IHS-SS-23-1474094.docx

Sources Sought: Alzheimer’s Communication Opportunity Sources Sought Number: IHS-SS-23-1474094 This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, an obligation or commitment by the Indian Health Service.

This notice is intended strictly for market research to determine the availability of Indian Small Businesses Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) or Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE).

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. The anticipated applicable NAICS code for this acquisition is 611691 Exam Preparation and Tutoring. Other relevant NAICS codes will be considered based on responses received.

A. Background/Purpose Objectives:

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Office of Clinical and Preventive Services, is the principal health care provider and health advocate for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children. Over 550,000 AI/AN children are served at federal and tribal hospitals/clinics, including urban Indian programs in 41 metropolitan centers. AI/AN children are disproportionately experience major health disparities, live in poverty, and more than twice as likely to be uninsured (Center for Children and Families, 2019). Recent data indicates that they are more likely to suffer from violence, unintentional injuries, Sudden Infant Death (SIDS), and mental health issues (Center for Children and Families, 2019). AI/AN continue to face educational challenges. When compared to the national average, AI/AN are more likely to be behind in 4th grade reading and more likely to drop out of school (Kids Count Data Book, 2019).

The purpose of this acquisition is to establish a contract with the Reach out and Read (ROR) program to implement a clinic-based early child literacy program. The contractor will provide site-based training for providers to implement the intervention, provide technical assistance to the Indian Health Service/Tribal/Urban (I/T/U) health care sites, and quality improvement for I/T/U health care facilities serving children and their families to promote literacy.

The contractor shall provide the personnel and services to perform the below tasks.

Task 1: Kickoff Meeting.

1.1. Schedule Conference Call with Contracting Officer Representative at month 1 of contract. The contractor shall contact COR by phone to go over the Scope of Work and to develop a work plan.

Task 2: Prepare List of current and new proposed sites

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Task 3: Develop a schedule for technical assistance site visits and conference calls.

Task 4: Assess book needs and determine quantity.

4.1. Contractor will purchase books that includes AI/AN themes for distribution to the clinics.

Task 5: Evaluate current sites program quality.

5. 1. Contractor will develop and implement evaluation plan to assess the program process, impact and outcome measures that may include surveys, observation, site visit, and ease of implementation from participating sites.

Task 6: Provide a written midyear report of findings and accomplishments.

V. Schedule of Deliverables The contractor shall:

Task 1. Kickoff Meeting.

1.1. Schedule Conference Call with Contracting Officer Representative at month 1 of contract.

Task 2. Prepare List of current and new proposed sites

Task 3. Develop a schedule for technical assistance site visits and conference calls.

Task 4. Assess book needs and determine quantity.

4.1. Contractor will assess the book needs of current and new sites to determine quantity for distribution each calendar year.

Task 5. Provide a written midyear report of findings and accomplishments.

5.1. Contractor will submit a written mid-year report to the COR and MCH Consultant in February. The annual report will be submitted to the Contract Officer Representative and MCH Consultant in August 2024, August 2025, and August 2026.

VI. Section 508 Compliance Not applicable.

VII. Disabled Support Services The Contractor shall arrange support services to preserve any disabled attendee’s comfort and opportunity to attend and receive the information presented at the virtual summit. Disabled support services shall be available for the duration of the meeting.

X. Data Rights The government has unlimited rights to all the documents and materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials collected or produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor.

XI. Special Requirements (e.g. site selection, special knowledge, sub-contractors, etc.)

Select tribal, urban and IHS sites that serve American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.

B. Period of Performance

a. TBD

C. Capability Statement/Information:

Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize itself with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm’s own risk. The following information shall be included in the capability statement:

1. A general overview of the respondent’s opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts.

2. Information in sufficient detail of the respondent’s (a) current capability and capacity to provide deliverable; (b) proof of license ownership or distribution; (c) any relatable experience and past performance; and (d) examples of prior completed Government contracts and other related information.

3. The respondents’ DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) Pursuant to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services, or comparable NAICS.

4. Any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requirements of the potential acquisition.

5. The capability statement shall not exceed 3 single-sided page (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper size, and 1 inch top, bottom, left and right margins.

6. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by IHS personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

D. Closing Statement

Point of Contact: Natalie Phillips, Contract Specialist at Natalie.Phillips@IHS.gov or Valerie Heart Broker, Contracting Officer at Valerie.HeartBroker@ihs.gov . Must include Sources Sought Number IHS-SS-23-1474094 in the Subject Line. The due date for receipt of statements is July 5, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.

This notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as obligation on the part of IHS.

IHS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, IHS may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ).

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against IHS shall arise as a result of a response to this notice or IHS’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.