Neurodegenerative Disease Scientific Data Science and Technology Consulting

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement.  This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition.  It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes.  No award will be made as a result of this notice.  The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. Background:   The National Institute on Aging (NIA) uses scientific data consulting services on an array of projects including rapid cloud-based processing, sharing and analysis of exome and genome sequences in NDDs;

facilitating cloud based environments for real-time multi-center collaborations on large clinical, demographic and *-omics datasets (including single cell work); predictive modeling and remote phenotyping in NDDs; international collaborative efforts in charting neurological disease risk and progression; and integrating/building robust open source analytics resources for reproducible and reliable data science applications. Purpose and Objectives:  The purpose of this request is to procure general analytics and data science consulting services related to neurodegenerative diseases in support of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Laboratory of Neurogenetics (LNG) and its collaborators as well as prepare for the upcoming multi-IC Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (CARD). Expanded data science related support is needed due to the growing scope of data-centric research across the NIA particularly those with a focus on neurodegenerative disease (NDD). The analytics and data science consulting will be used to consolidate dispersed available data related to neurodegenerative disease. The consulting group will create harmonized data sets, removing barriers to data access and creating efficiencies in data standardization. The analytics and data science consulting will be used to perform state of the art data analytics to address critical questions in neurodegenerative disease from existing and to be generated data. The questions addressed will relate broadly neurodegenerative disease, including but not limited to questions relating to the etiologic basis of disease, prediction of disease risk, rapid identification of patients, and a mechanistic understanding of disease processes.Project requirements:  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:The Contractor shall provide scientific data science and technology support services consisting of primary deliverables spanning three major areas of performance:General analytics support, guidance and training.Analytics tool /pipeline development and application.Management of analytic ecosystem and analytics projects.The Contractor shall provide scientific data consulting support services in relation to neurodegenerative diseases as follows:Provide guidance and recommendations regarding statistical and computing processes related to analyzing NDDs with a focus on genetic and genomic data.Analyze genome-scale genotyping and sequence data as directed.Analyze molecular genetic and genomic data, including genome-wide genotype data, microarray based expression datasets, targeted resequencing, whole genome/exome sequencing, and full transcriptome sequencing; using standard biostatistics/bioinformatics packages as well as machine and deep learning methods. Analyze medical and biological imaging data.Develop, implement, and maintain high performance analytic pipelines for generating and analyzing multi-modal datasets.Collaborate with NIH scientists and other NIH collaborators to perform multi-national analytics and data management efforts related to the genomics of neurodegenerative diseases within a federated framework.Prepare reports (manuscripts, browsers and other connectivity media) related to analyses performed in relation to this requirement allowing for the spread of research deliverables.Develop and implement standards and practices for a transparent and open source analysis environment using common tools.Facilitate tools, data, and results sharing across a number of open source platforms utilized by the NDD research community.Presenting internationally, representing the Government’s interests with collaborators or service providers. LEVEL OF EFFORTThe minimum estimated level of effort for this requirement are contractor employees to:Supervise all work, manage deliverables, and responsibility for the entire data science ecosystem and generally contribute to all aspects of the scope of work.Focus on clinical data harmonization, integration and analysis, collaborate on efforts in knowledge transfer and democratization of data and tools to bring clinical biological and computational work together.Focus on applied computer science tasks such as artificial intelligence and broad scope machine learning and collaborate on efforts in knowledge transfer and democratization of data and tools to bring clinical biological and computational work together.Focus on applied analysis and tool development as well as support and training, including but not limited to short courses, symposia and hackathons.Provide support role for general applied analytics.The minimum estimated level of effort for this requirement is as above, but with additional effort expected due to the growing portfolio across the NIA’s data science efforts and collaborations plus the integration of rapidly advancing technologies in the future.Place of Performance: Bethesda, MarylandAnticipated period of performance:  Five (5) years.Government Responsibilities:  The Government will provide data for analysis, computing resources (including for example government furnished personal computers and access to the advanced computing resources currently employed within the Intramural Research Program), and office space to the contractor personnel working under this effort. The data provided for this work will include but is not limited to, massive scale human genetic data, genomic data generated from individuals, from tissue, and from derived cells/tissues, longitudinal and cross-sectional clinical data, imaging data, and broad -omic data.  All data provided to the Contractor must be treated as confidential and not be disclosed to any third party. FAR Clause 52.245-1 Government Property shall be applicable to this requirement.Travel:  The contractor may be required to travel within the contiguous United States and abroad to provide the services described in this statement of work. Travel reimbursement will be provided for such required travel.All travel arrangements must be made in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and must be approved by the Contracting Officer and authorized by the Contracting Officer’s Representative prior to being finalized or invoiced. Contracting Officer approved and Contracting Officer’s Representative-authorized travel shall not exceed $10,000.00 annually. Please note that time spent travelling may not be billed to the Government. Please see the Federal Travel Regulation for allowable travel expenses, such as fares, rental fees, mileage payments, and other expenses related to transportation per FTR §301-10.2. Personnel: Contractor Personnel requirements are as follows: Supervisory Data Science ConsultantA PhD in a data centric discipline.At least 10 years of work experience providing scientific data analytics and data management support services in the NDD space.At least two hundred (200) publications (peer-reviewed and/or pre-preprint) focused on statistical analyses focused on the neurogenetics and data science fields.Proven track record in leading international collaborations and open science initiatives plus complex management of multiple projects in parallel. Senior Data Science ConsultantsA PhD in a data centric discipline or MD with MPH.At least 5 years of work experience in some combination of public health research, data science, applied artificial intelligence, project/data management or software development.Experience in the NDD and genomics space.At least twenty (20) publications (peer-reviewed and/or pre-preprint) focused on statistical analyses across both the neurogenetics and data science fields.Experience in leading large-scale collaborations in analytics and open science. Mid-career Data Science ConsultantsA Master’s degree in a data centric discipline.At least 2 years of work experience in some combination of public health research, data science, applied artificial intelligence, project/data management or software development.Experience in the NDD and genomics space.At least ten (10) publications (peer-reviewed and/or pre-preprint) focused on statistical analyses across both the neurogenetics and data science fields.Experience in leading large-scale collaborations in analytics and open science. Junior Data Science ConsultantsBachelor’s degree or work experience in data centric discipline, or recent PhD (within one year) and MS with no work experience.Programming competencies in bash, Python and R.Basic knowledge of statistics. The Contractor shall also identify Key Personnel that will be assigned to this contract, and those personnel shall become subject to the provisions of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) Clause HHSAR 352.237-75 Key Personnel.Deliverables:  The Contractor shall provide written monthly reports to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Scientific Project Officer which summarize all efforts performed during the reporting period. Reports shall be given on the first business day of each month, following the first month of award. All reports shall also include a brief conference call or meeting with the COR and Chief of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (CARD) to discuss plans for the following month.Anticipated Contract Type:  A single award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract is contemplated.  The Government anticipates awarding firm fixed price task orders. Capability statement /information sought:  Offerors that believe they possess the ability to provide the requirement described above should submit documentation of their ability to meet the requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement should include 1) the name and location of the Government-owned or leased facility, 2) documentation of ability to provide the requirement, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this requirement.The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc.), pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2” x 11” paper size, with 1” top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing.The information submitted must be in an outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.  A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required.The response is limited to a ten (10) page limit.  The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested.The response must include the respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer.  Facsimile responses are NOT accepted.The response must be submitted to Fred Ettehadieh, at e-mail address Fred.Ettehadieh@nih.gov on or before the closing date and time of this announcement. Disclaimer and Important Notes:  This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work.  Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality:   No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).