RFP_No._NIHOD201800027_Office_of_Portfolio_Analysis_(OPA).pdf

RFP No. NIHOD201800027

Section B – Supplies or Services and Price/Costs

Article B.1. Brief Description of Supplies or Services

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for portfolio analysis services for NIH, prepared in accordance to FAR Subpart 12.6. This is a full and open competitive acquisition set aside for small businesses. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-95.

This Request for Proposal (RFP) No. NIHOD2018000027, is for multiple services including consultations, training in the use of portfolio analysis tools, and software development.

Article B.2. Option Prices

a. Unless the Government exercises its option pursuant to the option clause referenced in

Article H. Special Contract Requirements, this contract consists only of the Base Period specified in the Statement of Work as defined in Sections C and F, for the price set forth in Article B.3. Pricing Schedule, Base Year of this contract.

b. Pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-9 set forth in Article H. Special Contract Requirements of this contract, the Government may, by unilateral contract modification, require the Contractor to perform the Option Period(s) specified in the Statement of Work as defined in SECTIONS C and F of this contract. If the Government exercises this/these option(s), notice must be given before the expiration date of the contract. Specific information regarding the time frame for this notice is set forth in the Option Provision Article in SECTION H of this contract. The fixed price of this contract will be increased as set forth in Option Years 1 in Article B.3. Pricing Schedule.

Article B.3. Pricing Schedule

Basic Year: TBD through TBD

[specific dates to be completed at time of award]

Item

Description

Maximum Estimated

Qty.

Unit Price

Total Price

Scientific Analyst (four persons) 8000

Program Manager (one person) 2000

Data Scientist (two person) 4000

Training Director 9one person) 2000

Statistician (one person) 2000

Software Developer (four persons) 8000

Scientific/Database Development (three persons)

Base Year Estimated Total

Option Year 1: TBD through TBD

[specific dates to be completed at time of award]

Item

Description

Maximum Estimated

Qty.

Unit Price

Total Price

Scientific Analyst (four persons) 8000

Program Manager (one person) 2000

Data Scientist (two person) 4000

Training Director 9one person) 2000

Statistician (one person) 2000

Software Developer (four persons) 8000

Scientific/Database Development (three persons)

Base Year Estimated Total

ESTIMATED TOTAL BASE + ONE OPTION YEAR $__________________

Section C – Description/Specifications/Work Statement

Article C.1. Statement of Work

Introduction/Overview

The purpose of this acquisition is to acquire professional and subject matter expertise services to assist Office of Portfolio Analysis (OPA) and potentially other Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) offices in all subject areas related to portfolio analysis.

BACKGROUND

As part of the NIH Reform Act of 2006, NIH established the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) within the Office of the Director (OD). The Division’s mission includes:

● Identifying emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, and scientific knowledge gaps that merit further research.

● Developing and applying resources (databases, analytic tools, and methodologies) and producing specifications for new resources in support of portfolio analyses and priority setting in scientific areas across NIH.

● Assisting the NIH to address areas of emerging scientific opportunities and public health challenges effectively.

● Planning, supporting, and providing technical assistance in the development of program evaluations comprising:

○ NIH-wide program and project evaluations

○ Planning and reporting required by the Government Performance and Results Act

(GPRA) and other government-wide performance efforts.

The Division also coordinates research and activities related to research on AIDS, behavioral and social sciences, women's health, disease prevention, dietary supplements, and research infrastructure, as well as supporting cross-cutting, trans-NIH programs that require participation by at least two NIH Institutes or Centers (ICs) or would otherwise benefit from strategic planning and coordination. More recently, the Division also began coordinating trans-NIH efforts in sexual and gender minority health research and tribal health research.

The Office of Portfolio Analysis (OPA) was established within DPCPSI in 2011 to provide NIH staff with multiple services, including consultations, training in the use of portfolio analysis tools, and software development. Additional information about OPA can be found at http://dpcpsi.nih.gov/opa/index.

SCOPE

OPA anticipates the need for a broad spectrum of support to fulfill its mission and programs.

Support includes, but is not limited to the following areas:

• Tactical and strategic planning efforts for tool and process enhancements, which may include but are not limited to evaluating methods, tools and materials currently in use at

NIH, developing needs assessments and business requirements, and developing new software and training materials.

• Software development activities may involve creating, modifying, and using technology to assist with automated content analysis, biomedical natural language processing, high-volume text and data mining, large-scale search and information retrieval, supervised and unsupervised machine learning, as well as data visualization, statistical modeling, and simulation, among other tasks.

• Planning, development and implementation of training programs, to include classroom as well as virtual training, which provide NIH staff with the knowledge and skills to use computational tools for analyzing and evaluating the NIH research portfolio, among other activities.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to acquire research, analysis, bioinformatics, and other specialized expertise services to assist DPCPSI in all subject areas related to portfolio analysis. The professional services will include, but are not limited to: planning, analysis, engineering, design, development, documentation, implementation, and operation and maintenance support for projects in all stages of their life cycle. The work requirements also include activities related to project management, administration, technical research and analysis, system documentation, database administration, end-user training, curriculum development, and operational support for specific information system applications, among other activities.

TASKS

The contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform task assignments at the direction of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). Tasks performed may include:

TASK AREA 1 - PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

http://dpcpsi.nih.gov/opa/index

The contractor shall provide a certified program manager to be the principal point of contact for activities under this SOW. The contract's program manager will receive direction from the COR and then delegate assignments, as necessary. For each assigned task, the contractor shall provide appropriately qualified staff to provide program management, budget control and reporting, as required. It is the contractor's responsibility solely to manage, monitor and report progress on all task assignments under this SOW. This task is largely to fulfill business functions of the company related to the contract.

Program management activities shall also include staff direction, quality assurance and quarterly program reviews. The contractor shall be knowledgeable about and provide the technical and functional activities necessary for the management of this SOW and resulting task assignments. The program manager is also responsible and accountable for the data quality control and data validation plan. The plan must contain SOPs, policies, and processes for assessing data quality and validating that data are correct, complete, accurate, and available at all times.

On a monthly basis, the contractor shall provide the COR with a brief written summary of all activities, their status, and expected activities for the upcoming month. The Monthly Project Status Report shall include a list of all task assignments performed the previous month, open issues and recommended solutions, risks and constraints that have emerged, and plans for the next reporting period.

TASK AREA 2 - SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

Scientific research and analysis work may include but is not limited to applying computational linguistic, biological, and statistical expertise to the qualitative and quantitative scientific analysis of NIH and other scientific program portfolios. Such involves considerable exposure to NIH-internal data schemes, tables, and queries, and a deep understanding of existing OPA-specific tools and processes for linking, deduplicating, normalizing, encoding, and searching NIH funded and unfunded grant data, as well as interpreting the scientific content with respect to the qualified personnel’s biomedical and scientific expertise.

The work may also involve analyses from data collections within the NIH and outside of the NIH.

This task will involve the collection, organization, analysis, preparation, processing, and reporting of large volumes of scientific information, as well as conducting primary research to generate data or validate data already collected and/or published, while supporting knowledge exchange with other entities for effective use of scientific portfolio analysis resources, among other tasks.

The contractor shall also actively participate in activities such as tactical and strategic planning efforts for tool and process enhancements and collaborate with staff in support of efforts to develop research proposals and strategies for implementing and disseminating research results as well as developing and writing articles and communicating findings through conference presentations, scientific publications, and project reports.

TASK AREA 3 - CONTENT ANALYSIS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

This task involves designing and implementing quantitative approaches to large-scale biomedical content analysis, including but not limited to the application of statistical natural language processing techniques to scientific literature, next-generation representation of semantic content, vector-based representation of the content of NIH grants, developing and implementing efficient concept extraction and entity recognition software, and the integration of such techniques and approaches with content analysis tools currently in use at NIH such as IN- SPIRETM, Java, and Python-based clustering and classification scripts, among other software tools.

Efforts also require the use of content analysis tools such as IN-SPIRETM to convert documents into the mathematical vectors used in clustering algorithms with NIH-internal data. The contractor will be expected to work within data systems such as the NIH IMPACII data environment including table structure, SQL queries, and data processes; retrieving and parsing individual parts of NIH grant applications such as abstract, specific aims, public health relevance, summary statement; substantial expertise with batch PDF-to-text conversion, character encoding, name disambiguation, data linking and deduplication; and comprehensive experience with NIH systems such as QVR, RCDC, SPIRES, clinicaltrials.gov, RePORTER and ExPORTER.

The contractor will also perform tasks such as downloading and parsing patent data files, clinical trials data files, grants from non-NIH agencies, and publications as well as linking these external records to NIH projects and publications using automated text mining techniques.

Examples of relevant text mining experience include extracting NIH project numbers from free text patent fields and accounting for variation in how project numbers are written as well as extracting and structuring citation information from patent data files and linking these citations to internal NIH citation databases, among other tasks.

TASK AREA 4 - BIOMEDICAL DATA LINKING

The contractor shall perform large-scale structured and unstructured biomedical data linking, including but not limited to automated techniques for name disambiguation, entity resolution, PI matching, organization deduplication, content similarity, as well as cross-data source record matching. The contractor shall demonstrate expertise in high-priority needs in biomedical data linking such as machine learning-based approaches to name disambiguation, parsing unstructured full-text documents, citation resolution, and integration of NIH data sources with external data sources relevant to applied biomedical outcomes including but not limited to clinical trials, guidelines, patents, and regulatory approvals of drugs and medical devices. This work may also involve linking patents, news releases, publications, and clinical trials to NIH grants through text mining or data mining techniques. Work may also involve PI matching and entity resolution among other tasks determined by the program manager.

TASK AREA 5 - TRAINING AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The contractor shall provide support education, training, and outreach activities, including but not limited to the design, development, and delivery of instructor-led training programs. This work may also require generating in-house training materials and instructor guides for blended-learning solutions such as web-based training, and execution of new technologies to enhance the training curricula, including but not limited to e-learning, among other tasks. These classes include, but are not limited to training in the use of IN-SPIRETM, Sci2, Guess, and Cytoscape, as well as Camtasia, Eventbrite, and Drupal among other relevant software packages.

TASK AREA 6 - SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT/ANALYSIS

The contractor shall write IMPACII SQL queries and extract, process, clean and export IMPACII data into formats such as CSV and other formats suitable for processing by existing data processing routines, including but not limited to OPA-specific Python scripts. Examples of relevant IMPACII queries include calculating funding amount, extracted text, summary statements, and grant images among other queries.

The contractor shall use Python and/or Java scripts and programs for retrieving and analyzing NIH and other scientific content from PostgreSQL, MongoDB, IMPACII, and Solr. In addition, contractors shall install, query, and modify MongoDB schemas as well as experience link document-oriented database(s) such as MongoDB to IMPACII, among other skills. The contractor shall demonstrate expertise in deployment and management of web services on cloud servers such as Amazon Web Services GovCloud.

TASK AREA 7 – GLOBAL DATA DELIVERY & CITATION DATABASE

The contractor shall maintain an NIH-focused citation matching system that addresses current problems with access to and dissemination of citation data. The Contract also requires providing NIH with data, updated monthly, as described herein. The system will comprise two main components and data:

1. A citation database, which

a) pairs PubMed/MEDLINE content with citation data from CrossRef, PubMed

Central, European PubMed Central, and other citation data sources

b) identifies Direct Object Identifiers (“DOIs”) with PubMed ID’s (“PMIDs”) for the references in CrossRef, and

2. An easily understandable user interface designed to support use by non-technical NIH personnel and potentially other users across the research community.

3. Data, as described below, including global data (biomedical research awards made by other federal, private sector, and international sources, and patents associated with those awards).

DELIVERABLES

SOW TASK

AREA

DELIVERABLE TITLE #CALENDAR DAYS AFTER TO AWARD

1 Task Order Management Plan

Draft - 15, Final - 30

1 Detailed Time Report and Monthly Status Report

Monthly to accompany invoice, on 10th calendar day

1 Data Plan Based on approved PM or COR Schedule

2 Research/Analysis Report (As Required)

Based on approved PM or COR Schedule

5 Training Materials (As Required)

Based on approved PM or COR Schedule

6 Software Code and Scripts (As Required)

Based on approved PM or COR Schedule

Description of the System Data: The primary citation data within the system will come from CrossRef (http://www.crossref.org/), “an association of scholarly publishers that develops shared http://www.crossref.org/ infrastructure to support more effective scholarly communications. [Their] citation-linking network today covers over 67 million journal articles and other content items (books chapters, data, theses, technical reports) from thousands of scholarly and professional publishers around the globe.” CrossRef data provided by the contractor shall include:

• Information collected and regularly updated from CrossRef Member Publishers, such as title, journal information, publication type, and list of citations, and

• Digital identifiers, which point to the location of articles stored online by participating

CrossRef members.

Secondary data sources include PubMed Central, Medline, Entrez, and unstructured scientific full-text documents. All data are to be housed either at NIH or at a location specified by NIH.

Contractor will develop and deliver to NIH for use and dissemination without restriction algorithms, source code, database schemas, installation instructions, and the instructions for compiling and executing the source needed to:

• Access CrossRef data files

• Parse CrossRef data files

• Map PubMed Ids to CrossRef document identifiers

• Integrate secondary data sources with CrossRef data

• Derive citation counts from the CrossRef data

• Derive additional citation metrics as defined by OPA from the CrossRef data

• Populate database tables

NIH will own all of the PubMed/MEDLINE to CrossRef mapping data generated by contractor, and this mapping data will be delivered to NIH as one of the deliverables of this contract. The database will physically store in-house (not link out to a virtual repository) citation data from a minimum of two sources, e.g., CrossRef, their affiliates and libraries, and the mapping data created by contractor. NIH will have exclusive rights to the data under FAR clause 52.227-17 Rights in Data—Special Works.

In addition to citation data, the development plans for the citation matching system also include making it interoperable with patent data provided by NIH from sources such as iEdison, USPTO, or commercial entities in a format(s) provided by OPA. The architecture and approach for interoperability for patent data, and other data sets, will be vetted with OPA staff and leadership as part of the project plan.

The date range for the data from the sources will be all available historic data. No data contain PII or other commercially sensitive information. NIH’s receipt of future data beyond the termination of this contract will be contingent upon a future agreement procuring the additional data.

Database and Interface: The database will integrate with an internal DPCPSI system via a standard programming API.

Database will be scalable to include future data updates (not replacing existing data but supplementing), patent data, clinical guidelines, clinical trials, FDA approvals, and possibly other sources of data.

Use of Database and Data After Contract Expiry: Independent of and not governed by this SOW, NIH intends to make the database, interface, and all raw data widely available within the NIH free of further fees, licensing, or use restrictions. NIH also intends to make the database, interface, and raw citation data available to the public. In order to support these outcomes, contractor will ensure that all algorithms, software, software dependencies, and data mappings created by this project will be delivered under an open source license and available at no additional cost throughout the NIH community, via OPA. Additionally, both OPA and contractor agree to make all algorithms, software, software dependencies, and data mappings open source beyond NIH (in accordance with PubMed and cost-free CrossRef license agreements) so that the software and data mapping could be shared by NIH externally.

DELIVERABLES/DELIVERY SCHEDULE

Deliverables under this requirement will vary extensively, and the due dates for deliverable will also vary considerably. The COR will specify the deliverable needed and timeframe (quarterly or as requirements arise), as well as other requirements such as those involving confidentiality or security. Deliverables include but are not necessarily limited to:

• Data quality and validation plan updates

• Requirements documentation

• All source code

• Data procured by NIH and data exchange formats, data structure, definitions, etc

• Raw data

• Training materials and support information

• Database and documentation

• Quarterly progress reports

• Patent data incorporation

• Test plans

• Results of load tests

• Installation instructions

Data delivered by the Contractor shall meet the COR’s specifications on data format and structure, coverage, quality, and time of deliverables. Unless otherwise specified by the COR, the delivered data shall cover 99% of NIH benchmark dataset, less than 0.1% of missing rate, and less than 0.1% of mis-matched records (i.e. association of invention with grants or investigators).

If the deliverable is not acceptable to NIH, the Contractor has up to 30 business days to make corrections and re-deliver the data in OPA specified format and structure, coverage, and quality.

Remediation is performed at the expense of the contractor. Correcting latent defects is also the sole responsibility of the Contractor. Additional information on specific deliverables is below:

Key Personnel

Program Manager (1 position required, 3 optional)

The program manager shall have 5+ years’ experience in managing federal contracts involving specialized expertise in research, analysis, bioinformatics, and other expertise required by the SOW. The individual must have professional certifications that permit the individual to perform data quality and data validation work. Relevant credentials include but are not limited to PMI, PMP, PMP-ACP, CSM among others.

Training Director (0.5 position required, 0.5 optional)

The contractor shall provide qualified and experienced personnel with a PhD or other degree(s) determined necessary by the COR in molecular cell biology, bioinformatics, mathematics, computational logistics, or related fields with 5+ years training experience. This individual will support education, training, and outreach activities, including but not limited to the design, development, and delivery of instructor-led training programs. The contractor shall further have 5+ years’ experience of developing and delivering portfolio analysis training classes for the government. Classes involve training in the use of IN-SPIRETM, Sci2, Guess, and Cytoscape, as well as blended learning materials including, but not limited to, Camtasia, WordPress, WP Courseware, and Event Espresso among other relevant software packages.

Researcher/Analyst – varied expertise required (6 positions required, 9 optional)

The contractor shall provide scientists having a 5+ years' experience in a similar field as well as a PhD or other degree(s) in fields such as molecular cell biology, bioinformatics, mathematics, statistics, computational linguistics, or other areas of research determined by the COR.

Depending on the work, researchers/analysts may be required to have broad scientific expertise including, but not limited to, basic biological, translational, and clinical research.

Researchers/analysts shall also have experience with scientific communication and organizational skills including but not limited to technical writing, protocol documentation, scientific project management, teaching, and data visualization.

As requested by the COR, several researchers/analysts positions may be required to have additional demonstrated experience working with international research data sets and agencies such as Wellcome Trust, among other data sets within and outside of the Federal Government.

The contractor shall propose researchers/analysts with 5+ years of experience working directly with automated content analysis of biomedical scientific documents. Relevant experience, including but is not limited to, artificial intelligence, machine learning, information retrieval, data mining, biomedical natural language processing, and clustering and classification algorithms and packages such as LibSVM, IN-SPIRETM, OpenNLP, Python NLTK, Word2Vec, deep learning, and OpenNLP Maximum Entropy modeling, among other technologies.

Furthermore, the contractor shall have working experience with data cleaning and a demonstrated understanding of how data quality impacts data analysis. Expertise may require determining stopword lists, automatic detection and correction of character encoding issues, and automatic determination of non-content textual portions of NIH grant applications, among other data cleaning tasks.

Statistician (1 position required, 1 position optional)

Statisticians must hold a PhD or other terminal degree(s) in mathematics or statistics together with a minimum of 7 years’ experience in carrying out statistical analyses to perform a variety of quantitative analysis activities involved in the collection, organization, and analysis of large volumes of scientific content. The statistician shall have detailed working knowledge of and demonstrated prior experience working with large data systems, as well as demonstrated experience applying statistical software packages such as SAS and SPSS to provide analysis and interpretations.

Computational Linguist (1 position required, 1 optional)

This position shall be occupied with a PhD or other degree(s) determined necessary by the COR in computational linguistics or related fields who have comprehensive experience designing and implementing quantitative approaches to large-scale biomedical content analysis, including but not limited to the application of statistical natural language processing techniques to scientific literature, next-generation representation of semantic content, vector-based representation of the content. The computation linguist must have 10+ years’ experience in developing and implementing efficient concept extraction and entity recognition software, and the integration of such techniques and approaches with content analysis tools currently in use at NIH such as IN-SPIRETM and R-based clustering and classification scripts, among other software tools.

Software Developer/Data Analyst – varied expertise required (7 positions required, 7 optional)

Unless otherwise specified by the COR, the contractor shall have 5+ years of experience in, M.S. degree in computer science or related field, and demonstrated knowledge of various software development platforms, systems and technologies including, but not limited to: Java, Python, R, Perl, C/C++, HTML, XML, JSON, SQL command and in-line programming, JavaScript, JSP, SVN, Bootstrap, Eclipse, web services, MongoDB, and Lucene/Solr.

The contractor shall also provide developers with knowledge and experience with producing scripts, tools, and software appropriate for structured and unstructured data content analysis. In addition, contractors shall provide qualified personnel with demonstrated experience producing, testing and documenting software tools and scripts suitable for use by NIH staff, including but not limited to Python and/or Java scripts and programs for retrieving and analyzing NIH and other scientific content from document-oriented databases such as Solr and MongoDB for content analysis. In addition, the contractor shall have demonstrated experience producing web-based search applications, including Solr-based search and drill-down web applications among other software applications. Web frameworks include but are not limited to Flask and Pyramid as well as Python application deployment using Docker, Ubuntu, nginx, and PostgreSQL among other technologies.

It is required that developers/analysts have exposure to NIH data systems such as the IMPACII data environment including table structure for both IMPPRD and IRDPRD; SQL queries, and data processes; and comprehensive experience with NIH systems such as iSearch, QVR, RCDC, SPIRES, clinicaltrials.gov, RePORTER, and ExPORTER. The contractor shall be able to write IMPACII SQL queries and extracting, processing, cleaning and exporting IMPACII data into formats such as CSV and other formats suitable for processing by existing OPA data processing routines, including but not limited to OPA-specific Python scripts. Examples of relevant IMPACII queries include calculating funding amount, extracted text, summary statements, and grant images among other queries.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Work will be performed onsite in the Office of Portfolio Analysis, DPCPSI, Office of the Director, currently located in Building 2 on the NIH campus. Telework may be approved by the COR.

Government Furnished Equipment

In addition to providing a standard office set up (phone, computer, monitor(s), printer access), the government may elect to provide laptops for off-site use to access NIH data systems. All other equipment for the performance of the work shall be provided by the contractor.

Special Clauses and Other Information

Rights in Data

For all data, algorithms, and other deliverables created by the contractor, NIH will have exclusive rights to the data under FAR clause 52.227-17 Rights in Data—Special Works.

Use of Database and Data After Contract Expiry

Independent of and not governed by this SOW, NIH intends to make the database, interface, and all raw data widely available within or outside the NIH or others Federal Government agencies free of further fees, licensing, or use restrictions. NIH also intends to make the database, interface, and raw citation data available to the public. In order to support these outcomes, contractor will ensure that all algorithms, software, software dependencies, and data mappings created by this project will be delivered under an open source license and available at no additional cost throughout the NIH community, via OPA. Additionally, both OPA and contractor agree to make all algorithms, software, software dependencies, and data mappings open source beyond NIH (in accordance with PubMed and cost-free CrossRef license agreements) so that the software and data mapping could be shared by NIH externally.

Section D - Marking and Shipping

Article D.1. Packaging, Marking and Shipping

All deliverables required under this contract shall be packaged, marked and shipped in accordance with Government specifications. At a minimum, all deliverables shall be marked with the contract number and Contractor name. The Contractor shall guarantee that all required materials shall be delivered in immediate usable and acceptable condition.

Section E - Inspection and Acceptance

Article E.1. Inspection and Acceptance

a. The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will perform inspection and acceptance of materialsand services to be provided.

b. For the purpose of this SECTION, TBD is the authorized representative of the

Contracting Officer.

c. Inspection and acceptance will be performed at:

National Institutes of Health Office of Portfolio Analysis

Acceptance may be presumed unless otherwise indicated in writing by the Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative within 30 days of receipt.

The Government reserves the right to an Inspection period of 30 calendar days unless a different time period is stated when (the Record of Call/elsewhere in the contract). The receiving report, completed and signed by the appropriate official, constitutes acceptance and shall be acknowledged to the payment office (OFM).

d. This contract incorporates the following clause by reference, with the same force and effect as if it were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make its full text available.

FAR Clause 52.246-6, Inspection Time-and Material and Labor Hour (May 2001).

Alternate I (April 1984) is applicable to this contract.

Section F - Deliveries or Performance

Article F.1. Period of Performance

a. The period of performance of this contract shall be from TBA through TBA .

b. If the Government exercises its option(s) pursuant to the OPTION PROVISION Article in Section H of this contract, the period of performance will be increased as listed below:

Option Period Year

Option Year 1

Section G - Contract Administration Data

Article G. 1. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

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

[To be Determined upon Award]

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.

[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.]

The Contracting Officer is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government under this contract. Only the Contracting Officer has authority to: (1) direct or negotiate any changes in the statement of work; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor for any costs incurred during the performance of this contract; (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of this contract; or (6) sign written licensing agreements. Any signed agreement shall be incorporated by reference in Section K of the contract

The Government may unilaterally change its COR designation.

Article G.2. Key Personnel - HHSAR 352.237-75 (December 2015)

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 CO 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 CO. The Government may modify the contract to add or delete key personnel at the request of the Contractor or Government.

(End of Clause)

The following individuals are considered to be essential to the work being performed hereunder:

Name Title

[To be specified at time of award] Program Manager

[To be specified at time of award] Training Director

[To be specified at time of award] Researcher/Analyst

[To be specified at time of award] Statistician

[To be specified at time of award] Computational Linguist

[To be specified at time of award] Software Developer/Data Analyst

Article G.3. Invoice Submission

1. Payment requests shall be submitted to the offices identified below. Do not submit supporting documentation (e.g., receipts, time sheets, vendor invoices, etc.) with your payment request unless specified elsewhere in the contract or requested by the

CO.

a. The original invoice shall be submitted to the following designated billing office:

National Institutes of Health Office of Financial Management Commercial Accounts 2115 East Jefferson Street, Room 4B-432, MSC 8500 Bethesda, MD 20892-8500

b. One copy of the invoice shall be submitted to the CO and COR at the following addresses:

Contract Specialist Team 1

Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations Office of Acquisitions

E-mail:

The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of the payment request to the approving official instead of a paper copy. The payment request shall be transmitted as an attachment via e-mail to the address listed above in one of the following formats: MSWord, MS Excel, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Only one payment request shall be submitted per e-mail and the subject line of the e-mail shall include the Contractor's name, contract number, and unique invoice number. [Note: The original payment request must still be submitted in hard copy and mailed to the designated billing office to meet the requirements of a "proper invoice."]

c. COR’s address [To be determined at time of award]

Article G.4. Post Award Evaluation of Contractor Performance

a. Contractor Performance Evaluations

Interim and Final evaluations of Contractor performance will be prepared on this contract in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.15. The Final performance evaluation will be prepared at the time of completion of work. In addition to the Final evaluation, Interim evaluation(s) shall be submitted to coincide with the anniversary dates of the contract.

Interim and Final evaluations will be provided to the Contractor as soon as practicable after completion of the evaluation. The Contractor will be permitted thirty days to review the document and to submit additional information or a rebutting statement. If agreement cannot be reached between the parties, the matter will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting Officer, whose decision will be final.

Copies of the evaluations, Contractor responses, and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used to support future award decisions.

b. Electronic Access to Contractor Performance Evaluations

Contractors may access evaluations through a secure Web site for review and comment at the following address:

http://www.cpars.gov

Section H - Special Contract Requirements

Article H.1. Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (FAR 52.217-9) (Mar 2000)

a. The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 15 days of contract expiration; provided that the Government shall give 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 provision.

c. The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this http://www.cpars.gov/ clause shall not exceed two (2) years.

Article H.2. Option to Extend Services (FAR 52.217-8) (Nov 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor before the contract expiration date.

Article H.3. Option Provision

Unless the Government exercises its option pursuant to the Option Clause set forth in Article H.1., the contract will consist only of the Base Period of the Statement of Work as defined in Article C.1. of the contract. Pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract set forth in Article H.1. of this contract, the Government may, by unilateral contract modification, require the Contractor to perform additional options set forth in the Statement of Work in the contract. If the Government exercises this option, notice must be given at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of this contract, and the price of the contract will be increased as set forth in the Pricing Schedule of this contract.

Article H.4. Reporting Matters Involving Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Anyone who becomes aware of the existence or apparent existence of fraud, waste and abuse in NIH funded programs is encouraged to report such matters to the HHS Inspector General's Office in writing or on the Inspector General's Hotline. The toll free number is 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). All telephone calls will be handled confidentially. The website to file a complaint on-line is: http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/hotline/ and the mailing address is:

US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General

ATTN: OIG HOTLINE OPERATIONS

P.O. Box 23489 Washington, D.C. 20026

Article H.5. Technical Direction

Performance of the work under this contract shall be subject to the technical direction of the COR. The term "Technical Direction" is defined to include, without limitation, the following:

a. Directions to the Contractor which redirect the contract effort, shift work emphasis between work areas or tasks, require pursuit of certain lines of inquiry, fill in details or otherwise serve to accomplish contractual Statement of Work.

b. Provision of information to the Contractor which assists in the interpretation of drawings, specifications or technical portions of the work description.

http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/hotline/

c. Review and, where required by the contract, approval of technical reports, drawings, specifications and technical information to be delivered by the Contractor to the Government under the contract.

Technical direction must be within the general scope of work stated in the contract. The COR does not have the authority to and may not issue any technical direction which (i) constitutes an assignment of additional work outside the general scope of the contract; (ii) constitutes a change as defined in the contract clause entitled "Changes; (iii) in any manner causes an increase or decrease in the total estimated contract cost, the fixed fee or the time required for contract performance; or (iv) changes any of the expressed terms, conditions, or specifications of the contract.

All technical directions shall be issued in writing by the COR or shall be confirmed by him in writing five (5) working days after issuance.

The Contractor shall process promptly with the performance of technical directions duly issued by the COR in the manner prescribed by this article and within his authority under the provisions of this article.

If, in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction issued by the COR is within one of the categories defined in (i) through (iv) above, the Contractor shall not proceed but shall notify the Contracting Officer within five (5) working days after the receipt of any such instruction or direction and shall request the Contracting Officer to modify the contract accordingly. Upon receiving such notification from the Contractor, the Contracting Officer shall issue an appropriate contract modification or advise the Contractor in writing that, in his opinion, the technical direction is within the scope of this article and does not constitute a change under the Changes Clause of the contract. The Contractor shall thereupon proceed immediately with the direction given. A failure of the parties to agree upon the nature of the instruction or direction or upon the contract action to be taken with respect thereto shall be subject to the provisions of the contract clause entitled "Disputes.”

Article H.6. Evaluation of Options

It is anticipated that any contract(s) awarded from this solicitation will contain option provision(s) and period(s).

In accordance with 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).

Article H.7. Information and Physical Access Security

A. HHS-Controlled Facilities and Information Systems Security

a. To perform the work specified herein, Contractor personnel are expected to have routine (1) physical access to an HHS-controlled facility; (2) physical access to an HHS-controlled information system; (3) access to sensitive HHS data or information, whether in an HHS-controlled information system or in hardcopy; or

(4) any combination of circumstances (1) through (3).

b. To gain routine physical access to an HHS-controlled information system, and/or access to sensitive data or information, the Contractor and its employees shall comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12, Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors; Office of Management and Budget Memorandum (M-05-24); and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) Number 201; and with the personal identity verification and investigations procedures contained in the following documents:

1. HHS-OCIO Information Systems Security and Privacy Policy (http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/#Security)

2. HHS HSPD-12 Policy Document, v. 2.0 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/memoranda/fy2005 /m05-24.pdf)

3.Information regarding background checks/badges (http://idbadge.nih.gov/background/index.asp)

c. Position Sensitivity Levels:

This contract will entail the following position sensitivity levels:

[ ] Level 6: Public Trust - High Risk. Contractor/subcontractor employees assigned to Level 6 positions shall undergo a Suitability Determination and Background Investigation (MBI).

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

[X] Level 1: Non-Sensitive. Contractor/subcontractor employees assigned to Level 1 positions shall undergo a Suitability Determination and National Check and Inquiry Investigation (NACI).

d. The personnel investigation procedures for Contractor personnel require that the

Contractor prepare and submit background check/investigation forms based on the type of investigation required. The minimum Government investigation for a non-sensitive position is a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI)with fingerprinting. More restricted positions - i.e., those above non-sensitive, require more extensive documentation and investigation.

The Contractor shall submit a roster, by name, position, e-mail address, phone number and responsibility, of all staff (including subcontractor staff) working under the contract who will develop, have the ability to access and/or maintain a Federal Information System(s). The roster shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), with a copy to the Contracting Officer, within 14 calendar days after the effective date of the contract. The Contracting Officer http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/%23Security http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/memoranda/fy2005/m05-24.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/memoranda/fy2005/m05-24.pdf http://idbadge.nih.gov/background/index.asp shall notify the Contractor of the appropriate level of suitability investigations to be performed. An electronic template, "Roster of Employees Requiring Suitability Investigations," is available for contractor use at:

https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Documents/SuitabilityR oster_10-15-12.xlsx.

Upon receipt of the Government's notification of applicable Suitability Investigations required, the Contractor shall complete and submit the required forms within 30 days of the notification.

The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in advance when any new personnel, who are subject to a background check/investigation, will work under the contract and if they have previously been the subject of national agency checks or background investigations.

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.

e. Investigations are expensive and may delay performance, regardless of the outcome of the investigation. Delays associated with rejections and consequent re-investigations may not be excusable in accordance with the FAR clause, Excusable Delays - see FAR 52.249-14. Accordingly, the Contractor shall ensure that any additional employees whose names it submits for work under this contract have a reasonable chance for approval.

f. Typically, the Government investigates personnel at no cost to the Contractor.

However, multiple investigations for the same position may, at the Contracting Officer's discretion, justify reduction(s) in the contract price of no more that the cost of the additional investigation(s).

g. The Contractor shall include language similar to this "HHS Controlled Facilities and Information Systems Security" language in all subcontracts that require subcontractor personnel to have the same frequency and duration of (1) physical access to an HHS-controlled facility; (2) logical access to an HHS-controlled information system; (3) access to sensitive HHS data/information, whether in an HHS-controlled information system or in hard copy; or (4) any combination of circumstances (1) through (3).

h. The Contractor shall direct inquiries, including requests for forms and assistance, to the Contracting Officer or designee.

i. Within 7…