SAM #36C24E26Q0055

Sole Source Forum Sponsorship and Research Support for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

This notice announces the VA's intent to award a sole source contract for Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) sponsorship and research support. - Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Research and Development, Regional Procurement Office East - Sole source vendor: National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) - Purpose: Sponsor and facilitate a Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - Organize at least two forum meetings and one workshop per year - Deliver quarterly progress reports and published workshop summaries - Engage stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and patient advocacy - Contract structure: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with firm-fixed price task orders - Period of performance: Five years from award, with unique periods for each task order - Key requirements: - Contractor must have expertise in TBI, scientific and policy evaluation, and experience managing expert committees and national symposia - Section 508 compliance required for accessibility - Travel reimbursement anticipated for approximately 106 days in the base year - Location: Services to be supported at NASEM's facility in Washington, D.C. - Commercial opportunity: Notice of intent to award sole source under FAR 6.302-1; capability statements from interested parties will be considered

Description

The Veteran's Administration (VA) Office of Research and Development, Regional Procurement Office East in Pittsburgh, PA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on behalf of the VA Office of Research and Development based in Washington, DC. The requirement is to provide research assistance for planned VA medical studies. To sponsor a Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to bring together stakeholders from government, academia, industry, foundations, and patient advocacy to provide an ongoing mechanism and a neutral setting in which the full spectrum of public and private sector experts and stakeholders will explore opportunities for collective action. The planned studies follow preliminary studies based on the same subject. The specific work to be performed includes: PURPOSE. To sponsor a Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to bring together stakeholders from government, academia, industry, foundations, and patient advocacy to provide an ongoing mechanism and a neutral setting in which the full spectrum of public and private sector experts and stakeholders will explore opportunities for collective action. BACKGROUND. The Forum on TBI will provide a trusted venue for the cooperative engagement of leaders from research sponsors, healthcare sectors, patient representatives, researchers, employers, and policymakers committed to work together to address short and long-term strategic planning for advancing TBI research and care, along the full continuum, from prevention through acute care, rehabilitation, as well as other emerging issues important for improving TBI care and research systems for our Veterans. OBJECTIVES. The Forum will meet up to three (3) times per year to provide an ongoing mechanism and a neutral setting in which the full spectrum of public and private sector experts and stakeholders can explore opportunities for collective action. Topics may include issues related to current research gaps, the complexity of the systems involved in TBI treatment and rehabilitation, the challenge of coordination, and the wide range of related needs and challenges facing stakeholders in this field. MANDATORY TASKS AND DELIVERABLES. The contractor shall provide at least two (2) Forum meetings per year. The contractor shall provide quarterly reports of the progress of the Forum's work and meetings and copies of the published summary documents or proceedings from the Forum's workshops. Specifically, the contractor shall: Task One. Conduct a minimum of two forum meetings per year. Deliverable 4.1.1. Provide quarterly reports of Forum progress. Task Two. The contractor may conduct a minimum of one workshop per year. Deliverable 4.2.1. Provide copies of the published summary documents or proceedings from the Forum's workshops. 5. Schedule for Mandatory Deliverables. 5.1 Table of Base Period Mandatory Deliverables Due Dates REFERENCEDELIVERABLEDUE DATE 5.1.1Post-meeting reportWithin 90 days after contract award 5.1.2Workshop reportWithin 6 months after the contract award 5.1.3Quarterly financial and technical progress reports, invoices, summary of salient results, and other grant reporting as requested.Due Quarterly PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. The base contract ordering period of performance shall be from the date of award over a five (5) year period. Services will be awarded by individual task order with unique periods of performance. KEY PERSONNEL. Certain skilled experience professional and/or technical personnel are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed. These individuals are defined as "Key personnel" and are those persons whose resumes were submitted and marked by the vendor as "Key Personnel". Substitutions shall only be accepted if in compliance with "Substitution of Key Personnel" provision identified below. Contractor Personnel Requirements. Personnel proposed shall have an in-depth knowledge of health care revenue cycle processes in addition to the following: Specific knowledge of Traumatic Brain Injury. Staff Qualifications. Expertise in Traumatic Brain Injury and associated conditions. Evaluating scientific, technical, and policy-related issues and information. Writing and editing scientific and policy documents. Conceptualizing, developing, and evaluating project proposals. Supervising and managing technical staff. Directing and managing expert committees in writing and preparing reports. Consensus-building with expert committees. Organizing, coordinating, and conducting national symposia and workshops. Procuring, managing, and monitoring program funding and annual budgets. Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences. TRAVEL. The CBO anticipates approximately 106 days of travel reimbursement in the base year to cover expenses of experts traveling to the contractor's location. Travel and per diem shall be reimbursed in accordance with VA and Federal Travel Regulations. Travel expenses shall be invoiced within 60 days of completion of travel in order to be reimbursed. Travel is at a minimum, of 2 meetings and one workshop, but typically based on past contracts, there are 3 meetings and 3 workshops per year. TYPE OF CONTRACT. Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract with Firm-fixed price task orders. GOVERNMENT AND CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES. The CBO shall provide the contractor with copies of documents that the VA is required to provide. The contractor shall request other VA documentation deemed pertinent to the work accomplishment directly from the COR. The contractor is expected to use common knowledge and resourcefulness in securing all other reference materials, standard industry publications, and related materials that are pertinent to the work. The contractor shall maintain frequent communications with the Program Office and the COR to conduct work in progress reviews. Progress reports shall be delivered electronically to the COR, with an electronic courtesy copy to the Program Office. FORMAL COMMENTS ON DELIVERABLES The VA shall have 15 business days to review each document and provide feedback and comments. The contractor shall have five business days to incorporate comments it deems appropriate. A final review shall be conducted by the COR and the delivery of the post-final review document with any incorporated comments from the final review meeting shall constitute acceptance by the VA with COR's written approval. QUALITY STANDARDS FOR DELIVERABLES - Performance Measures: Standards: Review of relevant materials. Deliverables shall be timely, comprehensive, thoughtful, relevant presentation of alternatives, pros and cons, and feasible recommendations. CBO Presentations. Presentations shall be clear, concise, executive-focused, and written in such a way as to be understood by lay persons. Quality of deliverable directly correlates with effectiveness of CBO communications. Project Plan. Project Plan shall be timely and comprehensive; recognize and address authority, perceptions, and concerns of stakeholders; incorporate scope of requisite contract requirements across the CBO. Reports. Reports are submitted on time and include those topics described in the SOW, agreed to in the master plan and as requested for special reports; necessary clearances are obtained as needed in a timely manner. Publications and other documents. Deliverables are timely submission in formats appropriate to target audiences; consideration of best dissemination mechanisms; user friendly, clear, thorough and comprehensive documentation and publications. Meeting support. Timely and thoughtful pre-meeting preparations and logistics; smooth meeting operations; timely and comprehensive post-meeting summaries. Coordination. Contractor collaboration with CBO is timely, appropriate and demonstrates cooperative support to VHA Executives and staff. Analyses and Assessments. Analyses and assessments are performed with accuracy, comprehensiveness and adherence to industry best practices. Modifications. Timely, comprehensive, high quality covering all functional, performance, and physical areas as delineated in the SOW; final plan incorporates VA feedback in a timely manner. Obtain relevant stakeholder input. Deliverables are innovative, timely implementation of input mechanisms; accurate and comprehensive synthesis of results and recommendations. Integration of relevant stakeholder input documented for deliverable. SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE The Contractor shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998. In December 2000, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), pursuant to Section 508(2) (A) of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, established Information Technology accessibility standards for the Federal Government. Section 508(a)(1) requires that when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), they shall ensure that the EIT allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data by other Federal employees. The Section 508 requirement also applies to members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency. Section 508 text is available at: http://www.opm.gov/HTML/508-text-of-Law.htm and http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=14 This is a TBI forum, which will include participants with disabilities regularly attending in person and virtual meetings. The Contractor shall support this effort at the contractor's facility at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 500 5th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. The sole source is pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, any responsible source who believes it is capable of meeting the requirement may submit a capability statement and supporting documentation to the contracting office no later than Thursday, July 16, 2026, (10:00 AM, EST). Interest/capability statements may be sent to Michael.haydo@va.gov. No telephone responses will be accepted. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

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