The Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) is conducting Market Research to identify candidate medical and supporting information technology products that are highly relevant to the management of military research activities under the acquisition code name Medical Research Management System (MRMS). Information is requested on portfolio management systems related to clinical and biomedical technology research. Responses to this Request for Information (RFI) must specifically and clearly address one or more of the topics in the areas defined below. This is a RFI, and does not constitute a solicitation or Request for Proposal; it is not a solicitation as defined by FAR 2.101, and the Government is not requesting offers or proposal at this time. Any responses to this RFI received by the Government will not be accepted to form a binding contract. This is a market survey for planning purposes and no award will be made as a result of this special notice. If a solicitation is issued, the Government does not guarantee that it will be issued to RFI respondents. The Government is also requesting that restrictive or proprietary markings not be used in response to the RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if one is issued. Responses are limited to fifteen (15) pages. Any responses, including attachments, that are not submitted in MS Word or MS Excel or Adobe Acrobat format will be rejected and considered nonresponsive. E-mail attachment files shall not exceed 5 Meg in total. Responses should include: (1) A cover letter on institution letterhead including the institution name, CAGE code, point of contact, address, phone number, FAX number, and e-mail address of the submitting agent; (2) A white paper, not to exceed 15 pages in length, consisting of the requested information; and (3) Any attachments and supporting documentation felt to be relevant to a deeper investigation of the response. No telephonic submissions will be honored. All responses shall be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government. Interested parties should respond by May 31, 2011. Interested parties are requested to electronically send their response to the Naval Health Research Center via e-mail to:
[email protected]. Responses must be identified with the RFI number. **NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE** INFORMATION REQUESTED Information is requested on portfolio management systems related to clinical and biomedical technology research. Responses to this RFI must specifically and clearly address one or more of the topics in the areas below. Given the substantial deployment of mandated human resource, fiscal, and inventory information technology systems, NMRC requests that responses specially address opportunities for how proposed solutions and products can integrate with established systems to enhance the customer workflow experience. Modular, service oriented systems using standard-based interfaces, or Open Source solutions with access to source code are of particular interest. Responses should include commentary on how the product improves or contributes to research execution and management workflow and/or enterprise governance whenever appropriate. Recognizing that a comprehensive research management system (RMS) for a global enterprise is a significant organizational, fiscal, and business optimization challenge, all responses should conclude with a summary highlighting how any proposed system contributes to a long term, sustainable strategic and tactical information architecture. Topic Areas The desired research management solution should provide services to stakeholders involved in the research management life cycle. The RMS should offer functionality/services to: researchers, research managers, administrators, sponsors, and Navy Medicine leadership. Assistance to Researchers --What assistance does the system provide to help investigators identity potential funding sources? --What assistance does the system provide in the preparation and submission of funding applications? --What assistance does the system provide in budget preparation; assistance with research 'costing' (on-cost calculations, overheads, multiplier factors)? --What assistance does the system provide for compliance management (preparation and submission of ethics and safety clearances)? --What assistance does the system provide in documenting research output; progress with regard to various activities, and generally status communication to sponsors and/or management? --What assistance does the system provide for automating routine tasks? --What assistance does the system provide for automatic reminders and notifications around key events (e.g.: acknowledging receipt of applications, progress reports reminders)? --What assistance does the system provide for automated uploads to sponsor proposal submission services? Information for Research Mangers / Administrators --What assistance does the system provide to allow integrated management of related research project components? --What assistance does the system provide for real time information on grant/project budget execution? --What assistance does the system provide for compiling status reports and routing to interested parties? --What assistance does the system provide for communicating the functional and scientific value of the research to leadership? Information for Executive Leadership --What assistance does the system provide for automatic and ad hoc reporting across all levels of the enterprise? --What assistance does the system provide for providing strategic and tactical management of research activities and alignment with Navy Medicine mission objectives and priorities? --What assistance does the system provide for enhanced visibility into existing capabilities and capacity? --What assistance does the system provide for communicating with the global research enterprise and developing a more transparent and effective community? System Attributes --How can the system assist in the elimination of duplication - no double entry of data. Once an applicant provides information in an electronic form, it should not have to be re-keyed into the system. --How can the system assist in electronic workflow and the reduction of paperwork? --How can the system be configured so that appropriate users can easily alter system parameters to meet requirements? --How can the system integrate with fiscal, inventory, and other administrative systems to enhance usability and efficiency? --How can the system be deployed? Is it designed for centralized or de-centralized (or both) deployments? --Does the system have a web interface or is it thick-client based? --What capabilities does the system provide for online help or "wizard" based workflow assistance? --What capabilities does the system provide for role-based access control and security? --What assistance does the system provide for defining and enforcing approved semantics and terminologies? --What assistance does the system provide for configuration and workflow standardization/management across research facilities? BACKGROUND NMRC is a premier research organization with a mission to discover and explore innovative approaches to protect, support, and advance the health and welfare of military personnel; to accelerate the transition of medical technologies into deployed products; and to accelerate the translation of advances in knowledge into new standards of care for injury prevention and treatment of casualties that can be applied in the field and clinic. Research is being conducted in each of the following areas: --Biological Defense --Infectious Diseases --Combat Casualty Care --Dental and Biomedical Research --Directed Energy Bio-effects --Environmental Health --Aerospace Medicine --Undersea Medicine --Tropical Medicine --Bone Marrow Donation --Medical Modeling, Simulation, and Mission Support --Warfighter Performance --Epidemiology and Behavioral Sciences With over 1,600 dedicated employees in a network of facilities throughout the United States and around the world, our laboratories face significant challenges overseeing Navy medicine's global research enterprise.