08_DIR_T F_RFP_12-18-07.doc

DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of Management

Health Resources and Services Administration Division of Procurement Management General Acquisition Branch Room 13A-19, Parklawn Building

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857-5600 Dear Offerors:

You are invited to submit a proposal in accordance with the requirements of RFP HRSA-08-DIR-ORC-T&F-Meetings. This requirement is to provide administrative, technical and logistical support services to HRSA’s Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM), Division of Independent Review (DIR) to plan, direct and execute the independent review of applications for HRSA grants and cooperative agreements. This is a 100% Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS Code 561920. See Sections L and M for specific proposal instruction and evaluation criteria.

Your proposal must be received by the Contracting Officer no later than 10:00 a.m., EST on January 18, 2008 at the following address:

Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA

Division of Procurement Management

Parklawn Building, Room 13A-19

Rockville, Maryland 20857

301-443-2730 or 2750

Attn: Aileen Broider RFP: HRSA-08-DIR-ORC-T&F-Meetings Questions must be submitted in writing (facsimile or email) by 10:00 a.m. EST, December 27, 2007. See Section L for further information.

NOTICE: ACCESS TO PARKLAWN BUILDING

The Parklawn Building is a controlled access building; therefore you should allow ample time for visitor access. It is your responsibility to ensure that proposals are delivered by the due date and time, and specific place (Room 13A-19) required in the solicitation. Offerors delivering boxes of proposals must use the delivery entrance located on the loading dock, which is accessible from Parklawn Drive. All packages will be x-rayed by a security guard. Visitors will be required to provide photo identification and provide a name and telephone number of the individual being visited, (in this case, Aileen Broider at 301-443-5231). You will then need to personally bring the boxes to Room 13A19 (13th Floor, A-Wing, and Room 19). Boxes of proposals should NOT be left on the loading dock.

Your proposal must be prepared in accordance with Section L entitled Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors, Section C entitled Description/Specification/Statement of Work, and Section M entitled Evaluation Factors for Award.

This RFP does not commit the Government to pay any costs for the preparation and submission of a proposal. It is also brought to your attention that the Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed acquisition.

Your proposal must provide a contact name and number, your company name and complete address, including street, city, county, state, zip code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS). Please note that FAR 52.204-6 Contractor Identification Number Data Universal System (DUNS Number) requires you to submit a DUNS number for your company along with your offer. If you do not have a DUNS number, you are requested to contact Dun and Bradstreet Information Services at 1-800-333-0505 to obtain one. Please include this information on the first page of your business proposal. If the address is different from the address to which payment should be mailed you must also include the complete payment address.

Requests for any information concerning this RFP should be address to Ms. Aileen Broider, Contract Specialist, at abroider@hrsa.gov or, at (301) 443-5231. Discussion with any other individual outside of the Division of Procurement Management (DPM) may result in rejection of a potential offeror’s proposal.

Sincerely, Alexandra B. Garcia

SECTION A

Table of Contents

SECTION

DESCRIPTION

PAGES

A

Standard Form

B

Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

C

Description/Specifications/ Statement of Work 1 D

Packing and Marking

E

Inspection and Acceptance 5 F

Deliveries or Performance 4 G

Contract Administration Data 10 H

Special Contract Requirements 5 I

Contract Clauses 4 J

List of Attachments 1 K Representations, Certifications and Other 3 Statements of Offerors or Respondents

L Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors 17 M Evaluation Factors for Award 4

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 Purpose of Contract

The purpose of this Indefinite-Delivery-Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) requirement is to provide administrative, technical and logistical support services to HRSA’s Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM), Division of Independent Review (DIR) to plan, direct and execute the independent review of applications for HRSA grants and cooperative agreements. The NAICS Code for this requirement is 561920. See Sections L and M for specific proposal instruction and evaluation criteria.

B.2 Consideration and Payment

1.

Services will be acquired on an as-needed basis through the issuance of task orders. A minimum of one task order award shall be guaranteed during the base period of the contract with a minimum total amount of $2,500. The maximum cost of all task orders during the contract period (Base and Option Years) shall not exceed fifty (50) million dollars. The contractor shall not exceed the maximum hourly direct labor rate for each labor category listed below.

Proposed Labor Rates - Maximum Unloaded Hourly Rates by Labor Classification:

2.

In accordance with the requirements stated in each task order, and in consideration of the satisfactory performance of the work described under Attachment A, Statement of Work, the contractor shall be reimbursed on a cost-reimbursement basis, a firm-fixed-price basis, or a combination of both. Task Orders will be issued on a performance-based-service basis. Each task order awarded under the contract shall include one or more of the labor categories in Section B.2.1., and the contractor shall be reimbursed for costs incurred for labor based on the unloaded hourly rates proposed in their contract cost proposal.

3. The Government shall not be obligated to reimburse the Contractor for any cost incurred in excess of each task order amount, and the Contractor shall not be obligated to continue performance under the task order, or otherwise incur any cost in excess of the task order amount, unless and until the Contractor has received written notification from the Contracting Officer which modifies the task order amount. No notice, communication or representation in any other form or from any person other than the Contracting Officer shall affect the amount of the task orders.

4. The Contracting Officer may allot additional funds to each task order without the concurrence of the Contractor.

B.3 Allowable Costs: Costs shall be determined by the Contracting Officer to be allowable in accordance with FAR Clause 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment (DEC 2002) of the General Provisions and provisions of this Article.

If a cost-reimbursement type task order is issued, the following provisions apply:

B.4 Direct Costs: The Contractor shall be reimbursed for all costs as described below, incurred directly and specifically in the performance of each task order, claimed by the Contractor and accepted by the Contracting Officer:

1. Salaries and wages of the Contractor’s employees directly employed in performing the work required by this contract. Related fringe benefits, if treated as a direct cost; otherwise, fringe benefits may be claimed as part of indirect costs below;

2. Materials and services required in the performance of this contract, after deducting all discounts for the purchase of such materials and services;

3. Consultant fees or other payments to consultants required in the performance of this contract, provided that such fees or payments must not exceed the daily rate of $350 per day for Face-to-Face and Teleconference Reviewers, $140 per application for Field Reviewers exclusive of travel costs without the written approval of the Contracting Officer;

4. Travel and subsistence expenses exclusively in direct performance of this contract. The Contractor shall be reimbursed for transportation costs and travel allowance in accordance with the established policy of the Contractor, but subject to the following limitations:

a. Such transportation cost shall not be reimbursed in an amount greater than the cost of first class rail or of economy air travel, unless economy air travel and economy air travel space are not available and the Contractor certifies to the facts in the voucher or other documents submitted for reimbursement. Travel allowances for per diem shall be reimbursed in accordance with the Contractor’s established policy, but in no event shall such allowances exceed the prevailing Government rate except within the corporate limits of those cities and other specified areas where higher ceiling rates have been established by the General Services Administration for Civil Service employees in travel status.

b. The Contractor shall be reimbursed for the cost of travel performed by its personnel in a privately owned automobile at the prevailing Government rate (as set by Federal Travel Regulations – see www.gsa.gov) not to exceed the cost by the most direct economy air route between the points so traveled. If more than one person travels in such automobile, no additional charge shall be made by the Contractor for such travel between such points.

c. HRSA will NOT reimburse travelers for unauthorized or excess expenses. HRSA reserves the right to establish a per meeting, flat reimbursement fee for ground transportation and incidentals for traveling review participants.

B.5 Prior Authorization of Certain Direct Costs

Subcontracts and Purchase Orders:

1. Requirements for purchase orders and subcontracts are governed by FAR Clause 52.244-2, Subcontracts (AUG 1998) of the General Provisions except as may be indicated herein.

2. The Contractor shall not incur any of the following costs without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer. Incurrence of such costs with the intent of claiming reimbursement as direct costs under this contract shall be at the Contractor’s own risk:

a. Purchase or rental of any item of equipment, including furniture or office equipment, regardless of cost;

b. Any rental agreement for real or personal property, or any term contract for maintenance;

c. Travel for general scientific meetings; and

d. Rearrangement, alternation or relocation of facilities.

B.6 Indirect Costs

1. The allowable indirect costs under this contract shall be established in accordance with the General Provisions of this contract and FAR Clause 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment (APR 1998).

2. Pending the establishment of negotiated indirect cost rates the provisional rates below are approved for billing purposes only.

3. The Fixed Ceiling Contract rates should be used for the life of the contract. In the event the final indirect cost rates shall exceed the fixed ceiling rates and the provisional rate, then the lower rates as established by the cognizant auditing official shall apply.

Overhead

Fringe

G&A

4.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Contractor shall comply with the requirements of clause FAR 52.232.20 “Limitation of Cost.”

B.7 Fees Fixed fee/Profit and Award incentive fees shall be negotiated per individual task order.

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/ STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 Statement of Work

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all personnel, material, facilities, services, and equipment as needed to perform the Statement of Work set forth in Section J (Attachment A ) attached hereto and made part of this document.

C.2 Incorporation of Contractor’s Proposal

It is understood and agreed that the Contractor shall, in meeting the requirements of this contract, perform the work in accordance with the Contractor’s proposal to the Health Resources and Services Administration for Providing administrative, technical and logistical support services to HRSA’s Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM), Division of Independent Review (DIR) to plan, direct and execute the independent review of applications for HRSA grants and cooperative agreements for web-assisted Teleconference meetings or Field reviews (T&F), originally dated ______________ and revised ___________, provided however, that to the extent that any provisions of the articles of this contract are in conflict or inconsistent with any provisions of said proposal, the provisions of the articles of this contract shall control and shall supersede the provisions of said proposal.

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 Inspection and Acceptance

The Project Officer, as a duly authorized representative of the Contracting Officer, shall assume the responsibilities for monitoring the Contractor’s performance, evaluating the quality of services provided by the Contractor and performing final inspection and acceptance of all deliverables. Each task order issued under this contract will provide the individual Project Officer contact information.

E.2 Inspection

52.246-5 Inspection of Services—Cost-Reimbursement (APR 1984)

(a) Definition. "Services," as used in this clause, includes services performed, workmanship, and material furnished or used in performing services.

(b) The Contractor shall provide and maintain an inspection system acceptable to the Government covering the services under this contract. Complete records of all inspection work performed by the Contractor shall be maintained and made available to the Government during contract performance and for as long afterwards as the contract requires.

(c) The Government has the right to inspect and test all services called for by the contract, to the extent practicable at all places and times during the term of the contract. The Government shall perform inspections and tests in a manner that will not unduly delay the work.

(d) If any of the services performed do not conform to contract requirements, the Government may require the Contractor to perform the services again in conformity with contract requirements, for no additional fee. When the defects in services cannot be corrected by reperformance, the Government may:

(1) Require the Contractor to take necessary action to ensure that future performance conforms to contract requirements; and

(2) Reduce any fee payable under the contract to reflect the reduced value of the services performed.

(e) If the Contractor fails to promptly perform the services again or take the action necessary to ensure future performance in conformity with contract requirements, the Government may–

(1) By contract or otherwise, perform the services and reduce any fee payable by an amount that is equitable under the circumstances; or

(2) Terminate the contract for default.

52.246-4 Inspection of Services—Fixed-Price. (Aug 1996)

(a) Definition. “Services,” as used in this clause, includes services performed, workmanship, and material furnished or utilized in the performance of services.

(b) The Contractor shall provide and maintain an inspection system acceptable to the Government covering the services under this contract. Complete records of all inspection work performed by the Contractor shall be maintained and made available to the Government during contract performance and for as long afterwards as the contract requires.

(c) The Government has the right to inspect and test all services called for by the contract, to the extent practicable at all times and places during the term of the contract. The Government shall perform inspections and tests in a manner that will not unduly delay the work.

(d) If the Government performs inspections or tests on the premises of the Contractor or a subcontractor, the Contractor shall furnish, and shall require subcontractors to furnish, at no increase in contract price, all reasonable facilities and assistance for the safe and convenient performance of these duties.

(e) If any of the services do not conform with contract requirements, the Government may require the Contractor to perform the services again in conformity with contract requirements, at no increase in contract amount. When the defects in services cannot be corrected by reperformance, the Government may—

(1) Require the Contractor to take necessary action to ensure that future performance conforms to contract requirements; and

(2) Reduce the contract price to reflect the reduced value of the services performed.

(f) If the Contractor fails to promptly perform the services again or to take the necessary action to ensure future performance in conformity with contract requirements, the Government may—

(1) By contract or otherwise, perform the services and charge to the Contractor any cost incurred by the Government that is directly related to the performance of such service; or

(2) Terminate the contract for default.

52.246-6 Inspection—Time-and-Material and Labor-Hour (May 2001)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

“Contractor’s managerial personnel” means any of the Contractor’s directors, officers, managers, superintendents, or equivalent representatives who have supervision or direction of—

(1) All or substantially all of the Contractor’s business;

(2) All or substantially all of the Contractor’s operation at any one plant or separate location where the contract is being performed; or

(3) A separate and complete major industrial operation connected with the performance of this contract.

“Materials” includes data when the contract does not include the Warranty of Data clause.

(b) The Contractor shall provide and maintain an inspection system acceptable to the Government covering the material, fabricating methods, work, and services under this contract. Complete records of all inspection work performed by the Contractor shall be maintained and made available to the Government during contract performance and for as long afterwards as the contract requires.

(c) The Government has the right to inspect and test all materials furnished and services performed under this contract, to the extent practicable at all places and times, including the period of performance, and in any event before acceptance. The Government may also inspect the plant or plants of the Contractor or any subcontractor engaged in contract performance. The Government shall perform inspections and tests in a manner that will not unduly delay the work.

(d) If the Government performs inspection or test on the premises of the Contractor or a subcontractor, the Contractor shall furnish and shall require subcontractors to furnish all reasonable facilities and assistance for the safe and convenient performance of these duties.

(e) Unless otherwise specified in the contract, the Government shall accept or reject services and materials at the place of delivery as promptly as practicable after delivery, and they shall be presumed accepted 60 days after the date of delivery, unless accepted earlier.

(f) At any time during contract performance, but not later than 6 months (or such other time as may be specified in the contract) after acceptance of the services or materials last delivered under this contract, the Government may require the Contractor to replace or correct services or materials that at time of delivery failed to meet contract requirements. Except as otherwise specified in paragraph (h) of this clause, the cost of replacement or correction shall be determined under the Payments Under Time-and-Materials and Labor-Hour Contracts clause, but the “hourly rate” for labor hours incurred in the replacement or correction shall be reduced to exclude that portion of the rate attributable to profit. The Contractor shall not tender for acceptance materials and services required to be replaced or corrected without disclosing the former requirement for replacement or correction, and, when required, shall disclose the corrective action taken.

(g)(1) If the Contractor fails to proceed with reasonable promptness to perform required replacement or correction, and if the replacement or correction can be performed within the ceiling price (or the ceiling price as increased by the Government), the Government may—

(i) By contract or otherwise, perform the replacement or correction, charge to the Contractor any increased cost, or deduct such increased cost from any amounts paid or due under this contract; or

(ii) Terminate this contract for default.

(2) Failure to agree to the amount of increased cost to be charged to the Contractor shall be a dispute.

(h) Notwithstanding paragraphs (f) and (g) of this clause, the Government may at any time require the Contractor to remedy by correction or replacement, without cost to the Government, any failure by the Contractor to comply with the requirements of this contract, if the failure is due to—

(1) Fraud, lack of good faith, or willful misconduct on the part of the Contractor’s managerial personnel; or

(2) The conduct of one or more of the Contractor’s employees selected or retained by the Contractor after any of the Contractor’s managerial personnel has reasonable grounds to believe that the employee is habitually careless or unqualified.

(i) This clause applies in the same manner and to the same extent to corrected or replacement materials or services as to materials and services originally delivered under this contract.

(j) The Contractor has no obligation or liability under this contract to correct or replace materials and services that at time of delivery do not meet contract requirements, except as provided in this clause or as may be otherwise specified in the contract.

(k) Unless otherwise specified in the contract, the Contractor’s obligation to correct or replace Government-furnished property shall be governed by the clause pertaining to Government property.

SECTION F – DELVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1

FAR 52.242-15

Stop-Work Order (AUG 989)—Alternate I

APR 1984

F.2 Observance of Federal Holidays

No services or deliveries shall be performed on Saturdays, Sundays or the Federal Legal holidays as shown below:

New Year’s Day

January 1st

Martin Luther King’s Birthday 3rd Monday in January

Presidents’ Day

3rd Monday in February

Memorial Day

Last Monday in May

Independence Day

July 4th

Labor Day

1st Monday in September

Columbus Day

2nd Monday in October

Veterans’ Day

November 11

Thanksgiving Day

4th Thursday in November

Christmas Day

December 25th F.3 Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be Twelve (12) months with four (4) twelve (12) month option periods. The period of performance under this contract shall commence with the effective date of the contract (EDOC).

F.4 Articles or Services to be furnished

1.

All reports, processes, and product deliverables are subject to approval of the Project Officer.

2. The Project Officer will respond within fifteen (15) working days after receipt of a deliverable for which the Project Officer has indicated approval is required before the Contractor can proceed to the next step in the use of that deliverable.

3.

All reports and documents shall have at a minimum in the document header the Task Order Number, HRSA announcement number, the dates of the review meeting, and the Federal RA. All reports and documents shall have at a minimum in the document footer: the author in the lower left corner, the page # of total # of pages in the center bottom of the page, and the date and /or version of the document (not the auto date) in the lower right corner. Files submitted to DIR before the Official File is delivered shall be in a format that can be opened, read, and manipulated by HRSA staff.

4.

Each task order may require a specific list of deliverables in indicated quantities and delivery dates. In general, the following items in the quantities and at the specified times indicated in this section shall be required:

For each review, the Contractor shall provide the CO an Estimated Cost Proposal in response to the Request for Task Order (RTO) and the RFS. The Contractor shall use a DIR specified format for reporting monthly actual expenses of any review still in progress. Final reimbursement requests from the Contractor for each review shall be submitted to the agency for payment no later than 60 days after the meeting. The reimbursement request for each review shall be submitted as a separate invoice and identified by the HRSA Task Order and grant announcement number, and clearly list the direct and indirect cost categories as specified in the format.

All administrative and fiscal reports shall include, and are not limited to, the following information in the top of the document if not already contained in the proscribed header or footer information:

· The contract number and fiscal year

· the HRSA announcement number and HRSA Bureau/Office,

· Task Order Number

· review dates,

· meeting location (if known),

· review type,

· Costs per meeting as: projected costs and actual costs

· Federal RA name, with phone number and email hyperlink

· Contractor Point of Contact (POC), with phone number and email hyperlink

· review statistics to include:

· Number of review participants and Chairs

· Number of applications

· Number of panels

· Number of review days

Weekly fiscal information shall be presented in a summary form of line item costs (budgeted, projected and actual) per review as:

· Direct Labor by Class: hours performed, Class and hourly rate, and fringe Benefits (as allowed by Federal limits)

· Direct Costs:

· meeting rooms,

· Total review participant costs for: lodging, air travel, ground transportation, per diem, honorarium,

· Contractor operations: duplication, postage/shipping, staff travel, supplies, telephone charges, consultants.

· General & Administrative (G&A) or overhead percentage costs (not both) (as allowed by Federal limits)

· Fee/profit percentage costs

· Other allowable reimbursable indirect costs not otherwise captured

· a compilation of all actual costs since the last report;

· projected costs preceding the next report cycle

The Contractor shall have a financial accountability system and plan to track:

· Overall Financial Plan:

Reports on-demand by specific criteria. For example, infrequently used categories of materials; expenses that occur one or two times a year due to meeting size; up to date meeting cost reports by hotel, expense category, Bureau, or Federal RA

A weekly progress summary report shall be provided by the Contractor to HRSA. In addition to the proscribed information for reports, the weekly progress summary shall include:

· Reviews for which RFS orders are submitted and meeting dates if known,

· meeting location,

· review type,

· total estimated task value and adjustments if known or necessary,

· Federal RA name, with phone number and email hyperlink

· Contractor Point of Contact (POC), with phone number and email hyperlink

· a review statistics table to include:

· Number of review participants and Chairs

· Number of applications

· Number of panels

· Number of review days

· Number of Conflict of Interest (COI) forms sent and received before the review package mail out

· a list of the critical dates as indicated on the RFS, any re-scheduling clearly noted (colored highlight)

· For each review, a short narrative shall be included to describe the difficulties encountered & suggested solutions; improvements in systems/process; any difficulties anticipated for next reporting period; staffing and scheduling issues.

Initially, both written and verbal reports shall be necessary.

Within 10 days of EDOC (electronically to DIR & CAO, Task 1(a) and 1(b)) This report shall include a revised preliminary cost estimate and critical task due dates for re-scheduled reviews uniquely identified by the HRSA announcement number. Initially, both written and verbal reports shall be necessary. With each change in critical performance dates, a new revised RFS shall be submitted for the record.

a. the usual and customary direct and indirect charges expected for a review,

b. account for an average of influences such as seasonal charges,

c. accommodate peak workload, and

d. application length.

The Contractor shall demonstrate efficiency, effectiveness, or both attributes (as applicable) when addressing the evaluation criteria. The Unit Cost Model shall be developed using actual data, and the report is presented to the PO within 60 days of the end of each contract performance period.

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 Designation of Project Officer

The person identified below is hereby designated as the Project Officer for this contract. The responsibility of the Project Officer (or his duly authorized representative) is to ensure that the Government’s technical objectives are met. To this end, the Project Officer will provide necessary information, direction, coordination, and et cetera within the contractual work description. Issuance of changes which affect the articles, terms, or conditions of this contract will be accomplished through the Contracting Officer who is the only party authorized to bind the Government to contact:

Project Officer: TO BE COMPLETED AT TIME OF AWARD G.2 Technical Monitoring

A. Performance of the work under this contract shall be subject to the technical monitoring of the Project Officer. The term “Technical Monitoring” is defined to include the following:

1. Technical directions to the Contractor shall guide the contract effort, shift work emphasis between work areas or assignments, require pursuit of certain lines of inquiry, fill in details or otherwise serve to accomplish contractual statement of work.

2. Providing information to the Contractor for assistance in the interpretation of drawings, specifications or technical portions of the work description.

3. Review where required by the contract, approval of technical reports, processes, product deliverables, drawings, specifications and technical information to be delivered by the Contractor to the Government under the contract.

B. Technical direction must be within the general statement of the work as stated in Attachment A of the contract. The Project Officer does not have the authority to and may not issue any technical direction that: (i) constitutes an assignment of additional work outside the general scope of the contract; (ii) constitutes a change as defined in the contract clause entitled “Changes”; (iii) in any manner causes an increase in the total contract cost or the time required for contract performance; or (iv) changes any of the expressed terms, conditions, or specifications of the contract.

C. All technical directions shall be issued in writing by the Project Officer or shall be confirmed by him/her in writing within five (5) working days after issuance.

D. The Contractor shall proceed promptly with the performance of technical directions duly issued by the Project Officer in the manner prescribed within his authority under this provision.

E. If, in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction issued by the Project Officer is within one of the categories as defined in (i) through (iv) above, the Contractor shall not proceed, but shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing within five (5) days after the receipt of any such instruction or direction and shall request the Contracting Officer to modify the contract accordingly. Upon receiving such notification from the Contractor, the Contracting Officer shall issue an appropriate contract modification or advise the Contractor that, in his/her opinion, the technical direction is within the scope of this article and does not constitute a change under the Changes Clause of the contract. The Contractor shall thereupon proceed immediately with the direction given. A failure of the parties to agree upon the nature of the instruction or direction or upon the contract action to be taken with respect thereto shall be subject to the provisions of the contract clause entitled “Disputes”.

G.3 Key Personnel - Key Personnel are considered essential to the work being performed under this contract and are governed by the Key Personnel clause (HHSAR 352.270-5) referenced in SECTION I of this contract. Prior to removing, replacing, or diverting the specified individual, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing and reasonably in advance and shall submit justification (including proposed substitutions) in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on the contract. No diversion shall be made by the Contractor without the written consent of the Contracting Officer provided that the Contracting Officer may ratify in writing changes made due to events beyond the control of the Contractor and such ratification shall constitute the consent of the Contracting Officer required by this clause. Examples of events beyond the control of the Contractor are (1) prolonged sickness, (2) termination of employment, and (3) death. Key personnel, with the consent of the Contracting Officer, may be amended from time to time during the course of the contract to either add or delete personnel, as appropriate.

The following individuals are considered key personnel under this contract. (Contractor please propose) Name

Title

TO BE COMPLETED AT TIME OF AWARD

G.4 Staffing Requirements – The General responsibilities of all contract personnel are as follows:

a. Familiarity with the DIR Objective Review Manual and steps in the review process.

b. Consistently exhibits teamwork and provides best value for customers by improving the quality of customer interaction and communication, and internally improving communication to increase the quality and value of service provided. Demonstrates proactive behavior; provides timely responsiveness; exhibits a sense of ownership and commitment in all dealings. Consistently performs timely follow-through to ensure quality completion of customer actions. Actively engages in customer partnering sessions, meetings, and lessons learned sessions. On a regular basis, shows initiative in problem identification and resolution.

c. Demonstrates full working knowledge of and competent use of support systems, tools and databases relevant to objective review, such as word processing and spreadsheet programs, the HRSA databases, internet assisted review technology/resources, notebook computers, projection equipment, and other tools or databases as needed.

d. Maintains the integrity and security of Federally owned property, including equipment, supplies, and information technology related hardware, software and data.

e. Supports review meetings in a professional and effective manner in accordance with Federal laws and regulations as directed by DHHS, HRSA, OFAM and DIR policies and procedures. Follows all required DIR standards for thorough review of applications in terms of panel discussion, scoring, summary statement development, and other elements deemed necessary for conduct of a proper/efficient review. Takes special precautions to ensure that summary statements do not reflect erroneous or false assertions.

f. Ensures that required documentation of review meeting results is complete, accurate and properly certified. Effectively plans, organizes, and prioritizes work to meet agreed to critical dates and timelines as noted in the RFS.

g. Effectively plans, organizes, and prioritizes work to accommodate agreed to critical dates/timelines as noted in the RFS, and produce clear and effective results of acceptable quality. Refers new or unusual circumstances to the Federal RA or DIR management for guidance.

The full performance of this contract results in a summary statement as the product of the accurate recording and presentation of both strengths and weaknesses of an application as extracted from reviewer evaluations and meeting deliberations. Key contract staff, in increasing order of responsibility, is the Summary Statement Operator (SSO), the contract Review Administrator (CRA), and Project Director (PD). Staff selected for these positions must be of a professional and personal caliber to meet the demands of the process and the quality of the final product. While other staff assist in the conduct of a review, the SSO, CRA, and PD are directly responsible for the successful completion of a review and delivery of products.

Project Director (PD) shall provide high-level oversight to all project staff. This individual requires 10 or more years in managing complex government objective review projects with multiple concurrent teams administering multiple concurrent reviews using recognized project management principles for managing complex projects/contracts. When warranted, the PD shall take a hands-on approach to managing the contract, working closely with the DIR Project Officer (PO) and Federal RA. This individual is required to be qualified in Class I and shall possess strong management experience and leadership skills, as well as corporate level management experience. Duties include:

a.

The Project Director is expected to devote a significant amount of time to the overall management of this Contract, including coordination and cooperation with the Project Officer, direction and oversight of all Task Orders awarded under the contract, and assuring quality of work performed.

b.

The Project Director shall be the primary liaison with the Government Project Officer and is responsible for reporting progress and problems in individual Task Orders or in the overall contract.

c.

The Project Director may assign responsibility for the management of a particular Task Order to a staff person from either Class I or Class II and establish direct communications between that person and the Government Project Officer. Potential leaders of specific Task Orders should be identified. In choosing Key Personnel, the Contractor is expected to consider both the need for specific skills and the need for cost effectiveness.

d.

Responsible for the timely completion of the contract tasks.

e.

Use the most fiscally responsible options in the Government’s favor in contract execution unless waived by the PO to meet review deadlines.

f.

Function as the Point of Contact (POC) for the Contract Officer (CO), Project Officer (PO), or DIR Management, and be the most responsible person for the contract review operations. Communicate with the Government Project Officer on the progress or problems of a given Task Order.

g.

Author, or delegate with review, the weekly and monthly reports.

2. Program Managers (PM). Program Managers (a.k.a. Team Leads) are responsible for the management of teams assigned to support each review in performance of the SOW tasks. The Program Managers supervise the performance of their team members. Customer service to the Federal RAs, and review participants is a critical facet of the PM position, in addition to knowledge of the objective review process. PM’s demonstrate broad experience in the process of objective review management as used by HRSA, or other related Federal agencies. The PM understands the specific requirements of each review (as published in the Program Guidance) that may affect the discretionary grant award process. They are also available to work with the Federal RA as needed to draft or edit forms, procedures, or with the PO for other contract-wide tools. The Program Manager may be responsible for identifying, training, and updating contractor RAs on DIR review processes and policies. The Program Manager coordinates closely with the Federal RA as each review process is planned according to DIR and program needs, and communicates the Federal RA’s expectations to the Contract RAs (CRAs) working the assigned meeting. The Program Manager identified for this task order is also a highly skilled and experienced trainer and facilitator, and can serve in these roles as needed for reviewer and chair orientation conference calls and pre-review trainings as well as new reviewer training sessions. Duties include:

a. Responsible for implementing staff assignments to complete the contract tasks. Successfully coordinates assigned work schedules; assures accomplishment of assigned work or projects; communicates new procedures; effectively interfaces with HRSA personnel; and effectively interacts with staff. Effectively plans and manages all work required to successfully execute well-organized, fair and impartial reviews.

b. Responsible for implementing the Quality Assurance (QA) plan.

c. Use the most fiscally responsible options in the Government’s favor in contract execution unless waived by the PO to meet review deadlines.

d. Function as the Point of contact (POC) for the Federal RA, and be the most responsible person for the contract review operations.

e. Appropriately document and report recusals to the Federal RA.

f. Assist participants during the debriefing session with issues regarding:

1. Proper disposal of review materials

2. Completion & collection of forms

3. Meeting site & transportation items

4. Collect all reviewer evaluations and honorarium forms

g. Using communication tools such as e-mail, voicemail, and ad-hoc meetings, exercises sound professional judgment as it relates to keeping the Federal RA and other appropriate parties consistently informed of both existing and potentially developing issues that may require intervention and/or involvement by the Federal RA and other appropriate parties.

h. Plans, organizes, and prioritizes all assigned work to accomplish pre-review activities within established timeframes. Receives the RFS submission to initiate contract support; coordinates with HRSA on all review requirements and timelines; works with HRSA staff to identify and select review participants and Chairs with necessary expertise. In support of the Federal RA, assures to the extent possible that women, minorities and persons with disabilities are considered in the assignment efforts and assures geographical diversity; makes and assures final logistical arrangements; oversees development and tailoring of essential review materials such as letters, worksheets, explanatory information, rosters, application lists, sample summary statements, etc.; oversees receipt of grant application lists and proposed reviewer panels from the Federal RA; consults with the Federal RA on reviewer eligibility and Conflict of Interest (COI) questions, assists in final reviewer selections and panel assignments, material distribution to review participants, panel review order, and meeting agendas; and coordinates pre-review orientation call as well as all needed communications to resolve problems and make adjustments.

i. Directs and instructs contractor support personnel in carrying out pre-review activities as well as responsibility for, control and knowledge of all pre-review features and requirements. Competently and effectively follows appropriate steps, policies, procedures, and processes outlined in the HRSA Objective Review Manual to ensure that all pre-review activities are carried out in a timely manner, meet agreed to critical dates of accomplishment as noted on the RFS, and produce clear and effective results or products of acceptable quality. Recommendations for variances in policies or procedures are cleared through the Federal RA. Timely apprisal to supervisor of unforeseen issues/problems that will or may cause the review to be late, delayed, or otherwise challenged.

j. In coordination with the Federal RA, assures that reviewer/ Chair/ contractor responsibilities are clearly understood and reiterated by formal orientation, direct instruction, or other explanatory communication as needed.

k. Seeks counsel from the Federal RA or Director of DIR in unusual or difficult situations and in response to crises or unexpected situations as directed by the Federal RA, such as failure of a reviewer to show or logistical/equipment problems, by making adjustments to accommodate the review and schedule.

3. Contract Review Administrators (CRAs). Contract RA duties include:

a. Working knowledge of the DIR Objective Review Manual, steps in the review process, and program guidance for the assigned review.

b. Presence at the reviewer/chair orientation to the ORC process and ongoing support and advice.

c. Monitoring and guiding the interactions of the Chair, panel, and program during the panel meeting.

d. Able to perform the duties of the Grants Technical Assistant (GTA) when a GTA is not assigned to the review meeting.

e. Complete the Statement of Work Review tasks.

f. Assist participants during the debriefing session with issues regarding:

1. Proper disposal of review materials

2. Completion & collection of forms

3. Meeting site & transportation items

4. Collect all reviewer evaluations and honorarium forms

g. As directed by the Contract Program Manager, the CRA is responsible for completing the elements under the Review tasks.

4. Program Specialists. Program Specialists assist the Program Managers on word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications. All Program Specialists possess excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, the ability to deal with multiple assignments concurrently. Program specialists may function as a Summary Statement Operator (SSO), or prepare the Rank Order List (ROL) as a ROL Operator in the processing of application ranking and preparing the data necessary for funding award decisions. It is imperative that each staff member functioning as a ROL Operator has a thorough knowledge of the DIR review spreadsheet and how it functions. In addition, ROL Operators must be extremely accurate at data entry and understand principles of data verification.

5. Summary Statement Operators (SSO). Significant technical support for this task order will be performed by the Summary Statement Operators (SSO’s), who shall record the proceedings of each panel discussion and assist the review participants and panel chairs in developing a consensus summary statement of strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for each application reviewed. These individuals handle the production of summary statements, as well as document control and application scoring throughout the review meetings. All SSO’s proposed for this contract are shall be highly skilled writers with demonstrated experience successfully performing this function for DIR and other Federal agencies. Each panel shall require a contract supplied Summary Statement Operator who shall be able to perform the duties as applicable in task 1-h, 2-d, 2-e, and 2-f, and include but are not limited to the following tasks:

a. Copy the reviewer-prepared summaries (worksheet) in prescribed format to the laptop no less than 24 hours prior to the start of the ORC meeting.

b. The SSO shall verify the information is correct in the summary document header (i.e., grant #, applicant name) and all sub headings.

c. Proficiently operates a laptop and projector during the ORC meetings, and generates the merged draft Summary Statement.

d. The SSO shall work to combine these into one consolidated summary statement as directed by the Chair, until it becomes a record of consensus reached by the panel. The document summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant’s application as discussed during the review meeting. Other meeting data may also be entered as directed by the Chair, i.e. voting, preferences, budget, and other program related criteria. When voting is required by the program, the SSO indicates whether or not the application is recommended for approval.

6. Grants Technical Assistants (GTAs). GTAs are clerical support staff that assist with document control and troubleshooting during review meetings. Typically, the GTA collects and controls all reviewer documents pertaining to the applications under review—for example, performing pre-defined, exhaustive Quality Control (QC) checks on reviewer addition, completeness, and signatures. GTAs will create application-specific folders containing all required documentation for that application under review. Note: The GTA is a functional position only, and one that applies only to the onsite panel meetings.