VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF USA Tender

The Veteran S Administration (va) Office Of Research And Development, Regional Procurement Office East In Pittsburgh, Pa Intends To Negotiate On A Sole Source Basis With Ipsos Public Affairs Based In Washington, Dc On Behalf Of The Genomes2veterans Research Program Of The Va Boston Healthcare System. The Requirement Is To Provide Research Advisory Support Specializing In All Stages Of The Research Life Cycle, Including The Design, Construction, Engagement (e.g., Recruitment, Enrollment, Surveys, Etc.), And Maintenance Of Research Cohorts. The Contractor Shall Provide Services To Assist The Genomes2veterans Research Program In The Planning, Conduct, And Completion Of The Nationwide Progress Study. The Progress Study Is A National Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial Of Precision Prostate Cancer Screening Versus Usual Care Across The National Veterans Health Administration Healthcare System. Five Thousand Prostate Cancer Screen-eligible Men Will Be Recruited Nationally And Randomly Allocated To Receive Typical Shared Decision-making Information About Prostate Cancer Screening Or Precision Prostate Cancer Screening Recommendations Tailored To Their Level Of Risk From Rare Pathogenic Variants, Polygenic Risk Score (prs), And Family History. the Specific Work To Be Performed Includes: recruitment And Enrollment va Will Leverage The Extensive Experience Of The Firm To Deploy A Mixed-mode Participant Recruitment Strategy Involving, But Not Limited To, Such Outreach Methods As Follows: va Will Deploy 200,000 Email Invitations Directing Veterans To Enroll Online. the Research Firm Will Deploy 25,000 Letters Which Will Direct Individuals To Enroll Via Telephone Or Online. Another Email Reminder Will Be Deployed Alongside The Letters Above. Va Will Oversee All Email Outreach. the Research Firm Will Deploy 23,750 Postcard Reminders (assuming 1,250 Will Reply To The Follow-up Letter). Postcards Will Direct Individuals To Enroll Via Telephone Or Online. Another Email Reminder Is Deployed Alongside The Letter Above. Va Oversees All Email Outreach. enrollment Will Be Conducted Via Online Or Telephone Means. Va Will Oversee All Online Communication And Enrollment. The Research Firm Will Oversee All Telephone Enrollment. Calls Will Consist Of Incoming Calls To Join The Research Cohort, To Receive More Information About Participation, And To Ask Questions. The Research Firm Will Also Conduct Outgoing Phone Calls To Gauge Letter Recipients Interest In Joining The Research Cohort. Program Developed Verification Information And Enrollment Questions Will Be Administered In Both Verbal (to Be Used During Phone Engagement By The Research Firm) And Electronic Formats (via Qualtrics Or Similar, Managed By Va). Va Will Provide The Research Firm With Study-related Resources And Participant Specific Information Such As, But Not Limited To, Study Team Contact Information, Study Information, And Personalized Web Links For Respondents To Enroll In The Cohort Or To Complete Surveys Electronically. In Addition, A Telephone Helpline Will Be Available For Individuals To Ask Questions About The Program. Va Will Oversee The Telephone Helpline. once Enrolled And After Completion Of The Baseline Survey And Saliva Swab Receipt (via Laboratory), Enrolled Participants Will Be Compensated For Their Enrollment. The Research Firm Will Administer 5,000 Incentive Mailings (represents Total Enrolled), Sending A $25 Check (or Equivalent Incentive, I.e., Gift Card) Printed On Three-part Pressure-seal Self-mailer Form, Mailed In The Us With First-class Postage. baseline Survey enrolled Participants Will Have The Option Of Completing The Baseline Survey Via Phone, Mail, Or Online Means. The Research Firm Will Oversee All Mail Survey Outgo And Returns Processing. Va Will Oversee Phone-based And Online Survey Administration. The Research Firm Will Deploy All Check (or Equivalent) Incentives To Survey Respondents. the Baseline Survey Will Be Administered As Follows: va Will Deploy An Initial Email Invitation To All Members. va Will Deploy Email Reminder #1 To All Non-responders. va Will Deploy Email Reminder #2 To All Non-responders. The Research Firm Will Concurrently Administer A Postcard. the Research Firm Will Mail A Cover Letter & Survey To The Remaining Non-responders. the Research Firm Will Process 1,250 Mail Returns (25% Of Total Members), Including The Disposition Of Marginal Comments, Provision Of Disposition Codes In The Data Files, And Adherence To Va-compliant Paper Data Destruction Methods And Timelines. members Will Be Incentivized For Completion Of The Baseline Survey And Saliva Swab Receipt. The Research Firm Will Oversee Incentive Mailout Of 5,000 Incentive Mailings Of A $25 Check (or Equivalent Incentive) Printed On Three-part Pressure-seal Self-mailer Form, Mailed In The Us With First-class Postage. requirements at A Minimum, The Contractor Supporting The Va Progress Program Shall Have Experience With The Following: conducting Multi-mode Veteran Research Studies Of Similar Size And Scope That Include The Design, Construction, Engagement, And Maintenance Of Large Research Cohorts. establishing And Maintaining Custom Representative Research Cohorts For 5+ Years obtaining And Holding An Agency Authority To Operate (ato) And Fedramp Approved Environment. leveraging Established Processes For Handling Veteran Research Subjects In Crisis. maintaining A Deep Bench Of Research Experts Experienced With The Nuances Of Veteran Research Health Programs. the Research Firm Shall Have The Following Characteristics: expertise In The Development Of Complex, Stratified Sampling Plans To Ensure Appropriate Recruitment Methods And Enrollment Rates Among Under-represented Groups In Biomedical Research (ubr). Methods. successful Experience In The Recruitment Of Veterans For The Department Of Veterans Affairs, Particularly Using Multi-modal, Stepwise Recruitment Methods, Including Carefully Designed Outreach Materials, Mailing Processes, And Hard-copy And Electronic Recruitment Packages. an Established Nationwide Strategy To Engagement And Retention That Maintains Participant Interest And Involvement Over The Research Study Life Cycle. established Response Rates Of 70% Or Higher For All Field And Data Collection Activities. can Flexibly Extend Data Collection Period And Send Multiple Reminders To Participants, If Necessary. can Incentivize Participation With Direct Payments To Help With The Completion Rate. extensive Experience Providing Research Services To Va Ranging Myriad Study Designs, Sampling Approaches, Data Collection Mechanisms, And Analytic Methods. workflow task 1: Finalize Recruitment And Enrollment Process. the Research Firm Will Work Closely With The Program To Develop And Finalize A Multi-modal Recruitment And Enrollment Strategy. They Shall Provide Feedback About Sampling Strategy, Outreach Mechanisms, And Follow-up, Among Other Important Features. deliverable: Recruitment And Enrollment Strategy Leveraging Both Research Firm And Va Resources And Processes. task 2: Continual Evaluation Of The Recruitment And Enrollment Strategy. the Research Firm And Va Shall Conduct Quality Control Assessment Of The Recruitment And Enrollment Strategy To Identify Potential Gaps, Bottlenecks, Or Opportunities For Improvement Throughout The Research Study Life Cycle. deliverable: Implement A Recruitment Letter Distribution Process Involving, But Not Limited To, Standing Up Of A Transfer Mechanism To Obtain Participant Mailing Data, Development Of Recruitment Materials, Printing, Mailing, Postage, And Follow Up (e.g., Postcards) To Potential Research Participants. task 3: Deploy Approximately 25,000 Or More Recruitment Packages To Potential Research Participants, Including Follow-up In The Form Of Postcards. The Research Firm Will Implement The Finalized Recruitment Strategy To Engage In Large-scale Outreach To Potential Research Participants. deliverable: Establish A Call Center To Conduct Telephone Follow-up And Study Enrollment. task 4: Enroll, At Minimum, 30% Of The Expected Cohort (~1250 Participants) Via Inbound And Outbound Telephone Engagement, Including Review Of Eligibility And Consent Information, Recording Of Participant Decision (consent, Decline, Etc.), And Date Of Consent, Among Other Operational Outcomes. deliverable: Administration Of The Baseline (and/or Follow-up) Survey Via Mail And Deliver Of Survey Responses To Va. task 5: Conduct The Baseline Survey On Participants Interested In Administration Via Mail. the Research Firm Will Deploy The Baseline Survey Nationally To Participants Interested In Completing The Assessment By Mail. Each Assigned Survey Will Have A Unique Id To Track Which Respondents Have Completed The Survey And To Avoid Unnecessary Reminders. task 6: Deliver The Survey Data To G2v. the Research Firm Needs To Electronically Deliver A Cleaned Data Set With Appropriate Coding And Data Labels That Contain No Protected Health Information. in Addition, Within 10 Days Of Survey Completion, The Research Firm Needs To Provide A Draft Report Describing The Survey Procedures, Sampling And Data Collection Procedures, A Codebook, Participant Recruitment Methods, Technical Details, And Summary Results. This Will Include Key Survey Statistics Such As The Recruitment Rate, Profile Rate, Completion Rate, And Cumulative Response Rate. The Research Firm Will Submit A Final Report Incorporating Any Responses And Comments From The Investigators. deliverable: Distribute Baseline (and/or Follow-up) Study Incentives. task 7: Prepare And Distribute ~5000 Incentive Mailings. within 10 Days Of Survey Completion And Biospecimen Collection (as Confirmed By Va), The Research Firm Will Send A $25 Check (or Equivalent Incentive, I.e. Gift Card) Printed On Three-part Pressure-seal Self-mailer Form, Mailed In The Us With First-class Postage To Qualifying Participants. the Requirement Will Take Place At A Va Facility In Boston, Ma. The Sole Source Is Pursuant To Far 6.302-1 Only One Responsible Source And No Other Supplies Or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements And Far 13.5. This Notice Of Intent Is Not A Request For Competitive Proposals, However; Any Responsible Source Who Believes It Is Capable Of Meeting The Requirement May Submit A Capability Statement And Supporting Documentation To The Contracting Office No Later Than Friday, June 14, 2024, (10:00 Am, Est). Interest/capability Statements May Be Sent To Michael Haydo At Michael.haydo@va.gov. No Telephone Responses Will Be Accepted. A Determination Not To Compete The Proposed Requirement Based Upon The Responses To This Notice Is Solely Within The Discretion Of The Government.