1. GENERAL
2. PAST PERFORMANCE FACTOR
3. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

THE CONTRACT SCHEDULE SET FORTH IN SECTIONS B THROUGH H, HEREIN, CONTAINS CONTRACTUAL INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THIS SOLICITATION. IT IS NOT AN EXACT REPRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACT DOCUMENT. CONTRACTUAL PROVISIONS PERTINENT TO THE OFFEROR (I.E., THOSE RELATING TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE [E.G., NON-PROFIT, COMMERCIAL] AND SPECIFIC COST AUTHORIZATIONS UNIQUE TO THE OFFEROR'S PROPOSAL AND REQUIRING CONTRACTING OFFICER PRIOR APPROVAL) WILL BE DISCUSSED IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RESULTANT CONTRACT. HOWEVER, THE ENCLOSED CONTRACT SCHEDULE PROVIDES ALL THE NECESSARY INFORMATION FOR THE OFFEROR TO UNDERSTAND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE RESULTANT CONTRACT.

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

ARTICLE B.1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

The contractor shall provide services to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Office of Prevention, Education and Control (OPEC) to bring it fully into the Information Age by developing a "world class" operation that can take advantage of technology now and in the future to provide for the rapid translation and dissemination of findings from NHLBI-funded research. The contractor shall advance the development of an NHLBI Health Information Network that provides: ease of access for all; networked linking and transfer of NHLBI science-based health information with and to OPEC's primary audiences; increased awareness of the NHLBI and the value of its information; interactivity designed to enhance partnerships, individualize responsiveness, promote better communication, acquire information, disseminate information, and assess public and professional information needs; adoption and utilization of NHLBI information by all of its publics; and use of technology to reduce information-transfer costs.

The contractor shall provide technical and management capability to respond to elected performance-based project plans that will be presented in an annual OPEC Program Plan developed by the Office on a fiscal year basis. Activities addressed in the project plans will include program planning, development, and evaluation in support of NHLBI national health education programs and special initiatives. Currently, they include the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP), National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), National Heart Attack Alert Program (NHAAP), NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative (OEI), and National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR). During the period of performance of this contract, the contractor may be required to provide similar services for new education programs and/or special initiatives at the option of the Government.

The contractor shall also provide professional and support staff to assist NHLBI in planning and convening meetings of the NHBPEP, NCEP, NHAAP, and NAEPP coordinating committees. Professional and support staff also shall be provided to assist NHLBI staff in extending and operationalizing the partnership experience in a global domain with the use of existing and emerging information technologies.

To properly establish and maintain the NHLBI Health Information Network, the contractor shall provide a broad range of skills including educational program planning, development, implementation, and evaluation; health informatics, materials development, health communications and marketing, information science and information technology. The contractor shall provide technical area expertise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor modification related to blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, as well as expertise in early warning signs of heart attack, asthma management, and sleep disorders.

ARTICLE B.2. PRICES/COSTS

The final contract will contain the price/cost provisions agreed upon during negotiations.

ARTICLE B.3. PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO DIRECT COSTS

This article will prohibit or restrict the use of contract funds, unless otherwise approved by the Contracting Officer for: 1) Acquisition, by purchase or lease, of any interest in real property; 2) Special rearrangement or alteration of facilities; 3) Purchase or lease of any item of general purpose office furniture or office equipment regardless of dollar value; 4) Travel Costs; 5) Patient Care Costs; 6) Accountable Government Property; and 7) Research Funding.

ARTICLE B.4. ADVANCE UNDERSTANDINGS

Specific elements of cost, which normally require prior written approval of the Contracting Officer before incurrence of the cost (e.g., foreign travel, consultant fees, subcontracts) will be included in this Article if the Contracting Officer has granted his/her approval in the preaward negotiation process.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

ARTICLE C.1. STATEMENT OF WORK

1. Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall be required to furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform the Statement of Work, SECTION J, ATTACHMENT 2, dated April 1998, attached hereto and made a part of this Solicitation. NOTE: There is a Hypothetical Project Plan at the end of the Statement of Work (see pages 18 and 19 of Attachment 2). This should be responded to by all offerors and submitted as part of the appendices.

ARTICLE C.2. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

1. Technical Progress Reports

   In addition to the required reports set forth elsewhere in this Schedule, the preparation and submission of regularly recurring Technical Progress Reports will be required in any contract resulting from this solicitation. These reports will require descriptive information about the activities undertaken during the reporting period and will require information about planned activities for future reporting periods.

   1. Monthly Reports - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies due 10 calendar days after the end of each month. The contractor shall submit separate monthly progress reports of all work accomplished during each month of contract performance. Reports shall be in narrative form, brief, and informal in content. Monthly reports shall include:
      1. A quantitative and qualitative description of overall progress including the hours and dollars expended for each proejct activity during that month;

      2. An indication of any current problems that may impede performance and proposed corrective action; and

      3. A discussion of the work to be performed during the next monthly reporting period.

   2. Annual Performance Management Framework and Plan - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies on September 30, 1999, and annually thereafter, during the entire period of performance of the contract. The contractor shall submit the Annual Performance Management Framework and Plan for Project Officer approval. The Plan shall detail the objectives to be met during the performance period for each performance-based project plan developed in response to the OPEC Program Plan, and provide a timetable for accomplishment of projects. The costs for each project shall be able to quickly be retrieved for program management meetings between the NHLBI Project Officer and the contractor project manager. See subtasks 1.3 and 1.7 for additional information.

   3. Monthly Cost Recovery and Response Center Reports - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies due 10 calendar days after the end of the each month. See subtasks 2.1 and 2.7 for additional information. The contractor shall prepare a monthly report on items sold and revenue expended and received under cost recovery as well as all inquiries, 800 number and product ordering totals.

   4. Inventory Control Report - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies due 10 calendar days after the end of each month. The contractor shall prepare the report in accordance with subtask 6.1.

   5. Implementation Plans - Each Implementation Plan shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies per subtask 7.1. Due dates to be determined.

   6. Workplans - Each Workplan shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies per subtask 7.2. Workplans shall be submitted 6 weeks prior to the proposed date of project initiation.

   7. Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Feasibility Assessment Plan - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies due at the end of month 9 of the contract. The contractor shall complete an assessment of the feasibility of developing a multimedia information kiosk network to deliver NHLBI education program information to public audiences, and submit a report summarizing the findings of the assessment and recommendations for next steps. See subtask 7.3 for additional information.

   8. Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Pilot Plan - Pilot Plan and final report shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies per subtask 7.3.1.

   9. Partnering Improvement Plan - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies due at the end of month 6 of the contract. See subtask 8.1.2 for additional information.

   10. Annual Reports - Shall be electronically transmitted along with two (2) reproducible copies due at the end of the first 12 months of contract performance, and annually thereafter. The contractor shall submit an Annual Report that documents and summarizes the results of that contract year, including recommendations and conclusions based on the experience and results obtained. A draft of each Annual Report shall be submitted to the Project Officer for review and approval 30 days prior to the due date of the Annual Report.

   11. Final Report - Shall be electronically transmitted along with ten (10) reproducible copies due on or before the last day of the contract performance period. The contractor shall submit a Final Report that documents and summarizes the results obtained. A draft of the Final Report shall be submitted to the Project Officer for review and approval 30 days prior to the due date of the Final Report.

   12. Data Files, Disks, and Tapes - The contractor shall deliver to the Project Officer, on or before the last day of the contract performance period, all data files, disks, and/or tapes and pertinent documentation.

2. Summary of Salient Results

   The contractor will be required to prepare and submit, with the Final Report, a summary (not to exceed 200 words) of salient results achieved during the performance of the contract. This Report will be required on or before the expiration date of the contract.

SECTION D - PACKAGING, MARKING AND SHIPPING

All deliverables required under this contract shall be packaged, marked and shipped in accordance with Government specifications. The contractor shall guarantee that all required materials shall be delivered in immediate usable and acceptable condition.

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

1. The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will perform inspection and acceptance of materials and services to be provided.

2. For the purpose of this ARTICLE, the Project Officer is the authorized representative of the Contracting Officer.

3. Inspection and acceptance will be performed at:

   Office of Prevention, Education, and Control
   National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
   National Institutes of Health
   Building 31, Room 4A03
   31 Center Drive, MSC 2480
   Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2480

   Acceptance may be presumed unless otherwise indicated in writing by the Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative within 30 days of receipt.

4. This contract incorporates the following clause by reference, with the same force and effect as if it were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make its full text available.

   FAR Clause No. 52.246-5, INSPECTION OF SERVICES-COST REIMBURSEMENT (APRIL 1984)

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

ARTICLE F.1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of this contract shall be from February 1, 1999 through January 31, 2004.

ARTICLE F.2. DELIVERIES

Satisfactory performance of the final contract shall be deemed to occur upon delivery and acceptance by the Contracting Officer, or the duly authorized representative, of the following items in accordance with the stated delivery schedule:

1. The items specified below as described in SECTION C, ARTICLE C.2. will be required to be delivered F.O.B. Destination as set forth in FAR 52.247-35, F.O.B. DESTINATION, WITHIN CONSIGNEES PREMISES (APRIL 1984), and in accordance with and by the dates specified below:

   Item	Description	Quantity	Delivery Schedule
   (a)	Monthly Report	2	10 days after end of each month
   (b)	Annual Performance Management Framework and Plan	2	annually beginning 9/30/99
   (c)	Cost Recovery Reports	2	monthly; subtask 2.1
   (d)	Response Center Reports	2	monthly; subtask 2.7
   (e)	Inventory Report	2	monthly; subtask 6.1
   (f)	Implementation Plans	2	per subtask 7.1
   (g)	Workplans	2	per subtask 7.2
   (h)	Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Feasibility Assessment Plan	2	per subtask 7.3
   (i)	Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Pilot Plan	2	per subtask 7.3.1
   (j)	Partnering Improvement Plan	2	per subtask 8.1.2
   (k)	Draft Annual Report	1	annually beginning 12/31/99
   (l)	Annual Report	2	annually beginning 1/31/00
   (m)	Draft Final Report	1	12/31/03
   (n)	Final Report	10	1/31/04
   (o)	Data Files, Disks and Tapes	All	1/31/04

2. All the above items (a-o) shall be delivered to the Project Officer. Originals of a, c, e, f, g, h, i, l and n only shall be delivered to the Contracting Officer. Addresses are as follows:

   Contracting Officer BDR Contracts Section, COB National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institutes of Health 6701 Rockledge Dr., Room 6138, MSC 7902 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902

   Project Officer Office of Prevention, Education and Control National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 4A03 31 Center Drive, MSC 2480 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2480

1. During the period of performance of this contract, the Contractor shall provide _____ direct labor HOURS (MONTHS, YEARS). The labor HOURS (MONTHS, YEARS)(INCLUDE/EXCLUDE) vacation, sick leave, and holiday. It is estimated that the labor HOURS (MONTHS, YEARS) are constituted as specified below and will be expended approximately as follows:

   	Labor HOURS (MONTHS, YEARS)
   Labor Category	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6	Year 7
   Professional
   Other Professional
   Support

2. The Contractor shall have satisfied the requirement herein if not less than ____% nor more than ____% of the total direct labor hours (MONTHS, YEARS) specified herein are furnished.

3. In the event fewer hours (MONTHS, YEARS) than the minimum specified number of direct labor hours (MONTHS, YEARS) in the total categories are used by the Contractor in accomplishing the prescribed work and the Government has not invoked its rights under the clause TERMINATION (Cost-Reimbursement) Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.249-6 incorporated in this contract, these parties agree that the fee will be adjusted based solely upon the quantity of hours (MONTHS, YEARS) by which the number of direct labor hours (MONTHS, YEARS) furnished is less than the number of direct labor hours (MONTHS, YEARS) specified in this ARTICLE. The resulting adjustment shall be evidenced by a contract modification.

Pursuant to the Key Personnel clause incorporated in this contract, the following individual(s) is/are considered to be essential to the work being performed hereunder:

NAME	TITLE
[To be determined during negotiations]

ARTICLE G.3. INVOICE SUBMISSION/CONTRACT FINANCING REQUEST

1. Financial reports on the attached Form NIH 2706, Financial Report of Individual Project/Contract, shall be submitted by the Contractor in accordance with the Instructions for Completing Form NIH 2706, which accompany the form, in an original and two copies, not later than the 30th working day after the close of the reporting period. The line entries for subdivisions of work and elements of cost (expenditure categories) which shall be reported within the total contract are listed in paragraph e., below. Subsequent changes and/or additions in the line entries shall be made in writing.

2. Unless otherwise stated in that part of the Instructions for Completing Form NIH 2706, entitled "PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS," all columns A through J, shall be completed for each report submitted.

3. The first financial report shall cover the period consisting of the first three calendar months following the date of the contract, in addition to any fractional part of the initial month. Thereafter, reports will be on a quarterly basis.

4. The Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to submit detailed support for costs contained in one or more interim financial reports. This clause does not supersede the record retention requirements in FAR Part 4.7.

5. The following is a listing of expenditure categories to be reported [final expenditure categories to be determined during negotiations]:

   Expenditure Category A			Percentage of Effort/Hours
   (1)	Direct Labor
   	(a)	Principal Investigator
   	(b)	Co-Principal Investigator
   	(c)	Key Personnel
   		(i)
   		(ii)
   		(iii)
   (2)	Other Professional Personnel
   (3)	Personnel - Other
   (4)	Fringe Benefits
   (5)	Accountable Personal Property
   (6)	Materials/Supplies
   (7)	Patient Care Costs
   (8)	Travel
   (9)	Consultant Costs
   (10)	Premium Pay
   (11)	Computer Costs
   (12)	Subcontract Costs
   (13)	Other Direct Costs
   (14)	Indirect Costs
   (15)	G&A Expense
   (16)	Total Cost
   (17)	Fee
   (18)	Total Cost Plus Fixed Fee

6. The Government may unilaterally revise the NIH 2706 to reflect the allotment of additional funds.

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES

THE FOLLOWING PAGES CONTAIN A LISTING OF GENERAL CLAUSES WHICH WILL BE APPLICABLE TO MOST CONTRACTS RESULTING FROM THIS RFP. HOWEVER, THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE SUCCESSFUL OFFEROR WILL DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC GENERAL CLAUSES LISTING TO BE CONTAINED IN THE CONTRACT AWARDED FROM THIS RFP.

ARTICLE I.1. GENERAL CLAUSES FOR A COST-REIMBURSEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT - CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (APRIL 1984)

This contract incorporates the following clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available [FAR 52.252-2 (JUNE 1988)].

1. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) (48 CFR CHAPTER 1) CLAUSES:

   FAR CLAUSE NO.	TITLE AND DATE
   52.202-1	Definitions (OCTOBER 1995)
   52.203-3	Gratuities (Over $100,000) (APRIL 1984)
   52.203-5	Covenant Against Contingent Fees (Over $100,000) (APRIL 1984)
   52.203-6	Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Over $100,000) (JULY 1995)
   52.203-7	Anti-Kickback Procedures (Over $100,000) (JULY 1995)
   52.203-8	Cancellation, Rescission, and Recovery of Funds for Illegal or Improper Activity (Over $100,000) (JANUARY 1997)
   52.203-10	Price or Fee Adjustment for Illegal or Improper Activity (Over $100,000) (JANUARY 1997)
   52.203-12	Limitation on Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions (Over $100,000)(JUNE 1997)
   52.204-4	Printing/Copying Double-Sided on Recycled Paper (Over $100,000) (JUNE 1996)
   52.209-6	Protecting the Government's Interests when Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Over $25,000) (JULY 1995)
   52.215-2	Audit and Records - Negotiation (Over $100,000) (AUGUST 1996)
   52.215-8	Order of Precedence-Uniform Contract Format (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-10	Price Reduction for Defective Cost or Pricing Data (Over $500,000) (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-12	Subcontractor Cost or Pricing Data (Over $500,000) (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-14	Integrity of Unit Prices (Over $100,000) (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-15	Termination of Defined Benefit Pension Plans (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-18	Reversion or Adjustment of Plans for Post-Retirement Benefits (PRB) other than Pensions (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-19	Notification of Ownership Changes (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.215-21	Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information Other Than Cost or Pricing Data--Modifications (OCTOBER 1997)
   52.216-7	Allowable Cost and Payment (MARCH 1997)
   52.216-8	Fixed Fee (MARCH 1997)
   52.219-8	Utilization of Small, Small Disadvantaged, and Women-Owned Small Business Concerns (Over $100,000) (JUNE 1997)
   52.219-9	Small, Small Disadvantaged, and Women-Owned Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Over $500,000) (AUGUST 1996)
   52.219-16	Liquidated Damages - Subcontracting Plan (Over $500,000) (OCTOBER 1995)
   52.222-2	Payment for Overtime Premium (Over $100,000) (JULY 1990) (NOTE: The dollar amount in paragraph (a) of this clause is $0 unless otherwise specified in the contract.)
   52.222-3	Convict Labor (AUGUST 1996)
   52.222-26	Equal Opportunity (APRIL 1984)
   52.222-28	Equal Opportunity Preaward Clearance of Subcontracts (Over $1,000,000) (APRIL 1984)
   52.222-35	Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans (APRIL 1984)
   52.222-36	Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers (APRIL 1984)
   52.222-37	Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era (JANUARY 1988)
   52.223-2	Clean Air and Water (Over $100,000) (APRIL 1984)
   52.223-6	Drug-Free Workplace (JANUARY 1997)
   52.223-14	Toxic Chemical Release Reporting (OCTOBER 1996)
   52.225-3	Buy American Act--Supplies (JANUARY 1994)
   52.225-11	Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (OCTOBER 1996)
   52.227-1	Authorization and Consent (Over $50,000) (JULY 1995)--Alternate I (APRIL 1984)
   52.227-2	Notice and Assistance Regarding Patent and Copyright Infringement (Over $100,000)(AUGUST 1996)
   52.227-11	Patent Rights - Retention by the Contractor (Short Form) (JUNE 1997) NOTE: In accordance with FAR 27.303(a)(2), paragraph (f) is modified to include the requirements in FAR 27.303(a)(2) (i) through (iv). The frequency of reporting in (i) is annual.
   52.227-14	Rights in Data - General (JUNE 1987)
   52.232-9	Limitation on Withholding of Payments (APRIL 1984)
   52.232-17	Interest (Over $100,000) (JUNE 1996)
   52.232-20	Limitation of Cost (APRIL 1984)
   52.232-23	Assignment of Claims (JANUARY 1986)
   52.232-25	Prompt Payment (JUNE 1997)
   52.232-33	Mandatory Information for Electronic Funds Transfer Payment (AUGUST 1996)
   52.233-1	Disputes (OCTOBER 1995)
   52.233-3	Protest After Award (AUGUST 1996) With Alternate I (JUNE 1985)
   52.242-1	Notice of Intent to Disallow Costs (APRIL 1984)
   52.242-3	Penalties for Unallowable Costs (Over $500,000) (OCTOBER 1995)
   52.242-4	Certification of Final Indirect Costs (JANUARY 1997)
   52.242-13	Bankruptcy (Over $100,000) (JULY 1995)
   52.243-2	Changes - Cost Reimbursement (AUGUST 1987) Alternate V (APRIL 1984)
   52.244-2	Subcontracts (Cost-Reimbursement and Letter Contracts) (FEBRUARY 1997) *If written consent to subcontract is required, the identified subcontracts are listed in ARTICLE B, Advance Understandings.
   52.244-5	Competition in Subcontracting (Over $100,000) (DECEMBER 1996)
   52.245-5	Government Property (Cost-Reimbursement, Time and Material, or Labor-Hour Contract)(JANUARY 1986)
   52.246-23	Limitation of Liability (Over $100,000) (FEBRUARY 1997)
   52.249-6	Termination (Cost-Reimbursement) (SEPTEMBER 1996)
   52.249-14	Excusable Delays (APRIL 1984)
   52.253-1	Computer Generated Forms (JANUARY 1991)

2. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACQUISITION REGULATION (HHSAR) (48 CFR CHAPTER 3) CLAUSES:

   HHSAR CLAUSE NO.	TITLE AND DATE
   352.202-1	Definitions (APRIL 1984) Alternate I (APRIL 1984)
   352.228-7	Insurance - Liability to Third Persons (DECEMBER 1991)
   352.232-9	Withholding of Contract Payments (APRIL 1984)
   352.233-70	Litigation and Claims (APRIL 1984)
   352.242-71	Final Decisions on Audit Findings (APRIL 1984)
   352.270-5	Key Personnel (APRIL 1984)
   352.270-6	Publication and Publicity (JULY 1991)
   352.270-7	Paperwork Reduction Act (APRIL 1984)

   [End of GENERAL CLAUSES FOR A COST-REIMBURSEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT]

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ARTICLE I.2. AUTHORIZED SUBSTITUTIONS OF CLAUSES

Any authorized substitutions and/or modifications other than the General Clauses which will be based on the type of contract/Contractor will be determined during negotiations.

It is expected that the following clause will be made part of the resultant contract:

FAR Clause 52.232-20, LIMITATION OF COST, is deleted in its entirety and FAR Clause 52.232-22, LIMITATION OF FUNDS (APRIL 1984) is substituted therefor.

ARTICLE I.3. ADDITIONAL CONTRACT CLAUSES

Additional clauses other than those listed below which are based on the type of contract/Contractor shall be determined during negotiations. Any contract awarded from this solicitation will contain the following: This contract incorporates the following clauses by reference, (unless otherwise noted), with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available.

1. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) (48 CFR CHAPTER 1) CLAUSES
   1. FAR 52.208-9, Contractor Use of Mandatory Sources of Supply (MARCH 1996).

   2. FAR 52.217-2, Cancellation Under Multiyear Contracts (JULY 1996).

   3. FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data - General (JUNE 1987).

   4. FAR 52.237-3, Continuity of Services (JANUARY 1991).

   5. FAR 52.237-10, Identification of Uncompensated Overtime (OCTOBER 1997).

2. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACQUISITION REGULATION/PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACQUISITION REGULATION (HHSAR)/(PHSAR) (48 CHAPTER 3) CLAUSE:

   HHSAR 352.270-1, Accessibility of Meetings, Conferences and Seminars to Persons with Disabilities (APRIL 1984).

3. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) RESEARCH CONTRACTING (RC) CLAUSE:

   The following clause is attached and made a part of this contract:

   NIH (RC)-7, Procurement of Certain Equipment (APRIL 1984) (OMB Bulletin 81-16).

ARTICLE I.4. ADDITIONAL FAR CONTRACT CLAUSES INCLUDED IN FULL TEXT

Additional clauses other than those listed below which are based on the type of contract/Contractor shall be determined during negotiations. Any contract awarded from this solicitation will contain the following:

This contract incorporates the following clauses in full text.

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR)(48 CFR CHAPTER 1) CLAUSES:

FAR Clause 52.244-6 SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS AND COMMERCIAL COMPONENTS (OCTOBER 1995)

1. Definition.

   Commercial item, as used in this clause, has the meaning contained in the clause at 52.202-1, Definitions.

   Subcontract, as used in this clause, includes a transfer of commercial items between divisions, subsidiaries, or affiliates of the Contractor or subcontractor at any tier.

2. To the maximum extent practicable, the Contractor shall incorporate, and require its subcontractors at all tiers to incorporate, commercial items or nondevelopmental items as components of items to be supplied under this contract.

3. Notwithstanding any other clause of this contract, the Contractor is not required to include any FAR provision or clause, other than those listed below to the extent they are applicable and as may be required to establish the reasonableness of prices under Part 15, in a subcontract at any tier for commercial items or commercial components:
   1. 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (E.O. 11246);
   2. 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212(a));
   3. 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers (29 U.S.C. 793); and
   4. 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flagged Commercial Vessels (46 U.S.C. 1241) (flow down not required for subcontracts awarded beginning May 1, 1996).

4. The Contractor shall include the terms of this clause, including this paragraph (d), in subcontracts awarded under this contract.

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PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J - LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

The following are attached and incorporated into this RFP:

1. Packaging and Delivery of Proposal, May, 1994.
2. Statement of Work, April 1998. Note: Hypothetical Project Plan - to be submitted as part of the appendices.
3. Invoice/Financing Request Instructions for NIH Cost-Reimbursement Type Contracts, NIH(RC)-1⁴, May, 1997.
4. Financial Report of Individual Project/Contract, NIH 2706⁴, May, 1997.
5. Instructions for Completing Form NIH 2706⁴, May, 1997.
6. Subcontract Plan Format³, September, 1997.
7. Procurement of Certain Equipment, NIH(RC)-7 (OMB Bulletin 81-16)⁴, April, 1984.
8. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, OMB Form SF-LLL², December, 1989.
9. Proposal Summary and Data Record, NIH-2043 (Rev. 6/82)², June, 1982.
10. Contact Points², July, 1991.
11. Technical Proposal Cost Information¹, December, 1988.
12. Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Cost (plus fee) and Labor Hours², September, 1992.
13. Summary of Related Activities¹, March, 1984.
14. Proposal Intent Response Sheet⁵, March, 1984.
15. Government Notice for Handling Proposals¹, January, 1997.
16. Project Information, April 1998.
17. List of documents available in Reading Room.

Footnotes:

1. These forms must be completed (where applicable) and submitted with the Technical Proposal.
2. These forms must be completed (where applicable) and submitted with the Business Proposal.
3. These forms are for informational purposes only.
4. These forms will be attached to any contract resulting from this RFP.
5. Complete this form as soon as possible and return as indicated on the form.

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PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors or Quoters (Negotiated).

1. REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

The Representations and Certifications required by this particular acquisition can be accessed electronically from the INTERNET at the following URL:

http://amb.nci.nih.gov/forms/rcneg.pdf

If you are unable to access this document electronically, you may request a copy from the Contracting Officer identified on the cover page of this solicitation.

IF YOU INTEND TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL, YOU MUST COMPLETE THE REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS AND SUBMIT THEM AS PART OF YOUR BUSINESS PROPOSAL.

---

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION [FAR Clause 52.215-1 (October 1997)]

   1. Definitions. As used in this provision--

      Discussions are negotiations that occur after establishment of the competitive range that may, at the Contracting Officer's discretion, result in the offeror being allowed to revise its proposal.

      In writing or written means any worded or numbered expression which can be read, reproduced, and later communicated, and includes electronically transmitted and stored information.

      Proposal modification is a change made to a proposal before the solicitation's closing date and time, or made in response to an amendment, or made to correct a mistake at any time before award.

      Proposal revision is a change to a proposal made after the solicitation closing date, at the request of or as allowed by a Contracting Officer as the result of negotiations.

      Time, if stated as a number of days, is calculated using calendar days, unless otherwise specified, and will include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. However, if the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, then the period shall include the next working day.

   2. Amendments to solicitations. If this solicitation is amended, all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged. Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation by the date and time specified in the amendment(s).

   3. Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals. (1) Unless other methods (e.g., electronic commerce or facsimile) are permitted in the solicitation, proposals and modifications to proposals shall be submitted in paper media in sealed envelopes or packages (i) addressed to the office specified in the solicitation, and (ii) showing the time and date specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and the name and address of the offeror. Offerors using commercial carriers should ensure that the proposal is marked on the outermost wrapper with the information in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) and (c)(1)(ii) of this provision.
      2. The first page of the proposal must show--
         1. The solicitation number;
         2. The name, address, and telephone and facsimile numbers of the offeror (and electronic address if available);
         3. A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item;
         4. Names, titles, and telephone and facsimile numbers (and electronic addresses if available) of persons authorized to negotiate on the offeror's behalf with the Government in connection with this solicitation; and
         5. Name, title, and signature of person authorized to sign the proposal. Proposals signed by an agent shall be accompanied by evidence of that agent's authority, unless that evidence has been previously furnished to the issuing office.

      3. Late proposals and revisions. (i) Any proposal received at the office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers will not be considered unless it is received before award is made and--
         1. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of offers (e.g., an offer submitted in response to a solicitation requiring receipt of offers by the 20th of the month must have been mailed by the 15th);

         2. It was sent by mail (or telegram or facsimile, if authorized) or hand-carried (including delivery by a commercial carrier) if it is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due primarily to Government mishandling after receipt at the Government installation;

         3. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5:00 p.m. at the place of mailing two working days prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals. The term "working days" excludes weekends and U.S. Federal holidays;

         4. It was transmitted through an electronic commerce method authorized by the solicitation and was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one working day prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals; or

         5. There is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the activity designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government's control prior to the time set for receipt of offers, and the Contracting Officer determines that accepting the late offer would not unduly delay the procurement; or

         6. It is the only proposal received.
         2. Any modification or revision of a proposal or response to request for information, including any final proposal revision, is subject to the same conditions as in subparagraphs (c)(3)(i)(A) through (c)(3)(i)(E) of this provision.

         3. The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a late proposal or modification or revision sent either by registered or certified mail is the U.S. or Canadian Postal Service postmark both on the envelope or wrapper and on the original receipt from the U.S. or Canadian Postal Service. Both postmarks must show a legible date or the proposal, response to a request for information, or modification or revision shall be processed as if mailed late. "Postmark" means a printed, stamped, or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable without further action as having been supplied and affixed by employees of the U.S. or Canadian Postal Service on the date of mailing. Therefore, offerors or respondents should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation bull's eye postmark on both the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.

         4. Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the proposal wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

         5. The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a late offer, modification or revision, or withdrawal sent by Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee is the date entered by the post office receiving clerk on the "Express Mail Next Day Service-Post Office to Addressee" label and the postmark on both the envelope or wrapper and on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. "Postmark" has the same meaning as defined in paragraph (c)(3)(iii) of this provision, excluding postmarks of the Canadian Postal Service. Therefore, offerors or respondents should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation bull's eye postmark on both the receipt and the envelope or wrapper.

         6. Notwithstanding paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this provision, a late modification or revision of an otherwise successful proposal that makes its terms more favorable to the Government will be considered at any time it is received and may be accepted.

         7. Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice or telegram (including mailgram) received at any time before award. If the solicitation authorizes facsimile proposals, proposals may be withdrawn via facsimile received at any time before award, subject to the conditions specified in the provision entitled "Facsimile Proposals." Proposals may be withdrawn in person by an offeror or an authorized representative, if the representative's identity is made known and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal before award.

         8. If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that proposals cannot be received at the office designated for receipt of proposals by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude amendment of the solicitation or other notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of proposals will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office.

      4. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, the offeror may propose to provide any item or combination of items.

      5. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation shall be in English and in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise permitted by the solicitation.

      6. Offerors may submit modifications to their proposals at any time before the solicitation closing date and time, and may submit modifications in response to an amendment, or to correct a mistake at any time before award.

      7. Offerors may submit revised proposals only if requested or allowed by the Contracting Officer.

      8. Proposals may be withdrawn at any time before award. Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the Contracting Officer.

   4. Offer expiration date. Proposals in response to this solicitation will be valid for the number of days specified on the solicitation cover sheet (unless a different period is proposed by the offeror).

   5. Restriction on disclosure and use of data. Offerors that include in their proposals data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes, shall--
      1. Mark the title page with the following legend: This proposal includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed--in whole or in part--for any purpose other than to evaluate this proposal. If, however, a contract is awarded to this offeror as a result of--or in connection with-- the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]; and

      2. Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend: Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.

   6. Contract award. 1. The Government intends to award a contract or contracts resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror(s) whose proposal(s) represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the factors and subfactors in the solicitation.
      2. The Government may reject any or all proposals if such action is in the Government's interest.

      3. The Government may waive informalities and minor irregularities in proposals received.

      4. The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract after conducting discussions with offerors whose proposals have been determined to be within the competitive range. If the Contracting Officer determines that the number of proposals that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the Contracting Officer may limit the number of proposals in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated proposals. Therefore, the offeror's initial proposal should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint.

      5. The Government reserves the right to make an award on any item for a quantity less than the quantity offered, at the unit cost or prices offered, unless the offeror specifies otherwise in the proposal.

      6. The Government reserves the right to make multiple awards if, after considering the additional administrative costs, it is in the Government's best interest to do so.

      7. Exchanges with offerors after receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by the Government.

      8. The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or subline items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if the Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government.

      9. If a cost realism analysis is performed, cost realism may be considered by the source selection authority in evaluating performance or schedule risk.

      10. A written award or acceptance of proposal mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time specified in the proposal shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party.

      11. The Government may disclose the following information in postaward debriefings to other offerors:
          1. The overall evaluated cost or price and technical rating of the successful offeror;

          2. The overall ranking of all offerors, when any ranking was developed by the agency during source selection;

          3. A summary of the rationale for award; and

          4. For acquisitions of commercial items, the make and model of the item to be delivered by the successful offeror.

   (End of provision)

   2. "JUST IN TIME"

      This RFP contains special procedures for the submission of business proposals. These special procedures are designed to reduce the administrative burden on offerors without compromising the information during the initial evaluation of proposals. Certain documents will not be required to be submitted with initial proposals, but will be requested at a later stage in the competitive process. Specifically, the travel policy, the annual financial statement, the total compensation plan, the subcontracting plan, and certain types of cost/pricing information will only be required to be submitted from those offerors included in the competitive range, or the apparent successful offeror. The special procedures for submission of this documentation are set forth in detail below:

      Travel Policy. The offeror's (and any proposed subcontractor's) written travel policy shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. All offerors included in the competitive range will be required to submit a travel policy as a part of their best and final offer.

      Annual Report. The offeror's most recent annual report shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. All offerors included in the competitive range will be required submit a copy of their most recent annual report as a part of their best and final offer.

      Total Compensation Plan. The offeror's total compensation plan shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. All offerors included in the competitive range will be required submit a total compensation plan as a part of their best and final offer.

      Subcontracting Plan. The offeror's Small, Small Disadvantaged, and Women-Owned Small Business Subcontracting Plan shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. Only the apparent successful offeror will be required to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan.

      Cost/Pricing Information. The offeror's business proposal shall include the basic cost/price information specified in Section L.2.c.(1) of this RFP. In addition, the Government may require offerors included in the competitive range to submit additional information substantiating their proposed costs or prices. This additional cost/pricing information will be requested after establishment of the competitive range, and potentially includes payroll documentation, vendor quotes, invoice prices, and/or any other information deemed necessary by the contracting officer to evaluate the reasonableness of the price or to determine cost realism. The information may also include submission and certification of cost or pricing data.

   3. SIC CODE AND SIZE STANDARD

      Note: The following information is to be used by the offeror in preparing its Representations and Certifications (See Section K of this RFP), specifically in completing the provision entitled, SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REPRESENTATION (JANUARY 1997), FAR Clause 52.219-1.

      1. The standard industrial classification (SIC) code for this acquisition is 8732.
      2. The small business size standard is $5,000,000.

      THIS REQUIREMENT IS NOT SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESS. However, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requires in every solicitation, (except for foreign acquisitions) the inclusion of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code and corresponding size standard which best describes the nature of the requirement in the solicitation.

   4. TYPE OF CONTRACT AND NUMBER OF AWARD(S)

      It is anticipated that one award will be made from this solicitation and that the award will be made on/about February 1, 1999.

      It is anticipated that the award from this solicitation will be a cost reimbursement type level of effort contract with a period of performance of five years, and that incremental funding will be used [see paragraph (10)c) of Business Proposal Instructions].

   5. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

      A pre-proposal conference will be held with prospective offerors at the Natcher Building (Bldg. 45), Rooms F1 & 2 on May 5, 1998 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The pre-proposal conference will be held for the purpose of providing information concerning the Government's requirements which may be helpful in the preparation of proposals and for answering any questions which you have regarding this solicitation.

      The success of this type of conference depends largely on the lead-time available to the Government for research in connection with questions submitted by offerors. Therefore, you are requested to e-mail questions concerning any areas of uncertainty which, in your opinion, require clarification or correction, in sufficient time to be received on or before April 27, 1998 at 4:30 p.m. at the following e-mail address: magginaj@gwgate.nhlbi.nih.gov. Your e-mail should be marked "Pre-proposal conference, RFP NHLBI-HO-98-21."

      A set of all questions and answers will be furnished simultaneously to all prospective offerors, whether or not they are in attendance, in an amendment to the RFP. Because of space limitations, each prospective offeror shall be limited to a total of two representatives. Attendance at the pre-proposal conference is recommended; however, attendance is not a prerequisite for proposal submission and will not be considered a factor in proposal evaluation.

   6. LEVEL OF EFFORT

      The level of effort devoted to the project must be compatible with the scientific and technical approach proposed. The project requires a multidisciplinary team with demonstrated skills in project management, program planning, development, marketing, and evaluation of health promotion/disease prevention programs that have employed a program outreach model. Multidisciplinary staffing is required to provide a comprehensive range of skills including educational program planning, development, and implementation; epidemiology; health education; materials development, health communications and marketing; medical and health informatics; information science including information technology and information dissemination; technical subject area expertise in CVD risk factor modification related to blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity and physical activity, as well as expertise in asthma and sleep disorders management. It is estimated that full-time equivalent (FTE) professional employees will be utilized in each year of the contract to perform the work. In addition, consultants and temporary employee services will be required in each year of the contract to perform projects approved under Tasks 7.1 and 7.2. If consultants are proposed, letters of commitment must be provided.

      To assist you in the preparation of your proposal, the Government's estimate for the work set forth in the Statement of Work of this solicitation is 294,400 direct labor hours. It is estimated that the labor hours are constituted as specified below and will be expended approximately as follows. This information is furnished for the offeror's information only and is not to be considered restrictive for proposal purposes.

   Person Years* by Contract Year
   Major Project Component	Task #	Year 01	Year 02	Year 03	Year 04	Year 05
   Project Management & Administration a	1	1.50	1.50	1.50	1.50	1.50
   Response Center	2	3.00	3.00	3.00	3.00	3.00
   Information Development	3	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00
   Information Transfer & Networking	4	3.00	3.00	3.00	3.00	3.00
   Internal Database Development	5	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
   Distribution	6	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00
   Program Planning, Development, & Evaluation for NHLBI's National Education Programs and Special Initiatives--Professional Support	7.1 & 7.2	5.00	5.00	5.00	6.00	6.00
   Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Feasibility Assessment and Pilot Test	7.3	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.00	0.00
   Staff Support for Partnership Organization b	8	6.50	6.50	6.50	6.50	6.50
   Meeting Services	8.1.1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
   Administrative Support	1-8	6.00	6.00	6.00	6.00	6.00
   ONGOING LABOR TOTAL		32.00	32.00	32.00	32.00	32.00
   * One person year = 1,840 hours.

   ^aProject Management and Administration: The use of a program manager or director in management activities as well as direct involvement (as opposed to delegated) in selected nonmanagement program activities is encouraged. The use of an administrative assistant, for example, could allow for the proposed project manager to devote a portion of his/her time to nonmanagement projects (e.g., program development activities). However, the program manager's primary responsibility remains program management, and therefore, his/her time commitment to program development projects should not exceed 15 percent.

   ^bRefers to professional staff to provide support to each of the education programs and special initiatives for building and sustaining NHLBI strategic partnerships. For proposal purposes, assume that 1 FTE will be necessary to properly support each national program. The NHLBI OEI and NCSDR will require .75 FTE each. To provide for maximum flexibility all staff proposed should be able to provide crosscutting programs support as well. The remaining 1 FTE must demonstrate specialized expertise in community program development including state health department and other types of partnership organization networking. FTEs included in this category may also be proposed for projects addressed in Subtasks 7.1 and 7.2.

   7. COMMITMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS

      The Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with the proposed procurement. Any other commitment, either explicit or implied, is invalid.

   8. COMMUNICATIONS PRIOR TO CONTRACT AWARD

      Offerors shall direct all communications to the attention of the Contract Specialist or Contracting Officer cited on the face page of this RFP. Communications with other officials may compromise the competitiveness of this acquisition and result in cancellation of the requirement.

   9. RELEASE OF INFORMATION

      Contract selection and award information will be disclosed to offerors in accordance with regulations applicable to negotiated acquisition. Prompt written notice will be given to unsuccessful offerors as they are eliminated from the competition, and to all offerors following award.

   10. COMPARATIVE IMPORTANCE OF PROPOSALS

       You are advised that paramount consideration shall be given to the evaluation of technical proposals. All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. However, the Government reserves the right to make an award to the best advantage of the Government, cost and other factors considered.

   11. REFERENCE MATERIALS

       Many NHLBI and OPEC reference materials are available for review on the NHLBI Website, ../../../index.htm. In addition, a representative sample of documents will be made available for onsite review by potential offerors in the reading room (See Section J, List of Attachments).

       A "reading room" containing reference materials pertinent to this acquisition will be available at the NIH Campus, Building 31, Bethesda, Maryland, April 27 - May 29, 1998 during the hours 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (except Government holidays). Use of the reading room is by appointment only; contact the OPEC Reception Desk , (301) 496-4236 for arrangements. A maximum of four people per organization at any given time is permitted. Failure of offerors to examine the reference materials prior to proposal preparation and submission will be at the offeror's risk.

   12. PREPARATION COSTS

       This RFP does not commit the Government to pay for the preparation and submission of a proposal.

   13. SERVICE OF PROTEST (AUGUST 1996) - FAR 52.233-2
       1. Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the General Accounting Office (GAO), shall be served on the Contracting Officer (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from:

          Contracting Officer
          Contracts Operations Branch
          National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
          6701 Rockledge Dr., Room 6138, MSC 7902
          Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902

       2. The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO.

       (End of Provision)

   14. LATE PROPOSALS, MODIFICATIONS OF PROPOSAL, AND WITHDRAWALS OF PROPOSALS, PHS 352.215-10

       Notwithstanding the procedures contained in the provision of this solicitation entitled Late Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals of Proposals, a proposal received after the date specified for receipt may be considered if it offers significant cost or technical advantages to the Government, and it was received before proposals were distributed for evaluation, or within five calendar days after the exact time specified for receipt, whichever is earlier.

       (End of provision)

   15. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

       Please number each page of text. Type density and size must be 10-12 points. If constant spacing is used, there should be no more than 15 cpi, whereas proportional spacing should provide an average of no more than 15 cpi. There must be no more than six lines of text within a vertical inch.

       The technical proposal should be organized as follows:

       1. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL COVER SHEET -- Page 1
       2. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL TABLE OF CONTENTS -- Page 2
       3. ABSTRACT-- Page 3
          State the proposal's broad, long-term objectives and specific aims. Briefly and concisely describe the research design and methods for achieving these goals. DO NOT EXCEED one page in providing the abstract. Identify the RFP Number, Institution and Principal Investigator on the abstract.
       4. TECHNICAL PLAN (not to exceed 175 PAGES)
          Refer to Technical Proposal Instructions located under Section L.2.b. for more detail.
          1. WORK STATEMENT
             1. Objectives--Page #
             2. Approach--Page #
             3. Methods--Page #
             4. Schedule--Page #

          2. PERSONNEL
             1. List of all Personnel in the project including Subcontractors, Consultants/Collaborators, by name, title, department and organization--Page #
                PROVIDE NARRATIVE FOR:
             2. Principal Investigator/Project Director--Page #
             3. Other Investigators--Page #
             4. Additional Personnel--Page #
                [NOTE: For personnel, include a two-page biosketch under APPENDICES below.]

          3. FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND OTHER RESOURCES--Page #
             List/describe all facilities, equipment and other resources available for this project.

          4. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS--Page #
             (Use specifically titled subparagraphs, as applicable.)

          5. OTHER SUPPORT--Page #
             Complete the Form "Summary of Related Activities." All key personnel must be listed on this form. See Section J, List of Attachments.

          6. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL COST INFORMATION--Page #
             Complete form. See Section J, List of Attachments.

          7. LITERATURE CITED--Page #

          8. APPENDICES and HYPOTHETICAL PROJECT PLAN--Page #
             List each Appendix and the Hypothetical Project Plan and identify the number of pages for each one. Appendices must be clear and legible, and easily located. Include biosketches here.

   2. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

   1. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

      INTRODUCTION

      The following instructions will establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and contents of proposals. Special attention is directed to the requirements for technical and business proposals to be submitted in accordance with these instructions.

      1. Contract Type and General Clauses

         It is contemplated that a cost-reimbursement type level of effort contract will be awarded. (See General Information). Any resultant contract shall include the clauses applicable to the selected offeror's organization and type of contract awarded as required by Public Law, Executive Order, or acqisition regulations in effect at the time of execution of the proposed contract.

      2. Authorized Official and Submission of Proposal

         The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization and must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFP. Your proposal shall be submitted in the number of copies, to the addresses, and marked as indicated in the Attachment entitled, PACKAGING AND DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL, Part III, Section J hereof. Proposals will be typewritten, paginated, reproduced on letter size paper and will be legible in all required copies (see Section L.1.o. for more detail). To expedite the proposal evaluation, all documents required for responding to the RFP should be placed in the following order:

         1. COVER PAGE

            Include RFP title, number, name of organization, identification of the proposal part, and indicate whether the proposal is an original or a copy.

         2. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

            It is recommended that the technical proposal consist of a cover page, a table of contents, and the information requested in the Technical Proposal Instructions and as specified in SECTION J, List of Attachments.

         3. BUSINESS PROPOSAL

            It is recommended that the business proposal consist of a cover page, a table of contents, and the information requested in the Business Proposal Instructions and as specified in SECTION J, List of Attachments.

      3. Proposal Summary and Data Record (NIH-2043)

         The Offeror must complete the Form NIH-2043, attached, with particular attention to the length of time the proposal is firm and the designation of those personnel authorized to conduct negotiations. (See Section J, Attachment entitled, PROPOSAL SUMMARY AND DATA RECORD.)

      4. Separation of Technical and Business Proposals

         The proposal must be prepared in two parts: a "Technical Proposal" and a "Business Proposal." Each of the parts shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, evaluation of the other. The technical proposal must include direct cost and resources information, such as labor-hours and categories and applicable rates, materials, subcontracts, travel, etc., and associated costs so that the offeror's understanding of the project may be evaluated (See Attachment entitled, TECHNICAL PROPOSAL COST INFORMATION). However, the technical proposal should not include pricing data relating to individual salary information, indirect cost rates or amounts, fee amounts (if any), and total costs. The technical proposal should disclose your technical approach in as much detail as possible, including, but not limited to, the requirements of the technical proposal instructions. However, please note the page limitations per Section L.1.o.

      5. Alternate Proposals

         You may, at your discretion, submit alternate proposals, or proposals which deviate from the requirements; provided, that you also submit a proposal for performance of the work as specified in the statement of work. Such proposals may be considered if overall performance would be improved or not compromised and if they are in the best interests of the Government. Alternative proposals, or deviations from any requirements of this RFP, shall be clearly identified.

      6. Confidentiality of Proposals--HHSAR 352.215-12, Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data (April 1984)

         The proposal submitted in response to this request for proposals may contain data (trade secrets; business data, e.g., commercial information, financial information, and cost and pricing data; and technical data) which the offeror, including its prospective subcontractor(s), does not want used or disclosed for any purpose other than for evaluation of the proposal. The use and disclosure of any data may be so restricted; provided, that the Government determines that the data is not required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, and the offeror marks the cover sheet of the proposal with the following legend, specifying the particular portions of the proposal which are to be restricted in accordance with the conditions of the legend. The Government's determination to withhold or disclose a record will be based upon the particular circumstances involving the record in question and whether the record may be exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act:

         Unless disclosure is required by the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, (the Act) as determined by Freedom of Information (FOI) Officials of the Department of Health and Human Services, data contained in the portions of this proposal which have been specifically identified by page number, paragraph, etc. by the offeror as containing restricted information shall not be used or disclosed except for evaluation purposes.

         The offeror acknowledges that the Department may not be able to withhold a record (data, document, etc.) nor deny access to a record requested pursuant to the Act, and that the Department's FOI officials must make that determination. The offeror hereby agrees that the Government is not liable for disclosure if the Department has determined that disclosure is required by the Act.

         If a contract is awarded to the offeror as a result of, or in connection with, the submission of this proposal; the Government shall have the right to use or disclose the data to the extent provided in the contract. Proposals not resulting in a contract remain subject to the Act.

         The offeror also agrees that the Government is not liable for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose the data for any purpose, including the release of the information pursuant to requests under the Act.

         The data subject to this restriction are contained in pages (insert page numbers, paragraph designations, etc. or other identification).

         In addition, the offeror should mark each page of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend:

         "Use or disclosure of data contained on this page is subject to the restriction on the cover sheet of this proposal."

         NOTE: Offerors are cautioned that proposals submitted with the restrictive legends or statements differing in substance from the above legend may not be considered for award. The Government reserves the right to reject any proposal submitted with a nonconforming legend.

      7. Evaluation of Proposals

         The Government will evaluate technical proposals in accordance with the criteria set forth in Part IV, Section M of this RFP.

      8. Use of the Metric System of Measurement

         It is the policy of the Department of Health and Human Services to support the Federal transition to the metric system and to use the metric system of measurement in all procurement, grants, and other business related activities unless such use is impracticable or is likely to cause significant inefficiencies.

         The offeror is encouraged to prepare their proposal using either "Hard Metric," "Soft Metric," or "Dual Systems" of measurement. The following definitions are provided for your information:

         Hard Metric - The replacement of a standard inch-pound size with an accepted metric size for a particular purpose. An example of size substitution might be: selling or packaging liquids by the liter instead of by the pint or quart (as for soft drinks), or instead of by the gallon (as for gasoline).

         Soft Metric - The result of a mathematical conversion of inch-pound measurements to metric equivalents for a particular purpose. The physical characteristics are not changed.

         Dual Systems - The use of both inch-pound and metric systems. For example, an item is designed, produced, and described in inch-pound values with soft metric values also shown for information or comparison purposes.

      9. Privacy Act

         The Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579) requires that a Federal agency advise each individual whom it asks to supply information, the authority which authorizes the solicitation, whether disclosure is voluntary or mandatory, the principal purpose or purposes for which the information is intended to be used, the uses outside the agency which may be made of the information, and the effects on the individual, if any, of not providing all or any part of the requested information.

         The NIH is requesting the information called for in this RFP pursuant to the authority provided by Sec. 301(a)(7) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, and P.L. 92-218, as amended.

         Providing the information requested is entirely voluntary. The collection of this information is for the purpose of conducting an accurate, fair, and adequate review prior to a discussion as to whether to award a contract.

         Failure to provide any or all of the requested information may result in a less than adequate review.

         In addition, the Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579, Section 7) requires that the following information be provided when individuals are requested to disclose their social security number.

         Provision of the social security number is voluntary. Social security numbers are requested for the purpose of accurate and efficient identification, referral, review and management of NIH contracting programs. Authority for requesting this information is provided by Section 301 and Title IV of the PHS Act, as amended.

         The information provided by you may be routinely disclosed for the following purposes:

         -to the cognizant audit agency and the General Accounting Office for auditing.

         -to the Department of Justice as required for litigation.

         -to respond to congressional inquiries.

         -to qualified experts, not within the definition of Department employees, for opinions as a part of the review process.

      10. Selection of Offerors
          1. The acceptability of the scientific and technical portion of each research contract proposal will be evaluated by a technical review committee. The committee will evaluate each proposal in strict conformity with the evaluation criteria of the RFP, utilizing point scores and written critiques. The committee may suggest that the Contracting Officer request clarifying information from an offeror.

          2. The business portion of each contract proposal will be subjected to a cost and price analysis, management analysis, etc.

          3. If award will be made without conducting discussions, offerors may be given the opportunity to clarify certain aspects of their proposal (e.g., the relevance of an offeror's past performance information and adverse past performance information to which the offeror has not previously had an opportunity to respond) or to resolve minor or clerical errors.

          4. If the Government intends to conduct discussions prior to awarding a contract, the Contracting Officer will, in concert with program staff, decide which proposals are in the competitive range. Oral or written discussions will be conducted with all offerors in the competitive range. While it is NHLBI's policy to conduct discussions with all offerors in the competitive range, NHLBI reserves the right, in special circumstances, to limit the number of proposals included in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition. All aspects of the proposals are subject to discussions, including cost, technical approach, past performance, and contractual terms and conditions. At the conclusion of discussions, each offeror still in the competitive range shall be given an opportunity to submit a written Final Proposal Revision (FPR) with the reservation of the right to conduct limited negotiations after Final Proposal Revisions (FPRs) in accordance with HHSAR 315.670.

          5. Best Value Analysis. A final best-value analysis will be performed taking into consideration the results of the technical evaluation, cost analysis, and ability to complete the work within the Government's required schedule. The Government reserves the right to make an award to the best advantage of the Government, technical merit, cost, and other factors considered.

          6. The NHLBI reserves the right to make a single award, multiple awards, or no award at all to the RFP. In addition, the RFP may be amended or canceled as necessary to meet NHLBI requirements. Synopses of awards exceeding $25,000 will be published in the Commerce Business Daily only if a determination has been made that subcontracting opportunities exist.

      11. Small, Small Disadvantaged and Women-Owned Small Business Subcontracting Plan

          **** This document is INCLUDED in the "Just In Time" procedures. Specific instructions for the submission of this document are outlined in SECTION L.1.b. of this RFP. ****

          If the proposed contract exceeds a total estimated cost of $500,000 for the entire period of performance, the apparent successful offeror shall be required to submit an acceptable subcontracting plan in accordance with the terms of the clause entitled "Small, Small Disadvantaged, and Women-Owned Small Business Subcontracting Plan," FAR Clause No. 52.219-9, incorporated herein by reference in the Solicitation." Attachment 6 to this RFP is an example of such a plan.

          1. THIS PROVISION DOES NOT APPLY TO SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS.

          2. The term "subcontract" means any agreement (other than one involving an employer-employee relationship) entered into by a Federal Government prime contractor or subcontractor calling for supplies or services required for the performance of the original contract or subcontract. This includes, but is not limited to, agreements/purchase orders for supplies and services such as equipment purchase, copying services, and travel services.

          3. The offeror understands that:
             1. No contract will be awarded unless and until an acceptable plan is negotiated with the Contracting Officer which plan will be incorporated into the contract, as a material part thereof.

             2. An acceptable plan must, in the determination of the Contracting Officer, provide the maximum practicable opportunity for small business concerns and small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged persons to participate in the performance of the contract.

             3. If a subcontracting plan acceptable to the Contracting Officer is not negotiated within the time limits prescribed by the contracting activity and such failure arises out of causes within the control and with the fault or negligence of the offeror, the offeror shall be ineligible for an award. The Contracting Officer shall notify the Contractor in writing of the reasons for determining a subcontracting plan unacceptable early enough in the negotiation process to allow the Contractor to modify the plan within the time limits prescribed.

             4. Prior compliance of the offeror with other such subcontracting plans under previous contracts will be considered by the Contracting Officer in determining the responsibility of the offeror for award of the contract.

             5. It is the offeror's responsibility to develop a satisfactory subcontracting plan with respect to small business concerns and small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and women-owned small business concerns, and that each such aspect of the offeror's plan will be judged independent of the other.

             6. The offeror will submit, as required by the Contracting Officer, subcontracting reports in accordance with the instructions thereon, and as further directed by the Contracting Officer. Subcontractors will also submit these reports to the Government's Contracting Officer or as otherwise directed, with a copy to the prime Contractor's designated small and disadvantaged business liaison.

          4. Each plan must contain the following:
             1. Goals, expressed in terms of percentages of total planned subcontracting dollars, for the use of Small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns as subcontractors.

             2. A statement of total dollars planned to be subcontracted. A statement of total dollars to be subcontracted to each of the following type of small business concerns: Small, Small Disadvantaged, and Women-Owned Small Businesses.

             3. A description of the principal types of supplies and services to be subcontracted with an identification of which supplies and services are expected to be subcontracted to small, small disadvantaged, and/or women-owned small business concerns.

             4. A description of the method used to develop the subcontracting goals.

             5. A description of the method used to identify potential sources for solicitation purposes.

             6. A statement as to whether or not indirect costs were included in establishing subcontracting goals. If they were, a description of the method used to determine the proportionate share of indirect costs to be incurred with small, small disadvantaged and women-owned small business concerns.

             7. The name of the individual employed by the offeror who will administer the offeror's subcontracting program and a description of his/her duties.

             8. A description of the efforts the offeror will make to assure that small, small disadvantaged and women-owned small business concerns have an equitable chance to compete for subcontracts.

             9. Assurances that the offeror will include in all subcontracts the contract clause "Utilization of Small, Small Disadvantaged and Women-Owned Small business Concerns." Assure that all subcontractors, other than small businesses, in excess of $500,000 adopt a plan similar to the plan agreed upon by the offeror.

             10. Assurances that the offeror (and any required subcontractors) will cooperate in studies or surveys as required and submit required reports (SF 294 and SF 295) to the Government.

             11. List the types of records the offeror will maintain to demonstrate procedures that have been adopted to comply with the requirement and goals in the plan, including establishing source lists. Also, the offeror shall describe its efforts to locate small, small disadvantaged, and women-owned small business concerns and award subcontracts to them.

             For additional information about each of the above elements required to be contained the subcontracting plan, see FAR Clause 52.219-9, Small, Small Disadvantaged and Women-Owned Small Business Subcontracting Plan, (AUGUST 1996) and the Sample Subcontracting Plan which is provided as an attachment to this RFP in SECTION J.

      12. Reimbursement of Costs for Independent Research and Development Projects (Commercial Organizations Only)

          The primary purpose of the Public Health Service (PHS) is to support and advance independent research within the scientific community. This support is provided in the form of contracts and grants totaling approximately 7 billion dollars annually. PHS has established effective, time tested and well recognized and accepted procedures for stimulating and supporting this independent research by selecting from multitudes of proposals those research projects most worthy of support within the constraints of its appropriations. The reimbursement of independent research and development costs not incidental to product improvement, through the indirect cost mechanism, would circumvent this competitive process.

          To ensure that all research and development projects receive similar and equal consideration, all offerors may compete for direct funding for independent research and development projects they consider worthy of support by submitting those projects to the appropriate Public Health Service grant and/or contract office for review. Since these projects may be submitted for direct funding, the successful offeror agrees that no costs for any independent research and development project, including applicable indirect costs, will be claimed under any contract resulting from this solicitation.

      13. Salary Rate Limitation in Fiscal Year 1998

          Offerors are advised that pursuant to P.L. 105-78 , no NIH Fiscal Year 1998 (October 1, 1997 - September 30, 1998) funds may be used to pay the direct salary of an individual through any contract awarded as a result of this solicitation at a rate in excess of $125,000 per year (direct salary is exclusive of Overhead, Fringe Benefits and General and Administrative expenses). This does not preclude the offeror from absorbing that portion of an employee's salary (plus the dollar amount for fringe benefits and associated indirect costs) that exceeds a rate of $125,000 per year. The salary rate limitation set by P.L. 105-78 applies only to Fiscal Year 1998 funds, however, salary rate ceilings for subsequent years may be included in future DHHS appropriation acts. Multi-year contracts awarded pursuant to this solicitation may be subject to unilateral modifications by the Government if an individual's salary exceeds any salary rate ceiling established in future appropriations acts. The $125,000 per year salary rate limit also applies to individuals proposed under subcontracts. P.L. 105-78 states in pertinent part:

          "None of the funds appropriated in this title for the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Services Administration shall be used to pay the salary of an individual through a grant or extramural mechanism at a rate in excess of $125,000 per year."

      14. Institutional Responsibility Regarding Conflicting Interests of Investigators

          EACH INSTITUTION MUST:

          1. Maintain an appropriate written, enforced policy on conflict of interest that complies with 42 CFR Part 50 Subpart F and/or 45 CFR Part 94 as appropriate and inform each investigator of the Institution's policy, the Investigator's reporting responsibilities, and the applicable regulations. If the Institution carries out the NIH funded research through subgrantees, contractors or collaborators, the Institution must take reasonable steps to ensure that Investigators working for such entities comply with the regulations, either by requiring those investigators to comply with the Institution's policy or by requiring the entities to provide assurances to the Institution that will enable the Institution to comply with the regulations.

          2. Designate an Institutional official(s) to solicit and review financial disclosure statements from each Investigator who is planning to participate in NIH-funded research.

          3. Require that by the time an application/proposal is submitted to the NIH each investigator who is planning to participate in the NIH-funded research has submitted to the designated official(s) a listing of his/her known Significant Financial Interests (and those of his/her spouse and dependent children): (i) that would reasonably appear to be affected by the research for which the NIH funding is sought; and (ii) in entities whose financial interests would reasonably appear to be affected by the research. All financial disclosures must be updated during the period of the award, either on an annual basis or as new reportable Significant Financial Interests are obtained.

          4. Provide guidelines consistent with the regulations for the designated official(s) to identify conflicting interests and take such actions as necessary to ensure that such conflicting interests will be managed, reduced, or eliminated.

          5. Maintain records, identifiable to each award, of all financial disclosures and all actions taken by the institution with respect to each conflicting interest for: (1) in the case of grants, at least three years from the date of submission of the final expenditures report or, where applicable, from other dates specified in 45 CFR Part 74.53(b) and (2) in the case of contracts, 3 years after final payment or, where applicable, for the other time period specified in 48 CFR Part 4 Subpart 4.7, Contract Records Retention.

          6. Establish adequate enforcement mechanisms and provide for sanctions where appropriate.

          7. Certify, in each application/proposal for funding to which the regulations applies, that:
             1. there is in effect at the Institution a written and enforced administrative process to identify and manage, reduce or eliminate conflicting interests with respect to all research projects for which funding is sought from the NIH;

             2. prior to the Institution's expenditure of any funds under the award, the Institution will report to the awarding component the existence of a conflicting interest (but not the nature of the interest or other details) found by the Institution and assure that the interest has been managed, reduced or eliminated in accord with the regulations; and for any interest that the Institution identifies as conflicting subsequent to the expenditure of funds after award, the report will be made and the conflicting interest managed, reduced, or eliminated, at least on a temporary basis within sixty days of that identification;

             3. the Institution agrees to make information available, upon request, to the awarding component regarding all conflicting interests identified by the Institution and how those interested have been managed, reduced, or eliminated to protect the research from bias; and

             4. the Institution will otherwise comply with the regulations.

          Institutional Management of Conflicting Interests

          1. The designated official(s) must: (1) review all financial disclosures; and (2) determine whether conflict of interest exists, and if so, determine what actions should be taken by the Institution to manage, reduce or eliminate such conflict of interest. A conflict of interest exists when the designated official(s) reasonably determines that a Significant Financial Interest could directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, or reporting of the NIH-funded research.

             Examples of conditions or restrictions that might be imposed to manage actual or potential conflicts of interests include, but are not limited to:

             1. public disclosure of significant financial interests;
             2. monitoring of research by independent reviewers;
             3. modification of the research plan;
             4. disqualification of the Investigator(s) from participation in all or a portion of the research funded by the awarding component;
             5. divestiture of significant financial interests; or
             6. severance of relationships that create actual or potential conflicts of interests.

          2. An Institution may require the management of other conflicting financial interests in addition to those described in paragraph (a) of this section, as the Institution deems appropriate.

      15. Past Performance Information
          1. Offerors shall submit the following information as part of their business proposal.

             A list of contracts completed during the past five years and all contracts currently in progress that are similar in nature and in scope to the solicitation workscope. Contracts listed may include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments and commercial concerns. Offerors that are newly formed entities without prior contracts should list contracts and subcontracts as required above for all key personnel.

             Include the following information for each contract or subcontract:

             1. Name of Contracting Organization
             2. Contract Number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number)
             3. Contract Type
             4. Total Contract Value
             5. Description of Requirement
             6. Contracting Officer's Name and Telephone Number
             7. Program Manager's Name and Telephone Number
             8. Standard Industrial Code

             The offeror shall submit comparable information on all subcontractors that the offeror proposes to perform a major subcontract under this effort. For the purpose of this solicitation, a "major subcontract" is defined as having a proposed subcontract amount of $500,000 or more.

          2. Each offeror will be evaluated on its performance under existing and prior contracts for similar products or services. Performance information will be used for both responsibility determinations and as an evaluation factor against which offeror's relative rankings will be compared to assure the best value to the Government. The Government will focus on information that demonstrates quality of performance relative to the size and complexity of the acquisition under consideration. The Government is not required to contact all references provided by the offeror. Also, references other than those identified by the offeror may be contacted by the Government to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation of the offeror's past performance.

      16. Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference, FAR 52.252-1 (February 1998)

          This Solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this address: http://www.arnet.gov/far/.

          FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 1):

          1. Facilities Capital Cost of Money, FAR Clause 52.215-16 (October 1997)

          2. Order of Precedence-Uniform Contract Format, FAR Clause 52.215-8 (October 1997)

          3. Preaward On-Site Equal Opportunity Compliance Review, (Over $1,000,000), FAR Clause 52.222-24 (April 1984)
   2. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

      Please refer to Section L.1.o., Technical Proposal Table of Contents, for page limitations.

      A detailed work plan must be submitted indicating how each aspect of the statement of work is to be accomplished. Your technical approach should be in as much detail as you consider necessary to fully explain your proposed technical approach or method. The technical proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical proposal must include information on how the project is to be organized, staffed, and managed. Information should be provided which will demonstrate your understanding and management of important events or tasks.

      1. Technical Discussions

         The technical discussion included in the technical proposal should respond to the items set forth below:

         1. Statement of Work
            1. Objectives

               State the overall objectives and the specific accomplishments you hope to achieve. Indicate the rationale for your plan, and relation to comparable work in progress elsewhere. Review pertinent work already published which is relevant to this project and your proposed approach. This should support the scope of the project as you perceive it.

            2. Approach

               Use as many subparagraphs, appropriately titled, as needed to clearly outline the general plan of work. Discuss phasing of research and, if appropriate, include experimental design and possible or probable outcome of approaches proposed.

            3. Methods

               Describe in detail the methodologies you will use for the project, indicating your level of experience with each, areas of anticipated difficulties, and any unusual expenses you anticipate.

            4. Schedule

               Provide a schedule for completion of the work and delivery of items specified in the statement of work. Performance or delivery schedules shall be indicated for phases or segments, as applicable, as well as for the overall program. Schedules shall be shown in terms of calendar months from the date of authorization to proceed or, where applicable, from the date of a stated event, as for example, receipt of a required approval by the Contracting Officer. Unless the request for proposal indicates that the stipulated schedules are mandatory, they shall be treated as desired or recommended schedules. In this event, proposals based upon the offeror's best alternative schedule, involving no overtime, extra shift or other premium, will be accepted for consideration.

         2. Personnel

            Describe the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned for direct work on this program. Information is required which will show the composition of the task or work group, its general qualifications, and recent experience with similar equipment or programs. Special mention shall be made of direct technical supervisors and key technical personnel, and the approximate percentage of the total time each will be available for this program.

            OFFERORS SHOULD ASSURE THAT THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, AND ALL OTHER PERSONNEL PROPOSED, SHALL NOT BE COMMITTED ON FEDERAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR MORE THAN A TOTAL OF 100% OF THEIR TIME. IF THE SITUATION ARISES WHERE IT IS DETERMINED THAT A PROPOSED EMPLOYEE IS COMMITTED FOR MORE THAN 100% OF HIS OR HER TIME, THE GOVERNMENT WILL REQUIRE ACTION ON THE PART OF THE OFFEROR TO CORRECT THE TIME COMMITMENT.

            1. Principal Investigator/Project Director

               List the name of the Principal Investigator/Project Director responsible for overall implementation of the contract and key contact for technical aspects of the project. Even though there may be co-investigators, identify the Principal Investigator/Project Director who will be responsible for the overall implementation of any awarded contract. Discuss the qualifications, experience, and accomplishments of the Principal Investigator/Project Director. State the estimated time to be spent on the project, his/her proposed duties, and the areas or phases for which he/she will be responsible.

            2. Other Investigators

               List all other investigators/professional personnel who will be participating in the project. Discuss the qualifications, experience, and accomplishments. State the estimated time each will spend on the project, proposed duties on the project, and the areas or phases for which each will be responsible.

            3. Additional Personnel

               List names, titles, and proposed duties of additional personnel, if any, who will be required for full-time employment, or on a subcontract or consultant basis. The technical areas, character, and extent of subcontract or consultant activity will be indicated and the anticipated sources will be specified and qualified. For all proposed personnel who are not currently members of the offeror's staff, a letter of commitment or other evidence of availability is required. A resume does not meet this requirement. Commitment letters for use of consultants and other personnel to be hired must include:

            -The specific items or expertise they will provide.

            -Their availability to the project and the amount of time anticipated.

            -Willingness to act as a consultant.

            -How rights to publications and patents will be handled.

            4. Resumes

               Resumes of all key personnel are required. Each must indicate educational background, recent experience, specific or technical accomplishments, and a listing of relevant publications.

      2. Technical Evaluation

         Proposals will be technically evaluated in accordance with the factors, weights, and order of relative importance as described in the Technical Evaluation Criteria (Section M.3., hereof).

      3. Additional Technical Proposal Information
         1. Proposals which merely offer to conduct a program in accordance with the requirements of the Government's scope of work will not be eligible for award. The offeror must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with the tasks to be performed in achieving the project objectives.

         2. The technical evaluation is conducted in accordance with the weighted technical evaluation criteria by an initial review panel. This evaluation produces a numerical score (points) which is based upon the information contained in the offeror's proposal only.

      4. Other Considerations

         Record and discuss specific factors not included elsewhere which support your proposal. Using specifically titled subparagraphs, items may include:

         1. Any agreements and/or arrangements with subcontractor(s). Provide as much detail as necessary to explain how the statement of work will be accomplished within this working relationship.

         2. Unique arrangements, equipment, etc., which none or very few organizations are likely to have which is advantageous for effective implementation of this project.

         3. Equipment and unusual operating procedures established to protect personnel from hazards associated with this project.

         4. Other factors you feel are important and support your proposed research.

         5. Recommendations for changing reporting requirements if such changes would be more compatible with the offeror's proposed schedules.

   3. BUSINESS PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

      The JUST IN TIME procedures apply to this RFP. Therefore, for the initial proposal submission, the offeror is instructed to provide the information in Item (1) below. The information specified in Item (2) may be requested at a later date (see Section L.1.b. for details).

      1. Basic Cost/Price Information (TO BE SUBMITTED WITH INITIAL COST PROPOSAL)
         1. The business proposal must contain sufficient information to allow the Government to perform a basic analysis of the proposed cost or price of the work. This information shall include the amounts of the basic elements of the proposed cost or price. These elements will include, as applicable, direct labor, fringe benefits, travel, materials, subcontracts, purchased parts, shipping, indirect costs and rate, fee, and profit.

         2. You must provide the following information on the first page of your basic cost/pricing proposal:
            1. Solicitation, contract, and/or modification number;
            2. Name and address of offeror;
            3. Name and telephone number of point of contact;
            4. Name of contract administration office (if available);
            5. Type of contract action (that is, new contract, change order, price revision/redetermination, letter contract, unpriced order, or other);
            6. Proposed cost; profit or fee; and total;
            7. Whether you will require the use of Government property in the performance of the contract, and, if so, what property;
            8. Whether your organization is subject to cost accounting standards; whether your organization has submitted a CASB Disclosure Statement, and if it has been determined adequate; whether you have been notified that you are or may be in noncompliance with your Disclosure Statement or CAS, and, if yes, an explanation; whether any aspect of this proposal is inconsistent with your disclosed practices or applicable CAS, and, if so, an explanation; and whether the proposal is consistent with your established estimating and accounting principles and procedures and FAR Part 31, Cost Principles, and, if not, an explanation;
            9. The following statement: This proposal reflects our estimates and/or actual costs as of this date and conforms with the instructions in FAR 15.403-5(b)(1) and Table 15-2. By submitting this proposal, we grant the Contracting Officer and authorized representative(s) the right to examine, at any time before award, those records, which include books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and form or whether such supporting information is specifically referenced or included in the proposal as the basis for pricing, that will permit an adequate evaluation of the proposed price;
            10. Date of submission; and
            11. Name, title and signature of authorized representative.

         3. You must show the relationship between contract line item prices and the total contract price. You must attach cost-element breakdowns for each proposed line item, using the appropriate format prescribed in the "Formats for Submission of Line Item Summaries'' (see (4) below). You must furnish supporting breakdowns for each cost element, consistent with your cost accounting system.

      2. Cost and Pricing Data (MAY BE REQUESTED AT A LATER DATE)
         1. In submitting your proposal, you must include an index, appropriately referenced, of all the cost or pricing data and information accompanying or identified in the proposal. In addition, you must annotate any future additions and/or revisions, up to the date of agreement on price, or an earlier date agreed upon by the parties, on a supplemental index.

         2. As part of the specific information required, you must submit, with your proposal, cost or pricing data (that is, data that are verifiable and factual and otherwise as defined at FAR 15.401). You must clearly identify on your cover sheet that cost or pricing data are included as part of the proposal. In addition, you must submit with your proposal any information reasonably required to explain your estimating process, including--
            1. The judgmental factors applied and the mathematical or other methods used in the estimate, including those used in projecting from known data; and
            2. The nature and amount of any contingencies included in the proposed price.

         3. When more than one contract line item is proposed, you must also provide summary total amounts covering all line items for each element of cost.

         4. If you have reached an agreement with Government representatives on use of forward pricing rates/factors, identify the agreement, include a copy, and describe its nature.

         5. As soon as practicable after final agreement on price or an earlier date agreed to by the parties, but before the award resulting from the proposal, you must, under the conditions stated in FAR 15.406-2, submit a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data.

      3. Cost Elements (MAY BE REQUESTED AT A LATER DATE)

         Depending on your system, you must provide breakdowns for the following basic cost elements, as applicable:

         1. Materials and services. Provide a consolidated priced summary of individual material quantities included in the various tasks, orders, or contract line items being proposed and the basis for pricing (vendor quotes, invoice prices, etc.). Include raw materials, parts, components, assemblies, and services to be produced or performed by others. For all items proposed, identify the item and show the source, quantity, and price. Conduct price analyses of all subcontractor proposals. Conduct cost analyses for all subcontracts when cost or pricing data are submitted by the subcontractor. Include these analyses as part of your own cost or pricing data submissions for subcontracts expected to exceed the appropriate threshold in FAR 15.403-4. Submit the subcontractor cost or pricing data as part of your own cost or pricing data as required in paragraph 2.A(2) of this table. These requirements also apply to all subcontractors if required to submit cost or pricing data.
            1. Adequate Price Competition. Provide data showing the degree of competition and the basis for establishing the source and reasonableness of price for those acquisitions (such as subcontracts, purchase orders, material order, etc.) exceeding, or expected to exceed, the appropriate threshold set forth at FAR 15.403-4 priced on the basis of adequate price competition. For interorganizational transfers priced at other than the cost of comparable competitive commercial work of the division, subsidiary, or affiliate of the contractor, explain the pricing method (see FAR 31.205-26(e)).
            2. All Other. Obtain cost or pricing data from prospective sources for those acquisitions (such as subcontracts, purchase orders, material order, etc.) exceeding the threshold set forth in FAR 15.403-4 and not otherwise exempt, in accordance with FAR 15.403-1(b) (i.e., adequate price competition, commercial items, prices set by law or regulation or waiver). Also provide data showing the basis for establishing source and reasonableness of price. In addition, provide a summary of your cost analysis and a copy of cost or pricing data submitted by the prospective source in support of each subcontract, or purchase order that is the lower of either $10,000,000 or more, or both more than the pertinent cost or pricing data threshold and more than 10 percent of the prime contractor's proposed price. The Contracting Officer may require you to submit cost or pricing data in support of proposals in lower amounts. Subcontractor cost or pricing data must be accurate, complete and current as of the date of final price agreement, or an earlier date agreed upon by the parties, given on the prime contractor's Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data. The prime contractor is responsible for updating a prospective subcontractor's data. For standard commercial items fabricated by the offeror that are generally stocked in inventory, provide a separate cost breakdown, if priced based on cost. For interorganizational transfers priced at cost, provide a separate breakdown of cost elements. Analyze the cost or pricing data and submit the results of your analysis of the prospective source's proposal. When submission of a prospective source's cost or pricing data is required as described in this paragraph, it must be included along with your own cost or pricing data submission, as part of your own cost or pricing data. You must also submit any other cost or pricing data obtained from a subcontractor, either actually or by specific identification, along with the results of any analysis performed on that data.

         2. Direct Labor. Provide a time-phased (e.g., monthly, quarterly, etc.) breakdown of labor hours, rates, and cost by appropriate category, and furnish bases for estimates.

         3. Indirect Costs. Indicate how you have computed and applied your indirect costs, including cost breakdowns. Show trends and budgetary data to provide a basis for evaluating the reasonableness of proposed rates. Indicate the rates used and provide an appropriate explanation.

         4. Other Costs. List all other costs not otherwise included in the categories described above (e.g., special tooling, travel, computer and consultant services, preservation, packaging and packing, spoilage and rework, and Federal excise tax on finished articles) and provide bases for pricing.

         5. Royalties. If royalties exceed $1,500, you must provide the following information on a separate page for each separate royalty or license fee:
            1. Name and address of licensor.
            2. Date of license agreement.
            3. Patent numbers.
            4. Patent application serial numbers, or other basis on which the royalty is payable.
            5. Brief description (including any part or model numbers of each contract item or component on which the royalty is payable).
            6. Percentage or dollar rate of royalty per unit.
            7. Unit price of contract item.
            8. Number of units.
            9. Total dollar amount of royalties.
            10. If specifically requested by the Contracting Officer, a copy of the current license agreement and identification of applicable claims of specific patents (see FAR 27.204 and 31.205-37).

         6. Facilities Capital Cost of Money. When you elect to claim facilities capital cost of money as an allowable cost, you must submit Form CASB-CMF and show the calculation of the proposed amount (see FAR 31.205-10).

      4. Formats for Submission of Line Item Summaries

         In an effort to assist the business proposal review process, offerors are requested to use the pre-formatted Contractor Proposal Spreadsheet which is available at the following web site: http://ocm.od.nih.gov/contracts/rfps/mainpage.htm. The Spreadsheet may be accessed by selecting forms, formats, and attachments, then selecting business proposal cost information. Scroll down and click on Cost Proposal. Note: The easiest way to access the file once you locate it on the web site is to save the file to a directory and open it in Excel.

         However, if an offeror does not have the above capability, the detailed breakdown shall be in the format as shown on the form Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Cost (plus fee) and Labor Hours (Section J, List of Attachments). For each separate cost estimate, the offeror must furnish a breakdown by cost element as indicated above. In addition, summary total amounts shall be furnished. In the event the RFP cites specific line items, by number, a cost breakdown for each line item must be furnished.

      5. There is a clear distinction between submitting cost or pricing data and merely making available books, records, and other documents without identification. The requirement for submission of cost or pricing data is met when all accurate cost or pricing data reasonably available to the offeror have been submitted, either actually or by specific identification, to the Contracting Officer or an authorized representative. As later information comes into your possession, it should be submitted promptly to the Contracting Officer in a manner that clearly shows how the information relates to the offeror's price proposal. The requirement for submission of cost or pricing data continues up to the time of agreement on price, or an earlier date agreed upon between the parties if applicable.

      6. By submitting your proposal, you grant the Contracting Officer or an authorized representative the right to examine records that formed the basis for the pricing proposal. That examination can take place at any time before award. It may include those books, records, documents, and other types of factual information (regardless of form or whether the information is specifically referenced or included in the proposal as the basis for pricing) that will permit an adequate evaluation of the proposed price.

      7. Requirements for Cost or Pricing Data or Information Other than Cost and Pricing Data [FAR Clause 52.215-20 (October 1997)]
         1. Exceptions from cost or pricing data.
            1. In lieu of submitting cost or pricing data, offerors may submit a written request for exception by submitting the information described in the following subparagraphs. The Contracting Officer may require additional supporting information, but only to the extent necessary to determine whether an exception should be granted, and whether the price is fair and reasonable.
               1. Identification of the law or regulation establishing the price offered. If the price is controlled under law by periodic rulings, reviews, or similar actions of a governmental body, attach a copy of the controlling document, unless it was previously submitted to the contracting office.

               2. Commercial item exception. For a commercial item exception, the offeror shall submit, at a minimum, information on prices at which the same item or similar items have previously been sold in the commercial market that is adequate for evaluating the reasonableness of the price for this acquisition. Such information may include--
                  1. For catalog items, a copy of or identification of the catalog and its date, or the appropriate pages for the offered items, or a statement that the catalog is on file in the buying office to which the proposal is being submitted. Provide a copy or describe current discount policies and price lists (published or unpublished), e.g., wholesale, original equipment manufacturer, or reseller. Also explain the basis of each offered price and its relationship to the established catalog price, including how the proposed price relates to the price of recent sales in quantities similar to the proposed quantities;

                  2. For market-priced items, the source and date or period of the market quotation or other basis for market price, the base amount, and applicable discounts. In addition, describe the nature of the market;

                  3. For items included on an active Federal Supply Service Multiple Award Schedule contract, proof that an exception has been granted for the schedule item.

            2. The offeror grants the Contracting Officer or an authorized representative the right to examine, at any time before award, books, records, documents, or other directly pertinent records to verify any request for an exception under this provision, and the reasonableness of price. For items priced using catalog or market prices, or law or regulation, access does not extend to cost or profit information or other data relevant solely to the offeror's determination of the prices to be offered in the catalog or marketplace.

         2. Requirements for cost or pricing data. If the offeror is not granted an exception from the requirement to submit cost or pricing data, the following applies:
            1. The offeror shall prepare and submit cost or pricing data and supporting attachments in accordance with Table 15-2 of FAR 15.408.

            2. As soon as practicable after agreement on price, but before contract award (except for unpriced actions such as letter contracts), the offeror shall submit a Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data, as prescribed by FAR 15.406-2.

         (End of provision)

      8. Total Compensation Plan - Instructions

         **** This document is INCLUDED in the "Just In Time" procedures. Specific instructions for the submission of this document are outlined in SECTION L.1.b. of this RFP. ****

         1. Total compensation (salary and fringe benefits) of professional employees under service contracts may, in some cases, be lowered by recompetition of these contracts. Lowering of compensation can be detrimental in obtaining the necessary quality of professional services needed for adequate performance of service contracts. It is, therefore, in the best interest of the Government that professional employees, as defined in 29 CFR Part 541, be properly compensated in these contracts. All offerors included in the competitive range will be required to submit a "Total Compensation Plan" (salaries and fringe benefits) for these professional employees for evaluation purposes.

         2. The Government will evaluate the Total Compensation Plan to ensure that this compensation reflects a sound management approach and an understanding of the requirements to be performed. It will include an assessment of the offeror's ability to provide uninterrupted work of high quality. The total compensation proposed will be evaluated in terms of enhancing recruitment and retention of personnel and its realism and consistency with a total plan for compensation (both salaries and fringe benefits).

         3. Evaluation for award, therefore, will include an assessment of the Total Compensation Plan submitted by each offeror.

      9. Total Compensation Plan - Evaluation
         1. Total Compensation Plan (Professional Employees)

            In establishing compensation levels for professional employees, the total compensation (both salaries and fringe benefits) proposed shall reflect a clear understanding of the requirements of the work to be accomplished and the suitability of the proposed compensation structure to obtain and retain qualified personnel to meet mission objectives. The salary rates or ranges must recognize the distinct differences in professional skills and the complexity of varied disciplines as well as job difficulty. Proposals offering total compensation levels less than currently being paid by the predecessor Contractor for the same work will be evaluated, in addition to the above, on the basis of maintaining program continuity, uninterrupted work of high quality, and availability of required competent professional employees. Offerors are cautioned that instances of lowered compensation for essentially the same professional work may be considered a lack of sound management judgment in addition to indicating a lack of understanding of the requirement.

         2. Cost (Professional Compensation)

            Proposals which are unrealistically low or do not reflect a reasonable relationship of compensation to the professional job categories so as to impair the Contractor's ability to recruit and retain competent professional employees, may be viewed as reflecting a failure to comprehend the complexity of the contract requirements. The Government is concerned with the quality and stability of the work force to be employed on this contract. The compensation data required will be used in evaluation of the offeror's understanding of the contract requirements.

         3. Other (Labor Relations)

            An assessment of the potential for adverse effect upon performance and maintenance of the required number of professional employees with requisite skills resulting from an unrealistically low compensation structure will also be made.

         4. Federal Acquisition Regulation Clauses incorporated by Reference FAR Clause 52.222-46, Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees (FEBRUARY 1993).

      10. Other Administrative Data
          1. Property
             1. It is DHHS policy that Contractors will provide all equipment and facilities necessary for performance of contracts. Exception may be granted to furnish Government-owned property, or to authorize purchase with contract funds, only when approved by the Contracting Officer. If the offeror is proposing that the Government provide any equipment, other than that specified under Government Furnished Property in the RFP, the proposal must include comprehensive justification which includes:
                1. An explanation that the item is for a special use essential to the direct performance of the contract and the item will be used exclusively for the purpose. Office equipment such as desks, office machines, etc., will not be provided under a contract except under very exceptional circumstances.

                2. No practical or economical alternative exists (e.g., rental, capital investment) that can be used to perform the work.

             2. The offeror shall identify Government-owned property in its possession and/or Contractor titled property acquired from Federal funds, which it proposes to use in the performance of the prospective contract.

             3. The management and control of any Government property shall be in accordance with DHHS Publication (OS) 686 entitled, "Contractor's Guide for Control of Government Property (1990)," a copy of which will be provided upon request.

          2. Financial Capacity

             The offeror shall indicate if it has the necessary financial capacity, working capital, and other resources to perform the contract without assistance from any outside source. If not, indicate the amount required and the anticipated source.

          3. Incremental Funding

             (This is applicable if the RFP has stated that the contract resulting from this solicitation will be incrementally funded.)

             An incrementally funded cost-reimbursement contract is a contract in which the total work effort is to be performed over a multiple year period and funds are allotted, as they become available, to cover discernible phases or increments of performance. The incremental funding technique allows for contracts to be awarded for periods in excess of one year even though the total estimated amount of funds expected to be obligated for the contract are not available at the time of the contract award. If this requirement is specified elsewhere in this RFP, the offeror shall submit a cost proposal for each year. In addition, the following provisions are applicable:

             Sufficient funds are not presently available to cover the total cost of the complete multiple year project described in this solicitation. However, it is the Government's intention to negotiate and award a contract using the incremental funding concepts described in the clause entitled "Limitation of Funds." Under that clause, which will be included in the resultant contract, initial funds will be obligated under the contract to cover an initial period of performance. Additional funds are intended to be allotted from time to time, to the contract by contract modification, up to and including the full estimated cost of the contract, to accomplish the entire project. While it is the Government's intention to progressively fund this contract over the entire period of performance up to and including the full estimated cost, the Government will not be obligated to reimburse the Contractor for costs incurred in excess of the periodic allotments, nor will the Contractor be obligated to perform in excess of the amount allotted.

             The "Limitation of Funds" clause to be included in the resultant contract shall supersede the "Limitation of Cost" clause found in the General Clauses.

          4. FAR 52.215-16, Facilities Capital Cost of Money (October 1997)

             (This is applicable if you are a commercial organization.)

             1. Facilities capital cost of money [(see FAR 15.408(h)] will be an allowable cost under the contemplated contract, if the criteria for allowability in subparagraph 31.205-10(a)(2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation are met. One of the allowability criteria requires the prospective Contractor to propose facilities capital cost of money in its offer.

             2. If the prospective Contractor does not propose this cost, the resulting contract will include the clause Waiver of Facilities Capital Cost of Money.

          (End of Provision)

          If the offeror elects to claim this cost, the offeror shall specifically identify or propose it in the cost proposal for the contract by checking the appropriate box below.

          ____The prospective Contractor has specifically identified or proposed facilities capital cost of money in its cost proposal and elects to claim this cost as an allowable cost under the contract. Submit Form CASB-CMF (see FAR 31.205-10).

          _____The prospective Contractor has not specifically identified or proposed facilities capital cost of money in its proposal and elects not to claim it as an allowable cost under the contract.

      11. Subcontractors

          If subcontractors are proposed, please include a commitment letter from the subcontractor detailing:

          1. Willingness to perform as a subcontractor for specific duties (list duties).

          2. What priority the work will be given and how it will relate to other work.

          3. The amount of time and facilities available to this project.

          4. Information on their cognizant field audit offices.

          5. How rights to publications and patents are to be handled.

          6. A complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror's cost proposal.

      12. Proposer's Annual Financial Report

          **** This document is INCLUDED in the "Just In Time" procedures. Specific instructions for the submission of this document are outlined in SECTION L.1.b. of this RFP. ****

          All offerors included in the competitive range will be required to submit a copy of the organization's most recent annual financial report.

      13. Representations and Certifications

          One copy of the Representations and Certifications can be accessed electronically (see Section K) and shall be completed and be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization. Additionally, a completed copy of the Representations and Certifications shall be submitted from any proposed subcontractor.

      14. Travel Costs/Travel Policy
          1. Travel Costs - Commercial

             In accordance with Title II, section 201 of the Federal Civilian Employee and Contractor Travel Expense Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-234), costs for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred by Contractor personnel shall be considered to be reasonable and allowable to the extent they do not exceed on a daily basis the per diem rates set forth in the Federal Travel Regulations, General Services Administration (GSA). Therefore, if travel costs are applicable and proposed by offerors, please be advised that they shall be calculated using the per diem rate schedule as established by GSA. Reimbursement of travel costs under any contract awarded from this RFP shall be in accordance with FAR 31.205-46.

          2. Travel Policy

             **** This document is INCLUDED in the "Just In Time" procedures. Specific instructions for the submission of this document are outlined in SECTION L.1.b. of this RFP. ****

             All offerors included within the competitive range will be required to submit one copy of their written travel policy. A written travel policy for any proposed subcontractors shall also be submitted at that time. If an offeror (or any proposed subcontractor) does not have a written travel policy, the offeror shall so state.

   
   

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   SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

   1. GENERAL

      Selection of an offeror for contract award will be based on an evaluation of proposals against three factors. The factors in order of importance are: technical, cost, and past performance. Although technical factors are of paramount consideration in the award of the contract, both past performance and cost/price are also important to the overall contract award decision. All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. Offerors are advised that award will be made to that offeror whose proposal provides the best overall value to the Government.

      The evaluation will be based on the demonstrated capabilities of the prospective Contractors in relation to the needs of the project as set forth in the RFP. The merits of each proposal will be evaluated carefully. Each proposal must document the feasibility of successful implementation of the requirements of the RFP. Offerors must submit information sufficient to evaluate their proposals based on the detailed criteria listed below.

   2. PAST PERFORMANCE FACTOR

      The offeror's past performance will be evaluated after completion of the technical evaluation. Only those offerors determined to be technically acceptable will be evaluated. The Government will evaluate the quality of the offeror's past performance based on information obtained from references provided by the offeror, as well as other relevant past performance information obtained from other sources known to the Government.

      Evaluation of past performance will be a subjective assessment based on a consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances. It will not be based on absolute standards of acceptable performance. The Government is seeking to determine whether the offeror has consistently demonstrated a commitment to customer satisfaction and timely delivery of services at fair and reasonable prices.

      The assessment of the offeror's past performance will be used as a means of evaluating the relative capability of the offeror and the other competitors. Thus, an offeror with an exceptional record of past performance may receive a more favorable evaluation than another whose record is acceptable, even though both may have acceptable technical proposals.

      Past performance will not be scored, but the Government's conclusions about overall quality of the offeror's past performance will be highly influential in determining the relative merits of the offeror's proposal and in selecting the offeror whose proposal is considered most advantageous to the Government.

      By past performance, the Government means the offeror's record of conforming to specifications and to standards of good workmanship; the contractor's record of forecasting and controlling costs; the offeror's adherence to contract schedules, including the administrative aspects of performance; the offeror's reputation for reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; and generally, the offeror's business-like concern for the interest of the customer.

      The Government will consider the number or severity of an offeror's problems, the effectiveness of corrective actions taken, the offeror's overall work record, and the age and relevance of past performance information. The lack of a performance record may result in an unknown performance risk assessment, which will neither be used to the advantage nor disadvantage of the offeror.

   3. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

      The evaluation criteria are used by the technical evaluation committee when reviewing the technical proposals. The criteria below are listed with weights assigned for evaluation purposes.

      Criteria	Weight
      Operations (Tasks 2-6)	30 points
      The understanding of the specific tasks to be performed in regard to the Response Center, Information Development, Information Transfer/Networking, Internal Database, and Distribution Operations, including the approaches to be used in implementing, maintaining, and evaluating Tasks 2-6 with an emphasis on the innovation, creativity, practicality, feasibility, and quality of the proposed approach for each task. The availability of, or access to, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to be used specifically for the tasks to be performed.
      Staff Capability and Experience	20 points
      The relationships between the educational background and relevant work experience of proposed staff, including all subcontractors, and their designated responsibility on the project. The experience, technical competence, and time commitment of offeror's professional staff. Relevant expertise in diseases and conditions related to the OPEC mission; medical informatics; information science and technology; educational applications of Web-based programming; behavioral science; health education, communications and marketing; health program planning and evaluation; performance-based program management; working with national organizations, states, and other groups implementing a national health-related program; health information collection; health information database design; and expertise in dealing with target audiences of interest to the NHBPEP, NCEP, NAEPP, NHAAP, NHLBI OEI, and NCSDR.
      Project Management and Administration	15 points
      Overall understanding of the specific tasks to be performed and the coordination that will be needed with NHLBI staff and with other organizations to successfully accomplish these tasks. This includes the innovation, creativity, completeness, practicality, and feasibility of the proposed management and administrative plan; the managerial competence, experience in performance-based management and public health education applications of information technology, and time commitment of project manager; previous corporate experience in managing similar or related contracts comparable in technical complexity; and the clarity, style, and format of the proposal as an indication of capabilities in plan development, data presentation, and the preparation of technical reports.
      Program Planning, Development and Evaluation (Task 7)	15 points
      The adequacy of the approaches to be used in implementing, maintaining, and evaluating program planning, development, and evaluation activities in support of NHLBI's national education programs and special education initiatives with emphasis on the innovation, creativity, practicality, feasibility, and quality of the proposed approaches. The ability to respond to performance-based project plans and capability to secure expert resources when needed and allocate those resources in a timely fashion.
      Building and Sustaining Strategic Partnerships (Task 8)	10 points
      Understanding of the complex issues in risk factor identification/modification and disease management relevant to the prevention, control, and rehabilitation of diseases related to the NHLBI mission, as well as an understanding of current issues that program providers face in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating education programs that address these issues. Approaches to be used in implementing and evaluating the building and sustaining of NHLBI strategic partnerships with emphasis on the innovation, creativity, practicality, feasibility, and quality of the proposed approaches. (See Project Information for a description of critical issues that are of current interest to NHLBI education programs and special initiatives.)
      Offeror's Response to the Hypothetical Project Plan	10 points
      Technical understanding and the merit of the plan based on innovation, creativity, and feasibility of the proposed technical approach to address a public health issue. The completeness of the hypothetical project plan in terms of defining work activities required to carry out the strategy, broken down into clearly stated tasks. The management approach to facilitate work practices in a manner that demonstrates efficient use of staff and assures facilitation of assignment of responsibility, coordination of activities, and monitoring of resource allocation, work progress, and results. Qualifications and experience of the personnel to be assigned to the project including key personnel, consultants, and subcontractors. The extent to which the proposal demonstrates a capability to complete the project within the time frame and budget indicated. See Attachment 2.
      TOTAL	100 points

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PACKAGING AND DELIVERY OF THE PROPOSAL

Your proposal shall be organized as specified in the Section L.2., "Instructions to Offerors" - General Instructions. Shipment and marking shall be as follows:

EXTERNAL PACKAGE MARKING

In addition to the address cited below, mark each package as follows:

"RFP NO. NHLBI-HO-98-21
TO BE OPENED BY AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL ONLY"

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY:

NUMBER OF COPIES

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL: ORIGINAL* AND Thirty (30) COPIES TO:

BUSINESS PROPOSAL: ORIGINAL* AND Ten (10) COPIES TO:

If hand-delivered or delivery service	If using U.S. Postal Service
Review Branch Division of Extramural Affairs National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Rockledge Building, Room 7091 6701 Rockledge Dr., MSC 7924 Bethesda, Maryland 20817-7924	Review Branch Division of Extramural Affairs National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 6701 Rockledge Dr., MSC 7924 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7924

*THE ORIGINALS MUST BE READILY ACCESSIBLE FOR DATE STAMPING PURPOSES.

NOTE: The U.S. Postal Service's "Express Mail" does not deliver to the Rockville, Maryland address. Any package sent to the Rockville address via this service will be held at a local post office for pick-up. The Government is not responsible for picking up any mail at a local post office. If a proposal is not received at the place, date, and time specified herein, it will be considered a "late proposal."

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STATEMENT OF WORK

Background

As we approach the 21st century we have an unparalleled opportunity to use rapidly accelerating technological advances to reach more people with greater speed and at less cost than at any other time in history.

The challenge of this procurement is to bring the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI's) research translation and dissemination programs and services fully into the Information Age, developing a "world class" operation that can take advantage of technology now and in the future. For the duration of this project, from 1999 to 2004, and beyond, NHLBI seeks to advance the development of an NHLBI Health Information Network that provides:

• Ease of access for all.

• Networked linking and transfer of NHLBI science-based health information with and to our primary audiences.

• Increased awareness of the NHLBI and the value of its information.

• Interactivity designed to enhance partnerships, individualize responsiveness, promote better communication, acquire information, disseminate information, and assess public and professional information needs.

• Adoption and utilization of NHLBI information by all of its publics.

• Use of technology to reduce information-transfer costs.

"Electronic communication has the potential to advance the program missions of HHS through enhanced content deevelopment and speed of delivery. Many HHS constituencies can be reached most efficiently through the Internet; indeed, this technology vastly expands the access by the ordinary citizen to HHS information.

Electronic communication can provide equity, reach, and access to information when needed" (HHS Internet Strategy Committee, 1996).

Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform the Statement of Work below.

INTRODUCTION

The Challenge: A number of compelling forces have fostered a spirit of change and the need to define opportunities to improve the way the Office of Prevention, Education, and Control (OPEC) operates within NHLBI and with our external constituents. The principles found in the Vice President's National Performance Review--including creating exemplary customer services, cutting unnecessary spending, empowering employees, and fostering excellence--provided a basis for our office reorganization in the fall of 1994 and have continued to influence OPEC program operations. In addition, legislation, including the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, and the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996, require that Federal agencies plan how they will deliver high-quality goods and services to their customers and measure their performance in meeting these commitments.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has responded to the legislation in the development of a Strategic Plan that was released in September 1997. Two objectives of the plan that are pertinent to this Statement of Work call for: (1) "Improvements in communication on information about research discoveries, new therapies, and actions that individuals can take to protect and improve their health"; and (2) "Improvements in dissemination of research findings and emergency or critical information learned from medical and health services research." To achieve and maintain a "world class," high-performance organization, OPEC's internal operations and the contracts that support our research translation and dissemination efforts must reflect strong utilization of performance management strategies to successfully respond to the challenges at hand.

[Note to Offerors: This Statement of Work identifies some of the challenges and opportunities regarding the work to be performed. It has been designed to give offerors the freedom to propose how to best meet the Government's requirements in fulfilling the purpose of the work as opposed to emphasizing the specifics of how the work is to be performed.]

TASK 1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

The Requirements

1.1 Project Director

The contractor shall provide a full-time project director for the period of performance of the contract who shall serve as the principal point of contact with the Government and who shall be responsible for the overall management of the contract including performance measure development, preparation of reports and plans, supervision of project staff, monitoring contract progress, and maintaining budget control.

1.2 Performance Management Framework and Plan

[Note to Offerors: This framework and proposed performance measures must be reflected in your response to the requirements identified in this Statement of Work. Integration of work processes, resources, and technologies across Task areas of the Statement of Work is encouraged where possible. It is anticipated that the framework and performance measures proposed by the successful offeror will be agreed upon and approved as part of contract negotiations.]

The contractor shall develop an overall Performance Management Framework and Plan to meet the requirements of the contract. Performance planning and measurement must be approached as an iterative process in which continuous improvement is a critical and constant objective. The focus should be on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction delivered in the most cost-efficient manner possible. As part of the performance management framework and plan, the contractor shall establish and maintain a well-coordinated communication system with OPEC staff. In addition, the project staff of the contractor (and subcontractors, if any) shall be available to meet with program staff at the NIH in Bethesda with as little as 3 hours advance notice. Whenever possible, meetings will be scheduled in advance. The contractor shall be fully able to meet this requirement within 30 days of contract award.

[For proposal purposes, the offeror shall provide a plan which describes how this requirement will be met and by when. Assume that meeting notices would be given by telephone to a central location (specified by the contractor).]

For the purposes of this contract, the following basic performance measure terminology should be utilized in conceptualizing and operationalizing the proposed performance management framework and plan:

Performance Goal: A target level of an activity expressed as a tangible, measurable objective, against which actual achievement can be compared.

Performance Management: The use of performance measurement information to help set agreed-upon performance goals, allocate and prioritize resources, inform managers to either confirm or change current policy or program directions to meet those goals, and report on the success in meeting those goals.

Performance Measure: A quantitative or qualitative characterization of performance.

Performance Measurement: A process of assessing progress toward achieving predetermined goals, including information on the efficiency with which resources are transformed into goods and services (outputs), the quality of those outputs (how well they are delivered to clients and the extent to which clients are satisfied), the outcomes (the results of a program activity compared to its intended purpose), and the effectiveness of government operations in terms of their specific contributions to program objectives.

(Source: Serving the American Public: Best Practices in Performance Measurement, Benchmarking Study Report, June 1997, available on-line, http://www.npr.gov/library/papers/benchmrk/nprbook.html#intro.)

1.3 Performance Results Reporting

As part of the performance management framework, the contractor shall ensure that all performance information collected in the operation of the contract, and recommendations to improve or simplify work practices, be formally submitted to the NHLBI for resource allocation decisions. Such information shall be summarized in electronically-submitted monthly reports to the NHLBI Contracting Officer and Project Officer. The contractor shall also electronically submit an annual electronic performance results report that will be used to identify gaps between goals and actual achievement, and analyses of the causes for the gaps. This report shall also include any proposed countermeasures or reengineering measures that will be taken during the next contract year in response to the identified gaps. Additionally, the contractor is encouraged to use a variety of different means to communicate with the NHLBI for the purpose of using performance information for prompt decision making to assure continuous improvement.

[Note to Offerors: Process issue meetings, quality forums, benchmarking symposia, information technology meetings, special issue or process seminars, and significant improvement results seminars are a few of the means an offeror may consider to assure that the performance management framework is dynamic and effective in continuously improving contract operations.]

1.4 Performance-Oriented Staffing and Results Incentives

The contractor shall provide a highly qualified staff with appropriate job knowledge and skills to perform the technical requirements of a performance-managed contract. The contractor shall provide employee incentives for achieving performance results.

1.5 Strategic Performance Partnerships

The contractor shall identify and form strategic performance partnerships to collaborate in achieving performance goals and objectives of the contract. The potential to improve the quality and reduce the cost of government products and services should be paramount in these collaborations. Access to high-quality, "world class" skills, work processes, and technologies can be both time and cost saving through proper identification, facilitation, and coordination of such resources. Subcontractors, and consultants shall be viewed as performance partners as well and shall be held accountable for achieving performance results in accordance with the performance management framework and plan.

1.6 Management and Administration of Cost Recovery

The contractor shall provide the necessary performance management and administrative functions to develop and maintain a comprehensive cost recovery program for NHLBI educational products and services in response to the requirements defined in Task 2.1 of the Statement of Work. The contractor shall provide proactive marketing resources to achieve maximum awareness/utilization of NHLBI products and services (Task 4.1). [Note to Offerors: Currently, the NHLBI is gathering and analyzing historical data on the cost recovery program. It is anticipated that an incentive award component will reward specific levels of success in meeting or exceeding annual performance objectives for this portion of the statement of work. If NHLBI determines to implement this type of award mechanism, details will be negotiated prior to contract award.]

1.7 Fiscal Reporting Requirements

The contractor shall develop, implement, and maintain a forecasting and reporting system regarding staff time and resources allocated and used for each project. Associated costs, both direct and indirect, shall be reported to the Project Officer on a routine monthly basis. This information shall be made readily available at other times as well when requested by the Project Officer. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror should describe the methods that will be used to satisfy this requirement.]

1.8 Transition Plan--Contract Month 1

During the first month of the contract, operational responsibilities shall be assumed from the incumbent contractor providing services to the NHLBI education programs and special education initiatives. The awardee of this contract shall be required to develop and implement a specific plan and associated procedures for transition of operations from the incumbent contractor.

The contractor staff shall be required to meet with the Project Officer within 2 days after contract award to discuss critical activities requiring immediate attention. A series of meetings with incumbent contractor staff and NHLBI staff shall commence within 1 week after contract award. [Note to Offerors, the Government estimate of the level of effort by task for this transition period (month 1) appears under Section L. Full staffing of the project is required by the beginning of the second month of the contract.] [For solicitation purposes, it is expected that the offeror shall develop a tentative plan based on the above assumptions. In addition, facility availability, occupancy dates, and staffing issues, among others should be addressed in the transition plan. The offeror shall think in terms of a cost-effective plan to smoothly assume responsibilities.]

1.9 Transition Plan--Contract Month 60

At the end of month 59 of the contract, a 1-month transition plan shall be implemented based on the following possibilities:

• The incumbent contractor of the procurement proposed in this RFP is unsuccessful in a subsequent recompetition requiring similar contractor services, necessitating a transition of services to a new contractor. [Note to Offerors: The Government estimate of the level of effort for this transition period by task (month 60) appears under Section L.]

• A subsequent procurement requiring similar contractor services may not be issued, necessitating a transition plan for the Government to gradually assume certain contractor services (e.g., Information Center functions, warehousing).

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall develop a transition plan based on the above possibilities.]

The NHLBI Information Network (Tasks 2-6)

The NHLBI Information Network has five operational areas (described in Tasks 2-6 below) that must be integrated to support the objectives of this contract as stated above. This organizational structure is indicated as a means of focusing on five operations where different skills and experience are required and where the nature of the performance measures will be different. [Note to Offerors: The offeror has the option of proposing a different organizational structure if it can be shown to be more streamlined and cost effective.] These five operational areas are:

• Task 2: Response Center Operations

• Task 3: Information Development Operations

• Task 4: Information Transfer and Networking Operations

• Task 5: Internal Database Development Operations

• Task 6: Distribution Operations

TASK 2. RESPONSE CENTER OPERATIONS

The Challenge: As we enter the Information Age, we are faced with a process of transition. Inquiries are received by mail, telephone, and fax; old modes of communication will not disappear. The challenge is two-fold: to use new technologies to respond to these inquiries more efficiently and at less cost, while at the same time encouraging and facilitating increased direct access of NHLBI information by the public and professionals through the World Wide Web (WWW), listservs, and other electronic means. In the area of cost recovery for print materials and other products, the ongoing challenge is to create and maintain a system that will sustain itself and increase market penetration.

The Requirements

2.1 Cost Recovery

Cost recovery is intended to be a driving force within the Response Center and is key to generating revenue to help in meeting the ever-increasing demand for science-based health information. NHLBI's public health mandate requires dissemination of research results to guide public health policy, improve medical practice, and enhance the health of the Nation. This mandate must be met in an era of shrinking resources. A framework of existing legislation and policy creates possibilities for NHLBI to extend its resources through cost recovery and serve an ever-growing demand for science-based health information. The challenge is to implement a cost recovery program that is consistent with NHLBI's broad public health mission to serve diverse audiences, yet provides an effective way to maintain our information dissemination capacity and respond to the demands of the future.

The contractor shall provide the services necessary to conduct cost recovery activities for NHLBI information products and services. This task includes maintaining a system for receiving and accounting for revenue collected from customers, as well as projecting cost recovery goals, recommending prices, and marketing cost recovery products and services through the "NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog" and other means (see Task 4.1).

It is intended that the contractor aggressively pursue marketing of cost recovery products in order to generate a revenue base to assist in expanding the capacity to increase consumer access and utilization of OPEC's products and services.

Under this task, the contractor is authorized to collect funds on behalf of the NHLBI for products and services approved by the Project Officer. Cost recovery shall be applied to publications, videotapes, and other materials for patients/public and health professionals, and to services such as database searches. All funds collected under cost recovery shall be returned to the contract to offset costs.

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall specify the systems and strategies to be employed in carrying out cost recovery. Stressing the required integrative aspects of the five operational areas, it should be recognized that both the "Information Development" and "Information Transfer and Networking" operations play key roles in implementing cost recovery. Offerors should assume average monthly cost recovery receipts of $30,000 throughout the contract period of performance.]

Cost recovery requirements shall include the following:

1. Maintaining a reliable and accurate system for receiving, accounting for, and reporting on cost recovery funds. A separate accounting should be maintained for all cost recovery expenses and income on a product-by-product basis, or other basis approved by the Project Officer. Appropriate security and protection of consumer credit card information shall be an essential part of the contractor's system. The contractor shall prepare a monthly report on items sold and revenue expended and received under cost recovery.

2. Making recommendations to the Project Officer for pricing all new products/services, and revising prices for existing products/services as necessary. Pricing recommendations should take into consideration customer needs and perceptions, costs of printing, order processing and fulfillment, marketing, and prices of similar and/or competing products and services. Final prices will be approved by NHLBI.

3. Developing recommendations regarding products/quantities to be printed under cost recovery. The recommendations should be based on an analysis of customer needs (see Task 3.1), as well as actual and projected sales. As part of this process, the contractor shall develop a yearly cost recovery budget which will specify products targeted for cost recovery and projected sales levels.

4. Based on the recommendations in item 3 above, the contractor shall be required to procure printing for specified products approved by the Project Officer. [For solicitation purposes, assume that $300,000 for each year of the contract will be required for the printing of cost recovery products.]

2.2 Fulfillment of Orders for Publications and Other NHLBI Products

All orders for NHLBI publications and products shall be logged into the Information, Inventory, and Accounting Database (IIAD) (see Task 5.1) and fulfilled (mailed) within 72 hours of receipt (excluding weekends). [For solicitation purposes, assume the number of orders received each month will range between 3,000 and 5,000.] [Note to Offerors: Depending on the success of marketing and program outreach efforts, this number may increase requiring that the contractor demonstrate a capacity to quickly and efficiently respond to increasing consumer demand.] For frequent customers, quick accession to preexisting customer information (e.g., address, profession, telephone number) should be facilitated through customer numbers or by other means.

Inexpensive sources of information (e.g., fact sheets, standard responses) shall be provided free of charge while all other publications shall fall under cost recovery.

Cost recovery items with shipping costs--whether by U.S. Postal Service, UPS, Federal Express, or other means--shall be fully paid by the customer. Shipping options with different costs shall be offered to customers and range from 4th class mail to 1-day air delivery. The only exception to this will be the sending of free standard responses (up to five items).

All persons requesting to subscribe to "HeartMemo" or "AsthmaMemo" (Task 3.3) shall be entered into the User File (Task 5.2). Currently, there are no plans to employ cost recovery in relation to these bulletins. However, the contractor shall examine the potential for transforming these bulletins into exclusively electronic products that effectively market educational products and support technology transfer.

2.3 Information Acquisition

As a means of responding to inquiries and supporting program development, the contractor shall establish linkages with on-line sources of information including medical journals, newspapers, and health-related databases and Web pages. The overall objective is speed and the streamlining of information acquisition. [For solicitation purposes, this electronic acquisition process must aim at cost savings and the offeror shall indicate means by which this might be optimized.]

Subscriptions to publications in hard copy shall be justified, and the contractor shall specify these needs and associated costs.

All Response Center information specialists shall be trained and highly competent in accessing required information through electronic sources in responding to information requests.

2.4 Handling of Inquiries

[For solicitation purposes, excluding cost recovery publication orders, it is estimated that each month the Response Center will receive an average of 1,500 inquiries from health professionals and patients/public by mail, telephone, fax, and e-mail. Of these, assume that 300 will require custom responses that are labor-intensive and especially costly. The offeror shall indicate how it would reduce this number significantly through the creative application of solutions targeting selective process strategies, and/or the use of new information development and management technologies. Processing of standard information requests currently relies on sending hard copy through the mail. The offeror shall propose means by which this process can be made more cost effective. Possible strategies might include immediate referral to NHLBI information on the WWW and instantaneous responses by e-mail. In addition, many inquiries represent cost recovery opportunities, and staff must be trained to market NHLBI products as appropriate.]

The contractor shall use advanced technology and recommend new methods that might supplant traditional information center response practices. Given the period of transition that we are in, the following minimal requirements shall be met:

• All inquiries shall be logged electronically into the Information Inventory and Accounting Database (IIAD). The name, address, telephone number, e-mail address (if applicable), and nature/subject of inquiry shall be included.

• In most cases those inquiries received electronically shall be responded to by e-mail and always within 24 hours of receipt. All standard responses (e.g., fact sheets, standard information responses [SIRs], standard letters and paragraphs) shall exist as computer files that can be electronically sent as attachments or merged into e-mail responses.

• A technologically advanced, user friendly telephone-response system shall be required. A menu of useful choices shall be offered, including the ability to order publications. The system shall be specific for incoming public/professional inquiries (i.e., not for calls from NHLBI staff).

• Responses Fulfilled by Mail: For standard responses, the maximum response time shall be 3 working days after receipt. For nonstandard responses (customized), the maximum response time shall be 7 days after receipt.

• Formal database searches used as customized responses shall be limited because of cost considerations. When required, cost recovery shall be employed for requests from health professionals. Routine accessing of databases to respond to patient and general public inquiries however, shall not be designated as a cost recovery activity.

• Controlled Correspondence: Response times for controlled correspondence shall vary from 1-4 working days, depending on the due date of the response. All controlled correspondence shall follow the format and style guidelines mandated by OPEC.

• Referrals: Contractor staff shall provide referrals to NHLBI information available on its Website as well as other external sources of information (e.g., selected consumer health Websites, other health agencies and organizations, and information centers). This shall be a major emphasis for handling inquiries given the wealth of reliable health information available, especially on the WWW. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall provide a detailed description of the referral process and the training of information specialists to effectively handle referrals by electronic and other means.] A system of monitoring electronic information sources and selecting sources for referral--including NHLBI review/approval of sources--shall be developed.

2.5 Fulfillment of 800 Number Requests

The contractor shall be responsible for fulfilling requests from NHLBI's toll-free information line (see Task 3.5). [For solicitation purposes, assume an average of 5,000 requests will be received each month in the form of mailing labels.] Response materials include fact sheets and catalogs.

2.6 Pick-up of Mail

The contractor shall make use of the NHLBI Information Network post office box at the Bethesda, Maryland 20814 Post Office. The courier supplied by the contractor shall pick up mail inquiries from the NHLBI Information Network post office box at least once daily and from the NHLBI (Building 31, Rooms 4A03, 4A16, and 4A21) at least twice daily (Monday-Friday) and shall take them to the contractor for processing.

2.7 Monthly Response Center Report

The contractor shall prepare a monthly electronic report that will provide all inquiry, 800 number, and product ordering totals. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall indicate the format for this report.] The report may be combined with a similar report on cost recovery revenue (see Task 2.1).

TASK 3. INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS

The Challenge: To effectively participate in the marketplace with the amount of information that is increasingly available today, it is critical that:

• NHLBI information be of the highest quality: accurate, complete, authoritative, current and appropriate to the audience.

• NHLBI information meets the information needs of its constituencies.

• NHLBI information be accessible through electronic means, including interactive technology.

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall indicate how it will remain on the cutting edge of changes brought about by new technologies and how it will accomplish the objectives listed above.]

The Requirements

3.1 Identification of Customer and Information Development Needs and Priorities

An important objective for NHLBI is to make the product planning and development process more market driven. NHLBI seeks to implement best-practice approaches to understanding audiences and their information needs, designing products that respond to those needs, making them affordable to customers, and delivering them in ways that are effective and affordable to NHLBI.

The contractor shall implement customer analysis through various methods to gain an understanding of customers' needs and perceptions of information products and services. Methods may include mail and telephone surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, analysis of existing data, and other means as appropriate.

Requirements shall include:

• Analyzing the Information Network customer base, including profession, practice setting, location, type and extent of contact with the Information Network, materials ordered and other pertinent information.

• Determining customer needs for services and products; conceptualizing new practices, services, and products; gauging customer perception of products and services; and evaluating and refining existing services and products.

• Analyzing cost recovery activities to determine appropriate products and pricing and cost recovery policies, and to recommend new products and services under cost recovery.

3.2 Development, Writing, and Preparation of Information

Based upon the above assessments, the contractor shall develop new (or adapt existing) information in a variety of formats or "modules" that can be disseminated through various channels. These information modules can be used on the NHLBI Website, as copy for "HeartMemo" and "AsthmaMemo," as standard responses or fact sheets, and as listserv messages, and other options. In the development of information, especially for the WWW, the contractor shall provide for adapting the format and content to reflect new modes of communication.

[For solicitation purposes, a current requirement is the development and maintenance of Standard Information Packages (SIPs) suitable for patients/public. The packages contain information on diagnosis and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases, and sleep disorders compiled from NHLBI and outside sources. However, plans should be developed for new ways of delivering this information effectively and inexpensively in the future, including referrals to sources of consumer health information on the WWW (see Task 2.4).]

3.3 "HeartMemo" and "AsthmaMemo"

"HeartMemo" is NHLBI's cardiovascular newsletter for health professionals, published two times a year. With a current subscriber base of 24,000 and a pass-along readership of more than 200,000, it is NHLBI's primary means of communicating with health professionals on a regular basis. At present, "HeartMemo" is provided free to subscribers.

The contractor shall plan, design, write, and disseminate two issues per year (approximately 28 pages each, two-colors.) Printing shall be done by the contractor.

[Note to Offerors: Content typically includes: reports on activities of NHLBI education programs, findings from selected Institute-supported research, examples of health promotion strategies and programs, existing statistics on heart disease trends and other relevant data, other information resources and sources of funding, and schedules for upcoming NHLBI-sponsored meetings.]

The contractor shall work with the "HeartMemo" Editorial Board, composed of NHLBI and contractor staff, in planning issues. The Board's role is to help determine and oversee editorial content, policy and direction.

"AsthmaMemo" is a similar newsletter for health professionals interested in prevention, treatment, and control of asthma. It is published once each year (approximately 16 pages per issue), and disseminated at no cost to a subscriber list of about 10,000.

The contractor shall plan, design, write, and disseminate "AsthmaMemo." There is no editorial board for "AsthmaMemo." Planning and coordination of the content of each issue will be done with the Coordinator of NHLBI's National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Printing shall be done by the contractor.

[Note to Offerors: Both "HeartMemo" and "AsthmaMemo" are currently available electronically on NHLBI's Website.]

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall indicate strategies by which the reach of these products can be extended. Approaches might include electronic marketing of these two products as well as giving them a "new look" as they are viewed and used on the Web. Interaction with readers and between readers may be considered as a means of encouraging the exchange of ideas and evaluating customer perceptions.]

The contractor shall recommend plans by which "HeartMemo" and "AsthmaMemo" in the future would be available only via the WWW and the means by which this transition would take place. [For solicitation purposes: Overall, electronic subscribership goals shall be proposed as specific targets for each contract year beginning with the end of the first contract year.]

3.4 "NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog"

A key tool in NHLBI's marketing, cost recovery, and information dissemination activities is the "NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog."

All product content contained in the catalog shall continue to be made available on the NHLBI Website. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall propose strategies by which the above core objectives, i.e., marketing, cost recovery, and information dissemination, will be furthered through the WWW. This shall include a thorough analysis of how the content of the catalog can be most effectively presented on the Web.] Ordering of publications through NHLBI's Website shall be facilitated and the contractor shall use a secure encryption system to safeguard customers' credit information.

The contractor shall produce, print, and disseminate two print versions of the catalog annually--one version for health professionals (approximately 40 pages) and one version for patients/public (approximately 12 pages). The catalogs are intended to serve as an important means of marketing NHLBI publications and should be promotional in tone and design. [For solicitation purposes, assume that 200,000 copies of the health professionals version and 100,000 copies of the patients/public version will be printed and disseminated annually. In addition to WWW applications, the offeror shall propose strategies for using the catalogs as marketing tools via targeted direct mail campaigns, e.g., to professional organizations, managed care, work sites, and other settings, as well as at exhibits and in answer to inquiries.]

3.5 Servicing NHLBI's 800 Number Information Line

NHLBI maintains a toll-free 800 number with recorded information on the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Callers are given the option to leave their name and address so that further information can be mailed to them. Typical response items are fact sheets and the public/patient catalog. The number is used as a tag on NHLBI's television public service announcements (PSAs), print ads, and other products. [For solicitation purposes, assume the average number of calls per month is 5,000.]

The contractor shall procure this service from AT&T via subcontract and serve as the liaison to AT&T when scripts need to be changed; write new scripts in English and Spanish when necessary; receive computerized data files from AT&T on use of the number, analyze the data, and provide monthly reports that track usage; and receive labels generated by an AT&T subcontractor, and fulfill requests for information. (See Task 2.5).

3.6 Support for and Development of OPEC Pages on the WWW

The contractor shall provide support for the OPEC portions of the NHLBI Website. This support shall include the following:

• Conversion of documents from various forms into HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Portable Document Format (PDF). These documents include those created by the contractor and others, as well as revisions of documents already on the Website.

• Conversion of images, audio, or video for Internet access, including scanning of letterheads and other images.

• Design of new information elements and links on the NHLBI Website. The challenge is to incorporate information elements into the site that are clear, concise, readable, graphically appealing, and that transfer and download rapidly.

• Use of cross-platform (Macintosh and Windows) hardware and software for preparing and testing Web-based products and applications.

• Skill and experience in converting desktop-published documents into PDF and HTML formats as well as skill and experience in CGI, PERL, JAVA, and other appropriate programming languages used in Web-based products and applications.

• Knowledge of Internet search engines and their requirements to catalog and maintain a current index of Websites as well as to achieve and maintain high visibility for the NHLBI Website.

The contractor shall also be responsible for monitoring existing OPEC-related information elements on the NHLBI Website. On a regular basis, the contractor shall review and update appropriate sections to ensure that data and links are accurate and shall recommend removal of outdated items. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall describe the means by which this will be accomplished in a timely and cost-effective manner.]

TASK 4. INFORMATION TRANSFER AND NETWORKING OPERATIONS

The Challenge: The effectiveness of NHLBI's Information Network depends on linking its science-based information with the many partners, organizations, constituencies, agencies, and individuals who can put that information to work. The challenge is to develop and maintain linkages to form a strong, vital information network and to streamline the means by which NHLBI information, products, and marketing messages are delivered or transferred to this network.

The Requirements

4.1 Marketing of Publications, Products, and Programs

The overall goal of this task is the strategic marketing of products in a manner that fully takes advantage of a wide variety of marketing techniques, including new technologies and the myriad of marketing opportunities available through the WWW.

Strategic marketing should focus on high-priority products when they are new and should use a variety of complementary strategies, including promotion on the NHLBI Web page and other Websites, via listservs, through exhibits, direct mail campaigns, and (in cooperation with NHLBI's mass media contract and press team) through the media. Promotional strategies that take advantage of special months (e.g., Cholesterol Month) are encouraged.

The contractor shall establish a vital and energetic Internet marketing capacity. The emphasis must be on speed, expanded electronic market penetration, greatly increased visibility for the NHLBI and its information, cost savings, and increased cost recovery revenues. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall demonstrate a knowledge of the various electronic means of marketing (e.g., Internet malls, Web directories, radio and television station Websites, virtual exhibits, electronic magazines) and discuss the issue of search engines and their capacity to identify NHLBI information.]

The contractor shall also provide an analysis of the viability of subcontracting with specialty firms that provide assistance in marketing particular products to targeted markets and the impact of this approach on cost savings and effectiveness in reaching selected markets. It is incumbent on the contractor to have a knowledge of these firms. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror should describe how partnerships with these specialty marketing firms might be developed.]

The contractor may be required to work collaboratively in developing a marketing plan for products developed by other NHLBI-funded contractors involved in program development activities. Such collaboration will be defined under the requirements of individual project plans submitted to the contractor as defined under Task 7.

4.1.1 Defining and Reaching Target Audiences

The Institute will continue to develop a variety of educational products, including clinical guidelines, patient and general public education materials, community program guides, materials for use in elementary and secondary schools, and tools for continuing education of targeted health professionals. Such developmental activities will be performed under Task 7 of this contract or by other NHLBI contractors. Each product requires marketing to its defined audience(s). The challenge is to reach the specific group or groups for which the product is designed in a comprehensive and meaningful fashion. Reaching minority and disadvantaged audiences in order to increase their access is a priority. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall propose strategies by which the above will be accomplished. Please refer to the Technical Proposal Requirement: Development of a Hypothetical Project Plan, Small Geographic Area Public Health Education Initiative as an example of typical project requirements.]

As noted above, the contractor shall reach defined audiences through the use of a variety of marketing channels and techniques, including electronic means. [For solicitation purposes, direct mail, use of listservs, news groups, Websites, announcements in organizations' publications, and other approaches should be defined for appropriate audiences. The offeror shall also make recommendations on how to best use NHLBI's own databases (e.g., the IIAD and User File) for marketing purposes (Tasks 5.1 and 5.2).]

Groups that may be targeted for individual products include: physicians, nurses, dietitians, health educators, health planners, health quality assurance personnel, managed care officials, hospital personnel, community agencies, Federal, state, and local public health personnel, minority health groups, disease management professionals, fitness and wellness personnel, emergency medicine, pharmacists, voluntary health organizations, and faculty/trainers of health professionals. Especially among large target groups it may be necessary to selectively target groups by specialty, place of practice, disease orientation, training level, or specific type of faculty or trainer status and to market selectively to pertinent subgroups.

For selected products, efforts shall be made to increase the ability to reach professionals, health care delivery systems, and health information systems that serve the medically underserved and minority groups. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall demonstrate specific knowledge of and experience with contacts, organizational and community structures, and meaningful ways of working with community groups.]

For cost recovery items and consumer health information products, direct-to-public marketing approaches shall be used if they are cost effective. A major goal of such marketing techniques is to increase cost recovery revenues. On a continuous basis, the contractor shall advise on the approaches, including direct mail, mass media, and electronic approaches.

4.1.2 Creation of Marketing Materials

To accomplish marketing goals for selected products, the contractor shall develop descriptive and promotional materials. For items disseminated through electronic means, attention shall be given to formats that will be attractive and functional in an electronic environment and that technically can be received as an attractive end product by various e-mail systems. For print products, attractive, cost-conscious formats shall be used. All materials shall take advantage of new technologies to increase visibility, interaction, and action on the part of the recipient.

4.1.3 Preparation of Marketing Plans

For products or program goals designated by the NHLBI, the contractor shall prepare detailed marketing plans, including specific target groups and contacts, and quantify needs and costs. Each plan shall include approaches to measuring the results.

4.1.4 Procurement of Labels and Dissemination

For projects determined to need direct mail, the contractor shall procure mailing labels under direction of NHLBI. [For solicitation purposes, assume up to 500,000 labels per year.] The contractor shall carry out pilot projects to determine the effectiveness of various label sources, for example frequent purchasers of similar products. This effort shall be systematic, strategically planned, and level of success reported to the NHLBI.

In implementing direct mail marketing plans, the contractor shall interact with DC Arc warehouse staff and NHLBI project staff to ensure timely and correct distribution of products.

For electronic dissemination, the contractor shall create, maintain, and service marketing-related listservs, contribute to listservs or news groups, format marketing materials for electronic channels, and transmit marketing materials effectively through a variety of electronic means.

4.1.5 Analyzing and Reporting on Marketing Results

An important part of marketing is analyzing and reporting on results in order to enhance future efforts. Marketing materials should include mechanisms for coding audience sources or channels. The contractor shall provide for tracking, analyzing, and reporting on results of specified marketing projects.

4.2 Supporting the Development of Linkages and Partnerships

The contractor shall develop approaches to help increase use of NHLBI materials and incorporation of concepts and practices from NHLBI programs into training, public health, health care delivery, and patient education programs through activities of other organizations and systems.

For products affecting professional practices and patient treatment, concentrated efforts shall be made to develop ongoing partnerships with selected professional organizations, training and in-service coordinators, faculty in colleges/universities and professionals schools, managed care organizations and other relevant groups to encourage use of NHLBI concepts and products.

4.3 Management of NHLBI Exhibits

Exhibits should be viewed as one channel for the strategic marketing of products and for the transfer of specific research findings and clinical guidelines. The rationale for selecting an exhibit as a marketing option must be identified in terms of marketing potential and program need.

The contractor shall operate NHLBI's exhibit program at selected professional conferences as part of a targeted marketing strategy. Plans shall be developed for controlling exhibit costs while increasing the scope of exhibits outreach through use of new technologies, including computer-generated displays, multimedia presentations of new guidelines, onsite transmission of product to home or worksite computers, opportunities to explore new NHLBI Website features and content at the booth, the capability of signing onto a NHLBI listserv at the exhibit, take-away computer disks that can "market" after the fact, and Internet-based "virtual exhibits."

As directed by the Project Officer, the contractor shall be responsible for exhibit management, payment of booth space, procurement of exhibit services, exhibit and materials shipping, and exhibit storage. [Note to Offerors: NHLBI currently has in inventory: 10 Pro-Type II 10-foot exhibits, 6 tabletop exhibits, 1 30-foot wood-construction exhibit, and 1 20-foot Nimlok exhibit.]

[For solicitation purposes, assume exhibits at 30 professional society and association meetings per year (25 of which would be 10-foot exhibits and 5 of which would be tabletops), also estimate a total of 7 new exhibits to be designed and produced during the period of performance of this contract.]

TASK 5. INTERNAL DATABASE DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS

The Challenge: NHLBI's internal databases are a means of facilitating information transfer and expanding the NHLBI Information Network. The challenge is to closely link these databases to other tasks and to ensure that the data and information in them can be effectively used and transferred through various technologies and channels.

The Requirements

5.1 The Information, Inventory, and Accounting Database (IIAD)

This database is critical to many Response Center functions and must be maintained and enhanced. A long-term objective shall be to make the content elements (e.g., disease definitions, standard responses) in this database directly accessible to users through the Internet. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall propose how this might be accomplished and weigh the relative benefits of simply duplicating this content on the WWW versus allowing users to access it via e-mail.]

The IIAD currently contains the following elements:

• Information on all orders and inquiries processed by the Response Center. This information allows for the tracking of inquiries, following up on orders, analyzing information needs, and identifying frequent or large-volume requestors.

• Current inventory information that allows for inventory control and timely reprinting of popular publications. It also assists the information specialists in filling publication requests and being able to provide customers with accurate availability information.

• Referral information including the type of information that the referral sources have, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, WWW sites, and e-mail addresses.

• Information on diseases and conditions, their definitions, available publications for response, other standard responses, availability of SIPs, and the referral information indicated above.

• A constantly updated accounting system that shows total cost recovery monies received as well as a product-by-product breakdown of receipts. This accounting system supports the forecasting and printing tasks and serves to gauge success in meeting cost recovery monetary goals (see Task 2.1).

5.2 Maintenance of the User File

The User File is made up of those users who subscribe to "HeartMemo" or "AsthmaMemo." It also includes people who have asked to be put on the mailing list. This list shall be maintained through address corrections resulting from the dissemination of each issue. In addition, every 3 years (or more often if deemed required by the Project Officer), this list shall be "circularized." That is, all subscribers shall be sent a form that they must return to the Response Center in order to remain on the mailing list. Circularization shall be viewed as an opportunity to acquire limited but important information about subscribers such as profession, organizational affiliation, work setting, and interest areas.

[Note to Offerors: An eventual goal is to develop electronic versions of "HeartMemo" and "AsthmaMemo." See Task 3.3.]

5.3 Maintaining, Updating, and Upgrading of Marketing Database

The contractor shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the existing marketing database of information on organizations and target audience groups. The contractor shall update information needed for specific marketing projects and develop new reports and calculations as required. Direct access to the database shall be provided to NHLBI marketing staff for searching, information input, printouts, and development of marketing plans.

TASK 6. DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS

The Challenge: The storage and mailing of print products is costly compared to other forms of information transfer available today. However, the ongoing demand for print publications represents a need--and an opportunity--that must be met, and the existence of cost recovery allows for broad dissemination without significantly increased cost to NHLBI. The challenge is to make inventory control, order processing, and shipping as efficient as possible and to ensure that handling and shipping costs are fairly recovered. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall address this challenge, describe how it proposes to use technology, advanced equipment, and varying shipping options. There must be an emphasis on low operating costs, improved space management, shorter order cycles, improved customer service, inventory accuracy, and electronic inventory reporting.]

The Requirements

6.1 Inventory Control

The contractor shall track the receipt, use, and dissemination of all NHLBI publications and other products. Much of this task will be accomplished through the IIAD as orders are processed by information specialists. Nevertheless, the contractor shall constantly monitor supplies, take steps to preclude depletion of inventory for which there is heavy demand, and alert NHLBI staff as to publications that are in excess supply and for which some action might be taken. A system for forecasting publications needs and opportunities shall be developed and maintained. A monthly inventory report shall be prepared for NHLBI staff. [Note to offerors: NHLBI currently has approximately 450 product titles in inventory of which approximately 25 percent are archival titles.]

6.2 Distribution Center

The contractor shall provide the labor, facilities, equipment (including computers), services, and supplies necessary to operate a state-of-the-art Distribution Center that performs receiving, storage, maintenance, order fulfillment, shipping, and inventory control functions. Storage space of 5,000 square feet shall be required to maintain stocks of publications that are used to respond to cost recovery orders. However, it is imperative that inventory be kept to an essential level through practices such as "just in time" delivery of new products and subcontracting for special marketing campaigns and product-specific dissemination projects (see Task 7).

The operation of the Distribution Center shall be automated and the use of advanced equipment to reduce labor and costs shall be required. It shall be possible to track outgoing orders and shipments, and the calculation of costs for shipping and handling shall be arrived at accurately and added to the invoice for each shipment. [For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall describe the process as well as the equipment being proposed for this task.]

Currently, most postal charges for shipping noncost recovery orders and for marketing mailings are paid through the use of NHLBI's Government postal permit. The contractor shall explore greater use of shipping services that may be less expensive than the postal service.

The Distribution Center shall be responsible for the mailing of all responses to requests, marketing mailings, exhibit shipments, and for all orders processed under cost recovery from its own facility or from the DC Arc warehouse. For all time-sensitive shipments, such as materials for exhibits at conferences, the contractor shall use a shipping service that allows for tracing of shipments. The contractor shall select carriers that are the most cost-advantageous to the Government.

The contractor shall be responsible for collating and mailing approximately 11 special mailings of PSAs in each year of the contract: 3 for television, 5 for radio, and 3 for print media.

6.3 Storage and Mailing Services Provided by DC Arc

DC Arc is the mandatory set-aside contractor for all NIH mailing services pursuant to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (Public Law 92-28), and as such will continue to provide inventory storage and special mailing services from their warehouse in Washington, D.C. The cost of DC Arc services will be paid for by NHLBI.

The contractor shall develop a close and collaborative working partnership with DC Arc that will have as its goals: excellent customer service; cost controls (e.g., limiting the deliveries of materials to the Distribution Center); and collaborative use of new technologies to enhance communication and efficiencies in mailing services.

6.4 State-of-the-Art Mailing Services

The contractor shall explore the feasibility of product dissemination direct from the printing source and state-of-the-art mailing services that are fully automated in order to speed delivery and reduce costs. For the initial marketing dissemination of new products and other mailings, the use of specialized services should be recommended if they can be shown to improve efficiency, achieve more rapid market penetration, improve customer service, and result in cost savings.

TASK 7. PROGRAM PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EVALUATION IN SUPPORT OF NHLBI'S NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL INITIATIVES

The Challenge: The NHLBI is considered the world's foremost institution for biomedical research related to heart, lung, blood diseases, and sleep disorders. As a component of the NHLBI, OPEC's goal is to rapidly transfer this information to society in order to prevent disease, and improve and promote public health. Science-based health information has become one of the most important and rapidly changing resources throughout the world. The challenge is to retrieve, evaluate, describe, and present it in ways that enhance understanding among diverse populations.

Understanding consumer needs and how various audiences seek, obtain, and use health information is critical to the development and production of education programs that will more effectively reach and engage audiences of interest. New prevention and treatment discoveries are made each day. Modern molecular genetics are revolutionizing medical research in relation to disease prevention and treatment in ways unimagined in the past. Emerging information technologies are radically changing the way people communicate and making ever more information accessible to the public. It is OPEC's role to capture these changes, and harness and use them to improve the Nation's health through education and the promotion of disease prevention and better treatment.

The Requirements

7.1 Responding to Annual OPEC Program Plans

Key to the success of a "world class" research translation and dissemination operation, are new education program activities that reflect not only the latest science-based information, but effective customer-driven strategies to reach and engage intended audiences. Major trends and market driven forces must be identified to enhance formulation of strategic education responses. Directing the development of a broad range of professional, patient, general public, and community health education program activities in support of NHLBI's national education programs and special education initiatives requires the availability and allocation of expert resources in timely fashion.

To successfully operationalize this portion of the contract, the contractor shall provide a technical and management capability to respond to selected performance-based project plans that will be presented in an annual OPEC Program Plan developed by NHLBI on a fiscal year basis. Many of these projects will relate to specific Healthy People 2000 Goals and Objectives and to the Healthy People 2010 Goals and Objectives currently under development. Selected plans for individual projects will derive mainly from this document, which will be provided to the contractor by September 1 of each contract year. However, new opportunities may arise at other times during each contract year that are not in the annual plan which may require contractor response. Such unplanned responses are expected to be limited. A number of program development project plans also shall address the strategies put forth in the "Partnering Improvement Plan" developed by the contractor and described in Task 8.1.2.

Upon contract award, the contractor shall develop approximately 8-10 project plans to be submitted for approval and implementation during the first 4 months of the contract. It is anticipated that approximately 12-20 selected project plans will be submitted annually to the contractor during years 2-5 of the contract performance period. Each project plan will define specific requirements and desired outcomes.

The contractor shall submit an implementation plan which includes performance measures for each project to the NHLBI Contracting Officer. The contractor shall demonstrate a capability to quickly access technical resources to be allocated to these projects depending on project requirements and facilitate and coordinate the effective use of these resources in a schedule-driven and cost-efficient manner. Implementation plans in response to project plans will be subject to review and approval of the NHLBI. If approved, the contractor shall proceed with the implementation plan.

Selected projects may require that the contractor also provide logistical support for panel meetings, working groups, workshops, and symposia which would include securing the meeting site, paying travel and per diem, and making hotel and travel arrangements for meeting attendees. [For solicitation purposes, assume 8, 1 ½-day meetings per contract year. The contractor shall provide travel and per diem, and make hotel and travel arrangements for 12 long-distance travelers and 6 local participants. Estimated attendance at each panel meeting is 22 persons.]

7.2 Implementation of Approved Performance-Based Project Teams

The contractor shall develop detailed workplans for each approved implementation plan. Workplans shall be submitted 6 weeks prior to the proposed date of project initiation. Workplans shall include: specific details of how a project will be carried out on a day-to-day basis and specific strategies, work practices and associated costs that will facilitate assignment of responsibility, coordination of effort and monitoring of results. [Note to Offerors: Actual initiation dates for approved projects may be distributed at different times throughout a contract year, and certain projects may overlap contract years.]

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror should describe the methods that will be used to satisfy this requirement.]

7.3 Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Feasibility Assessment

The contractor shall develop and implement a plan to assess the feasibility of developing a multimedia information kiosk network to deliver NHLBI education program information to public audiences. Customer and placement assessment should be included in the plan. The contractor shall complete the assessment by the end of month 9 of the contract and submit a report summarizing the findings of the assessment and recommendations for NHLBI to consider in implementation.

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror should describe the methods that will be used to satisfy this requirement.]

7.3.1 Multimedia Information Kiosk Network Pilot

Based on the findings and recommendations from the assessment, the contractor shall conduct an 18-month pilot study, beginning in year 2 of the contract, to test market and evaluate the use of multimedia kiosks as access points in disseminating health information and in connecting users electronically to the NHLBI Response Center. The contractor shall conduct the pilot in a community setting, and will secure placement of the kiosks at appropriate sites such as malls, pharmacies, libraries, churches, clinics, etc. A final report of the pilot study shall be submitted to NHLBI within 6 weeks after completion of the study. [For solicitation purposes, assume a 10-kiosk network will be used in the pilot study design, and that rotational kiosk site assignments will be used to provide an opportunity for diverse audiences and sites to be included in the pilot study. The offeror shall describe the methods that will be used to satisfy this requirement.]

TASK 8. BUILDING AND SUSTAINING NHLBI STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

The Challenge: NHLBI has had a rich and successful history in building and sustaining partnerships to address major public health issues. The very structure and function of NHLBI's national education programs attests to the value of partnering for the benefits of information sharing, organization to organization dialogue concerning key issues and problem solving, and collaborative education strategy planning, development, and implementation/outreach. The use of technology to automate routine work practices and communication activities of national education program coordinating committees and subcommittees can substantially reduce operating costs. Information technology can also be used to enhance communications and effectiveness of program tasks. The challenge is to devise good systems and promote the adoption of a new, more efficient and effective way of doing business. While NHLBI continues to be committed to sustaining the core partner organizations that constitute the national coordinating committees of the national education programs, the partnering experience can be extended and operationalized in a global domain with the assistance of existing and emerging information technologies. Virtual partnering, knowledge networking, electronic libraries for resource sharing, and created learning environments for professional and consumer education and exchange, are some of the potential approaches that can extend the concept of partnering to further NHLBI's goal of creating a "world class" organization for research translation and dissemination.

The Requirements

8.1 Staff Support for Partnership Organizations of the National Education Program Coordinating Committees

The contractor shall provide professional and support staff to assist NHLBI in planning and convening meetings of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP), the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), the National Heart Attack Alert Program (NHAAP), and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP). Professional and support staff shall also be provided to assist NHLBI staff in communicating with coordinating committee organizations on an ongoing basis as well as participating in, facilitating, and coordinating approved program development projects as described under Task 7.

[Note to Offerors: For educational initiatives such as the NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative (OEI) that do not operate on a coordinating committee basis, technical and support staff requirements will be defined in project plans described under Task 7. For the Sleep Disorders Education Initiative, limited professional support is required to assist NHLBI staff with the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board's Sleep Education Subcommittee. Note that expenses for the support of the Sleep Advisory Board are paid for with funds from a different contract. Additional staff support for sleep disorders education activities will be determined under Task 7 activities.]

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall demonstrate a capacity to respond to the support needs of any new education programs and/or initiatives that may be initiated during the performance period of the contract. Assume two new programs or initiatives during the contract performance period.]

8.1.1 Meeting Support

The contractor shall provide logistical support for 28 coordinating committee and associated subcommittee meetings of the national education programs for the period of performance of this contract. [For solicitation purposes, assume three meetings of each national program coordinating committee within a 2-year period, and that all meetings will be held in a hotel located in Bethesda, Maryland.]

The contractor shall be responsible for arranging and paying for meeting space, paying travel and per diem, and making hotel and travel arrangements for 40 members per committee. In addition to 40 committee members, the meetings are also attended by 75 interested noncommittee observers from the public and private sector. Information packets prepared for the meetings shall reflect these numbers. [For solicitation purposes, offerors should assume that they will be responsible for paying long-distance travel and per diem and making hotel and travel arrangements for 40 committee members.]

In addition, the subcommittees of the coordinating committees meet on the afternoon and/or evening prior to each coordinating committee meeting. The contractor shall provide travel and per diem, and make hotel and travel arrangements for 20 persons. The meetings shall be held in the same location as the coordinating committee meeting.

8.1.2 Partnering Improvement Plan

The contractor shall develop a "Partnering Improvement Plan" during the first 6 months of the contract performance period. The purpose of the plan will be to define approaches that can be used to enhance NHLBI's partnering efforts with member organizations that currently serve on the national education program coordinating committees as well as strategies to be considered to expand NHLBI's partnering opportunities into a broader global domain. The contractor shall submit the plan for NHLBI approval. The plan shall cover the performance period of the contract and accommodation for continuous improvement will be incorporated in it to allow for consideration and potential readjustment should emerging technologies present new or modified strategy opportunities.

8.2. National and Regional Partnership Conferences

National and regional conferences represent an important means of information transfer and networking, and through electronic means can reach an audience far beyond those who attend in person. The challenge is to develop partnership conference models that are cost effective and that take advantage of increasingly sophisticated technologies that allow for virtual participation as well as live participation via video-, audio-, and computer-based interactive technologies.

The contractor shall subcontract through a competitive process for:

• One national cardiovascular health conference to be held in 2001 or 2002 in the Midwestern or Central (or possibly Eastern) region of the country, coordinated by a coalition or organizational partner that will manage the meeting, handle all logistics, and do additional fund raising as required. [For solicitation purposes, assume subcontract amount of $300,000.]

• In the "off-years," beginning in 1999, the contractor, through a competitive process, will provide funding for three or more regional cardiovascular disease conferences each year. [For solicitation purposes, assume total annual amount of support for these conferences would total $30,000.]

[For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall indicate how they would use the competitive process and these conferences to maximize information transfer, cost savings, and partnership development with an emphasis on use of new technologies and reaching broader audiences at the grassroots level.]

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL REQUIREMENT: HYPOTHETICAL PROJECT PLAN

Background

As mentioned in Task 4.1.1, the offeror shall respond to the following proposal assignment to demonstrate a capability to respond to relevant technical requirements of the Statement of Work as well as a technical understanding of major public health issues of importance to NHLBI.

Assume a 2-year performance period for the project. Specify relevant time line and deliverables, staffing, and an itemized budget of approximately $450,000 in total costs. The case study must adhere to a 25-page limit that includes charts, graphs, and other visuals. Offerors should analyze the project and the associated public health education challenges and provide a project plan that exemplifies their approach.

The Challenge: "For the first time we have a compendium of maps for all leading causes of death which pinpoint problem areas so that national, state and local efforts can be coordinated and targeted," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala with the recent release of the "Atlas of United States Mortality," developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The atlas maps leading causes of death by 805 Health Service Areas and provides a means to identify high-risk areas enabling the development of strategically focused small geographic educational initiatives.

Case Study : Small Geographic Area Public Health Education Initiative

For solicitation purposes, the offeror shall define a public health "small geographic" educational initiative related to the prevention and/or control of a condition or disorder of interest to the mission of NHLBI and develop a hypothetical project plan that includes the following:

• Establishes as its main goal "eliminating disparities" between a subgroup of the population that is disproportionately affected by the major health problem, compared to other residents within the region or community.

• Utilizes small area geographic mapping such as displayed in the "Atlas of the United States Mortality" developed by CDC, NCHS, as background information on the methodological and analytic approach to determining the degree of disparity among population subgroups within the region or community.

• Provides necessary background and rationale (supported by references) for the proposed educational strategy and intended target audience(s). The project plan shall specify the steps the offeror will take to successfully execute the project.

• þ Defines appropriate and relevant performance-driven objectives and strategies specific to the proposed project to attain the desired outcome of "eliminating disparities."

• Identifies performance-based partnerships to serve as channels and linkages to facilitate the implementation of targeted strategies to "eliminate disparities" within the high-risk region or community. Focus on a variety of community education approaches excluding mass media.

• Reflects an understanding and utilization of consumer needs and market-driven forces.

• Demonstrates a strategic use of resources to accomplish its goal of "eliminating disparities."

[Note to Offerors: Offeror's response to the hypothetical project plan will be evaluated per the Technical Evaluation Criteria cited in RFP.]

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To obtain a copy of Attachment 3, Invoice/Financing Request Instructions for NIH Cost-Reimbursement Type Contracts, NIH(RC-1), click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 4, Financial Report of Individual Project Contract, NIH Form 2706 click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 5, Instructions for Completing Form NIH 2706, "Financial Report of Individual Project/Contract," click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 6, Small, Small Disadvantaged & Women-Owned Small Business Model Subcontracting Plan Outline, click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 7, Procurement of Certain Equipment, NIH(RC-7), click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 8, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, SF-LLL, click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 9, Proposal Summary and Data Record, NIH-2043, click here

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CONTACT POINTS
Complete the following and return with the BUSINESS PROPOSAL
Name, Title and Address* of Business Representative with whom daily contact is required.
________________________________________ Name	____________________ Telephone Number
________________________________________ Institutional Title	____________________ FAX Number
________________________________________ Institutional Office	____________________ E-Mail Address
________________________________________ Institution Name
________________________________________ **Street Address
________________________________________ City, State Zip Code
Name, Institutional Title and Address of Proposed Principal Investigator
________________________________________ Name	____________________ Telephone Number
________________________________________ Institutional Title	____________________ FAX Number
________________________________________ Institutional Division, etc.	____________________ E-Mail Address
________________________________________ **Street Address
________________________________________ City, State Zip Code
These exact addresses are necessary to ensure that contact can be made with the proper individual(s) in the most expeditious manner.
*May not necessarily be same as legal address of offeror. **Please use actual street address, not P.O. Box.

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To obtain a copy of Attachment 11, Technical Proposal Cost Information/Summary of Labor and Direct Costs, click here

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BREAKDOWN OF PROPOSED ESTIMATED COST (PLUS FEE) AND LABOR HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF THE FORMAT

1. Refer to Business Proposal Instructions, Section L of this solicitation. The Instructions contain the requirements for proper submission of cost/price data which must be adhered to.

2. This format has been prepared as a universal guideline for all solicitations issued by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. It may require amending to meet the specific requirements of this solicitation. For example, this solicitation may require the submission of cost/price data for three years listed on this form. (See Section L.1., General Information for the estimated duration of this project.) If this solicitation is phased, identify each phase in addition to each year. Total each year, phase, and sub-element.

3. This format must be used to submit the breakdown of all proposed estimated cost elements. List each cost element and sub-element for direct costs, indirect costs and fee, if applicable. In addition, provide detailed calculations for all items. For example:
   1. For all personnel, list the name, title, rate per hour and number of hours proposed. If a pool of personnel is proposed, list the composition of the pool and how the cost proposed was calculated. List the factor used for prorating Year One and the escalation rate applied between years.

      Offeror's proposal should be stated in the same terms as will be used to account for and record direct labor under a contract (i.e. percentage of effort is used for most faculty and professional employees at educational institutions). If percentages of effort are used, the basis to which such percentages are applied must also be submitted by the offeror. The attached format should be revised to accommodate direct labor proposed as a percentage of effort.

   2. For all materials, supplies, and other direct costs, list all unit prices, etc., to detail how the calculations were made.

   3. For all indirect costs, list the rates applied and the base the rate is applied to.

   4. For all travel, list the specifics for each trip.

   5. For any subcontract proposed, submit a separate breakdown format.

   6. Justification for the need of some cost elements may be listed as an attachment, i.e., special equipment, above average consultant fees, etc.

4. If the Government has provided "uniform pricing assumptions" for this solicitation, the offeror must comply with and identify each item.

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To obtain a copy of the form for Attachment 12, Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Cost (Plus Fee) and Labor Hours click here

To obtain a copy of Attachment 13, Summary of Related Activities, click here

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PROPOSAL INTENT RESPONSE SHEET

RFP No. NHLBI-HO-98-21

PLEASE REVIEW THE ATTACHED REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. FURNISH THE INFORMATION REQUESTED BELOW AND RETURN THIS PAGE BY THE EARLIEST PRACTICABLE DATE. YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTENT IS NOT BINDING BUT WILL ASSIST US IN PLANNING FOR PROPOSAL EVALUATION.

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[ ] DO INTEND TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

[ ] DO NOT INTEND TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

COMPANY/INSTITUTION NAME:

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

TYPED NAME AND TITLE:

DATE:

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RETURN TO:

Review Branch
NIH, NHLBI
Rockledge Building, Room 7220
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7924
Bethesda, MD, 20892-7924
Attention: Dr. James Scheirer

or

FAX TO: Dr. James Scheirer at (301) 480-3541

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NOTE: This Notice is for the Technical Evaluation Review Group who will be reviewing the proposals submitted in response to this RFP. THE OFFEROR SHALL PLACE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE BEHIND THE TITLE PAGE OF EACH COPY OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.

GOVERNMENT NOTICE FOR HANDLING PROPOSALS

This proposal shall be used and disclosed for evaluation purposes only, and a copy of this Government notice shall be applied to any reproduction or abstract thereof. Any authorized restrictive notices which the submitter places on this proposal shall be strictly complied with. Disclosure of this proposal outside the Government for evaluation purposes shall be made only to the extent authorized by, and in accordance with, the procedures in HHSAR paragraph 315.608-72.

6. If authorized in agency implementing regulations, agencies may release proposals outside the Government for evaluation, consistent with the following:
   1. Decisions to release proposals outside the Government for evaluation purposes shall be made by the agency head or designee;

   2. Written agreement must be obtained from the evaluator that the information (data) contained in the proposal will be used only for evaluation purposes and will not be further disclosed;

   3. Any authorized restrictive legends placed on the proposal by the prospective Contractor or subcontractor or by the Government shall be applied to any reproduction or abstracted information made by the evaluator;

   4. Upon completing the evaluation, all copies of the proposal, as well as any abstracts thereof, shall be returned to the Government office which initially furnished them for evaluation; and

   5. All determinations to release the proposal outside the Government take into consideration requirements for avoiding organizational conflicts of interest and the competitive relationship, if any, between the prospective Contractor or subcontractor and the prospective outside evaluator.

7. The submitter of any proposal shall be provided notice adequate to afford an opportunity to take appropriate action before release of any information (data) contained therein pursuant to a request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); and, time permitting, the submitter should be consulted to obtain assistance in determining the eligibility of the information (data) in question as an exemption under the Act. (See also Subpart 24.2, Freedom of Information Act.)

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PROJECT INFORMATION

1. A general description of the required objectives and desired results.

   The contractor shall provide services to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI's) Office of Prevention, Education, and Control (OPEC) to bring it fully into the Information Age by developing a "world class" operation that can take advantage of technology now and in the future to provide for the rapid translation and dissemination of findings from NHLBI-funded research. The contractor shall advance the development of an NHLBI Health Information Network that provides: ease of access for all; networked linking and transfer of NHLBI science-based health information with and to OPEC's primary audiences; increased awareness of the NHLBI and the value of its information; interactivity designed to enhance partnerships, individualize responsiveness, promote better communication, acquire information, disseminate information, and assess public and professional information needs; adoption and utilization of NHLBI information by all of its publics; and use of technology to reduce information-transfer costs.

   The contractor shall provide technical and management capability to respond to elected performance-based project plans that will be presented in an annual OPEC Program Plan developed by the Office on a fiscal year basis. Activities addressed in the project plans will include program planning, development, and evaluation in support the NHLBI national health education programs and special initiatives. Currently, they include the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP), National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), National Heart Attack Alert Program (NHAAP), NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative (OEI), and National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR). During the period of performance of this contract, the contractor may be required to provide similar services for new education programs and/or special initiatives at the option of the Government.

   The contractor shall also provide professional and support staff to assist NHLBI in planning and convening meetings of the NHBPEP, NCEP, NHAAP, and NAEPP coordinating committees. Professional and support staff also shall be provided to assist NHLBI staff in extending and operationalizing the partnership experience in a global domain with the use of existing and emerging information technologies.

2. Background information helpful to a clear understanding of the requirements and how they evolved.

   OPEC, strategically linked to the science base of the NHLBI, strives to reduce disease and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

   NHLBI, a part of the National Institutes of Health, is the world's foremost institution for biomedical research related to heart, lung, and blood diseases as well as sleep disorders. As a component of NHLBI, OPEC's goal is to rapidly transfer this information to society in order to prevent disease and improve and promote public health. The transition from science to practice is not automatic. It requires translation, distillation, and synthesis form the science base into information and products to increase public and professional awareness, set policy agendas, and improve quality of health care.

   New prevention and treatment discoveries are made each day. Modern molecular genetics are revolutionizing medical research in relation to disease prevention and treatment in ways unimagined in the past. Emerging information technologies are radically changing the way people communicate and are making ever more health information accessible to the public. It is OPEC's role to capture these changes and harness and use them to improve the Nation's health through education and the promotion of prevention and better treatment. Bridging the gap between research and people, between science and communities is OPEC's mission.

   OPEC coordinates the translation and dissemination of research findings and scientific consensus to health professionals, patients, and the public so that information can be adapted for and integrated into health care practice and individual health behavior. To accomplish its mission, the Office established health education programs and initiatives that address high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, early warning signs of heart attack, asthma, and sleep disorders. The four largest programs have coordinating committees that consist of national medical, public health, and voluntary organizations, and other Federal agencies. The coordinating committees help to plan, implement, and evaluate program efforts in professional, patient, and public education and spread the programs' messages to a wide range of audiences.

   The NHBPEP was initiated in 1972 to reduce death and disability related to high blood pressure. The Program, a cooperative effort between the NHLBI, 44 professional and voluntary health agencies, and state health departments is considered to be the model for national health education programs. In fact, this model has been and continues to be adopted by other national and international groups.

   Since its inception, the number of hypertensives aware of their condition has increased fourfold; and four times as many hypertensives are treating and controlling their disease. Recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) indicate that over the past three decades, mean systolic blood pressure has declined by 10 mm Hg. In addition, age-adjusted mortality rates from heart disease and stroke have fallen by 50 and 60 percent, respectively.

   Dissemination of national guidelines on the prevention of high blood pressure is a major priority of the NHBPEP. A statement on high blood pressure and the need to reduce salt consumption was released by the Program and was accepted by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Committee. In 1997, the "Report of the Joint National Committee on the Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure" was updated and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The Report discusses the use of new drug therapies, management of special populations and situations, and patient advocacy and rights.

   Additional program priorities include developing a network of organizations that serve as advocates for older Americans to improve hypertension control among this population; maintaining blood pressure control among elderly women (with special emphasis on preventing congestive heart failure), low-income and minority populations, and those who are underserved by the health care system; identifying partners, including the food industry, who can help implement population strategies for disease prevention; and working with the Consortium for Southeastern Hypertension Control to reduce mortality from stroke in targeted populations such as those in the "Stroke Belt," a cluster of southeastern states that have high rates of stroke mortality. The Program has expanded its mass media campaign to include displaying messages on billboards in the inner city, posters on mass transit systems, and radio messages for urban inner-city populations. The NHBPEP Coordinating Committee members are serving as spokespersons on radio and TV.

   The NCEP was initiated in 1985 to educate health professionals and the public about high blood cholesterol as a risk factor for CHD and about the benefits of lowering cholesterol levels to reduce illness and death from CHD. As shown by the results from the 1995 Cholesterol Awareness Survey of physicians and the public, the NCEP has made significant progress toward its goal of reducing the prevalence of high blood cholesterol. From 1983 to 1995, the percentage of the public who ever had their cholesterol checked rose from 35 to 75 percent so that 70 to 80 million Americans who were unaware of their cholesterol level in 1983 had taken action to learn it by 1995. Moreover, in 1995, physicians reported initiating diet and drug treatment at much lower cholesterol levels than in 1983, levels close to NCEP recommendations, and major elements of the NCEP guidelines for detection and treatment have become established practice.

   The NCEP uses a dual strategy for educating the American people on the importance of blood cholesterol reduction. One strategy focuses on individuals whose high blood cholesterol places them at increased risk for CHD and emphasizes the need for detection and treatment. The other strategy focuses on the general public and encourages heart-healthy eating patterns to lower average cholesterol levels. The latest NHANES III data, released at the December 1996 NCEP Coordinating Committee meeting, demonstrate that these two educational strategies have had a substantial effect on the decline in blood cholesterol levels of U.S. adults. Since 1978, the public's intake of fat decreased significantly, resulting in impressive declines in average blood cholesterol levels and in the prevalence of high blood cholesterol in the U.S. population.

   Results from three recent clinical trials provide conclusive evidence that cholesterol lowering dramatically reduces heart attacks and CHD deaths, and overall death rates in patients with or without existing CHD. As part of its focus on CHD patients, the NCEP developed a new physician monograph, "Cholesterol Lowering in the Patient with CHD," to encourage physicians to lower cholesterol levels aggressively in these patients. In collaboration with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, the monograph will be distributed to 200,000 primary care physicians and cardiovascular specialists, together with a copy of the NCEP patient booklet, "Live Healthier, Live Longer--Lowering Cholesterol for the Person With Heart Disease." As part of National Cholesterol Education Month in September, notices were placed in medical journals to alert physicians to this special mailing, and advertisements appeared in major newspapers to inform the public of the availability of the patient booklet.

   The NCEP's prevention strategy uses public service announcements (PSA) to encourage individuals to adopt heart-heathy habits. They include eating a low saturated fat diet, engaging in physical activity, maintaining weight control, and having regular cholesterol level check-ups.

   The NAEPP was initiated in March 1989 to raise the awareness of asthma as a serious, chronic disease and to promote more effective management of asthma through professional, patient, and public education, and to provide up-to-date information on asthma care. The Program works with schools, heath care professionals, and patients to improve asthma care and prevent disruptions of daily routine, hospitalizations, and the occasional deaths caused by asthma that is not under control.

   Dissemination of national guidelines on the diagnosis and management of asthma is a major program priority. In 1997, the NAEPP released the "Expert Panel Report 2, Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma." This document, an update of the 1991 guidelines from the Expert Panel, provides the science base for the Program. A "Practical Guide to the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" was also prepared to assist primary care physicians in implementing the recommendations in the guidelines. The recommendations for managing asthma are communicated to patients through a fact sheet on this topic.

   The NHAAP was initiated in June 1991 to reduce morbidity and mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI), including sudden cardiac death, through education of health professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, and emergency medical services personnel), patients, and the public about the importance of rapid identification and treatment of individuals with heart attack symptoms and signs. To date, the Program has developed recommendations for emergency department management of individuals presenting with characteristic symptoms of AMI. It has also prepared background papers on 9-1-1 emergency telephone systems; staffing and equipment requirements for emergency medical services systems; recommended emergency medical dispatching processes and procedures; and identified factors associated with patient/bystander delay in seeking care for AMI manifestations. The NHAAP recently developed recommendations for health care providers in emergency departments about current and new tests/technologies for detecting AMI (including acute cardiac ischemia). It has written a document for providers of high-risk patients about educational strategies to reduce prehospital delay in patients at high risk for an AMI. Information on community planning considerations to ensure access to timely and appropriate care of individuals with acute cardiac ischemia has been completed.

   At their retreat in June 1996, the NHAAP Coordinating Committee identified several focus areas that they recommended for increased program activity during the next 5 years. Included were evidence-based evaluation of diagnostic technologies, strategies, and protocols that identify acute cardiac ischemia, including non-ST-segment elevation MI; health care systems/community planning including all reimbursement systems (i.e., managed care, public, and private) and the uninsured; new information technologies; professional education; high-risk patient education; and patients discharged from emergency departments, ruled out for AMI; and general public/bystander education.

   The NHLBI OEI was started in January 1991 to inform the public and health professionals of the health risks associated with overweight and obesity. Obesity is not only an independent risk factor for CVD but also a contributor to high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and is related to sleep apnea. The OEI, as part of its high-risk strategy, convened an expert panel to consider the scientific evidence related to identification, evaluation, and treatment of obesity in adults, especially those with other risk factors for CVD. Its charge is to develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for use by primary health care providers. In collaboration with the NIDDK's National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity and the San Antonio Cochrane Center, a member of the Cochrane Collaboration whose mission is to prepare, maintain, and disseminate systematic reviews and meta-analyses of health care interventions, the panel has prepared a report that is expected to be released in spring 1998.

   OPEC is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Cardiovascular Health Promotion Project (CHPP), a program created to promote heart healthy behaviors in children and adolescents as a means to prevent overweight, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol. With its partner, the National Recreation and Park Association, the CHPP developed a national communications campaign that combines community outreach with media promotion. Activities within this project include a series of television PSAs encouraging young people and their families to become and stay physically active and a school-based program that provides elementary school teachers with heart health information, particularly to encourage physical activity among their students.

   The NHLBI Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Populations was established in 1975 to facilitate communication between minority communities and the NHBPEP. As the NHLBI developed new education and prevention programs, the role of the Committee was expanded. Today, it provides direct input to the NHLBI regarding the development and implementation of all outreach and education projects specifically designed to improve the health status of minority populations.

   In April 1997, the Ad Hoc Committee met to develop a 5-year strategic plan to improve the burden of CVD among minority populations. The Committee's recommendations were very broad in nature and ranged from involving the participating audience at the very inception of a project, to the role of technology in information dissemination. The NHLBI is using the Committee's input to outline gaps and define solutions that will advance cardiopulmonary health promotion among minority populations.

   OPEC and the Office of Research on Minority Health (ORMH), NIH are currently collaborating on several projects associated with improving cardiovascular health of minority populations. One such project is the National Physicians' Network that encourages physicians who provide care to blacks to become more actively involved in prevention and education activities in black communities. The Latino CVD Prevention and Outreach Initiative, "Salud para su Corazon," (Health for Your Heart), is a comprehensive community-based health promotion project designed to raise awareness of CVD prevention and promote heart-healthy lifestyles among Latinos in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Evaluation results show significant gains in knowledge of cardiovascular health. This model project will provide the foundation for similar health campaigns in Latino communities across the Nation. A third project, "Building Healthy Hearts for American Indians," is a pilot project to increase knowledge and promote heart health among this population. Health promotion activities and materials developed as a part of this project will address the cardiovascular health needs of American Indians by incorporating their cultural values, traditions, and lifestyles.

   The NCSDR was established in response to the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-43). Its role is to support research, research training, health information dissemination, and other activities with respect to sleep disorders, including basic understanding of sleep, biological and circadian rhythm research; chronobiological and other sleep related research; and to coordinate these activities with similar ones of other NIH components, Federal agencies, and profit and nonprofit entities.

   The Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board advises the Director, NIH; the Director, NHLBI; and the Director, NCSDR, on planning, executing, and evaluating research in sleep and sleep disorders. It had an active role in preparing the sleep research plan with the NCSDR for the NIH encompassing basic, clinical, and applied research; health education; and prevention-related research in sleep and sleep disorders. This plan was released by the NIH Director in March 1996.

   The Center works closely with OPEC to develop and implement sleep education activities. In 1997, several new public and professional education materials were developed and disseminated. Radio and print public service announcements were used in a mass media campaign on sleep apnea; two fact sheets--one pertaining to restless legs syndrome and the other relating to narcolepsy--were made available on the NHLBI home page; a publication on problem sleepiness was developed in collaboration with the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA) and will be available in FY 98 for primary care physicians; a fact sheet on this topic was also produced for the general public. "Drowsy Driving and Automobile Crashes," a report of an expert panel, is presently being published. A document on insomnia, the results of another collaborative effort with ASDA, is expected to be ready for publication next year. In addition, the Center is collaborating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a new education initiative targeting the sleepy driver. Future collaborations will include development of an education campaign, strategy workshops, and publications for teachers, parents, and students.

   The District of Columbia Association for Retarded Citizens (DC Arc), a sheltered workshop, currently performs mailing and storage services for the NHLBI, its education programs and the NHLBI Information Center. Approximately 450 titles are kept at DC Arc. About 375 of these titles are active, with the balance being archival. Total pieces stored currently number close to 4 million. In addition to NHLBI publications, items such as Government envelopes, radio and TV public service announcements, and publication mechanicals and negatives are stored at DC Arc. Shipments from printers are delivered directly to the DC Arc facility.

   Special NHLBI mailings are handled at DC Arc, going out either by freight or, by using a Government mailing permit, through the U.S. Postal Service. Mailing services provided by DC Arc include affixing labels, inserting materials, and sealing envelopes. DC Arc also handles and performs special mailings in support of NHLBI marketing efforts, such as the mailing of education program treatment guidelines to appropriate health professionals.

   As a relatively new means of information dissemination, all new NHLBI publications are routinely formatted electronically and made available on the NHLBI Website, ../../../index.htm. In addition, OPEC has created several special subpages on the NHLBI Website to display and promote some of its materials. The Latino Cardiovascular Health Resources is just one example of this type of effort.

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LIST OF DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE IN READING ROOM

NHBPEP Materials

• NHBPEP Program Description
• The Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
• Working Group Report on Primary Prevention of Hypertension
• Update of the Task Force Report (1987) on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents: A Working Group Report form the NHBPEP
• 1995 Update of the Working Group Reports on Chronic Renal Failure and Renovascular Hypertension
• Working Group Report on Hypertension in Diabetes
• Working Group Report on Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
• Trends in the Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension in the Adult U.S. Population: Data from the Health Examination Surveys, 1960-1991
• Prevalence of Hypertension in the U.S. Adult Population: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1991
• NHBPEP Coordinating Committee Statement on Salt
• Working with Religious Congregations: A Guide for Health Professionals
• Check Your High Blood Pressure Prevention I.Q.
• Facts About How to Prevent High Blood Pressure
• Eat Right to Help Lower Your High Blood Pressure
• High Blood Pressure: Treat It for Life
• Controlling High Blood Pressure: A Woman's Guide

NCEP Materials

• NCEP Program Description
• Second Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel II)
• Second Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults, Executive Summary
• Cholesterol Lowering in the Patient with Coronary Heart Disease: Physician Monograph
• NCEP Report of the Expert Panel on Blood Cholesterol Levels in Children and Adolescents
• Highlights of the NCEP Report on Blood Cholesterol Levels in Children and Adolescents
• Recommendations for Improving Cholesterol Measurement
• Recommendations on Lipoprotein Measurement
• Executive Summaries of Recommendations on Lipoprotein Measurement
• Report of the Expert Panel on Population Strategies for Blood Cholesterol Reduction
• Report of the Expert Panel on Population Strategies for Blood Cholesterol Reduction: Executive Summary
• Recommendations Regarding Public Screening for Measuring Blood Cholesterol
• Prevalence of High Blood Cholesterol Among U.S. Adults: An Update Based on Guidelines from the Second Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel
• Declining Serum Total Cholesterol Levels Among U.S. Adults: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys
• Check Your Cholesterol and Heart Disease I.Q.
• Facts About Blood Cholesterol
• So You Have High Blood Cholesterol
• Step by Step: Eating to Lower Your High Blood Cholesterol
• Eat Right to Lower Your High Blood Cholesterol
• Live Healthier, Live Longer: Lowering Cholesterol for the Person with Heart Disease
• Parents' Guide: Cholesterol in Children, Healthy Eating is a Family Affair
• Eating with Your Heart In Mind (7-10-Year Olds)
• Heart Health...Your Choice (11-14-Year Olds)
• Hearty Habits: Don't Eat Your Heart Out (15-18-Year Olds)
• Recipes: A Low Fat Diet. Good Food. Good for Your Health

NHAAP Materials

• NHAAP Program Description
• Patient/Bystander Recognition and Action: Rapid Identification and Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction
• Staffing and Equipping Emergency Medical Services Systems: Rapid Identification and Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction
• Emergency Medical Dispatching: Rapid Identification and Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction
• 9-1-1: Rapid Identification and Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction
• Emergency Department: Rapid Identification and Treatment of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
• Emergency Department: Rapid Identification and Treatment of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
• Educational Strategies to Prevent Prehospital Delay in Patients at High Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction
• The Physician's Role in Minimizing Prehospital Delay in Patients at High Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction: Recommendations from the NHAAP
• An Evaluation of Technologies for Identifying Acute Cardiac Ischemia in the Emergency Department: Executive Summary of a NHAAP Working Group Report
• Action Alert: Patient/Bystander
• Action Alert: Staffing and Equipping EMS Systems
• Action Alert: Emergency Medical Dispatching
• Action Alert: 9-1-1
• Action Alert: Emergency Department

NHLBI OEI Materials

• NHLBI OEI Program Description
• Strategy Development Workshop for Public Education on Weight and Obesity
• Check Your Weight and Heart Disease I.Q.
• Check Your Physical Activity and Heart Disease I.Q.
• Exercise and Your Heart: A Guide to Physical Activity

Minority Outreach: Research and Education

• From Heart to Heart: A Bilingual Group Discussion Guide
• Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes
• Package of Eight Easy-to-Read Booklets in Spanish and English on Preventing Heart Disease
• El asthma: como controlar esta enfermedad
• Improving Cardiovascular Health in African Americans--Package of Seven Easy-to Read Booklets
• African American Heart-Healthy Recipes
• Aprenda a Reconocer un Corazon Sano

Women's Health Materials

• Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Endometrial Histology in Postmenopausal Women
• Effects of Estrogen or Estrogen/Progestin Regimens on Heart Disease Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women
• Healthy Heart Handbook for Women
• Facts About Heart Disease and Women--Are You at Risk?
• Facts About Heart Disease and Women--Preventing and Controlling High Blood Pressure
• Facts About Heart Disease and Women--Be Physically Active
• Facts About Heart Disease and Women--Kicking the Smoking Habit
• Facts About Heart Disease and Women--Reducing High Blood Cholesterol
• Facts About Heart Disease and Women--So You Have Heart Disease
• Facts About Hormone Replacement Therapy and Heart Disease--The PEPI Trial

Crosscutting CVD Materials

• Stay Young at Heart Program Kit
• Check Your Healthy Heart I.Q.
• HeartMemo
• Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH)
• Hearty Heart and Friends
• Go for Health 4
• Go for Health 5
• F.A.C.T.S. for 5
• Eat Smart School Nutrition Program Guide
• The Sports Guide: NHLBI Planning Guide for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Projects at Sporting Events

NAEPP Materials

• NAEPP Program Description
• Expert Panel Report 2: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma
• Practical Guide for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma
• NAEPP Working Group Report: Considerations for Diagnosing and Managing Asthma in the Elderly
• Teach Your Patients About Asthma: A Clinician's Guide
• Nurses: Partners in Asthma Care
• Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools
• How Asthma-Friendly is Your School?
• Asthma Awareness Curriculum for the Elementary Classroom
• Asthma and Physical Activity in the School
• Breathe Easier: An Adult Asthma Education Program
• Check Your Asthma I.Q.
• Your Asthma Can Be Controlled: Expect Nothing Less
• AsthmaMemo

NCSDR Materials

• NCSDR Program Description Brochure
• Strategy Development Workshop on Sleep Education--Summary Report
• Sleep Apnea: Is Your Patient at Risk?
• Problem Sleepiness in Your Patient
• Test Your Sleep I.Q.
• Facts About Insomnia
• Facts About Narcolepsy
• Facts About Problem Sleepiness
• Facts About Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
• Facts About Sleep Apnea

Other CVD Materials

• Data Fact Sheet: Congestive Heart Failure in the United States--A New Epidemic
• Facts About Angina
• Facts About Arrhythmias/Rhythm Disorders
• Facts About Cardiomyopathy
• Facts About Coronary Heart Disease
• Facts About Heart and Heart/Lung Transplants
• Facts About Heart Failure
• Facts About Heart Valve Disease
• Facts About Raynaud's Phenomenon
• The Human Heart--A Living Pump

Other Lung Diseases Materials

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Sarcoidosis
• Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
• Respiratory Failure
• Your Lungs in Health and Disease
• Facts About Cystic Fibrosis
• Facts About Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
• Facts About Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)

Blood Diseases Materials

• Management and Therapy of Sickle Cell Disease
• Facts About Sickle Cell Anemia
• Facts About Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

Other Materials

• OPEC Program Plan for FY 98
• NHLBI Fact Book
• NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog for Professionals
• NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog (for the Public)
• Sample Monthly Reports
• Sample Monthly Inventory Reports
• Sample Standard Information Packages
• Sample Standard Information Responses

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