THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION OR A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP). IT IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE A SOLICITATION OR ULTIMATELY AWARD A CONTRACT. ANY COST INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHALL BE BORNE BY THE INTERESTED PARTY (PROSPECTIVE OFFEROR) AND WILL NOT BE CHARGED TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR REIMBURSEMENT. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) has among its FY 2009 priorities attention to addressing food allergy and anaphylaxis among children. In response to Congressional direction, CDC is providing funding to three national organizations to develop guidance to manage the risk of food allergies and anaphylaxis in schools and to provide parents with enhanced information on these conditions via the Internet. In concordance with Congressional recommendations and the scope of the proposed program, CDC/DASH also seeks to work with "knowledgeable private sector organizations to identify elements of model policy and develop enhanced parent guidance" related to food allergy and anaphylaxis among children. The vendor shall render in collaboration with CDC-DASH and its national and state partners funded to conduct food allergy activities to: (1) develop strategies for addressing food allergy management in schools; specifically to develop materials and guidance to strengthen the partnership between parents and schools in managing students with food allergies; (2) develop and produce a food allergy- friendly schools video that focuses on educating parents and school officials about opportunities and actions that can be taken to improve food allergy management in schools; (3) update and enhance existing food allergy information on the Internet for parents and school officials. The vendor shall provide all labor, materials, supplies, transportation, equipment, and perform services necessary to work with CDC-DASH and its funded partners to conduct a systematic review of state, district, local school, and parental guidance that address food allergy and anaphylaxis; enhance existing, evidence-based food allergy guidance materials for parents, and develop appropriate communication messages for schools and parents. Once developed, the guidance materials will be vetted through a panel of experts for validity, appropriateness, and feasibility. A separate vendor shall provide all labor, materials, supplies, transportation, equipment, and perform services necessary to work with CDC-DASH and its funded partners to conduct the expert panel. The vendor shall accomplish the following tasks as defined herein: (1) The vendor shall develop and produce a video, not more than 15 minutes in length, which provides basic information on food allergies and anaphylaxis, describes the importance of parent and school management of food allergies, and outlines steps that parents and schools can take to effectively manage food allergy and anaphylaxis in school settings. The vendor shall be responsible for script development, filming, and production. The vendor shall ensure that information and guidance address the interests of school board members and school health service providers. The vendor shall be responsible for securing written permission for all persons included in video. The vendor shall be responsible for securing competitive bids for production houses and selecting production subcontractors based on reasonableness of cost and appropriate performance history; (2) The vendor shall update their list of currently available food allergy guidance for parents and make this list available to CDC-funded partners working on food allergy-related activities; (3) The vendor shall meet with CDC and CDC-funded partners working on food allergy-related activities to plan strategies to guide the management of food allergy for those working in schools and parents; (4) The vendor shall work with CDC to plan and conduct an expert panel, in collaboration with logistical support from a CDC contractor, and with input from CDC-funded partners working on food allergy-related activities, on the enhanced guidance materials for schools; (5) The vendor shall create and submit a package of final draft guidance resource materials that address the management of students with food allergies in schools to CDC/DASH for review, input, and clearance. Such guidance can include, but is not limited to, a draft questionnaire parents can use to determine how well their school is prepared to manage students with food allergy, PowerPoint slide presentations that provides basic information about food allergy for use with parents of school-age youth, and parent-related information that can be included as part of overall guidance document to help schools effectively manage food allergies and anaphylaxis; (6) The vendor shall work with CDC-funded partners working on food allergy-related activities to disseminate information and guidance for managing food allergy in schools, once cleared, through electronic mediums and presentations (7) The vendor shall work with CDC-DASH and CDC-funded food allergy partners to determine what additional translation/dissemination products would be useful to promote effective management of food allergies and anaphylaxis in school settings. This award will be made pursuant to FAR 6.302(a)(2), "when the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source, or, for DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard, from only one or a limited number of responsible sources, and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, full and open competition need not be provided for." The CDC has identified the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxix Network (FAAN), located at 11781 Lee Jackson Hwy, Suite 160. Fairfax, VA 22033, as the sole source to provide the requirement. The period of performance of the contract is 12 months after contract award. However, responsible sources who believe they can provide the required services may submit a written capability statement, via e-mail to Dyad Searcy at
[email protected] and Teri Routh-Murphy at
[email protected] no later than 15 days from the published date of this announcement, July 22, 2009. All responses are limited to 5 pages, single spaced, 12 font, Times Roman. The cover letter is not includes in the 5 page limit, however should be included in the body of the email response. Telephone inquiries will be considered non-responsive.