Sources Sought Notice: Senior Applied Epidemiologist Support Services

Sources Sought Notice: Senior Applied Epidemiologist Support Services MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR SOLICITATION The Indian Health Service (IHS) is conducting market research to support the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Prevention (DEDP). DEDP provides epidemiological services such as the development and maintenance of disease surveillance systems; the dissemination of health-related data and associated analyses; detection and response to disease outbreaks; infectious and chronic disease control interventions; and completion of special applied research projects that pertain to American Indians (AI) and Alaska Natives (AN) throughout the United States. This is a Sources Sought notice to determine the availability of small businesses capable of supplying the required epidemiology support services. This notice is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute an invitation for Bids, Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation or an indication the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this notice. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. Scope of Work: Respondents to this notice shall have the capabilities to furnish the necessary personnel, materials, services, equipment, facilities, and otherwise do all things necessary for the performance of the work described below. The contractor shall be required to provide personnel to support IHS staff, independently and not as an agent of the Government, in the surveillance, detection, research, and prevention of diseases among American Indians and Alaska Natives for an estimated 1880 hours over a one (1) year period (40 hours/week). The scope of the duties to be performed by the contractor’s senior applied epidemiologist are as follows: 1. Raising knowledge and awareness of priority acute and chronic health conditions impacting AI/ANs, with emphasis on infectious diseases and including sexually transmitted infections (STIs); inclusive of, but not limited to- Overseeing and conducting advanced-level epidemiologic investigations by developing and designing methods of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data and related analyses, and performing appropriate public health research in areas important to the public health of AI/ANs; disseminates relevant findings via presentation at national conferences, publication in peer-reviewed literature, and other mechanisms. Collaborating with the IHS Tribal Epidemiology Centers Program and Tribal Epidemiology Center partners to provide consultation, technical assistance, and participation supporting relevant public health activities and research. Consulting with I/T/U staff and partners to develop and implement scalable approaches, or recommend modification to existing approaches, for effective disease prevention interventions for AI/AN populations reaching those at greatest risk. Coordinating and contributing to the development and distribution of AI/AN-specific disease reports and informational materials Conducting and overseeing literature reviews for the design of programs, preparation of publications, planning and evaluation, and general understanding of public health topics Serving as the technical lead for complex and specialized epidemiologic projects; conducting limited scientific oversight of others’ contributions to collaborative efforts by providing guidance and coaching on epidemiologic methods and practices Mentoring and contributing to the professional development of hosted students, interns, and fellows working on related scientific activities 2. Designing and managing surveillance systems for diseases of public health importance for AI/ANs, inclusive of, but not limited to- Supporting and strengthening disease surveillance systems to monitor trends in disease prevalence, incidence, and risk factors, including geographic distribution Designing and implementing instruments for the collection of surveillance information and data. Developing methods for, and conducts advanced descriptive and comprehensive analyses of, surveillance data for multiple purposes Optimizing utilization of health-related data sources both internal and external to IHS, including development or acquisition of supplemental data sources where possible to address information gaps Providing technical assistance to communities and outside partners with respect to surveillance, epidemiologic data, and evaluation. Working as a liaison to outside data-generating entities to develop and maintain partnerships for sharing and using data. In coordination with appropriate IHS staff, developing, implementing, and maintaining suitable clinical performance measures relevant for priority disease prevention programs; analyze resulting performance measures data and disseminate findings to stakeholders 3. Supporting disease outbreak response efforts, inclusive of, but not limited to- Planning, conducting, and participating in timely epidemiologic studies and activities supporting outbreak investigations or urgent public health problems. Increasing awareness among I/T/U providers and other staff regarding priority health conditions of public health importance to AI/AN populations Utilizing varied formats such as electronic (e.g., email, webinars), static guidance, and in-person engagement, provide or support training and outreach to I/T/U clinical and other staff to convey relevant data, treatment guidelines, and additional public health context for priority health conditions 4. Indirectly supports improvement of I/T/U, state, and local public health programs for AI/ANs, where possible, inclusive of, but not limited to- Developing partnerships with public, private, and federal agencies involved in the delivery of public health services for AI/ANs Participating on IHS and national work groups addressing priority public health topics Capabilities Required: Interested potential sources shall have the following capabilities to be determined as capable: Capability to provide one (1) Senior Applied Epidemiologist, meeting or exceeding the following minimum qualifications, and capable of fulfilling the tasks identified in the scope of work. Doctoral-level training (e.g. PhD) in applied epidemiology, public health, and/or disease surveillance. Minimum of 5 years progressive experience working with AI/AN epidemiology, public health, and/or disease surveillance. Please note, resumes are not required as part of a response to this notice. Knowledge of relevant Federal, State and local applicable laws and regulations and capability to educate contractor staff/maintain knowledge base. Experience and knowledge of administrative services required to support the Senior Applied Epidemiologist, such as internal payroll, internal document handling, etc. Experience and knowledge managing contractor staff. Experience retaining and recruiting staff (when required) to ensure continuity of services required. Experience supporting Public Health, Epidemiological, and/or disease surveillance. Experience with infectious disease research, effective interventions, and outbreak response efforts. Capability and knowledge of protecting sensitive patient data. Capability Statements: Responses to this sources sought shall unequivocally demonstrate the respondent's capabilities to provide the services above. At a minimum, responses shall include the following: 1. Cover Page: Business name and bio, DUNS number, business address, business website, business size status (i.e., SB, Native Owned, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone SB, SDB, WOSB, LB), point of contact name, mailing address (if different from business address), phone number and email address. Provide this same information again if responding to provide a service offered by another firm. 2. Relevant Past Performance information inclusive of date of services, description, dollar value, client name, client address, client contact name, client point of contact mailing address (if different from that provided for client), client point of contact phone number, client point of contact email address, and name of company (to include DUNS number and size status) if not the respondent. 3. Descriptive literature, brochures, marketing material, etc. detailing the nature of services the responding firm is regularly engaged in providing. At a minimum, to be considered a potentially capable source this material should include information detailing the organizations ability to fulfil the capabilities required above. 4. If applicable, identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. If a large business, provide if subcontracting opportunities exist for small business concerns. The Government is not responsible for locating or securing any information, not identified in the response. Response Instructions: Interested parties shall respond with capability statements; no larger than 20 pages (not inclusive of the cover letter) via e-mail in PDF or Word format before 4:00 PM Eastern Time on May 27th, 2022 to [email protected] In your response, please use "IHS-22-SS-STDEpidemiologist" followed by your organizations name as the subject line. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre‐solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in 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).