Nutrition Scientist Consulting Services for the Healthy Aging In Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) Study

Description: This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.

This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only.

Background: The NIA Intramural Research Program performs a longitudinal study of the effects of race and socioeconomic status on healthy aging in a representative sample of community dwelling residents from the Baltimore metropolitan region. This study, known as the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study, requires a detailed knowledge of the public health characteristics of this region including racial, socioeconomic, and nutritional characteristics. This information is used to assess the influences of these factors on a variety of health outcomes such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular functioning, psychophysiological and cognitive performance, and muscular strength and conditioning.

This requirement focuses on support for the nutritional aspects of the HANDLS study. Nutritional status influences an individual's risk for the development of chronic conditions, thereby affecting a person's ability to live a healthy and productive life. Therefore, nutrition science specific technique support, including nutritional monitoring and dietary recall, are required to determine the study population's nutritional status and the effects of nutritional status over the course of the longitudinal study. 

Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this requirement is to procure nutrition scientist consulting services in support of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) Study. Services shall include data collection and analysis, and manuscript support for the nutritional domain of this study.

Project Requirements: The Contractor shall provide nutrition science consulting support services to the National Institute on Aging for the HANDLS study as follows:

Specific Requirements:

• Development of guidelines (such as timing of meals, assigning food groups to foods consumed in combinations) for the transformation of the dataset for food pattern analysis.

• Development of instructions to create the amino acid data set for the HANDLS study and create the amino acid data set for all HANDLS study available dietary data.

• Document information related to the amino acid composition data set of the HANDLS study for use in analyzing the amino acid content of participants’ diets and writing manuscripts.

• Assess the nutritional quality of meals and overall diet quality, over the course of the longitudinal study, of HANDLS participants using a variety of indices, provide analysis results and write manuscripts using the results for publication. 

• Assess the association of flavonoid intakes with health outcomes in collaboration with USDA researchers from the Food Surveys Research Group,

• Assess the association of diet quality with health outcomes over the course of the longitudinal study and write manuscripts based on documented associations.
   
• Consult with HANDLS study research collaborators on the nutritional components of study and assist with the evaluation of participant's daily diets and interpretation of dietary data analyses.

• Provide expert advice for all aspects of study data collection, analyses, documentation, and publications that involve nutritional epidemiology and nutritional meal planning for participants.

• Provide appropriate office space, secure computing systems and programs, and possess the knowledge and expertise to independently utilize these systems to achieve the study goals.

• Present analysis of nutritional information from the study as directed.

Level of Effort

The estimated level of effort for this requirement is one (1) contractor employee on a part-time basis for 1,000 hours during the base period of performance and each of the optional periods of performance.

Place of Performance

The primary place of performance shall be Contractor site. Conference calls and email shall be the primary mode of communication; however, the Contractor may be required to work at Government facilities in the continental United States, primarily the NIH Biomedical Research Center located at 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 100, Room 3A526, Baltimore, MD 21224.

Government Responsibilities

The Government will supply workspace, office supplies such as pen and paper, a telephone, and desktop computer for contractor use at the NIH Biomedical Research Center (BRC).

Key Personnel

The Contractor employee providing services for this effort shall be considered key personnel.  Key Personnel requirements are as follows:

• Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Nutrition
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
• At least ten (10) years of experience working in nutrition research with a focus on nutritional epidemiology in minority groups resulting in at least twenty (20) published manuscripts.

Anticipated Period of Performance Start Date: February 02, 2021

Capability statement /information sought. Respondents must provide, as part of their responses, a capability statement that clearly identifies information regarding respondents’: (a) staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; (e) examples of prior completed Government contracts, references, and other related information; and (f) familiarity with the HANDLS study.

The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.

One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.

The information submitted must be in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.

The response is limited to ten (10) page limit. The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.

The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.

All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist.

Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.

The response must be submitted to Diedra Prophet at e-mail address Diedra.Prophet@nih.gov

The response must be received on or before  December 16, 2020 at 12:00 pm Eastern Time.

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 presolicitation 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).