R702--Study for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Outcomes of Military Exposures Epidemiology

Page 1 of Page 1 of Sources Sought Announcement: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY , it is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this sources-sought must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential sources capable of providing the services described below. Documentation on technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: Company name: (b) Address: (c) Point of Contact: (d) Phone, Fax (if applicable), and Email: (e) SAM Unique Entity ID: (f) Cage Code: (g) Tax ID Number: (h) Type of business, SDVOSB; VOSB, WOSB, small, large, etc., as appropriate: Must provide a Capability Statement that addresses the organization s qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the statement of work described below. Failure to provide sufficient information may result in the Government s inability to determine whether the respondent is capable. GENERAL STATEMENTS OF CAPABILITY ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. Federal Supply Schedule Contracting # if applicable General Pricing The Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington DC VA Medical Center, located at 50 Irving St NW, Washington, DC 20422, the laboratory for Therapeutic Neuromodulation requires collection of structural and functional MRI data during experiments relating to substance use disorders and chronic pain. All interested parties should submit information by email only to jameel.gordon@va.gov. All emails must have as the subject line Solicitation No. 36C24526Q0369 Study for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Outcomes of Military Exposures Epidemiology . All information submissions must be received no later than 10:00 AM (EST) on March 30, 2026. STATEMENT OF WORK Department of Veterans Affairs Health Outcomes of Military Exposures Epidemiology Program 1. Title: Longitudinal Study of Post 9/11 Veterans 2. Purpose : Health Outcomes of Military Exposures (HOME) is conducting a follow up health survey on cohorts of Post 9/11 Deployed Veterans and Post 9/11 era Veterans (those who served during the same time but did not deploy). Results from this study will improve our understanding of the long-term health consequences of military deployment and the health services that Post 9/11 Veterans need. The findings will also help influence policy and benefits for these Veterans. 3. Background: This task will be the second data collection from two cohorts of post 9/11 Veterans who were identified for participation in either the National Health Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans (NewGen) or the Comparative Health Assessment Interview (CHAI) Research Study. The initial data collection for NewGen was conducted in 2009-2010 and the CHAI data collection was in the field in 2018; each study surveyed a population-based sample of military Service members with DoD service between October 2001 and June 2008, and October and March 2015, respectively. This data collection will return to the original populations and include a sample of Service members with service after JUNE 2015 (the date on which the CHAI sampling frame was closed). 4. Scope: This study will consist of 1) a request to complete a questionnaire on a variety of health topics via web and telephone (the sample size will not exceed 100,000); and 2) simple and complex data analysis of information collected on the questionnaire. 5. Period of Performance: Three (3) Years Non- Severable 6. Place of Performance: The services and activities will take place at the contractor s place of business. Weekly meetings between the contractor and HOME will take place virtually 7. Tasks 7.1 Task 1: Project Management and Progress Reporting 7.1.1 The Contractor shall provide project management support. A Project Management Plan (PMP) that lays out the contractor s approach, timeline and tools shall be provided in the execution of each task order. The PMP shall incorporate a Risk Management Plan/Register and a Quality Control Plan (QCP) incorporating quantifiable/ measurable elements. Additionally, PMP shall include a narrative and graphic format displaying schedule, specifically defined milestones, risks, communication, and resource support. The PMP shall explain how contractor will coordinate and execute planned, routine, ad hoc data collection and preparation as identified in SOW. Upon acceptance, initial PMP will be considered baseline and shall be updated monthly. Any changes to the schedule/project plan shall be subject to COR written approval. The contractor shall update and maintain the VA Program Manager (PM) approved PMP throughout duration. The contractor shall prepare a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) that delineates a comprehensive overview of the task order level of effort. WBS elements used in the Project Schedule should indicate developmental work, tasks, start/finish dates, allocated resources and at a minimum, include the following: Meetings/teleconferences Project documentation submissions/revisions Developmental efforts structured to reflect development of a deliverable product Project milestones Deliverables NOTE: Upon COR acceptance, the following PMP items will be considered Baseline Project Schedule WBS Tasks Start/Finish Dates, Allocated Resources (Equipment of Personnel) 7.1.2 The contractor shall provide a detailed Project Plan describing the procedures to be used. The project plan will include all of the following elements: Procedures to be employed in the training of supervisors, data entry staff, questionnaire mailing staff, and other staff necessary for the project; Quality control measures to ensure that all aspects of work are accurate; The databases to be used for the project. 7.1.3 The contractor shall provide a Confidentiality Plan and Data Security Procedures. Questionnaires, consent forms and all other documents containing Personal Health Information (PHI)/Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will be scanned as they arrive to create a PDF of each document. Participant responses from the completed mail and online questionnaires will be entered into separate, dated electronic databases. The VA shall have electronic access to all databases and scanned PDF documents at all times. A cumulative file of all respondent records should be created and maintained by the contractor. The contractor will ensure the highest degree of security to protect personal and confidential data of Veterans from intentional or unintentional release, loss, or destruction. Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. 7.1.4 The contractor shall provide toll free number and email technical support during normal business hours. Highly trained and professional staff will be trained to promptly answer questions and complete telephone questionnaires if requested by Veterans. A call log should be provided to COR. The toll-free number(s) must be posted prominently on the Web site and personalized letters included in the questionnaire mail package. The technical support staffing level must be adjusted to adequately meet the call and e-mail demands throughout the data collection period by closely monitoring the contact volume and times. The contractor shall coordinate with the VA Crisis Hotline to facilitate call transfers in the case of distressed Veterans who require immediate referral to VA services. The contractor shall also set up a project e-mail account to answer respondent questions as well for use for communicating with Veterans who prefer email contact. All e-mail inquiries shall receive a response no later than the next business day. E-mail inquiries shall be recorded and provided to the COR. 7.1.5 The contractor shall prepare agendas and minutes for weekly meetings. The contractor shall take minutes of all conference calls and/or meetings held with the Project Manager, VA COR, and Stakeholders. Copies of these minutes shall be attached to the weekly progress report. 7.1.6 The contractor shall provide weekly progress reports during data collection. The contractor shall brief the COR and/or designees and survey research staff as to the status of the project, quality control findings, description of any problems anticipated or encountered and their resolution or non-resolution, and milestones obtained or missed. The contractor shall report the number and percent of responses and compare the progress in the current survey cycle with that of the previous cycle. The contractor shall keep a log of decisions made during the course of the study and provide the VA COR with an updated log of any new decisions made following the weekly meeting within 7 business days following each meeting. After review of the decision log, the VA COR will provide any necessary corrections to the decision log, which then will be revised. The survey cycle refers to the pilot, web, and CATI waves of data collection efforts. 7.1.7 The contractor shall provide monthly reports. The monthly reports shall include the status of the project, quality control findings, description of any problems anticipated or encountered and their resolution or non-resolution, and milestones obtained or missed. 7.2 Task 2: Data Collection and Reporting The contractor shall conduct data collection via survey (web or CATI). Data collection studies may require that contractors identify and apply the appropriate data collection methods (survey web, phone, focus groups, etc.). Contractors shall construct and field test/validate each survey, using standardized and validated questions, scales, and survey instruments, as indicated above. The contractor shall compile written survey protocols, train interviewers, perform extensive survey related tasks and appropriate survey follow-up. Additional data collection includes: The contractor shall identify problems and improve the quality of VA evaluations and evaluation processes. It is expected that the contractor shall research and develop new methods of data collection such as electronic methods of information collection and transmission, to improve timeliness, reliability, and response rates. It is expected that the contractor will suggest ways to improve the survey and data collection processes, using their combined expertise and industry best practices. The government anticipates added value of contractor involvement in this data collection. The contractor shall conduct literature reviews, based on the needs of the survey requested. The contractor shall provide guidance and recommendations for related Information Technology such as encoding survey into electronic format or use of computers to conduct survey. The contractor shall submit an outline for the methodology report, which articulates the steps taken to complete the study, for VA COR approval. 7.2.1 The contractor shall prepare required documents for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals. The contractor will be responsible for writing the research proposal for IRB approval. Government subject matter experts will provide input. 7.2.2 The contractor shall perform in coordination with VA a vital status update on members of the cohort and identify members of the cohort who are deceased, update the master VA panel file(s) with vital status. Deceased Veterans will be removed from mailing roster. Information required to perform or support vital status update will be transferred to the contractor in SAS or excel format and will be transferred by a VA-approved secure data transfer mechanism provided by the contractor. 7.2.3 The contractor shall develop contact information and locate addresses in coordination with VA, i.e., Location Algorithm (n=X). The contractor will be expected to update the address files supplied by the VA COR in order to reach Veterans for pilot and main studies. The contractor shall look at other proprietary databases as appropriate (e.g., National Change of Address, Credit Bureau, etc.) and use other techniques to update the address information. The contractor shall report to the VA COR all Veterans with incorrect address information and the extent to which they have succeeded in locating the correct address. The contractor shall compute error rates for addresses by source of address information (VA, commercial vendor, etc). The contractor shall create an electronic database consisting of the name, address, and any other available contact information for each member of the target survey population. Each address provided to the contractor shall be included, together with a variable denoting whether the individual address was good or not delivered. Information required to perform location update will be transferred to the contractor in SAS or excel format and will be transferred by a VA-approved secure data transfer mechanism provided by the contractor. 7.2.4 The contractor shall design questionnaire/survey as directed by VA. The contractor shall prepare and obtain COR approval for all survey contact materials used for data collection. Questionnaires shall follow standard industry principles of good design. The contractor should assume the survey length to be equivalent to a 16-page questionnaire with completion times of 15-30 minutes. 7.2.5 The contractor shall secure a domain name; host site; and program & manage an electronic questionnaire/survey. The secure Web site shall be built within a password-protected firewall to ensure participant confidentiality. Maintenance of the online questionnaire shall include procedures to identify duplicate responses, aggregate data collected online with data collected from mailed responses and allow VA to identify respondents who completed the online questionnaire. At the completion of the study, this website can be taken down. 7.2.6 The contractor shall print, and mail study/survey materials (n=109,000) as directed. Based on the contractor-created Project Plan and Project Management Plan, there will be multiple mailing waves. 7.2.7 The contractor shall create a telephone script for Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). 7.2.8 The contractor shall conduct a pilot study (n=100). The contractor shall conduct the pilot study of the online survey according to the approved protocol in order to identify necessary changes to the questionnaire/survey. The contractor shall submit findings from the pilot study to the VA COR for review along with any recommendations for changes. The recommended changes shall be incorporated into the main study only with the written approval of the COR. The pilot study may include web, and CATI modes of data collection. 7.2.9 The contractor shall conduct data collection using the appropriate mode, web-based, CATI as directed by VA (n=109,000). 7.2.10 The contractor shall create a searchable pdf of any hard copy artifacts generated during the study, one record per participant. A PDF image of each artifact will be created using a document scanner. Artifacts and all other documents containing Personal Health Information (PHI)/Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will be scanned as they arrive to create a PDF of each document. These PDFs will be provided to the VA COR and contractor s copies destroyed at end of period of performance. 7.2.11 The contractor shall develop and implement a data management system. The data management system shall include, but is not limited to: An automated method for data entry and data editing, including computer programs for range edits, logic edits, and checks for skip patterns inherent in the questionnaire. A method for systematic documentation of all edit specifications and all corrections made during the editing process; A system of computer programs that provide quality control checks to ensure the accuracy of data after the editing process is complete. All programs, documents, and databases are property of the VA and will be transferred to VA according to the project plan and/or at end of the period of performance. Contractor will destroy all copies on contractor systems upon confirmation of receipt from VA. 7.2.12 The contractor shall conduct data entry, to include scanning and editing questionnaire responses, coding open-ended questions, formatting data, etc. The contractor shall combine data from all questionnaire modes into a database. Data will be provided both as text files and analytical datasets. 7.2.13 The contractor shall create and manage an incentive plan. The incentive plan will be for all modes of the survey. 7.2.14 The contractor shall conduct a complete literature review for study design. 7.2.15 The contractor shall create a coding manual. Monitoring and feedback mechanisms shall be implemented for coders to ensure that coding practices are consistent. The coding procedures and manual shall be included in the methodology report. Disposition coding will be required. Open ended comments are considered any written text. The number of open-ended comments will be discovered at the time of survey development. 7.2.16 The contractor shall submit interim data sets. 7.2.17 The contractor shall submit pre-final databases. 7.2.18 The contractor shall submit final databases. 7.2.19 The contractor shall prepare a draft methodology report for the COR review that describes the entire study process. The outline for the methodology report shall be submitted to the COR for approval. The contractor shall then use the approved outline and submit a draft report for the COR review. The methodology report shall describe possible biases or errors arising from each stage and mode of the survey. The stages to be examined shall include questionnaire design and implementation; interviewer training; participant location; data collection; and data preparation and implementation (data keying, coding, cleaning, editing, imputation). All the sources resulting in successful location of Veterans shall be documented in the methodology report. 7.2.20 The contractor shall prepare a final methodology report. The final report shall be submitted after the VA COR approval of the draft report. 7.2.21 The contractor shall develop a destruction plan and allocate resources for destruction of paper copies of returned questionnaires or other paper materials, depending on instructions from the VA COR. 7.3 Task 3: Simple and Complex Data Analyses The contractor shall complete both simple and complex analyses of collected data, and develop reports based on the findings (i.e., White Papers, Technical Reports). The contractor shall use statistical analysis software packages (compatible with SAS, SPSS, and/or SQL) to conduct tasks which vary from the straightforward to the complex. Raw data (responses provided in a survey, interview, or other mode of study), shall be submitted with the completion of reports, as deemed appropriate by the COR. Raw data includes all responses received from the various modes of data collection: mail surveys, web surveys, and CATI interviews. 7.3.1 The contractor shall provide focused methods and technique information papers. (n=3) 7.3.2 The contractor shall develop programming language for coding procedures. Coding shall be completed using SAS. 7.3.3 The contractor shall develop and perform an analysis plan for calculation of sampling weights and correction factors. 7.3.4 The contractor shall conduct non-response analysis. 7.4 Task 4: Educational and Informational Mater…