Amendment 2 - Attachment J4 - Questions and Answers - 09.21.2026 - 4 pages.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 30 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 030ADV26R0045
- Issued by
-
Library of Congress
About this file
This is a Questions and Answers document (Amendment 2) for solicitation 030ADV26R0045, a Library of Congress IDIQ contract for researcher consulting services. The document contains clarifications and modifications to previously answered questions submitted by potential offerors regarding the requirements and proposal submission process. Amendment 2 specifically modifies answers that were originally provided in Amendment 0001, indicating corrections or amplifications to guidance previously issued. The Questions and Answers document serves as an official amendment to the solicitation and is binding on all parties; offerors must review these clarifications when preparing their proposals, as they may materially impact proposal requirements, evaluation criteria, or contract terms.
The solicitation seeks consulting services related to researcher assessment, engagement, and analysis to support the Library Collections and Services Group's Strategic Plan, including research of onsite and online users, review of programs and initiatives, and related consulting activities concerning the researcher experience. Proposals were due by September 28, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST. The contract will be awarded as a single-award IDIQ vehicle. As this file contains only Q&A clarifications without detailed specification of individual answers or substantive requirement modifications, offerors must cross-reference this amendment with the original solicitation documents to understand the complete scope, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements for this opportunity.
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Sheet1 Researcher Engagement Consultant Solicitation 030ADV26R0045 Question & Answer Amendment 0002 - 09/21/2026
| Question # | Section | Page | Question | Library Response |
| 1 | N/A | If responses to questions are released shortly before the proposal due date, will the Government consider extending the submission deadline to allow offerors sufficient time to evaluate and incorporate the responses into their proposals? | Yes, if necessary. |
2 Section A 1 Please provide the applicable NAICS code and small-business size standard, which are blank in Block 10, and confirm whether this acquisition is unrestricted. The NAICS code is posted at the top of the SAM.gov posting showing NAICS: 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services This acquisition is not restricted to small businesses.
3 B.1; L.5 Volume 4 4, 47 Please clarify what offerors must enter for CLIN 0001 on the SF 1449/Section B schedule (unit price and amount) versus the detailed Attachment J2 pricing spreadsheet, and identify the intended unit for the three-year quantity of 3.00 YR. Per Section L instructions, the Attachment J2 Labor Price Sheet is to be completed.
Nothing is to be entered in Section B.1 on pg 4.
| 4 | B.2 | 4 | Will award of the Initial Order satisfy the $10,000 IDIQ minimum guarantee, or will the minimum be obligated separately? | The IDIQ minimum of $10,000 IDIQ is guaranteed payment to you. It is not guaranteed that every order will be at least $10,000. it is unlikely that orders placed under this IDIQ will be under $10,000. |
| 5 | B.2 / I.5 | 4, 23 | Please provide the Government’s current nonbinding estimate of the number, timing, typical duration, and approximate value range of task orders anticipated during each ordering period. | That information cannot be shared at this time because the need for consulting services for the out years has not been fully projected. |
| 6 | B.3 | 4 | For a task order crossing ordering periods, Section B.3 requires the rates current when the order is placed for the entire order and prohibits blended rates. Please confirm that modifications adding hours or extending performance will also retain the original ordering-period rates, unless the modification constitutes a new order. | Yes that is correct. |
| 7 | B.2 / I.3 / I.5 | 4, 22-23 | Section B states that Ordering Period III ends on November 30, 2029, while FAR 52.216-18 in Section I states that task orders may be issued through May 30, 2030. Please clarify the final date through which the Library may issue new task orders under the IDIQ and, if May 30, 2030 is correct, which ordering-period rates would apply to orders issued between December 1, 2029 and May 30, 2030. | The last ordering period ends on 11-30-2029. We have an Option to Extend Services clause (52.217-8) which extends the possible ordering period by six (6) months through to 05-30-2030. The Indefinitely Quantity clause (52.216-22) then allows for another 12-month period to allow for final deliveries on orders placed during the 6-month extension making the final possible delivery date 05-30-2026. |
| 8 | B.2 / I.4 | 4, 22 | Please confirm that $3,000,000 is the aggregate ceiling for all task orders under the IDIQ, rather than a maximum applicable separately to each order as the standard wording in I.4 may suggest. | $3,000.000.00 is the IDIQ ceiling for all orders combined under this IDIQ. |
| 9 | C.1 | 6 | The requirement states that LCSG needs a contractor to “continue a program of assessment and engagement.” Please identify the incumbent contract/contractor, if any, and state whether prior research plans, instruments, datasets, findings, and lessons learned will be provided to the awardee. If yes, should offerors assume that these materials will serve as a baseline for the Initial Order? |
Regarding the predecessor Researcher Consulting Services IDIQ awarded under Solicitation 030ADV23R0027, please identify (a) the incumbent contractor, (b) the total obligated value under the IDIQ, (c) the total number of task orders issued under the IDIQ, and (d) for each task order, the task order number, period of performance, and awarded value. Does the Government anticipate that the historical level of effort will be the same? Incumbent Contractor: Ithaka Harbors Inc. (Ithaka S+R) Contract: LCLGR23D0004 IDIQ Ceiling: $3,000,000.00
No other information is being offered about the incumbent or their work effort which shall not be shared with the new business.
10 C.1 6 Can the Library share any user research, meeting notes, and/or outputs completed to date that shaped the current strategic direction? Please see The FY2024 - 2028 Strategic Plan for the Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/strategic-plan/
| 11 | C.1 | 6 | Is the Congressional Research Service included in this project? Or, is this project focusing primarily on visitors to the reading rooms? | CRS is not included in this project. The scope is focused on researchers, which may be visitors to the Library's reading rooms or online users. |
| 12 | J; L.5; M.3 | 28, 46-50 | Please confirm that Attachment J1 (Initial Order SOW), Attachment J2 (Labor Price Sheet), and Attachment J3 (Past Performance Questionnaire) are part of the complete solicitation package and provide the current versions if they were not included with the solicitation document. | All attachments posted with the solicitation are the current versions. |
| 13 | C.2 / C.3.1 | 6 | Please define the anticipated user populations for onsite and online research, including researcher types, geographic scope, accessibility/language needs, and whether Congressional users, staff, reading-room users, website users, and the general public are in scope. |
| If primary data collection is required under the initial order, what approximate number of Library users, Library staff, reading-room chiefs/heads, and other stakeholders should offerors assume for planning and pricing purposes? | As this project is intended to help define appropriate parameters for assessment, the Library will work with the vendor to establish scope and parameters. The Library will have a liaison group to work with the vendor to facilitate data collection. Data collection will be from 16 reading rooms via readily-available sources. We do not anticipate a need to gather data directly from Library users during this task order. | ||||
| 14 | C.3.1 / I.7 / I.15 | 6, 23-24, 27 | Please identify the review and approval requirements applicable to human-subject/user research, including PRA/OMB clearance, IRB or equivalent review, privacy review, informed consent, records notices, and the party responsible for obtaining each approval. | The majority of interactions will be with Library staff, facilitated by management, and HR guidance may be provided to the vendor. This task order is not considered human subjects research requiring Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. | |
| 15 | I.15 | 27 | Does the Library have a preferred or required survey platform (e.g., an enterprise Qualtrics or Microsoft Forms license) that the contractor must use for researcher surveys, and are there IT security or system authorization requirements for contractor-hosted survey data beyond Section I.15? | The initial assessment project does not call for surveying of researchers. If future projects require this, the Library will expect the vendor to provide their own instrument that complies with the Library's IT requirements | |
| 16 | C.3.1 | 6 | Will the Library provide approved survey, interview, usability-testing, transcription, analytics, and collaboration platforms, or should offerors include compliant contractor-hosted tools in their rates? | The Library assumes the vendor will conduct interviews in-person and online and use the results to inform the overall project deliverables. The contractor should assume that they will not have access to Library tools or software to conduct this work. | |
| 17 | C.2 / C.3.1 | 7 | Please describe the types, formats, approximate volumes, quality, and accessibility of existing research-services data that may be furnished at the task-order level, including web analytics, reference transactions, circulation data, surveys, and prior studies. | The Library will provide web analytics, reference transactions, circulation data, surveys, and prior internal reports to the vendor. | |
| 18 | C.3.1 | What existing assessment data, survey instruments, reports, dashboards, databases, data dictionaries, SOPs, technology documentation, and prior researcher studies will the Library make available at project initiation? Can the Library provide an approximate inventory or volume of materials and datasets to be reviewed? | The Library maintains standard metrics reports for onsite and online reference interactions that will be provided to the vendor. Determining the availability of datasets is within scope for this task order. | ||
| 19 | C.2 / C.3.1 | 7 | Please clarify whether the Initial Order requires the contractor to conduct new primary research with Library users onsite and online, or whether the primary focus is to assess existing research, data, instruments, systems, and practices. If new primary research is required, does the population of interest include Congressional Research Service? | The primary focus is on existing data, research, and practices. | |
| 20 | C.3.1 | 7 | Does the Library have preferred peer libraries or cultural institutions, comparison dimensions, or existing benchmark datasets, and is primary outreach to peer institutions expected or is analysis of extant data sufficient? | The Library will provide the vendor with an initial list of 8 peer institutions as a starting point for the vendor to consider viability. | |
| 21 | C.3.1 | 7 | What review period should the contractor assume for COR approval of research plans and instruments, and will task-order schedules be adjusted for Government review delays? | The Library can work with the vendor to establish an agreed upon turnaround time, e.g., 10 days between the vendor providing a deliverable and the Library approving it. | |
| 22 | C.3.2 | 7 | What meeting cadence, participant groups, reporting frequency, and project-management/document-repository tools should offerors assume for IDIQ and Initial Order performance? | The Library assumes that communication with Library leadership and staff will be a critical component of the task order and will work with the vendor on a layered communications plan that supports the vendor's interactions with Library stakeholders. We anticipate that a dedicated project manager and project team will be formed internally at the Library of Congress to work with the contractor and the COR. | |
| 23 | C.4.1 | 7 | Beyond the Initial Order SOW, is there an anticipated standard set of task-order deliverables such as research plans, instruments, datasets, codebooks, dashboards, briefing decks, and final reports, that offerors should account for in their IDIQ approach? | Each order may be very different from each other given the scope of the IDIQ. Individual orders placed under this IDIQ may have different scopes that may have different deliverables (such as research plans and data sets). As a result we cannot accurately answer this question other than the scope of all orders must fit within the scope of the IDIQ. | |
| 24 | C.4.3 / Section E | 9 | Please define the standard Government review and acceptance period, the number of included revision cycles, the acceptance authority, and the process when consolidated comments are not provided within the task-order schedule. | Acceptance criteria are outlined in FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial Services | |
| 25 | C.5.1 | 8 | Must both the Project Director and Alternate Project Director individually demonstrate at least three years of survey leadership specifically for both research libraries and cultural institutions, or will comparable user-research experience in either environment satisfy the requirement? | Comparable user research experience in either environment will satisfy the requirement, as along as some experience with survey leadership in research libraries is demonstrated, either by the project director or the alternate project director. | |
| 26 | C.5.1 | 8 | Will the Library consider experience developing and leading survey and evaluation activity for other public institutions and cultural or academic organizations as meeting the "research libraries and cultural institutions" requirement? | No. At least one key personnel must have experience with research libraries. | |
| 27 | C.5.1 / H.3 | 8, 14 | Are the Project Director and Alternate expected to be dedicated at a minimum level of effort or available on an on-call basis across the IDIQ, and may one individual hold another proposed labor role on task orders? | A project schedule for each task order will establish expected levels of effort and availability. There is not an expectation of maintaining an "on-call" status outside the boundaries of a task order. Individuals may have different roles across task orders. We do not anticipate overlapping task orders. | |
| 28 | L.5 Volume 4 | 47 | The solicitation states that "Any proposed travel prices shall be proposed on the pricing Attachment J2 -Tab 2. Pricing shall be reported on its own line and in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. Contractors shall propose the travel they feel will fulfill the requirements." Can you please confirm if this applies to the Initial Order pricing only or to the IDIQ overall? | Each order may have different travel requirements and cannot be established at the IDIQ level, only at the order level. | |
| 29 | C.5.2 / L.5 Volume 4 | 8, 47 | For the Initial Order, please provide the minimum onsite activities, estimated number and duration of trips, required attendee roles, and expected meeting/research locations that offerors should use as a common basis for firm-fixed-price travel. | The estimated number and duration of trips related to onsite activities would depend upon the chosen methodology of the contractor. The Library would like the vendor to have flexibility in conducting its work, especially when it involves meetings with Library staff. This will also keep costs down. Where stakeholder meetings or key phases of the project merit in-person site visits, the Library is open to the vendor including pricing. | |
| 30 | L.5 | 47 | Section L.5 requires a firm fixed price for travel to Capitol Hill. For an offeror whose personnel are local to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, please confirm that a travel line reflecting only local mileage, parking, or transit costs consistent with the FTR is acceptable, and that a $0 or nominal travel line will not be considered non-responsive. | If you are local and your travel cost is minimal you won't be penalized. | |
| 31 | C.5.3 / I.8 / I.12 | 8, 24-26 | Section C.5.3 Work Ownership, gives the independent evaluator final editorial control, with the Library’s ownership, unlimited-rights, release-control, and copyright-assignment clauses. Who has final authority over factual corrections, conclusions, recommendations, and publication of final deliverables? | The contractor has final authority over factual corrections, conclusions, and recommendations; however, the Library will have final authority over the publication of the final deliverable. This text has been added to Section C.5.3. | |
| 32 | C.5.3 / I.8 / I.12 | 8, 24-26 | Please confirm that contractor pre-existing methodologies, templates, software, analytic code, and other background intellectual property remain contractor property, with the Library receiving only the license necessary to use incorporated elements in delivered work. Please also state how such items should be identified. | Any reports furnished under this IDIQ becomes the full ownership and property of the Library of Congress. | |
| 33 | F.1 | 10 | What portion of the Initial Order and anticipated IDIQ work must be performed onsite, and what workspace, network access, equipment, visitor access, and staff escort/support will the Library provide? | When onsite, access to Wi-Fi will be provided to contractors. We anticipate that a dedicated project manager and project team will be formed internally at the Library of Congress to work with the contractor and the COR, and support scheduling, logistics, access, and navigation for the contractor when onsite. | |
| 34 | H.4 / I.15 | 14, 27 | What background investigations, suitability checks, badging, security training, citizenship/residency restrictions, or access lead times will apply to contractor and subcontractor personnel working onsite or handling Library information? |
| Will contractor personnel receive direct access to Library systems and repositories, or will the Library provide data extracts? Please also clarify any security, background investigation, system-access, VPN, equipment, or onsite access requirements that should be incorporated into the technical approach and pricing. | The contractor will access public areas of the Library during the general public hours and will not require a badge for entry. The contractors will not have direct access to Library systems. Library staff will provide data exports as needed. Therefore a background security check is not necessary. | ||||
| 35 | I.15 | 27 | Please provide the required security controls for contractor systems and data transfer, including approved hosting locations, cloud authorization requirements, encryption, MFA, incident reporting, retention/destruction, backups, and whether Library data may be accessed or stored outside Library facilities. | We do not intend for the contractor to have access to the Library systems not do we need access to the contractors systems. The Contractor can submit deliverables via email or shuttle for large documents. | |
| 36 | Sections K and L | 29-48 | Please identify all forms and certifications that must be submitted with the four proposal volumes, including the signed SF 1449, completed Section K representations, amendment acknowledgments, and any exceptions or assumptions, and specify the volume in which each belongs. | The signed SF-1449 and signed amendments are not part of a proposal volume and can be submitted as separate files. You do not need to submit section K representations if you are registered in SAM.gov. | |
| 37 | L.4 | 45 | Please confirm that the four volumes may be submitted as separate attachments within a single email (subject to the 20MB limit), and whether the price volume must remain in .xlsx format. |
Can you please confirm if there is a page limit for Volume 4) Price Volume? Yes, each volume is a separate attachment and the price volume Excel/Attachment J2 must remain in .xlsx format.
No, there is no page limit for the Price volume.
38 L.5 Volume 1 46 Please confirm whether the 15-page Technical Volume limit excludes the cover page, table of contents, acronym list, cross-reference matrix, and required corporate-experience discussion, and whether appendices are permitted. Yes, they are excluded, and yes appendices are permitted.
Yes the cover page, table of contents, acronym list, and cross-reference matrix are excluded from the 15-page limit. Corporate experience is required and falls within the 15-page limit. Yes, appendices are permitted.
| 39 | L.5 Volume 1 | 46 | Does the 12-point requirement apply only to narrative text? | ||
| The solicitation requires 12-point font “in text” but does not specify the minimum font size permitted within tables, figures, or graphics. May offerors use 10-point font within tables, figures, and graphics, provided the content remains legible? | The 12-point font applies to narrative text only. Yes, 10-point font is acceptable in tables. | ||||
| 40 | L.5 Volume 2 | 46 | Key Personnel Resumes: The solicitation requires resumes for key personnel and requires the offeror to “describe the relevant experience of all other proposed staff.” Please clarify whether it should contain only the Project Director and Alternate Project Director resumes or also resumes/detailed experience summaries for all other proposed staff or whether offerors may describe the required qualifications and experience by proposed labor category. | We wish to see resumes for key personnel (Director and Alternate Director) and detailed experience summaries of qualifications proposed labor category for all other proposed staff. | |
| 41 | L.5 Volume 2 | 46 | Is there a page limit for Volume 2, and is there a page limit for each resume? | Volume 2 does not have a page limit and there is not a page limit per resume. | |
| 42 | L.5 Volume 3 / M.3 Factor 3 | 47, 50 | The solicitation permits “up to three” references but later refers to each of three contracts. Please confirm that fewer than three relevant references are acceptable and explain how a nonresponsive reference or late questionnaire will be treated. | The three similar contracts (Volume 1) are not the same as the three Past Performance Questionnaires/references (Volume 3). The offeror does not provide the three Past Performance Questionnaires. There is no penalty if all 3 questionnaires are not received. | |
| 43 | L.5 Volume 3 / M.3 Factor 3 | 47, 50 | Section L.5 requires completed Past Performance Questionnaires for the referenced contracts, while Section M.3 states that the Library may review CPARS records at its discretion. May an offeror use recent CPARS evaluations in lieu of completed Past Performance Questionnaires, or is a completed Attachment J3 mandatory for each submitted past performance reference regardless of CPARS availability? | No, Past Performance Questionnaires must still be submitted via the reference only. | |
| 44 | L.5 Volume 4 | 47 | Will Attachment J2 prescribe labor categories and minimum qualifications, or may offerors propose their own categories? If categories are offeror-defined, please confirm whether additional categories may be added at the task-order level and how rates will be established. | Attachment J2 tab 1 states: Offerors are free to propose whatever labor categories they feel necessary to complete all aspects of the various studies and reports which may be potentially ordered under this IDIQ. | |
| 45 | L.5 Volume 4 | 47 | Please clarify the direction that all labor rates include all direct, indirect, and other direct costs with the separate firm-fixed-price travel line. Confirm that travel is excluded from fully loaded hourly rates and separately priced only when authorized by a task order. | Travel shall not be included in the labor rates or overhead price per labor category. If travel is required on an individual order, it will be separately priced in the Orders only. Travel may be a separate FFP line item or be reimbursable in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations, depending on the Order. | |
| 46 | L.5 Volume 4 | 47 | Can you please confirm if the Library has an estimated annual ordering volume under the IDIQ beyond the guaranteed minimum? | That is unknown at this time. | |
| 47 | L.5 / M.3 Factor 4 | 47, 50 | Please confirm the Total Evaluated Price is the sum of Initial Order labor and separately stated firm-fixed-price travel, and identify any other direct costs, materials, incentives, software, or subcontract costs that must be separately shown in Attachment J2 Tab 2. | All overhead costs must be included in the labor rates. The sole exception is travel. Other purchases outside the scope will not be authorized unless absolutely necessary on an individual order when that order's scope requires it. | |
| 48 | L.5 / M.3 Factor 4 | 47, 50 | The solicitation indicates that in the “pricing volume” “Offerors shall also complete Tab 2 identifying the estimated number of labor hours by category to complete the work identified in the Initial Order Statement of Work (Attachment J1). |
| Is the LoC open to a “time and materials” contract, as opposed to “fixed-fee” for these orders? If so, should the contractor do anything differently in the preparation of the pricing volume to indicate that the price quoted for the “Initial Order Statement of Work” is simply an estimate, and the contractor intends to invoice the LoC for actual hours worked + fixed travel? | No, only firm-fixed price is acceptable. The Contractor shall propose it's best pricing in order to fulfill the first order's requirements. Please review rules on firm fixed pricing. | ||||
| 49 | L.5 / M.3 | 46, 49-50 | Section L.5 instructs offerors to provide the Technical Volume in "outline form, with brief narratives," while Section M requires offerors to respond to each requirement in Section C.3 sequentially through written narrative. Please confirm whether the Technical Volume should be organized sequentially around Sections C.3.1 through C.3.3, with the Initial Order approach and corporate experience included as additional subsections, and whether all of this content is subject to the 15-page Technical Volume limit. | Yes, structure the technical volume narrative in an outline format responding to each requirement in Sections C.3.1 through C.3.3. |
The compliance matrix does not fall within the 15 pages.
"Compliance matrix" was mentioned here in error. As stated in answer 38 above, corporate experince falls within the 15-page limit.
| 50 | J3/ L.5 | 46 | Attachment J3 instructs references to return questionnaires by noon ET on September 21, 2026, while Section L.5 states questionnaires are due no later than the solicitation closing date and time (September 28, 2026, noon ET). Which date governs? | The Past Performance Questionnaires attachment has been updated with a due date by September 28th. |
| 51 | J3/ L.5 | 46 | If the contractor has in the past 3 years worked with the LoC, is the LoC eligible to submit a response to the past “performance questionnaire” on the contractor’s behalf? | Yes |
| 52 | Attachment J1 | For online researcher research under the Initial Order, will the Library make available COR-approved distribution channels such as https://www.google.com/url?q=http://loc.gov&source=gmail&ust=1788808154475000&sa=E placement, Ask a Librarian follow-up messaging, or email to registered readers? Will the Library provide reading-room traffic counts to support sampling? | The initial order does not involve direct researcher/user research. It involves a study of the Library's assessment and data-gathering practices regarding research services. Where data are available to support a full understanding of the current data landscape, data will be shared with the contractor. | |
| 53 | Attachment J1 | Is the Initial Order expected to be issued concurrently with the IDIQ award on or about December 1, 2026? Does the Library have an anticipated or not-to-exceed budget for the Initial Order? | That is unknown at this time. | |
| 54 | Attachment J1 | Regarding Attachment J1, has the Library developed an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), estimated level of effort, or anticipated labor-hour range for the Initial Order? If the Library does not intend to release the IGCE, please provide an estimated level of effort, labor-hour range, or staffing assumptions that offerors should consider in developing their proposed labor mix and pricing. | That cannot be shared at this time. | |
| 55 | Attachment J1/L.5 | Attachment J1 describes the Discovery Phase primarily as an internal review of the Library's assessment and measurement landscape, including assessment gaps, data silos, data stewards, and existing tools and technology. Section L.5, however, requires the Initial Order methodology to address "conducting research of Library users onsite and online." Please clarify whether the Initial Order requires new primary research with Library users, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or similar data collection, or whether the Initial Order is limited to assessment of existing internal data, processes, systems, and practices. |
| Should offerors assume that the Discovery Phase will require engagement with all 16 reading rooms individually, including interviews or other engagement with each reading room's leadership/staff, or may the contractor propose a representative sampling approach based on its methodology? | The initial task is limited to assessment of existing internal data, processes, systems, and practices. | ||||
| 56 | Attachment J1 | Attachment J1 describes the second phase as an "Implementation Preparation Phase," with an implementation plan, templates, documentation, and operational preparation or training. However, the deliverable schedule subsequently requires the Contractor to "Launch Implementation Plan" and "Complete launch of Implementation Plan." Please clarify whether the Initial Order requires the Contractor to implement the new assessment and measurement process across the 16 reading rooms, or only to prepare the Library for subsequent implementation. | The vendor is expected to assist the Library in moving from a implementation plan for 16 reading rooms on paper to a first phase of its implementation. With short-term 'trouble-shooting' support from the vendor, this transition will be led and continued by Library management. | ||
| 57 | Attachment J1 /C.3.3 | Attachment J1, Section C.3.3 requires the kick-off meeting to occur within one week of the Period of Performance start date, while the Schedule of Events/Deliverables requires the kick-off meeting within two weeks. Please confirm which deadline governs. | One week is preferred, and can be negotiated by both parties based on scheduling needs. | ||
| 58 | Attachment J1 | Attachment J1 states that the Preliminary Findings, Final Report, and Implementation Plan presentations may each occur either onsite or virtually, and that operational prep sessions may likewise be onsite or virtual. Section L nevertheless requires offerors to propose a firm-fixed price for travel to Capitol Hill. Please clarify whether bidders should assume a specific number of required onsite meetings or site visits for purposes of Initial Order pricing, or whether bidders should independently determine and price the onsite travel they believe is necessary. | The Library would like the vendor to have flexibility in conducting its work, especially when it involves meetings with Library staff. This will also keep costs down. Where stakeholder meetings or key phases of the project merit in-person site visits, the Library is open to the vendor including pricing. | ||
| 59 | Attachment J1 | Is the LoC open to adjustments to the internal deadlines proposed in the schedule of work? For example, without altering the overall time frame, would it be possible to shift the delivery of the Preliminary Findings Report to 4 months from the contract start date? If so, should the contractor simply indicate these newly proposed deadlines in the schedule of work included in the proposal? | Yes, the Library is open to working with the vendor to adjust the timeline to best serve the overall success of the work. The vendor is free to propose a new timeline in the proposal. | ||
| 60 | Attachment J1 | C.3.1 | What quantitative datasets does the Library anticipate the contractor will analyze under the Initial Order, including approximate number of datasets, years covered, record volume, file formats, and degree of standardization across reading rooms? | Determining the availability, formats, and standardization of datasets across reading rooms is within scope for this task order. | |
| 61 | Attachment J1 | C.3.2 | Should offerors assume one consolidated Library review/comment cycle for each major deliverable, or are multiple rounds of review and revision anticipated for the Preliminary Findings Report, Final Report, Implementation Plan, templates, and supporting documentation? | We anticipate one round of review and commentary for each major deliverable. | |
| 62 | Attachment J1 | The included work plan (for the Initial Order) does not include a start date. Is LoC open to proposed start dates from offerors, e.g. Jan 1. 2027? | That date is unknown at this time. | ||
| 63 | Attachment J1/C.2 | If the Initial Order includes new primary research with Library users, please clarify whether any Institutional Review Board (IRB), Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), privacy, or other research/data-collection approvals will be required and, if applicable, whether the Library or contractor will be responsible for obtaining those approvals. Offerors also request clarification regarding whether approval timelines should be incorporated into the Initial Order schedule. | It is expected that this work would not fall under the definition of human subjects research. Its intention is not to contribute to a body of generalizable knowledge but to improve business functions for the Library of Congress. | ||
| 64 | Attachment J1/J2 | If participant incentives are appropriate for primary research, are incentives permitted? If yes, please clarify how these costs should be accounted for on Tab 2 of Attachment J2. | The Library does not use participant incentives when gathering user responses. |
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