TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
COMMITTEE ON Procurement
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase order and enter into an agreement for Contract 13-RFP-03 (Re-Bid) Professional Services for Biostatistician Support, with MC Consulting, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $72,000.00, Account 101-16000-601170, Requisition 1354052
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with MC Consulting, Inc. for Professional Services for Biostatistician Support for the Environmental Monitoring and Research Division at the Lue-Hing R&D Complex.
The contract to provide professional support and expertise is required to maintain the work output of the Monitoring and Research Department's Environmental Monitoring and Research Division (EM&RD) during periods where workload and deadline priorities necessitate additional statistical support or the staff Biostatistician is not available for an extended period. Therefore, the contractor must be able to perform the following project tasks, which the District will request on an as needed basis:
1. Convert data from Oracle, Microsoft Excel and Access databases to SAS format perform statistical analyses which may include but limited to the following:
a. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA) to include multiple comparison tests using Tukey, Student-Newman-Keul, Scheffe, Duncan, Studentized Maximum Modulus methods and output results in SAS, Microsoft Word, or Latex formats.
b. Regression Analysis (Multivariate multiple regression) - best fit in linear or non-linear, testing for equality, and logistic regression test.
c. Principle Component Analysis - for summarizing data characteristics and use in regression and other multivariate analyses.
2. Writing Procedures Universal setting for the following: SAS Base, SAS Component Language, SAS Macro Language, and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
3. Produce customized reports including text, tables and charts by integration of results generated by SAS or VBA procedures in LATEX.
4. Complete various environmental monitoring reports as requested by EM&RD.
5. Advise EM&RD staff regarding sampling frequency and other details of experimental plans for effective statistical analysis of research.
Individual project request for the services will be requested by the EM&RD Biostatistician, Manager, or Assistant Director. The project request to the contractor will include specifics on the goals of the project, the deliverables, and the schedule. The time allocation for project requests will be a minimum of eight (8) hours for each request and the maximum will be determined by the District based on the type of project. The work can be done either at the contractor's location or at the District facilities using District computers available in Cecil Lue-Hing Research and Development Complex. Request to use District facilities will be done in advance. Satisfactory completion of all project requests will be determined by the EM&RD Biostatistician, Manager, or Assistant Director.
The bid opening date was June 4, 2014, and the proposal due date was June 27, 2014. One vendor submitted a proposal, MC Consulting Inc. Three hundred thirty-five firms were notified and fifteen took out proposals.
The proposal was reviewed and evaluated by a committee consisting of Albert Cox, Environmental Monitoring and Research Manager; Zainul Abedin, Biostatistician and Christine Daly-DeSalvo, Buyer III.
MC Consulting Inc. was selected because the firm has the experience performing similar biostatistical services and has staff with adequate training and technical competence to perform the scope of work.
The vendor should be able to work with large datasets to and perform a wide range of statistical analyses. This includes proficiency in reading code and programming the following SAS products: SAS Base, SAS Macro, SAS IML, SAS Windows, SAS Graphics, SAS Stats, SAS DDE. The key personnel should also be able to use integration of SAS programs with VBA and mechanisms to produce reports of varying degrees of complexity.
The services will be requested by the District on an as needed basis, with a minimum of eight (8) hours work per request. The work can be done either at the contractor's location or at the District facilities using District computers available at the Cecil Lue-Hing Research and Development Complex. The agreement will end on December 31, 2015
Services will be requested on an as-needed basis and specific deliverables will be included in each request. The deliverable will include formatted data report, data tables, and statistical results and interpretations.
The number of man hours will be up to 400 during the duration of the service period and will be determined based on the amount of service requested. The unit cost is $150.00/hour.
Inasmuch as the firm of MC Consulting, Inc. possesses of a high degree of professional skill, it is recommended that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement per Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act, in an amount not to exceed $72,000.00.
Funds for the 2014 expenditure, in the amount of $36,000.00, are available in Account 101-16000-601170. The estimated expenditure for 2015 is $36,000.00 and is contingent on the Board of Commissioners' approval of the District's budget for that year.
Requested, Thomas C. Granato, Director of Monitoring and Research, TG:HZ:AC:MPC:KB:kq:mh
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for September 18, 2014.