CISA Response to Questions 6_1_12.docx

Solicitation 2012-N-14296 – RResponse to Questions – CISA Requirement

1. Currently the CISA contract is issued to AHIP which subcontracts to six academic medical centers to perform the scientific work. Would a similar arrangement with AHIP as the PI/contractor with subcontracts to other academic medical centers be responsive to the RFP?

Response An Offeror may choose to subcontract with other organization(s) to fulfill the requirements of the PWS and specific Task Orders. There are no restrictions regarding the specific number of subcontractors.

It is permissible for an organization to apply directly for the RFP, and also participate as a sub-contractor with another organization applying for the RFP.

2. Regarding the mandatory criteria, #2 on page 81:

1. Can the Principal Investigator (PI) for the overall project and Sample Task Order 1 be a subcontractor or consultant to the lead contractor?

1. Can the MD PI requirement be satisfied through a subcontract or consultant relationship with a qualified member of a contributing site?

Response The Prime Contractor must meet the mandatory criteria as stated in Volume 1 of the RFP. The medical licensure and certification requirements for the Principal Investigator (PI) requirement can be satisfied through a subcontract with a qualified individual or organization. The PI for the overall project and Sample Task Orders can be a subcontractor.

3. Regarding the response due date; the response date posted on FebBizOps says June 15, 2012 at 11:59 PM Eastern, while the response date on the SF33 posted on May 24, 2012 item #9 lists the response date and time as June 25, 2012 at 3:30PM eastern. Can you confirm that the response date of June 25, 2012 is correct?

The CISA RFP is due no later than June 25th, 2012 at 3:30 PM Eastern Time.

4. Is there a specific format or NIH form that is required for the application?

The specific format for the RFP submission is listed in Section L.11 item d. on page 80 of the solicitation. Please remember you will submit a proposal and not an application. This is a contract and not a grant.

5. Is there a projected annual budget for the individual sites - I assume the $5 million per year is for the entire group of 6 or so sites - correct?

The CISA Project has a maximum cap of up to $5 million dollars per year.

However, the Government will determine the actual total annual budget to be allocated for the CISA Project, based on annual CDC program needs and budget considerations. The estimated Year 1 cost range for Sample Tasks 3 and 4 are provided in Section 2. The Contract guarantees that each Offeror that receives an award will receive a minimum of $10,000 during the life of the contract.

The Government may make multiple awards for this solicitation. There are no restrictions regarding the specific number of contractors or subcontractors.

6. On page 84 (I. C.) there is a request to include descriptions of research ideas regarding adults older than 60. In addition, section 1.d on the same page requests approaches to recruit adequate number of pregnant women to conduct vaccine safety studies. Will applications that do not include pregnant women or the elderly be eligible for review? Or are all the populations essential?

Offerors are eligible for review if they meet the mandatory criteria under Volume 1.

Offerors are expected to have responded to all items in the Volumes 2 and 3 evaluation criteria.

7. In follow-up to Rule #7 of the VAERS Rules of Behavior (Attachment J.5), can the VAERS data can be downloaded from the system or can only be viewed as “Read Only”?

The VAERS governmental data/reports can technically be downloaded by Contractors; however standard operating procedures for accessing VAERS data will be provided after an award. Public data for VAERS is available at http://vaers.hhs.gov/data/indexand can be downloaded by the public. The VAERS database and images cannot be altered by users outside the Government or VAERS Contractor.