QUESTIONS RECEIVED 08-N234-6002-dm.doc

QUESTIONS RECEIVED

SOLICITATION 08-N234-6—2-DM

CORD BLOOD 3RD COHORT

1. I am interested in developing a cord blood banking program in an area that will add to the diversity of cord blood units in the NCBI program Rather than bank the units in a new bank in this area, my plan would be to contract with an existing NCBI bank where the unrelated units I collect could be processed and stored. I would direct the program and subcontract the cost of banking to an existing NCBI bank. Is this model acceptable?

Response: Your question regarding subcontracting the processing and banking of NCBI units to an existing NCBI bank requires careful consideration. Although we do not fully understand all of the nuances of your situation and your proposed approach, we have attempted to outline for you several points that you may wish to consider if/when you decide to submit a proposal. Additionally, as you noted in your question, HRSA is particularly interested in increasing the diversity of units in the NCBI inventory and would welcome proposals from offerors who can significantly contribute to this effort. HRSA’s goal is to quickly build a diverse, high-quality inventory of new cord blood units. In future funding cycles, the eligibility criteria may be revised.

· Contractually, this approach may be acceptable. However, precedent around similar subcontracting arrangements has been set in the small business contracting arena. That precedent dictates that the preponderance of work must be completed by the prime contractor. If you choose to submit a proposal, you should carefully consider this precedent, how the work will be divided between the prime contractor and subcontractor, and how you may be able to clearly demonstrate that the majority of work is being completed by the prime contractor.

· While it may be possible to satisfy the mandatory requirements outlined in this solicitation, your question does not indicate how you propose to meet the mandatory criteria for accreditation and having an established program of public cord blood banking with a minimum inventory of 500 public CBU that were collected by the offeror (RFP Section B.a.2 & B.a.3).

· Per the evaluation criteria identified in the RFP, up to 26 points will be awarded based on corporate capability and experience. You should review and consider how you will meet all of the technical requirements, specifically those identified in Section B.c.1, “Corporate Capability and Experience.”

· Your question does not address the issue of cord blood unit ownership. We assume that the units would be owned by the prime contractor. Note that the prime contractor would be subject to the 10-year period of performance and reporting as indicated in RFP Section F.F.1. and the Schedule of Deliverables.

· A proposal such as you have suggested should demonstrate that the additional work being performed by the subcontractor would in no way impede the subcontractor’s ability to complete the work for which they directly contract with HRSA to complete including the processing, storing, listing, billing for, and releasing units for transplant.

Interested parties who are unable to meet the current criteria as set forth in this solicitation may wish to consider collaborating (subcontracting) with an existing NCBI bank as a collection site.