costs associated with a specific labor category in the performance of the work order, i.e., travel, transportation, and training. The other direct cost category shall not include consultants, office supplies, equipment, and travel to the Government’s work site. A complete explanation detailing the rationale for each item of other direct costs must be included in the proposal. In addition, the rationale should be sufficient enough to determine that the other direct costs are fair and reasonable.

h. No property or equipment shall be purchased under this work order. Requests for purchasing of property or equipment must be submitted to the COR, for their review and, if approved, the items may be purchased through CONTRACTING OFFICE established purchasing mechanisms.

i. The requirement contains option provisions and period(s) pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (July 1990). The Government will evaluate offers, for award purposes, by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement, except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government's best interests. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

2. Price Quote Format

a. The price quote proposal must be in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word or PDF format. There are no pages limits for the cost-price proposal. The pages must be sequentially numbered (e.g., 1 of 10, 2 of 10, 3 of 10, etc.,) and must contain a header or footer to include the name of the Offeror and the work order number. The cost-price proposal must be submitted for each year / partial year of the period of performance, including a summary of the costs for the entire period of performance.

b. The price-quote must be in the below format.

PRICE QUOTE

Other Direct Costs (List all other costs not otherwise included in the direct labor category (e.g., materials & supplies, telephone & communications costs, special tooling, travel, training, equipment, computer and consulting services, and provide basis for pricing.)

Categories

Total Amount

ARTICLE 10 - Technical Approach / Plan

1. Instructions

a. The technical proposal is the most important item in the evaluation of the Offerors’ capability to perform the desired services. Therefore, the proposal must present sufficient information to reflect a thorough understanding of the work requirements and a detailed technical approach for achieving project objectives as set forth in the Statement of Work (SOW).

b. The technical proposal may NOT contain any references to cost-price. However, resource information, such as data concerning proposed other direct costs, must be contained in the technical proposal so that your understanding of the scope of work may be evaluated.

c. Assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the terms and conditions of this RFQ must be noted. If not noted, the Government will assume that no assumptions, conditions, or exceptions are made and the Offeror agrees to comply with all of the terms and conditions as set forth in the RFQ.

d. A detailed work plan must be submitted indicating how each aspect of the statement of work is to be accomplished. Your technical approach should be in as much detail as you consider necessary to fully explain your proposed technical approach or method. The technical plan should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical plan must include information on how the project is to be organized, staffed, and managed. Information should be provided which will demonstrate your understanding and management of important events or works.

e. Plans which merely state that the work will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Government's scope of work will not be eligible for further consideration. The schedule contractor must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with the works to be performed in achieving the project objectives.

f. The technical plan shall include:

(1) Resumes of all professional individuals proposed for the contract. Resumes should be no longer than 2 pages in length

(2) Project Management Summary.

(3) Technical Approach of how the work will be performed.

(4) An outline of quality control procedures

(5) A milestones and time lines for the project, indicating the estimated period of performance for each work.

(6) Facilities and /or resources used.

2. Technical Plan Format The suggested outline for the technical plan is as follows:

a. Work Scope

b. Objectives. State the overall objectives and the specific accomplishments you hope to achieve. Indicate the rationale for your plan, and relationship to comparable work in progress elsewhere. Review pertinent work already published which is relevant to this project and your proposed approach. This should support the scope of the project as you perceive it.

c. Approach. Discuss the possible or probable outcome of approaches proposed.

d. Methods. Describe in detail the methodologies you will use for the project, indicating your level of experience with each, areas of anticipated difficulties, and any unusual expenses you anticipate.

e. Schedule. Provide a schedule for completion of the work and delivery of items specified in the statement of work. Performance or delivery schedules shall be indicated for phases or segments, as applicable, as well as for the overall program. Schedules shall be shown in terms of calendar months from the date of authorization to proceed or, where applicable, from the date of a stated event, as for example, receipt of a required approval by the Contracting Officer. Unless the request for quotes indicates that the stipulated schedules are mandatory, they shall be treated as desired or recommended schedules. In this event, Plans based upon the schedule contractor's best alternative schedule, involving no overtime, extra shift or other premium, will be accepted for consideration.

f. Personnel. Describe the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned for direct work on this project. Information is required which will show the composition of the work group, its general qualifications, and recent experience with similar equipment or programs.

g. The Offeror must submit its technical proposal in Microsoft Word or PDF format in a font size of 11 or 12 point and font type of Arial or Times Romans. Margins must be 1-inch wide (top, bottom, left, and right). The technical proposal must not exceed 25 pages in length and the pages must be sequentially numbered regardless of the section or part (e.g., 1 of 25, 2 of 25, 3 of 25, etc.,) and must contain a header or footer to include the name of the Offeror and the work order number. Pages in excess of the specified page limit will not be considered or evaluated. Resumes must not exceed 3 pages in length and are not counted in the page limit.

h. In accordance with FAR Part 52.204–4: Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer Fiber Content Paper, the originals and copies of the proposal must be produced double-sided and on at least 30% postconsumer fiber papers. In accordance with Section 101 of Executive Order 13101 dated September 14, 1998, Greening the Government through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition, the Contractor is encouraged to submit paper documents, such as offers, letters, or reports, that are printed or copied double-sided on recycled paper that meet minimum content standards specified in Section 505 of Executive Order 13101, when not using electronic commerce methods to submit information or data to the Government.

i. The proposal must include a statement to the effect that the offer is firm for a period of at least thirty (30) days from the date of receipt by the Government.

ARTICLE 11 – Past Performance An evaluation of schedule contractors’ past performance information will be documented prior to any communications with the schedule contractor. However, a past performance evaluation will not be conducted on any schedule contractor whose quote is not eligible for further consideration.

The evaluation will be based on information obtained from references provided by the schedule contractor, other relevant past performance information obtained from other sources known to the Government, and any information supplied by the schedule contractor concerning problems encountered on the identified contracts and corrective action taken.

The government will assess the relative risks associated with each schedule contractor. Performance risks are those associated with a schedule contractor’s likelihood of success in performing the acquisition requirements as indicated by that schedule contractor’s record of past performance.

The assessment of performance risk is not intended to be a product of a mechanical or mathematical analysis of a schedule contractor’s performance on a list of contracts but rather the product of a subjective judgment by the Government after it considers relevant information.

When assessing performance risks, the Government will focus on the past performance of the schedule contractor as it relates to all acquisition requirements, such as the schedule contractor’s record of performing according to specifications, including standards of good workmanship; the schedule contractor’s record of controlling and forecasting costs; the schedule contractor’s adherence to contract schedules, including the administrative aspects of performance; the schedule contractor’s reputation for reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; and generally, the schedule contractor’s business-like concern for the interest of the customer.

The Government will consider the currency and relevance of the information, sources of the information, context of the data, and general trends in the schedule contractor’s performance.

The lack of a relevant performance record may result in an unknown performance risk assessment, which will neither be used to the advantage nor disadvantage of the schedule contractor.

The schedule contractors shall submit the following information as part of their technical plan.

A list of the last three (3) delivery or work orders and / or contracts completed during the past three (3), years and the last three (3) delivery or work orders and / or contracts awarded currently in process that are similar in nature to the RFQ’s work scope. Delivery or work orders and / or contracts listed may include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments and commercial concerns. Schedule contractors that are newly formed entities without prior delivery or work orders and / or contracts should list contracts and subcontracts as required above for all key personnel.

Include the following information for each delivery or work orders and / or contracts or subcontracts:

1.

Name of Contracting Organization;

2.

Contract Number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number);

3.

Contract Type;

4.

Total Contract Value;

5.

Description of Requirement;

6.

Contracting Officer's Name and Telephone Number;

7.

Program Manager's Name and Telephone Number; and

8.

North American Industry Classification System(NAICS) Code

The schedule contractor may provide information on problems encountered on the identified contracts and the schedule contractor's corrective actions.

Each schedule contractor will be evaluated on its performance under existing and prior contracts for similar products or services. The Government is not required to contact all references provided by the schedule contractor. Also, references other than those identified by the schedule contractor may be contacted by the Government to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation of the schedule contractor's past performance.

PART II – SCOPE OF WORK / STATEMENT OF WORK

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Title of Project: Image Processing of Muscle and Fat in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging

2. Background Information:

NIA, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads the federal government in conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The Institute seeks to understand the nature of aging and the aging process, and diseases and conditions associated with growing older, in order to extend the healthy, active years of life.

In 1974, Congress granted authority to form NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people. Subsequent amendments to this legislation designated NIA as the primary Federal agency on Alzheimer’s disease research.

NIA's mission is to: (1) Support and conduct genetic, biological, clinical, behavioral, social, and economic research on aging; (2) Foster the development of research and clinician scientists in aging;(3) Provide research resources; and (4) Disseminate information about aging and advances in research to the public, health care professionals, and the scientific community, among a variety of audiences.

NIA sponsors research on aging through extramural and intramural programs. The extramural program funds research and training at universities, hospitals, medical centers, and other public and private organizations nationwide. The intramural program conducts basic and clinical research in Baltimore, MD, and on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.

The Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) is a continuous enrollment longitudinal study of volunteers across a wide age range. The study has been active for over 50 years and has been collecting clinical, physiologic, imaging and bio-specimen data on over 3,000 individuals. BLSA desired to refine and revise its imaging processing programs for muscle and fat from MRI and CT scan data of the abdomen, thigh and calf.

3. Purpose or Objective of the Requirement: The contractor shall develop, refine and revise programs for long term operability in support of BLSA need for quantitative metrics derived from image processing of muscle and fat from MRI and CT scan data of the abdomen, thigh and calf.

4. Period of Performance:

Base Period:

May 1, 2016 through April 30, 2017 Option Period One:

May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018 Option Period Two:

May 1, 2018 through April 30, 2019

B. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS (SCOPE OF WORK)

1. The contractor will review current software programs for extracting data on muscle and fat volume and quality from CT and MRI images of the abdomen, thigh and calf. Specifically, the program must partition tissue in the abdomen, thigh and calf into regions of lean mass and fat and estimate density of discrete muscle groups. These findings must result in quantitative estimates that can be downloaded into spreadsheets.

2. The contractor will propose to BLSA leadership modifications or replacement of current programs that improve the quality of the data and reduce processing time, with timelines, specifications and cost estimates.

3. After approval, the contractor will implement revisions or new programs to yield quantitative metrics from the target images.

4. Based on evaluations of the reliability, validity and efficiency of the programs when applied to BLSA data, the contractor will further revise and refine the programs.

5. The contractor is anticipated to invest no more than 400 hours per year to meet this initial scope of work.

C. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. BLSA will provide information on current imaging protocols and processing programs.

2. BLSA will review and approve the initial recommendations, provide results of the application of the initial revised program to the images.

D. DELIVERY OR DELIVERABLES

After receiving BLSA materials and interviewing BLSA team members, the contractor will provide a written summary of potential strategies to replace, revise and/or refine the image processing programs, along with a timeline and plan for evaluation of the quality, validity and efficiency of the programs.

1. After approval from BLSA leadership, the contractor will initiate proposed programs as pilot projects over less than one year.

2. After testing the revised programs on BLSA imaging data, the contractor will work with BLSA leadership to plan any further refinements.

3. The contractor is anticipated to invest no more than 400 hours over the year on this scope of work.

E.

TRAVEL

The principal place of performance is the contractor’s business address. Reimbursable travel and per diem will be provided for an initial visit to BLSA to become familiar with its operations, current IT structures and systems and BLSA leadership goals.

F.

CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS – KEY PERSONNEL

1. The software programmer is considered "Key Personnel" in support of this initiative which may be a single individual with the expertise and experience described herein. The individual may recruit an assistant to participate in preparing software programs and testing them.

2. The proposed key personnel will become subject to the provisions of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) Clause HHSAR 352.242-70 KEY PERSONNEL, HHSAR 352.242-70 (January 2006)

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

b. The following individual(s) is/are considered to be essential to the work being performed hereunder:

3. Education:

A minimum of a PhD in an area relevant to image processing.

Experience:

1. At least 5 years’ experience, including postdoctoral training, in the field of biomedical image processing.

2. In depth knowledge of active contour (snakes, level-sets) and atlas-based segmentation for identification and quantification of anatomical structure in MRI and CT imaging. Research experience with watershed-based analysis and graph optimization techniques for region merging based on minimax techniques (for example, spanning trees, optimization by division of equivalent classes).

3. Experience in development, validation and testing of image segmentation, identification and quantification of soft and hard tissues, ie muscle, subcutaneous, intermuscular, visceral adipose tissue, cortical and trabecular bone in abdominal CT, thigh MRI and CT and lower leg CT and pQCT imaging data in a clinical setting. More specifically, experience in analysis of big data sets for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of aging.

4. Working knowledge of pattern recognition and machine learning techniques, with emphasis on clustering using k-means, fuzzy c-means and expectation–maximization techniques, non-parametric density estimation using kernels (mountain clustering),, linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction, genetic algorithm optimization and supervised machine learning techniques (SVM and related methods).

5. Publication record in the above areas that supports technical knowledge and experience.

6. Strong programming skills in Matlab, Java with JNI interface, template C++ with ITK, and python with ITK and VTK bindings in both Windows and Linux environments. Experience in development of standalone and plug-in software tools (MIPAV, 3D-slicer, ImageJ) for image segmentation and quantification.

Preferred Skills:

Experience applying the knowledge and skills described above to human aging research.

G.

CONTRACT MONITORING

1.

Contractor will provide BLSA leadership with a monthly report to include a) review of existing software programs, b) edits and revisions to programs, c) activities related to data processing accuracy and efficiency and d) activities related to data quality with a focus on estimates of muscle volume and density of specific muscle groups in the abdomen, thigh and calf, as well as fat volume in these areas.

4. By the beginning of month 4 of the contract, BLSA leadership will receive from the contractor a written summary of potential strategies to replace, revise and/or refine the image processing programs, along with a timeline and plan for evaluation of the quality, validity and efficiency of the programs.

5. Thereafter, monthly reports will review how agreed upon revisions and updates to the program have affected processing efficiency and data quality.

4.

BLSA leadership will review and approve these reports and provide guidance to the contractor regarding priorities for further work.

H. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS:

Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall satisfy all requirements for appropriate security eligibility as specified in NIH guidelines for IT personnel in dealing with access to sensitive information and information systems belonging to or being used on behalf of the NIH.

I.

DATA RIGHTS

No data rights are anticipated to be relevant to this contract.

J.

SECTION 508 – ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS

The contractor shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998.

PART III – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

1.

Contact Points

a. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) / Project Officer (PO):

(1) The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will represent the Government for the purpose of this contract:

(2) The COR is responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor's technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance.

(3) If designated, the alternate COR is responsible for carrying out the duties of the COR only in the event that the COR can no longer perform his/her duties as assigned.

(4) The Contracting Officer delegates the COR as the Contracting Officer's authorized representative responsible for signing software license agreements if issued as a result of this contract.

(5) The Government may unilaterally change the COR designation.

(6) The contractor’s primary contact after award will be with the COR/PO, who will provide information, clarifications to the requirement, and answer questions. All correspondence, letters, reports, and other deliverables will be submitted to the COR/PO for acceptance

b. Contracting Officer The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government. Only the CO has authority to: (1) direct or negotiate any changes; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor any costs incurred during the performance; or (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of the award. The Contracting Officer is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government under this contract.

c. Contracting Specialist The contract specialist acts as the representative of the contracting officer.

2. Key Personnel, HHSAR 352.242-70 (January 2006)

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

(End of Clause)

3. Invoice Instructions

The invoice instructions are included in the award document.

4. Option Provisions

a. 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (July 1990) Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate quotes for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (End of provision)

b. Unless the Government exercises its option pursuant to the Option Clause set forth herein, the contract will consist only of the Base Period of the Statement of Work as defined herein.

c. Pursuant to clause 52.217-9 set forth below, the Government may, by unilateral contract modification, require the Contractor to perform additional options set forth in the Statement of Work and also defined herein. If the Government exercises this option, notice must be given at least 60 days prior to the expiration date of this contract, and the price of the contract will be increased as set forth in the OPTION PRICES] Article in PRICE AND COST SECTION of this contract.

d.

52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed three years. (End of clause)

PART IV – ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS

1. Security Requirements:

Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall satisfy all requirements for appropriate security eligibility as specified in the solicitation, in dealing with access to sensitive information and information systems belonging to or being used on behalf of the NIA. To satisfy those requirements, a level 5 Risk Background Investigation shall be conducted prior to performing work under this contract. Appropriate background investigation forms will be provided upon contract award and are to be completed and returned to NIA within 30 days for processing. Contractors will be notified when the investigation has been completed and adjudicated.

All costs associated with obtaining clearances for contractor-provided personnel will be the responsibility of the contractor. Further, the contractor will be responsible for the actions of all individuals provided to work under this contract. If damages arise from work performed by contractor-provided personnel under the auspices of this contract, the contractor will be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident.

This acquisition requires the Contractor to;

· develop, have the ability to access, or host and/or maintain Federal information and/or Federal information system(s).

· access, or use, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), including instances of remote access to or physical removal of such information beyond agency premises or control.

The Contractor and all subcontractors performing under this acquisition shall comply with the following requirements:

· HHS-Controlled Facilities and Information Systems Security

· Standard for Security Configurations, HHSAR 352.239-70

· Standard for Encryption language, HHSAR 352.239-71

· Security Requirements for Federal Information Technology Resources, HHSAR 352.239-72

· Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems (FIPS 199 Assessment)

· Information Security Training

· Personnel Security Responsibilities

A. INFORMATION TYPE

Administrative, Management and Support Information

[ x ] Mission Based Information:

Research and Development Information

Scientific and Technological Research and Innovation

B. SECURITY CATEGORIES AND LEVELS (SCL):

Confidentiality:

[x] Low

[ ] Moderate

[ ] High

Integrity:

[ ] Low

[x] Moderate

Availability:

[x] Low

[ ] Moderate

Overall:

[ ] Low

[x] Moderate [ ] High The Contractor shall submit a roster by name, position, e-mail address, phone number and responsibility, of all staff (including subcontractor staff) working under this acquisition where the Contractor will develop, have the ability to access, or host and/or maintain a federal information system(s). The roster shall be submitted to the Project Officer, with a copy to the Contracting Officer, within 14 calendar days of the effective date of this contract. Any revisions to the roster as a result of staffing changes shall be submitted within 15 calendar days of the change. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor of the appropriate level of investigation required for each staff member. An electronic template, "Roster of Employees Requiring Suitability Investigations," is available for contractor use at https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Documents/SuitabilityRoster_10-15-12.xlsx

All contractor and subcontractor employees shall comply with the conditions established for their designated position sensitivity level prior to performing any work under this contract.

Contractors may begin work after the fingerprint check has been completed.

C. POSITION SENSITIVITY DESIGNATIONS (PSD):

The following position sensitivity designations and associated clearance and investigation requirements apply under this contract:

Level 6: Public Trust - High Risk (Requires Suitability Determination with a BI). Contractor employees assigned to a Level 6 position are subject to a Background Investigation (BI).

Level 5: Public Trust - Moderate Risk (Requires Suitability Determination with MBI or LBI). Contractor employees assigned to a Level 5 position with no previous investigation and approval shall undergo a Minimum Background Investigation (MBI), or a Limited Background Investigation (LBI).

Level 1: Non Sensitive (Requires Suitability Determination with an NACI). Contractor employees assigned to a Level 1 position are subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry Investigation (NACI).

D. PROSPECTIVE OFFEROR NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

[x] Offerors WILL NOT require access to sensitive information in order to prepare an offer.

Offerors WILL require access to sensitive information in order to prepare an offer.

INFORMATION SECURITY AND PHYSICAL ACCESS REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Contractor shall submit the following reports as required by the INFORMATION AND PHYSICAL ACCESS SECURITY Article in SECTION H of this contract. Note: Each report listed below includes a reference to the appropriate subparagraph of this article.

2. Reporting of New and Departing Employees

The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and Contracting Officer within five working days of staffing changes for positions that require suitability determinations as follows:

a. New Employees who have or will have access to HHS Information systems or data: Provide the name, position title, e-mail address, and phone number of the new employee. Provide the name, position title and suitability level held by the former incumbent.