NIAID Evaluation Services

Background

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more than 60 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world. NIAID has a unique mandate, which requires the Institute to respond to emerging public health threats. Toward this end, NIAID manages a complex and diverse research portfolio that aims to do the following:

• Expand the breadth and depth of knowledge in all areas of infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases
• Develop flexible domestic and international research capabilities to appropriately respond to emerging and re-emerging disease threats at home and abroad.

NIAID advances the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of many of the world's most intractable and widespread diseases. Key research areas include newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza, HIV/AIDS, biodefense, and immune-mediated diseases including asthma and allergy.

Purpose and Objectives

The NIAID needs a contractor to assist with supporting the evaluation functions of the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Branch (SPEB) of the NIAID. SPEB provides institutional leadership for systematic, trans-NIAID strategic planning, evaluation, and policy analysis to support and advance NIAID's mission. NIAID conducts a myriad of evaluations, including feasibility and evaluation design studies, needs assessments, process evaluations, and outcome and impact evaluations.

In support of efforts to advance the NIAID mission, SPEB staff members offer the following services:

• Oversee the development and implementation of an ongoing strategic planning process

• Analyze the NIAID research portfolio to inform policy decisions and science
management

• Coordinate NIAID Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) submissions

• Direct ongoing and special assessments of research programs to guide the development of future Institute programs and initiatives

• Develop briefing materials for NIAID staff use in preparation for meetings with and presentations to the NIH Director, federal agencies, Congress, and scientific organizations and advocacy groups

• Prepare timely and accurate responses to Congress, HHS, other federal agencies, and NIH stakeholders who request information about the NIAID research portfolio

• Coordinate the NIAID institutional response for draft federal rule making documents, guidance, and policy documents

• Monitor, analyze, and develop position statements on key policies and regulations that affect the NIAID mission and/ or its constituents

Project Requirements

The Contractor will work cooperatively with NIAID staff in a multidisciplinary team setting to design and implement evaluation projects for NIAID's scientific research and management programs and provide support for evaluation related activities.

Evaluation projects at NIAID often include feasibility studies, needs assessments, process evaluations, outcome and impact evaluations, and related evaluation support and training for NIAID staff. The descriptions of the task areas that follow offer examples of the types of support that have been required in the past and should be anticipated for the future.

1. Evaluation Project Logistics & Planning

The contractor shall provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan an evaluation project proposal. The contractor shall attend up to 3 meetings to generate a draft logic model, matrix, and analysis plan. As applicable for each individual project, this will include working in a team setting with the NIAID staff

2. Evaluation Design
Contractor provides staff trained in program evaluation directly related to biomedical and behavioral science research programs and management programs to assess the needs of evaluation stakeholders and incorporate these needs into the evaluation design

3. Preparation of Background and Summary Papers

Prepare summary reports and/or background papers drawn from available materials describing the scientific research or management program to be evaluated. Sources for such background papers may include web sites, NIH progress reports and grant applications, NIH Requests for Applications or Program Announcements, scientific research publications, internal NIAID initiative proposals, conference summaries, and other sources.

4. Qualitative Interviews & Analyses
Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out qualitative inquiry, including qualitative interviews.

5. Focus Groups & Analyses
Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out focus groups. Focus groups may relate to scientific or administrative programs, for example. Some travel may be required.

6. Surveys & Analyses

Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out surveys in a variety of modalities, including telephone, email, and internet surveys. Surveys may relate to scientific or administrative programs, for example. Additional survey topics may be identified later by NIAID. Personnel must have expertise in developing both open-ended and close-ended survey questionnaires. All surveys will remain property of the Government. Some travel may be required

7. Data Abstraction

Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out the abstraction of qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources, for example web sites, NIH grant applications and progress reports, financial and/or budget reports, resumes and CVs, NIH Requests for Applications or Program Announcements, scientific research publications, internal NIAID initiative proposals, and conference summaries. Abstraction data will remain the exclusive property of the Government.

8. Scientific Literature Review, Bibliometrics, and Outcome Analysis

Conduct searches, categorize and prioritize publications, and prepare reviews of the scientific research literature on topics related to individual program evaluation projects. These reviews will require critical analysis of the scientific literature, with special attention to research methods, populations or animal models studied, and outcome measures used.

9. Economic Analysis

Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out analyses of the economic, health, and societal impact of biomedical research programs. Examples include: the impact of NIH and NIAID supported research on wages and/or employment of the scientific research workforce, and the overall labor force; the economic impact of NIH and NIAID research programs on universities and other recipients of funds; the macro- and microeconomic impact of the small business set-aside programs administered by the NIH and the NIAID; the effect of NIH and NIAID training and career development programs on wages and employment of the scientific workforce; the effect of input pricing on the proposed costs of research applications submitted to the NIH and the NIAID; the effect of alternative programmatic and staffing models on the cost of conducting clinical research; the economic impact of public health advances, such as improvements in health and quality of life, and springing from specific NIH and NIAID research.

10. Evaluation Training

Provide personnel with experience in developing and providing training to scientific and non-scientific staff on program evaluation methodology, practices, and interpretation of results.

11. Analysis of NIH Data

Plan and carry out the downloading and analysis of NIH data from various databases and systems, for example Query, View, Report (QVR), RePORTER. All data will remain the exclusive property of the Government

12. Writing and Report Preparation

Prepare written reports and PowerPoint slides summarizing the results of evaluation projects. Reports include annual reports, monthly status reports, and other reports and graphs, as requested by NIAID. Reports may require different levels of writing, from highly technical to plain language; and will require synthesizing and interpreting complex scientific information.

13. Other Evaluation Support Services

NIAID may require additional support with other evaluation related activities. For example, the Contractor may be asked to develop components of an evaluation such as evaluation tools (e.g. a survey or logic model), design and implement a database, conduct literature review, conduct bibliometric analyses, develop and design training on evaluation topics that may not lead to an entire evaluation.

REPORTING REQUIRMEENTS

A sample of reports and deliverables that will be required include:
• Technical Progress reports
• Monthly Status Plans
• Program Management Plans
• Project/Work Plans
• Budget and Spending Plans
• Meeting minutes
• PRA and OMB Clearances and Reports
• Surveys and Data Collection Instruments
• Completion Reports
• Transition Plans
• Computer Security Plan
• List of all open projects (spreadsheet)
• Evaluation Plan
• Training Slides or other Presentation materials
• Other Reports, Surveys, or Assessment documentation as determined by project requirements
*Specific deliverables will be noted with each task

PERSONNEL

The Contractor is responsible for proposing adequate staff with the experience and skillset necessary to meet the performance requirements of any resulting contract. The Contractor will provide a qualified multidisciplinary staff, augmented with qualified consultants, as necessary and appropriate. All staff must have demonstrated skills in all areas described in this Notice.

It is anticipated that the following personnel will be necessary in performance of the work associated with this requirement. Qualifications of essential key personnel will be reviewed and evaluated in any resulting solicitation and may be a decision-making factor.

Project Manager. The PM will serve as the principal point of contact for the Government. The PM should be able to manage a diverse group of technical and professional personnel and shall have experience working with government projects, research and development evaluation, or similar in areas such as preparation of background summaries and papers, evaluation design, literature reviews, bibliometrics, and outcome analysis.

Associate Researcher: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as evaluation design, preparation of Background summaries and papers, qualitative interviews, focus groups (including, but not limited to, development of discussion guides, protocols, and scripts, as well as developing coding schemes), survey development, implementation, and management (including web-based surveys), as well as, quantitative and qualitative data abstraction, literature reviews, bibliometrics, and outcome analysis, economic analysis, and writing and report preparation and presentation.

Assistant Researcher: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as qualitative interviews, focus groups, survey analysis, database development, data abstraction and analysis, and writing and report preparation.

Training Associate: Experience working as a subject matter expert involved in developing and providing training to scientific and non-scientific staff on program evaluation methodology, practices, and interpretation of evaluation results.

Training Assistant: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as evaluation training, including the development of course outlines and presentation materials.

Senior Evaluator: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as facilitation and execution of focus groups and qualitative interviews, survey design and piloting, and survey analysis.

Any responsible offeror may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency. This RFP will be available electronically on/about May 6, 2019, and may be accessed through FedBizOpps http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.
For this solicitation, the NIAID requires proposals to be submitted via e-mail to Matt Lear (matt.lear@nih.gov) and Callie Prassinos (prassinosca@nih.gov).

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Introduction

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice.

This requirement is assigned a code of 541611 in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and the small business size standard for such requirements is $15M in annual receipts per year.

Background

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more than 60 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world. NIAID has a unique mandate, which requires the Institute to respond to emerging public health threats. Toward this end, NIAID manages a complex and diverse research portfolio that aims to do the following:

• Expand the breadth and depth of knowledge in all areas of infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases
• Develop flexible domestic and international research capabilities to appropriately respond to emerging and re-emerging disease threats at home and abroad.

NIAID advances the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of many of the world's most intractable and widespread diseases. Key research areas include newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza, HIV/AIDS, biodefense, and immune-mediated diseases including asthma and allergy.

Purpose and Objectives

The NIAID needs a contractor to assist with supporting the evaluation functions of the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Branch (SPEB) of the NIAID. SPEB provides institutional leadership for systematic, trans-NIAID strategic planning, evaluation, and policy analysis to support and advance NIAID's mission. NIAID conducts a myriad of evaluations, including feasibility and evaluation design studies, needs assessments, process evaluations, and outcome and impact evaluations.

In support of efforts to advance the NIAID mission, SPEB staff members offer the following services:

• Oversee the development and implementation of an ongoing strategic planning process

• Analyze the NIAID research portfolio to inform policy decisions and science
management

• Coordinate NIAID Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) submissions

• Direct ongoing and special assessments of research programs to guide the development of future Institute programs and initiatives

• Develop briefing materials for NIAID staff use in preparation for meetings with and presentations to the NIH Director, federal agencies, Congress, and scientific organizations and advocacy groups

• Prepare timely and accurate responses to Congress, HHS, other federal agencies, and NIH stakeholders who request information about the NIAID research portfolio

• Coordinate the NIAID institutional response for draft federal rule making documents, guidance, and policy documents

• Monitor, analyze, and develop position statements on key policies and regulations that affect the NIAID mission and/ or its constituents

Project Requirements

The Contractor will work cooperatively with NIAID staff in a multidisciplinary team setting to design and implement evaluation projects for NIAID's scientific research and management programs and provide support for evaluation related activities.

Evaluation projects at NIAID often include feasibility studies, needs assessments, process evaluations, outcome and impact evaluations, and related evaluation support and training for NIAID staff. The descriptions of the task areas that follow offer examples of the types of support that have been required in the past and should be anticipated for the future.

1. Evaluation Project Logistics & Planning

The contractor shall provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan an evaluation project proposal. The contractor shall attend up to 3 meetings to generate a draft logic model, matrix, and analysis plan. As applicable for each individual project, this will include working in a team setting with the NIAID staff

2. Evaluation Design
Contractor provides staff trained in program evaluation directly related to biomedical and behavioral science research programs and management programs to assess the needs of evaluation stakeholders and incorporate these needs into the evaluation design

3. Preparation of Background and Summary Papers

Prepare summary reports and/or background papers drawn from available materials describing the scientific research or management program to be evaluated. Sources for such background papers may include web sites, NIH progress reports and grant applications, NIH Requests for Applications or Program Announcements, scientific research publications, internal NIAID initiative proposals, conference summaries, and other sources.

4. Qualitative Interviews & Analyses
Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out qualitative inquiry, including qualitative interviews.

5. Focus Groups & Analyses
Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out focus groups. Focus groups may relate to scientific or administrative programs, for example. Some travel may be required.

6. Surveys & Analyses

Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out surveys in a variety of modalities, including telephone, email, and internet surveys. Surveys may relate to scientific or administrative programs, for example. Additional survey topics may be identified later by NIAID. Personnel must have expertise in developing both open-ended and close-ended survey questionnaires. All surveys will remain property of the Government. Some travel may be required

7. Data Abstraction

Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out the abstraction of qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources, for example web sites, NIH grant applications and progress reports, financial and/or budget reports, resumes and CVs, NIH Requests for Applications or Program Announcements, scientific research publications, internal NIAID initiative proposals, and conference summaries. Abstraction data will remain the exclusive property of the Government.

8. Scientific Literature Review, Bibliometrics, and Outcome Analysis

Conduct searches, categorize and prioritize publications, and prepare reviews of the scientific research literature on topics related to individual program evaluation projects. These reviews will require critical analysis of the scientific literature, with special attention to research methods, populations or animal models studied, and outcome measures used.

9. Economic Analysis

Provide personnel with the qualifications and experience needed to plan and carry out analyses of the economic, health, and societal impact of biomedical research programs. Examples include: the impact of NIH and NIAID supported research on wages and/or employment of the scientific research workforce, and the overall labor force; the economic impact of NIH and NIAID research programs on universities and other recipients of funds; the macro- and microeconomic impact of the small business set-aside programs administered by the NIH and the NIAID; the effect of NIH and NIAID training and career development programs on wages and employment of the scientific workforce; the effect of input pricing on the proposed costs of research applications submitted to the NIH and the NIAID; the effect of alternative programmatic and staffing models on the cost of conducting clinical research; the economic impact of public health advances, such as improvements in health and quality of life, and springing from specific NIH and NIAID research.

10. Evaluation Training

Provide personnel with experience in developing and providing training to scientific and non-scientific staff on program evaluation methodology, practices, and interpretation of results.

11. Analysis of NIH Data

Plan and carry out the downloading and analysis of NIH data from various databases and systems, for example Query, View, Report (QVR), RePORTER. All data will remain the exclusive property of the Government

12. Writing and Report Preparation

Prepare written reports and PowerPoint slides summarizing the results of evaluation projects. Reports include annual reports, monthly status reports, and other reports and graphs, as requested by NIAID. Reports may require different levels of writing, from highly technical to plain language; and will require synthesizing and interpreting complex scientific information.

13. Other Evaluation Support Services

NIAID may require additional support with other evaluation related activities. For example, the Contractor may be asked to develop components of an evaluation such as evaluation tools (e.g. a survey or logic model), design and implement a database, conduct literature review, conduct bibliometric analyses, develop and design training on evaluation topics that may not lead to an entire evaluation.

REPORTING REQUIRMEENTS

A sample of reports and deliverables that will be required include:
• Technical Progress reports
• Monthly Status Plans
• Program Management Plans
• Project/Work Plans
• Budget and Spending Plans
• Meeting minutes
• PRA and OMB Clearances and Reports
• Surveys and Data Collection Instruments
• Completion Reports
• Transition Plans
• Computer Security Plan
• List of all open projects (spreadsheet)
• Evaluation Plan
• Training Slides or other Presentation materials
• Other Reports, Surveys, or Assessment documentation as determined by project requirements
*Specific deliverables will be noted with each task

PERSONNEL

The Contractor is responsible for proposing adequate staff with the experience and skillset necessary to meet the performance requirements of any resulting contract. The Contractor will provide a qualified multidisciplinary staff, augmented with qualified consultants, as necessary and appropriate. All staff must have demonstrated skills in all areas described in this Notice.

It is anticipated that the following personnel will be necessary in performance of the work associated with this requirement. Qualifications of essential key personnel will be reviewed and evaluated in any resulting solicitation and may be a decision-making factor.

Project Manager. The PM will serve as the principal point of contact for the Government. The PM should be able to manage a diverse group of technical and professional personnel and shall have experience working with government projects, research and development evaluation, or similar in areas such as preparation of background summaries and papers, evaluation design, literature reviews, bibliometrics, and outcome analysis.

Associate Researcher: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as evaluation design, preparation of Background summaries and papers, qualitative interviews, focus groups (including, but not limited to, development of discussion guides, protocols, and scripts, as well as developing coding schemes), survey development, implementation, and management (including web-based surveys), as well as, quantitative and qualitative data abstraction, literature reviews, bibliometrics, and outcome analysis, economic analysis, and writing and report preparation and presentation.

Assistant Researcher: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as qualitative interviews, focus groups, survey analysis, database development, data abstraction and analysis, and writing and report preparation.

Training Associate: Experience working as a subject matter expert involved in developing and providing training to scientific and non-scientific staff on program evaluation methodology, practices, and interpretation of evaluation results.

Training Assistant: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as evaluation training, including the development of course outlines and presentation materials.

Senior Evaluator: Experience working with government projects or similar in such areas as facilitation and execution of focus groups and qualitative interviews, survey design and piloting, and survey analysis.

Any responsible offeror may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency. This RFP will be available electronically on/about March 22, 2019 and may be accessed through FedBizOpps http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. This notice does not commit the Government to award a contract or Task Order. No collect calls will be accepted. No facsimile transmissions will be accepted.

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