NIH Infant and Toddler Toolbox

Description:
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, service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; HUBZone 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.

Background:
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB) seek capability statements from interested and qualified potential sources for the NIH Infant and Toddler Toolbox.

The Child Development and Behavior Branch develops and supports research relevant to the psychological, cognitive, neurobiological, language, behavioral and educational development and health of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

There is a wide range of early developmental assessment or screening instruments. Standardized, reliable assessment instruments allow for direct evaluation of infant and child behaviors, but they are time intensive, expensive, require trained personnel for administration, scoring, and interpreting, and often rely on outdated norms. Some of these instruments assess neurodevelopment better than others. Both clinicians and researchers rely on standardized assessment instruments when evaluating and monitoring infant and young child development but at great cost and time. Some developmental screeners rely on parent responses and are primarily for identification of infants and young children who would benefit from further evaluation. Screeners are useful in clinics and pre-school settings but are not generally used for infant/young child neurodevelopment research or intervention purposes.

Consequently, there is a great need across many biomedical and biobehavioral disciplines for a standard measure of infant and toddler neurodevelopment that is efficient to administer, low in cost, useful in both clinic and research (especially in resource poor settings) and yet captures multiple domains of neurodevelopment. For this reason, it is proposed that the NICHD develop such an assessment tool with a focus on assessment of neurodevelopment from infancy through 3 years, 6 months. It is proposed that a NIH Infant & Toddler Toolbox be developed for use from 1 to 42 months of age.

The NIH Infant & Toddler Toolbox will include both direct child assessment as well as parent or legal guardian report. It will be designed from existing tasks and protocols that have been used and accepted in cognitive development and cognitive, social, and behavioral neuroscience fields. Domains to be included are cognition, social functioning, language (receptive and expressive), numeracy, self-regulation and executive function. The entire battery will be developed for use with a digital tablet format and will include currently used technology such as eye-tracking and measurement such as speed of habituation.

English and Spanish versions should be developed and validated in culturally and geographically diverse groups. The assessment method should be dynamic, i.e. capable of being adapted over time in response to advances in science and or technology. Measures should be employed that are internally flexible, e.g. adaptive testing. The instrument should demonstrate sensitivity to developmental change over time. The tasks will encompass qualitative research focusing on the identification of content area and the development of domain specific tasks, significant data management and analyses. The tasks will also address the formal testing and refining of the final nationally normed toolbox of tests and the selected tablet device programmed to deliver all the toolbox testing and interpretive analyses.

Capability statements submitted as a result of this announcement should demonstrate the offerors' qualifications and experience, specifically providing evidence as to their capability to perform this requirement, with attention to the following:

• Experience in conducting and managing complex projects of similar size, and compliance with standards and guidelines such as training in Good Clinical Practices (GCP).
• Personnel/Management: adequacy, appropriateness and relevance of expertise, experience, qualifications, and availability of the key professional and technical staff with a project of similar size, scope, and complexity. Resumes of proposed personnel should demonstrate ability, experience and training to perform the required tasks.

• Organizational capacity of the Offeror's facilities and research environment. This includes organizational support, equipment and other physical resources; effectiveness of the proposed features of the organizational environment and infrastructure.

• Past Performance: Identify at least three other projects of similar size and complexity in the last five years.

Responses: Capability statements in response to this announcement should be no longer than 15 pages inclusive of all material. Responses will be evaluated based on experience, expertise, and capabilities in the areas cited above.

The anticipated contract type will be an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Task Order contract with an ordering period of 5 years.

The RFP is anticipated to be posted on or about May 1, 2019 on FedBizOpps
(FBO) website: http://www.fedbizopps.gov.

Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the 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 Federal Business Opportunities. 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. The government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Small businesses that believe they possess the capabilities necessary to undertake this project should submit electronic copies of their capability statement, addressing the areas above. Please limit responses to 15 pages or less. Any proprietary information should be so marked. Capability Statements should be received by the Contract Specialist no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Time on April 12, 2019. Capability statements must identify the business status of the organization (i.e. educational institution, non- profit, large business, small business, 8 (a), or other corporate or non-corporate entity).

Information submitted should be pertinent and specific in the technical area under consideration, on each of the following qualifications (1) Experience: an outline of previous projects, specific work previously performed or being performed and any in-house research and development effort;(2) Personnel: Name, professional qualifications and specific experience of scientist, engineers and technical personnel who may be assigned as principal investigator and/or project officer: (3) Facilities: Availability and description of special facilities required to perform in the technical areas under consideration, and a statement regarding industrial security clearance. Any other specific and pertinent information as pertains to this area of procurement that would enhance our consideration and evaluation of the information submitted.

Information in the anticipated RFP supersedes any information in this pre-solicitation announcement. Inquiries should be directed to:

Primary Point of Contact:
Kesha Williams, Contract Specialist
kesha.williams@mail.nih.gov

Secondary Point of Contact:
Alice Pagan-Pereira, Contracting Officer
pagana@mail.nih.gov

Place of Contract Performance:
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Office: National Institutes of Health
Location: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7000
United States

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