140D0421R0007 - Phase 1 Questions and Answers_0001.pdf

Question # SOW / RFP Reference and / or Page # Contractor Question Government Answer

1 P1-2 para 1.1(xvi) and 1.3 Will the Government answer all questions before the due date for proposals?

Yes, all responses will be posted via Amendment to betaSAM.gov.

2 P 3-4 para 3.17 ; P3-1 3.3

Will the Government furnish laptops and computers as GFE to provide for the required access using PIV Cards when contractor employees are working remotely in a full time virtual environment?

Yes, the Government will provide all GFE required for access.

3 P3-11 Para 3.29

This paragraph addresses remote working during a Government shutdown. What provisions are being made for small businesses that operate in a virtual environment due to COVID 19 on a full time basis? Will GFE be provided?

Yes, the Government will provide all GFE required for access.

4 P3-1 Section 3 Contract Terms Will the NIH/NCI accept CTAs as provided in FAR Part 9.6 for this solicitation? If so, how will relevant experience and past performance be evaluated?

Yes, a CTA will be accepted in accordance with FAR Part 9.601.

The CTA must be clear as to whether the arrangement is a joint-venture partnership, or a prime/sub relationship. Also, the CTA must clearly demonstrate who is doing what for the contract/task order. This amendment has modified the submission requirements for demonstrated prior experience, and past performance. Two references must be submitted for the prime, and one from a subcontractor (if applicable). If the CTA is a joint-venture, one reference must be submitted for each vendor that is part of the joint-venture.

5 P 4-5 Section 4 5.C. Past Performance Will the Government accept Past Performance on active contracts and Task Orders if the experience is within the five year period of performance and more than 3 years old?

Yes, as long as the experience is relevant. The Government will amend Section 4 to allow for experience up to 5 years.

Sol_140D0421R0007 section 3.3 and Attachment 9 - IDIQ Pricing Template

The government states that the place of performance for task orders will be at NCI facilities and Contractor facilities. Will the government amend Attachment 9 - IDIQ Pricing Template to allow for both government and contractor site rates in their submissions?

No, all rates should be government on-site rates. Section 3 has been updated in the IDIQ and initial Task Order attachments.

RFP Section 4 Proposal Submission Requirements / Format for Phase I Proposal Submission Pg 4-2

Will the government accept Phase I Volume 1 & 2 font size using 10-point font size (any style) for graphics, tables and charts.

Yes, 10-point font size (any style) will be accepted as long as it is legible.

RFP Section 7. Phase II – Evaluation of Factors and Instructions / Phase II Format for Proposals Pg 4-8

Will the government accept Phase II, Volume I, Sections 1 and 2 font size using 10-point font size (any style) for graphics, tables and charts.

Yes, 10-point font size (any style) will be accepted as long as it is legible.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions, IDIQ Price / Page 4-10

Government's instructions state, "Using the IDIQ Price Pricing Template (Attachment 9), the IDIQ price proposal shall be based on your current commercial labor rates, utilizing any and all discounts."

Can the government clarify whether it uses the terms "commercial rates" and "market rates" interchangeably? A lot of companies do not have established commercial pricelists. In a normal course of business, our company uses cost build up to price proposed IDIQ rates.

Yes, commercial rates and market rates are interchangeable.

Can the government provide a list of the incumbent contractors providing this work today?

No, the Government will not be providing a list. The Government considers this a new requirement.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions, C. Phase I, Factor 2: Past Performance - Phase I Volume II / Page 4-5

RFP states: "Each subcontractor, if applicable, shall also identify one (1) Contract/Task Order with the Federal Government and/or commercial customer that demonstrates recent and relevant past performance that will be considered equally along with the Prime’s past performance."

Can the Government clarify subcontractor applicability or can the Prime chose which relevant subcontractor(s) to include?

Yes, the Prime can and should identify which subcontractor experience is applicable to this requirement.

Attachment 1: Task Order 1-CRRI, Section

2.5.4 Task Area 4 – Informatics and

Software Development Support for Validation and Verification / Page 15

SOW States: "The contractor shall provide informatics and validation and verification support for CRRI activities including but not limited to the following:

• Design, develop, document, test, and deploy software to support validation and verification of treatment studies

• Design, develop, document, test, and deploy software to support validation and verification of clinical trial informatics.

• Design, develop, document, test, and deploy software to support validation and verification of assay findings

Can the Government confirm the task area requirements or advise if information is missing as the three bullets are identical?

Yes, the government can confirm the task area requirements apply to treatment studies, clinical trial informatics, and assay findings.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions, Phase I - Submission Instructions, A. Cover Page / Page 4-2

RFP states: "The Offeror shall provide a Cover Page (limit 2 pages) with pertinent Offeror information. This information should include, at a minimum, the company name, DUNS number, TIN number, business size standard, address, authorized corporate representative and their title, email, phone number. This section must include the Offeror’s response to provision fill ins. Offeror’s response to provision fill ins will not count against the 2-page limit and may be attached separately."

Can the Government clarify what provisions are required for the Phase I Submission?

See Attachment 4 - Contract Certifications and Provisions.

Completed Provisions 52.209-7, 52.212-3, and 52.227-15.

RFP Sections:

3.3 Place of Performance

3.29 Telework During a Government

Closure

Under our approved Government accounting system, staff who are not assigned to work at a Government facility cannot be charged out at our Government onsite rate when they are teleworking either due to an approved telework arrangement or a Government Closure. Can staff instead be assigned the rate they would be assigned if they were not teleworking, i.e., Contractor-facility staff would be charged at Contractor facility rate and Government onsite staff would be charged at Government onsite rate, regardless of telework situation?

All contractors should be billed at government on-site rates regardless of temporary telework situations.

15 RFP Section 3.6 Travel & Other Direct Costs

Section 3.6 denotes that travel will be reimbursed at cost;

profit and general & administrative (G&A) expenses will not be allowed. Per FAR Part 31 G&A is a cost and as such our approved Government accounting system and disclosure statement uses the Total Cost model to calculate G&A rate, not the Value Add model. Because of this, G&A expense is part of the cost of travel and ODC expenses. Therefore as an allowable cost can G&A be charged on travel and ODCs since it is part of our Government approved accounting system?

This has been updated to remove the statement that G&A will not be allowed. The offeror must include any proposed ODC-related G&A expenses or material handling fees in their pricing narrative, otherwise the government will assume there are none.

Attachment 7 - Estimated IDIQ Labor Categories

For the LCATs that do not specify years of experience substitutions for degrees, are substitutions allowed?

Substitutions will be allowed so long as sufficient documentation is provided.

RFP Section 1.4, Anticipate Award Type, page 1 - 2

According to the solicitation, Task Ordered released under this Solicitation are anticipated to be Time-and-Materials (T&M).

However, some professional services firms do not perform on a reimbursable basis, but instead do business solely on firm-fixed price (FFP) basis. Allowing for potential FFP Task Orders would open this solicitation to a wider range of potential subcontractors and experts with both commercial and public sector experience who operate solely on an FFP basis.

Moreover, allowing for some FFP Task Orders would shift the risk of performance and cost control from the Government to the Offeror. Given these considerations, would the Government consider allowing for the option of FFP Task Orders?

The Government anticipates future task orders to be Time-and- Materials, and that is the case for the three initial task orders.

If the type of work lends itself to be priced as Firm-Fixed Price, the Government will request the work to be priced as FFP.

18 Phase I – Submission Instructions, page 4 - 2 Does the offerors screen shot of their SAM page count toward the 2 page limit for the Cover Page?

No, it does not.

Phase I, Factor 2: Past Performance - Phase I Volume II, page 4 - 5

Could the Government please confirm they are requesting a past performance reference from each subcontractor in addition to the three (3) from the Offeror?

The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references.

At least two must be from the Prime.

RFP Section 4: 7. Phase II – Evaluation of Factors and Instructions, Page 4 - 7

Can Offerers use a font size lower than 12 point for exhibits, graphics, and tables?

Yes, the Government will allow 10-point font size (any style), as long as it is legible. A font size lower than 10-point will not be accepted.

Attachment 1 - Task Order 1 - CRRI; 2.3 - Objective

Can the Government provide the technology stack / Technical Reference Model used in the architecture of the systems mentioned in Task Order 1?

No, the vendor is not being asked to propose an approach they will adopt the current implementation of the cloud architecture.

Attachment 1 - Task Order 1 - CRRI; 2.5.12 - Task Area 12 – SDLC Support

Does the Government require a specific CI/CD pipeline set of tools or can the offerer propose a set of tools?

Offerors will assume responsiby of the current technologies.

Attachment 1 - Task Order 1 -CRRI; 2.5.11 - Task Area 11 – Provide Help Desk Infrastructure and Support

The Government indicates "The contractor shall design, develop, maintain, test, secure, operate, and/or procure cloud-based help desk software." Does the offerer have to propose a cloud based helpdesk software as a part of its technical and pricing proposal? Section 3.3. indicates that the "Travel and ODCs are anticipated in the amount of $10,000.00 per year."

The government is currently transitioning to a centralized Helpdesk software model and a respose is not required.

Attachment 1 - Task Order 1 -CRRI; 2.5.12 - Task Area 12 – SDLC Support

The Government indicates "…..and/or procure an automatable cloud-based continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipeline." Does the offerer have to propose a CI/CD pipeline set of tools and provide its price in the price proposal? If so, does the Government intend for this to be used in NCI Cloud One, NCI Cloud Two, or both? Section 3.3 indicates that "Travel and ODCs are anticipated in the amount of $10,000.00 per year."

See Government response to #22.

Attachment 2 - Task Order 2 - CRTP-SD;

2.5.2 Task Area 2 – Software Development

Can the Government provide the technology stack for the current CRTP?

No, contractor will assume the current implantation no proposed solution is required.

26 Phase I, Factor I, Question 1

Question 1 of Factor 1 states: "The Offeror shall demonstrate and describe its experience and ability to perform this work by providing at least three previous or current contracts that are most similar in size and scope." Will the Government confirm that relevance in size is measured as an IDIQ/BPA contract with a minimum ceiling of $200M?

Relevance in size refers to the dollar value of the contract, number of staff, number of users served, number of locations served etc.

27 SECTION 2 – IDIQ STATEMENT OF WORK

Is NCI willing to implement a new software setup, or would prefer to upgrade/continue to use the existing setup with custom built updates?

If NCI is willing to implement new software, please share some insight (e.g. ERP, CRM, JIRA, etc.).

Offerors should make any recommendations they feel are relevant and of cost savings to the NCI.

Section 4- Proposal Preparation Instructions. Parts 4 and 5

Section 4, Part 4 and 5 of the RFP, mentions the required order in which the volumes should be submitted. Please advise if there is any particular format in which the volumes should be submitted (i.e. font size, font type, etc.).

See original instructions in Section 4, page 7. Through this Amendment, the Government will accept Phase I Volume 1 & 2 using 10-point font size (any style) for graphics, tables and charts.

Section 4- Proposal Preparation Instructions. Parts 4 and 5

Does the offeror submit Phase I Volume I and Volume 2 in the same document or as separate documents?

Separate PDF documents, one email.

Section 4- Proposal Preparation Instructions, Part 5

Please confirm the page limit for each TO in Phase II – Volume I. Is it 15 pages or 20 pages per TO?

It is 20 pages total (Section 1 and 2) ; Section 1: Factor 3 - 15 pages, and Section 2: Factor 4 - 5 pages.

SECTION 2 – IDIQ STATEMENT OF WORK,

2.0 BACKGROUND

Please provide insight into the current challenges at NCI that this RFP will address.

No additional information will be provided at this time.

Section 4- Proposal Preparation Instructions, Part 5 C. Phase I, Factor 2: Past Performance - Phase I Volume II

Please confirm if the past experience of the Prime can only be submitted or can subcontractor experience also be used.

The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references.

At least two must be from the Prime.

4.0 Proposal Preparation Instructions;

Phase I - Evaluation Factors and Instructions; Phase I – Submission Instructions A. Cover Page; Page 47

Will the Government confirm that evidence of the Offeror’s current System of Award Management (SAM) database registration (http://www.sam.gov), such as a screen shot of the Offeror’s SAM page, can be provided as an attachment and will not count against the 2-page limit for the Cover Page?

Yes, confirming.

34 Section 4, Page 4-2 Does the Government have font requirements for Phase I Volume 1 and II?

See original instructions in Section 4, page 7. Through this Amendment, the Government will accept Phase I Volume 1 & 2 using 10-point font size (any style) for graphics, tables and charts.

35 Section 4, Page 4-6

11. Key personnel (please highlight if those individuals who worked on the relevant project(s) are also being proposed for this requirement.) No personnel are required for Phase I -should we reference proposed personnel for Phase II?

Yes, this is part of the evaluation for Phase II.

36 Section 4, Page 4-5

Each subcontractor, if applicable, shall also identify one (1) Contract/Task Order with the Federal Government and/or commercial customer that demonstrates recent and relevant past performance that will be considered equally along with the Prime’s past performance. Depending on Task Order response requirements, small/individual subcontractors may be used to augment a team. Must a subcontractor past performance be submitted with Phase I for every potential subcontractor regardless of potential work percentage?

The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references.

At least two must be from the Prime.

RFP, page 4-7Section 4.7 "using 12point font size any style"

A font is listed for Phase II, shall phase I use the same font?

Yes, this Amendment also allows for font size to be 10-point (any style).

RFP, page 4-7Section 4.7 "using 12point font size any style"

We respectfully request the use of 10 point font for footers, graphics, and tables in all volumes for phase I and II.

Yes, this Amendment allows for font size to be 10-point (any style).

39 RFP, SF 1449 Shall the completed SF 1449 be inserted in Phase I Volume I?

This should be submitted with Phase II responses as an attachment.

40 RFP, SF 1449

We respectfully request the SF1449 not count towards page count in Section 1 of Volume I, Phase I.

This will not count against the page count. It can be submitted as a separate attachment.

41 Section 4, Page 4-5, Item C Paragraph 1

The RFP states that the Offeror must identify three past performance references. It also states that subcontractors must each submit one past performance reference. Can the Government please confirm that the subcontractor references are in addition to the three provided by the Prime Offeror, and that there must be one past performance reference submission for each subcontractor proposed?

The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references.

At least two must be from the Prime.

42 Section 4, Page 4-7

Font size and page format are specified for the phase II submission but there are no requirements for page format /font size for phase 1 submissions. Can we assume that the phase I submission format requirements are the same as phase II? Can tables and graphics use smaller fonts such as 10 point font for tables and 8 point font for graphics?

Yes, this Amendment also allows for font size to be 10-point (any style).

43 Section 4, Page 4-5

The RFP states that each subcontractor, if applicable, shall also identify one (1) Contract/Task Order with the Federal Government and/or commercial customer that demonstrates recent and relevant past performance that will be considered equally along with the Prime’s past performance. Can the subcontractor identify more than one if they have more than one?

The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references.

At least two must be from the Prime.

44 Section 4, Page 4-5

The RFP states that each subcontractor, if applicable, shall also identify one (1) Contract/Task Order with the Federal Government and/or commercial customer that demonstrates recent and relevant past performance that will be considered equally along with the Prime’s past performance. Can the subcontractor identify experience that was with a non-profit organization? Can the subcontractor identify experience that was with an academic institution? Can the subcontractor identify experience that was with a foreign Government?

The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references.

At least two must be from the Prime. For the questions regarding subcontractor experience, yes you can identify the experience as long as it is recent and relevant.

45 4.0 Proposal Preparation Instructions Due to several holidays between the due dates of Phase 1 and Phase 2 would the government grant a week extension for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 submission deadline?

No extensions will be granted at this time.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions; Phase 1 – Volume 1 - Evaluations Factors and Instructions – A.

Cover Page; Page 48 of 64

1. Phase 1 – Volume 1 - Evaluations Factors and Instructions – A. Cover Page – 2 Pages – “This section must include the Offeror’s response to provision fill ins. Offeror’s response to provision fill ins will not count against the 2-page limit and may be attached separately.”

Please confirm that by “provision fill ins” the Government is referring to Attachment 4 – Contract Certifications and Provisions.

That is correct. 52.209-7, 52.212-3, and 52.227-15 (Attachment 4).

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions; Section 4.5.B Phase I, Factor 1:

Offeror Capabilities and Prior Demonstrated Experience; Page 43 of 64

In order to best describe our capabilities for Question 1, Task Area 9, is the intent of the CTRO to receive data from the NCI supported trials and sites that need to then be coded, cleared, and then loaded into the CTRP or is the intent to provide an IT infrastructure to facilitated the flow of cleaned data.

The intent of the CTRO to receive data, e.g. cancer clinical trial protocols, from NCI supported trials and sites that need to then be abstracted, coded, and entered into the Clinical Trials Reporting Program.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions; Section 4.5.B Phase I, Factor 1:

Offeror Capabilities and Prior Demonstrated Experience; Page 49 of 64

Section 4.5.B Phase I, Factor 1: Offeror Capabilities and Prior Demonstrated Experience: Question 1 seeks information about the Offeror's experience and ability to perform the work and requires information about at least 3 similar contracts, including at least one from the Prime. However, 5.C Phase I, Factor 2: Past Performance requires 3 past performance submissions from the Prime plus one from each subcontractor.

Given the breadth of the requirement and the Government's desire for competition, will the Government standardize those two requirements such that the Past Performance requires at least 3 references in total, with at least one of those from the prime?

Yes. The Government has amended this section. The Government will request a total of three (3) past performance references. At least two must be from the Prime.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions; 4.C Phase I, Factor 2: Past Performance; Page 51 of 64

Will the Government allow Contractor Teaming Arrangements (CTAs) (as defined in FAR 9.601-1) to take advantage of both organizations’ expertise and coverage of the significant number of labor categories?

If so, how does that affect the requirements for corporate experience and past performance?

Yes, a CTA will be accepted in accordance with FAR Part 9.601.

The CTA must be clear as to whether the arrangement is a joint-venture partnership, or a prime/sub relationship. Also, the CTA must clearly demonstrate who is doing what for the contract/task order. This amendment has modified the submission requirements for demonstrated prior experience, and past performance. Two references must be submitted for the prime, and one from a subcontractor (if applicable). If the CTA is a joint-venture, one reference must be submitted for each vendor that is part of the joint-venture.

RFP Section 4 - Proposal Preparation Instructions; Section 4.C Phase I, Factor 2:

Past Performance; Page 51 of 64

Per Section 4.C of the solicitation (Phase I, Factor 2: Past Performance - Phase I Volume II) , the “Offeror shall identify three (3) Contracts/Task Orders with the Federal Government and/or commercial customers that demonstrate recent and relevant past performance.”

Assuming the Government will allow a potential offeror to submit a prime proposal as a partnership Contractor Team Arrangement (as defined in FAR 9.601-1), please confirm the Government will allow the use of additional companies, acting in a subcontractor capacity, to support a partnership CTA prime contractor / offeror.

Yes, confirming.

140D0421R0007 - Q&A Template