Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Questions and Answers – 2013-N-15633 7/19/2013

Question #1: Can files on the CD be PDF format if the text is searchable?

Answer: Please follow all formatting instructions as specified in the published RFP.

Question #2: The RFP has conflicting information—would you please confirm that resumes are not included in the page limit? Subfactor 2, Basic Contract and Subfactor 2, Task Order 0001: Is the resume page limit (of 2 pages per resume) for both Parts A and B of the proposal?

Answer: Resumes shall not exceed two (2) pages per person. Resumes are not included in the

Technical Proposal page limit or the Business Proposal.

Question #3: Has CDC has a projected deliverable due date for Tasks 6, 7 and 8? This deliverable timeline currently stops at task 5.

Answer: Please refer to the table and due dates provided in Section VI of the RFP’s Attachment 3.

Question #4: C.4, page 6, bullet #4: Is there a dollar limit on the incentives that can be provided to study participants?

Answer: There is no pre-defined fixed amount for the incentives. Incentive amounts may vary, depending on what is appropriate for each Task Order.

Question #5: C.4, page 7, paragraph 1: How many task orders does CDC anticipate awarding per year in each category:

a. Small-scale

b. Medium-scale

c. Large-scale

Answer: CDC does not know the answer to this question at this time. It depends on future substantive needs and budget availability.

Question #6: C.4, page 7, paragraph 1: Are the sample sizes listed maximums for each category?

Answer: Yes, unless otherwise specified in future task order RFPs.

Question #7: C.8, page 10: Please confirm if the Quality Control Plan is required for offeror’s response to the Basic Contract or response to Task Order 0001?

Answer: A Quality Control Plan is required for Task Order 0001 only.

Question #8: Section K, page 51: Does registration in SAM.gov suffice? Please confirm if offerors and/or their team members are required to submit a completed Section K if their sam.gov registration is current.

Answer: In lieu of providing the FAR Provision 52.204-8 (See K.2 on Page 51), Contractors may submit a printed copy of their Online Representations and Certification Application (ORCA) from

SAM.gov.

Question #9: L.6, FAR 52.232-28, Invitation to Propose Performance-Based Payments:

a. Please clarify if offerors are required to submit items 1-3 in provision (d) of this section.

b. If yes to question a, since this is an IDIQ, please advise as to how offerors are to develop such information.

Answer: Yes, items 1-3 in FAR Provision 52.232-28 (d) are required. Contractors are permitted to propose performance-based payments for Task Order 0001 in accordance with FAR 52.232-28.

Question #10: L.8, Proposal Submission, page 63: Please consider extending the due date to August 15, 2013 at 1pm.

Answer: The solicitation submission date remains unchanged. The submission due date for questions was decision based on several factors to include the amount of time required to review and respond to the contract, amount of detail provided in the solicitation, and the numerous responses to the Sources Sought.

Question: #11: L.8, Proposal Submission, page 63: Please consider revising the requirement for the original and five copies AND a total of 6 CD-ROMS (“each of the proposal copies shall include a CD-

ROM) to an original and 6 CD-ROMs.

Answer: Each proposal copy and the original proposal shall include a CD-ROM. There should be a total of 6 CD-ROMs.

Question #12: L.10, Proposal Contents, Part A, page 63: Please clarify if the Information Security Plan is excluded from the 30 page limit.

Answer: The Information Security Plan will not be included in the page limit for the Technical

Proposal. There is no page limit on the Information Security Plan.

Question #13: L.11, Proposal Page Format, page 64: Please consider EXCLUDING the cover letter, table of contents, index, appendices, attachments, illustrations, charts, tables, diagrams and all other documents that would support an offerors response.

Answer: The solicitation remains unchanged. Where a page limit applies, the page limit includes cover letter, table of contents, index, appendices, attachments, illustrations, charts, tables, diagrams and all other documents.

Question #14: L.12, Technical Proposal Preparation Instructions, page 65, B, Task Order 0001:

a. Please confirm that this task order will be awarded in the award process for the Basic Contract. Is there an estimated level of effort?

b. Given that a significant volume of information is required to provide a competitive response, please consider expanding the page limit to 20 pages from 10.

Answer: Task Order 0001 will be awarded in the award process for the Basic Contract. Task

Order 0001 will be awarded as Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP). The estimated level of effort will not be provided by the Government . The work to be performed for Task Order 0001 is clearly defined in

Attachment 3 of the solicitation. Specifically, “IV. Technical Requirements” describes the subtask with detail and “VI. Deliverables” provides a list of deliverables at high quality.

Question #15: L.12, Business Proposal Preparation Instructions, (a) page 66: Is there a list of labor categories to which offerors should add suitable categories for the Basic Contract?

Answer: Administrative labor categories are not requested to be included. Examples of professional labor positions for this requirment include but are not limited to: Principal

Investigator, Project Manager, Recruiter, Data Collector, and Data Manager/Analyst.

Question #16: L.12, Business Proposal Preparation Instructions, (b) Past/Present Performance, page 67:

a. Please confirm that the due date for past/present performance questionnaire (Attachment 1) have the same due date as the proposal, August 8, 2013 at 1pm.

b. Please confirm if offerors' team members are required or allowed to have their clients submit questionnaires.

c. Based on the wording in 1. (Page 67) and 3. (Page 68), please confirm if the 3 references is a minimum or maximum.

Answer: The due date for Past/Present Performance questionnaires are due on the date and time of the proposal submission due date. Questionnaires from both contractors and subcontractors may be considered. Contractors are to request Past/Present Performance References from a minimum of three (3) references.

Question #17: L.12, Business Proposal Preparation Instructions, (c), page 68-69: Please confirm if information required for subsections i, iii, iv, v, and vi of item 6 (Supporting information and cost estimate rationale), should be based on their response to Task Order 0001 given the Basic Contract is in response to the IDIQ.

Answer: 6.iii through 6.ix are applicable to Task Order #0001 only.

Question #18: M.3, Evaluation Factors: Can the experience of team members count toward the offeror’s score?

Answer: Experience can include contractor staff and subcontractor staff.

Question #19: Attachment 3, Task Order 0001,

a. Please confirm if the task order number is 0002 or 0001.

b. page 5: Please confirm that the Security Plan can be submitted as an Appendix.

Answer: Reference to Task Order 0002 is a typo and should read Task Order 0001. The

Information Security Plan will not be included in the page limit for the Technical Proposal. There is no page limit on the Information Security Plan.

Question #20: L.12, Business Proposal Instructions, page 66-68: Please confirm that this section includes parts a-c as stated: Contract Proposal Cover Sheet, Past/Present Performance, and Other Administrative

Data.

Answer: The Business Proposal includes Part A thru D and one Appendix.

Question #21: Attachment 3, page 3: Please clarify if the literature review is a deliverable? If it is a deliverable, when is it due?

Answer: The literature review is part of the study protocol document that will be used to secure

IRB approval. Please see the table and due dates provided in Section IV of the RFP’s Attachment 3.

Question #22: Does the Government have a forecast of the total number (or the percentage distribution) of opportunities that may be released under the three task areas (small, medium, and large-scale)? (C.4 -

Page 7, 2 nd paragraph)

Answer: CDC does not know the answer to this question at this time. It depends on future substantive needs and budget availability.

Question #23: Are there specific requirements around the content of the “Information Security” section of the Technical Proposal? (C.6 – Page 7, 1 st paragraph) Per the RFP requirements, data must be stored in a system that is FISMA complaint. Is it acceptable for a prime contractor to utilize the data storage system of a subcontractor to meet this requirement or must the prime contractors have their own system? (C.6 -

Page 8, 2

Answer: The Federal Information System Management Act (FISMA) requires that all Federal

Information Systems successfully complete a Certification and Accreditation (C&A) process. The

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created numerous documents that guide the C&A process, those include NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53 Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, NIST SP

800-18 Rev 1 Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal Information Systems, NIST SP 800-

30 Rev 1 Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments, NIST SP 800-37 Rev 1 Risk Management Guide, and many others.

If the system being developed cannot successfully pass the C&A process, then the system will not be allowed to be moved to production, where it would be used by the end user / individuals who requested the system.

Question #24: Please confirm that the 50% prime labor distribution requirement of FAR 52.219-14 will not apply to task orders valued at $150,000 or less as stipulated by FAR 19.508(e). (H.20.b.(7) – Page 32)

Answer: The 50% prime labor distribution excludes task orders valued at $150,000 or less.

Question #25: Section L.11 states that text in illustrations and charts should be limited to 30 words, but then states that it is acceptable to include text exceeding the 30 word limitation as long as the required page limit remains the same. Can the Government please clarify if there is a 30 word limitation? (L.11 -

Page 64, 2

Answer: Text in illustrations, charts, graphics, tables, or diagrams shall not be no less than 8 pitch.

The 30 word limit is no longer a requirement.

Question #26: Are offerors required to include ALL current government commitments regardless of agency and scope of work, or should we only include commitments related to this IDIQ? (L.12.(c)2 -

Page 68)

Answer: Offerors are required to include all current government commitments related to this

IDIQ.

Question #27: Under “Subfactor 3 – Staffing and Management Plan” (for the Basic Contract – Part A), it specifies that resumes are not included in the Technical Proposal page limit. Can the Government please confirm that this also applies to “Subfactor 2 – Staffing and Management Plan” (for Task Order 0001 –

Part B)? (M.3.1 - Page 73)

Answer: Resumes shall not exceed two (2) pages per person. Resumes are not included in the

Technical Proposal page limit or the Business Proposal.

Question #28: Task Order 0001 requires IRB and OMB approvals, which can take 6-9 months at a minimum. In the event approval is delayed beyond a reasonable period of time under which Tasks 7 and

8 can be implemented within the 12 month period of performance, will the Government modify the task order to delete Tasks 7 and 8? (Attachment 3, Task Order 0001 - Task 6, Page 3)

Answer: CDC cannot forecast future uncertainties like this. If problems are encountered with any

Task Order, CDC will attempt to create an appropriate response.

Question #29: Does the Government plan to release and fund Task Order 0001 or is it being used for illustrative purposes only? (Attachment 3)

Answer: Task Order 0001 will be awarded in the award process for the Basic Contract.

Question #30: Will funds for Task Orders be severable or non-severable?

Answer: Severability and Nonseverability will be determined for each individual task order.

Question #31: Please clarify if the literature review in Task Order 0001 is a deliverable. If it is a deliverable, when is it due?

Answer: The literature review is part of Task 5. See the task descriptions provided in Section V, “Technical Requirements.”

Question #32: Although attachment 3 (page 6) indicates a sample size of 30, the RFP (page 7) provides varying study scales (from a sample size to 30 to 200+ participants). Are there parameters on the sample

(i.e., individuals that should not be included – contiguous US only, primarily serving targeted populations, etc.)?

Answer: The sample size requirements will vary, depending upon the substantive needs of each

Task Order. These needs will be described in each Task Order’s RFP. At this time, CDC does not anticipate that the work for any of the Task Orders will take place outside of the United States or its territories.

Question #33: Is there an incumbent? If so, can the government provide the name?

Answer: No, there is no incumbent.

Question #34: Does the government anticipate this work will interface with existing / on-going DHAP data collection and analysis projects?

Answer: Although that may happen with some future Task Orders, CDC does not have any further specific information available at this time.

Question #35: Has DHAP collected any initial/example datasets to support this effort? If yes, can any information about those datasets be provided?

Answer: DHAP does not have any initial/example datasets.

Question #36: What kind of technology systems will be available to support the data gathering/collection?

Answer: Currently, we have no plans to make any technology systems available to support data collection. This may change with future task orders.

Question #37: What is the government’s expectation for participant incentives (is this an ODC?)

(solicitation, p6)

Answer: The incentives should be appropriate for the persons sampled under each Task Order.

There is no pre-determined amount for the incentives.

Question #38: Is there a desired format for datasets provided to CDC? (solicitation, p6)

Answer: The dataset formats are not predetermined, and likely will vary according to the needs of each Task Order.

Question #39: For Task Area 2.0, is contractor expected to “enroll” participants, or only to recruit

(Solicitation, p7)

Answer: The contractor will be responsible for enrolling and recruiting the participants.

Question #40: On page 5, section C.2, fourth main bullet, second sub-bullet: “Achieve inter- and intra-coder agreement”. Can CDC clarify what type of coding does this statement refer to?

Question #41: Is there specific content analysis software for qualitative research required for this solicitation?

Answer: The specific software used may vary depending upon the needs of each Task Order.

There is no specific content analysis software required for Task Order 0001.

Question #42: Award of Task Orders (H.20) indicates that “Limitation on Subcontracting will be accessed at the task order level” (p. 32). The word "accessed" appears to be a typo as it does not make sense as stated; please clarify.

Answer: The word “accessed” is a typo and should be replaced with the word “assessed”.

Question #43: To give offerors from outside the Atlanta area the same fair opportunity as local firms for the present procurement, please consider permitting delivery of hardcopy and CDs by 1:00PM, EST, on

Friday, Aug 09, 2013, while maintaining email response as Aug 08, 2013 1:00 pm Eastern.

Answer: The solicitation submission date remains unchanged. The instructions for delivery of the proposals remains unchanged.

Question #44: In view of the National Defense Authorization Act, NIH policy, and GAO Protest of

Spectrum Security Servs., Inc., B-297320.2 (Dec. 29, 2005), limitations on subcontracting assessed at the task order level seems inconsistent with current policy. Please consider removing it.

Answer: The limitations on subcontracting is not inconsistent with the FAR, HHSAR, and local

CDC policy and therefore remains unchanged and will be assessed at the task order level.

Question #45: Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (L.1) include 52.222-24 Preaward On-

Site Equal Opportunity Compliance Evaluation and 52.222-46 Evaluation of Compensation for

Professional Employees (p. 60). What are the offeror’s requirements at the proposal stage and after award for each of these provisions?

http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/2973202.pdf http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/2973202.pdf

Answer: FAR 52.222-24 is required in solicitations and resultant contracts when 52.222-26 is included and the anticipated contract amount is $10 million or more. The prospective Contractor and its known first-tier subcontractors shall be subject to a preaward compliance evaluation by the

Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP), unless, within the preceding 24 months, OFCCP has conducted an evaluation and found the prospective Contractor and subcontractors to be in compliance with Executive Order 11246 (see FAR 22.802). The Contracting Officer is required to obtain an EEO clearance from the appropriate OFCCP regional office prior to award per FAR

22.805 unless an exception applies.

FAR 52.222-46 is required in solicitations for negotiated service contracts when the contract amount is expected to exceed $650,000 and the service to provide will require meaningful numbers of professional employees. The prospective Contractor’s total compensation plan indicating unrealistically low professional employees compensation may be assessed adversely as one of the factors considered in making an award.

Question #46: The RFP requires that the narrative portion of the cost proposal shall be submitted on CD-

ROM in Word MS .doc format (L.4, p. 61); and the electronic files which comprise the offeror's technical proposal shall be in MS Word .doc (or .docx) file format (L.11, p. 64). Please consider accepting Adobe

PDF format for these files (1) to ensure that text flow and pagination is retained when opened on a computer other than the contractor’s; and (2) to facilitate assembly by offerors of cover page, table of contents, graphical exhibits, resumes, and letters, along with the body text section.

Answer: The solicitation requested format for electronic files found in Section L.4 and L.11 remains unchanged.

Question #47: Basis of Award (M.2) indicates that “Based on the expected duration and frequency of anticipated task orders, the Government reserves the right to restrict the number of contracts awarded to two (2) contracts.” (p. 70). Please elaborate on the expected duration and frequency of anticipated task orders. How many task orders, and of what scope, does CDC plan to issue per contract year?

Answer: The period of performance of each Task Order are anticipated to be no longer than 12 months from the Task Order’s award date. CDC cannot forecast the number or timing of future

Task Orders that may be issued under this contract. In part, this will depend upon future substantive needs, as well as budget resource availability.

However, it is anticipated that there will be no more than 2-3 task orders issued in any given year of the contract, and there may be a minimum of 0-1 task orders issued in any given year. It is anticipated that there will be a mixture of small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale task orders across the duration of the contract.

Question #48: In the Technical Proposal Preparation Instructions (L12), the bullets under Basic Contract evaluation subfactor 3; and under Task Order subfactors 1, 2, and 3 (p. 65-66) are not consistent with the corresponding bullets in Evaluation Factors (M3, p. 72-74). We request that only a single set of evaluation factors be provided to eliminate any ambiguity and to provide a clear framework for presentation of proposals.

Answer: Information provided in Section L should be used by Contractors as a guide for structuring proposals wherein Section M is provided as evaluation factors for award purposes.

Question #49: Evaluation criteria number 3, Cost/Price Factor (applicable to the Task Order 0001 only), states: “However, offerors shall provide a separate detailed cost proposal for Task Order 0001” (p.

74). The antecedent for “however” is not obvious in this context; please clarify.

Answer: Offers shall provide a separate detailed cost proposal for Task Order 0001.

Question #50: The example of weighted scoring for evaluation subfactors (p. 76) is not consistent with the table of technical evaluation subfactors for the basic contract (p. 71). Please clarify this difference or correct the example.

Answer: Page 71 provides the actual relative weight for the subfactors wherein Page 76 is an

EXAMPLE only used to illustrate calculations.

Question #51: Contractor Quality Control (C.8) requires that a description of the quality control inspection plan shall be provided as a part of the offeror’s Task Order technical proposals. Is this plan required for Task Order 001 and, if so, does the 10-page limit include this plan?

Answer: Contractor Quality Control Plan shall be excluded from the page limit.

Question #52: “Task 2” of the Task Order (p. 2-3) requires: “Design data collection tools and instruments, including but not limited to, demographic questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group guides.” Please provide an estimate of the number and type(s) of unique qualitative research studies to be completed with the 30 total HIV Healthcare providers. Given the mention of both in-depth interviews and focus group guides, should some participants be included in multiple study types?

Answer: Task Order 00001 is for one research study with 30 HIV providers using an appropriate mix of methods, including some or all of those mentioned. Each Task Order likely will have separate samples, depending upon the substantive needs for each Task Order. Although this may change, at this point CDC anticipates that the persons sampled under the first Task Order likely will not be sampled in future Task Orders.

Question #53: Section IV Technical Requirements of the Task Order (p. 2) states, "Meetings may include face to face...The Contractor should expect to conduct one (1), one-day, face to face, kick-off meeting...." In addition to the kick-off meeting, please clarify the anticipated number of face-to-face meetings at CDC required over the course of task order performance.

Answer: CDC expects only one face-to-face meeting may be necessary.

Question #54: Please further describe the requirement in Task Order Security Compliance (p. 5) to license an existing data system for use by CDC grantees and CDC employees. Under what aspects of the task order would the contractor’s data collection system be used by CDC grantees and CDC employees? The Security Compliance requirement also mentions a licensing contract (“...for maintaining computer and data security on the licensing contract...” p. 7). Please describe the licensing requirement.

Answer: Any database purchased or created would be for the benefit of CDC grantees and employees and must comply with the EGovernment Act of 2002, Federal Information Management

System Act (FISMA). This compliance is a mandatory Certification and Accreditation (C&A) process outlined in NIST SP 800-37 and 800-53. NCHHSTP IT Security Team will supply templates of all the documents require for the C&A process and will help the offeror craft C&A responses and mitigate any operational vulnerabilities that are discovered as the result of security scans that are initiated by CDC for the purpose of insuring CDC information is adequately protected.

The NCHHSTP Information System Security Officer (ISSO) and IT Security Team Lead will coordinate with the offeror to help complete the C&A documents. Additionally, Annual

Assessments will need to be completed and recertification’s completed when there are any significant changes to operating systems or applications. These C&A documents and timelines will be coordinated and tracked by an NCHHSTP IT Security Analyst that will be assigned to the offeror system. The listed C&A documents BSI, PIA, HCW, SSP, SBW, BCP and RAR will be explained in detail by ISSO and Security Analyst and all documentation will be coordinated for compliance and accuracy by the Security Analyst. The NCHHSTP IT Security Team will provide the appropriate document template and assistance during the C&A process and the subsequent annual Self-Assessment, BCP and any re-certifications that are required.

Question #55: Does the Sample Task Order need to address security? Or is security sufficiently covered in the proposal itself?

Answer: Task Order 0001 is not a “Sample” Task Order. Task Order 0001 will be awarded in the award process for the Basic Contract. The Information Security Plan for the Technical Proposal will be applicable to the Basic Contract and all task order issued under the Basic Contract. Only one plan is required.

Question #56: In what section of the Proposal should security be addressed? Or should it be a stand-alone section?

Answer: The Information Security Plan should be included in the Technical Proposal as a stand-alone section under Tab A.

Question #57: Is this a MOBIS solicitation?

Answer: This solicitation is being offered as a Full and Open competitive requirement.

Question #58: Are letters of commitment required from subcontractor staff?

Answer: Yes. See Section M.3., Evaluation of the Technical Proposals for the Task Order 0001, subfactor 2, d, 2., states: “For all personnel who are not currently members of the Contractor’s staff, a letter of commitment or other evidence of availability must be submitted.”

Question #59: Is the proposer to provide or develop the collection or analysis systems. Or is the government providing systems to be managed, updated or modified?

Answer: The government is not providing data collection or analysis systems.

Question #60: Will there be more than one awardee?

Answer: Preference will be to award to multiple contractors rather than a single contractor. See

FAR Clause 52.216-27 under L.1 of the solicitation.

Question #61: Is it a requirement to propose Performance-Based Payments?

Answer: No. Contractors are invited to propose Performance-Based Payments in accordance with

FAR 25.232-28.

Question #62: The RFP states that there are four option years, but the task order states a 12-month period of performance. Are there plans to expand the study based on preliminary findings in the first year?

Answer: Procurement policy restricts the period of performance for any Task Order to be no more than 12 months from the date of the Task Order’s award. All work needed for any Task Order must be completed within this 12 month period. There is no expectation of extending the period of performance for any specific Task Order beyond 12 months, even though the length of the entire contract extends for a longer period. Individual task orders will not necessarily be linked in any way.

Question #63: The interviewees are described as HIV clinicians, primary care doctors, health care professionals, and HIV/AIDS service providers. Though representative of HIV care providers, the study omits patient perspectives, which I believe would be a useful addition. So, could this research potentially include individual or focus group interviews with patients? If not, could this be included in a subsequent phase of the research?

Answer: For the purposes of this first Task Order, the contractor should limit their sampling plan to cover the population specifically described in the task order. Future Task Orders may address needs and gather data from other populations.

Question #64: The technical requirements specify enrolling 30 interviewees. Does the count of 30 include only individual interviews? Would we be permitted to exceed this number if the study design includes multi-participant focus groups?

Answer: The contractor should propose a suitable methodology for collecting qualitative data from a sample of 30 HIV healthcare providers.

Question #65: Section L12. Business Proposal Instructions, (c) Other Administrative Data, 6. Supporting

Information and Cost Rationale page 68: “In addition to spreadsheet information described above”.

Please provide direction to the referenced spreadsheet information.

Answer: Spreadsheet information would include the “proposed cost, profit or fee (as applicable) per year and total for all years. Sum by major cost element (e.g. direct labor, other direct costs)” outlined in Section L.12. Contractors must provide Reference Notes in an attachment/appendix to the Business Proposal with references made to the attachment/appendix where appropriate in the

Business Proposal.

Question #66: Section L12 (c)6. Business Proposal Instructions, Supporting Information and Cost

Estimate Rationale page 68. Does this section apply to the direction on page 66 (L.12(a)4) to provide cost estimates for the “Basic Contract total five years.”? If yes. How do we determine costs for a five year

IDIQC mechanism with multiple task orders with currently undetermined scope? For the Basic Contract

(section L.12.4) , is the contractor to provide rates for Direct Labor, Overhead, Fringe, G&A, and Fee?

For the Basic Contract (section L.12.4) , is the contractor to provide rates for Direct Labor, Overhead, Fringe, G&A, and Fee?

Answer: Contractors are to complete an overall assessment of the Basic Contract to include the

Statement of Work (See Section C of the solicitation) and propose their costs and “as applicable” the profit or fees associated with developing their proposal for the Basic Contract. These cost shall include but are not limited to the fully burdened hourly rates for the professional employee positions identified within the Contractors proposal. Contractors are reminded that the Unit Price and Extended Price are Not Separately Priced (See the price schedule table located on Page 2 of the solicitation).

Contractors shall submit a more detailed cost proposal for Task Order #0001 that should include cost, profit or fees (as applicable) in support of the associated Statement of Work for Task Order

#0001.

Question #67: Task Order 0001: Will OMB clearance be required for this qualitative data collection?

While the master questions will be fixed, it is anticipated that the guiding questions could be iterative.

Answer: It is anticipated that OMB clearance will be required.

Question #68: Task Order 0001: Task 5.2 states: “The finalized study protocol shall be submitted to the

COR, local and federal IRB submissions, and OMB request.” For IRB review, will we utilize our IRB of record or CDC’s IRB? Or, are you asking for duplicate IRB submissions? If yes, which IRB’s requirements/requests/decisions will be followed in case of a difference or conflict?

Answer: The study protocol shall be used to secure all IRBs as necessary. This will include local applicable IRBs and possibly a federal IRB. If duplicate IRB submissions are required, all IRBs must approve the protocol in order to conduct the research. CDC and/or contractor staff will work to resolve differences.

Question #69: Can the subcontractor be FISMA certified, if the small business prime is not?

Answer: There is no FISMA certification. This is a process under EGovernment Act of 2002

(FISMA). CDC conducts the Certification & Accreditation (C&A) process under the guidelines of

NIST Special Publication 800-37 and 800-53. The contractor will have to supply information to the

NCHHSTP IT Security Team to successfully complete this C&A process.

Question #70: Can stipends be given to consumers, providers, etc. for interviews and focus groups?

Answer: Yes, appropriate incentives can be provided for participation in data collection activities.

Question #71: Can partners (CBOs, etc.) who are used to recruit receive stipends or honoraria?

Answer: Yes, if appropriate. All costs would be provided by the Contractor.

Question #72: Is travel allowed in most task orders?

Answer: In general, CDC anticipates that some travel may be needed for Task Orders. For this first Task Order, CDC anticipates travel to CDC for the kick-off meeting and potential travel to conduct data collection activities.

Question #73: Are there any specific target populations, such as MSM, African-American / Latino women, etc.?

Answer: The target population for the first task order is HIV care providers serving populations at greatest risk for HIV, including MSM, youth, and racial and ethnic minorities.

Question #74: Will Spanish-speaking staff be required?

Answer: Spanish-speaking is not required.

Question #75: Page 64 of 80, L.11 states that the electronic copies of the proposal shall be in MS

Word. May we instead submit an acrobat (.pdf) for the technical proposal and for the text of the cost proposal?

Answer: Please follow all the formatting instructions described in the published RFP.

Question #76: L.11 Proposal page format: , page 64

Question #77: In the sample task, section VII, the TO reads "Third, the Offeror shall respond to the following seven security associated requirements in the application", however, only six security requirements are described. Please clarify.

Answer: There should be seven security requirements. The 7 th is encryption.

The Offeror shall respond to the following seven security–associated requirements in the application:

(1) Position Sensitivity Designations

CDC requires a Public Trust Level 5 for the following

The following position sensitivity designations and associated clearance and investigation requirements apply under this licensing contract:

Level 5: Public Trust - Moderate Risk (Requires Suitability Determination with NACIC, MBI or

LBI). Licensor employees assigned to a Level 5 position with no previous investigation and approval shall undergo a National Agency Check and Inquiry Investigation plus a Credit Check

(NACIC), a Minimum Background Investigation (MBI), or a Limited Background Investigation

(LBI).

Upon award, the Licensor will be required to submit a roster of all staff (including sub-offeror staff) working under the contract that will have the ability to access sensitive NCHHSTP HIV information from the system. The roster shall be submitted to the Project Officer/technical monitor, with a copy to the Contracting Officer, within 14 calendar days of the effective date of the contract. Any revisions to the roster as a result of staffing changes shall be submitted within 15 calendar days of the change. The Contracting Officer shall notify the licensor of the appropriate level of suitability investigations to be performed, but Licensor employees and subcontractors who have met investigative requirements within the last five years may only require an updated or upgraded investigation. An electronic template, “Roster of Employees Requiring Suitability

Investigations,” is available for offeror use at: http://ais.nci.nih.gov/forms/Suitability-roster.xls.

Upon receipt of the Government’s notification of applicable suitability investigations required, the

Licensor shall complete and submit the required forms within 30 days of the notification.

Non-Disclosure Agreements

The Offeror and any sub-Offerors or employees are forbidden from sharing any technical or logistical information they may gain in conjunction with matters related to this task order that could jeopardize the physical or information security of CDC or its employees, projects, or information systems.

The following apply to Licensor employees and their subcontractors associated with the project:

1) Personnel may not begin work under the contract until the contractor has submitted the employee roster and non-disclosure agreements as described above.

http://ais.nci.nih.gov/forms/Suitability-roster.xls

2) Personnel without necessary background investigations will not have access to sensitive project data.

3) Violation of these conditions may lead to termination of the contract.

It is the Offeror's responsibility to ensure that all employees have met CDC and federal requirements, such as, for example, completion of background checks, before gaining or utilizing access to CDC information technology resources.

(2) Privacy Compliance

Licensor in conjunction with CDC Center ISSO shall conduct and maintain an initial Privacy

Impact Assessment (PIA) as defined by Section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002. Periodic reviews shall be conducted by the system owner, with assistance from the CDC Center ISSO and offeror, to determine if a major change to the system has occurred, and if a PIA update is needed.

(3) Offeror’s Official Responsible for Information Security

The offeror shall include in the “Information Security” part of the Technical Proposal the name and title of its official who will be responsible for all information security requirements should the offeror be selected for an award.

(4) Rules of Behavior

The offeror’s employees and subcontractors shall comply with the HHS Information Technology

General Rules of Behavior.

(5) Information Security Training

HHS policy requires that contractors and subcontractors shall receive security training commensurate with their responsibilities for performing work under the terms and conditions of their contractual agreements. The successful offeror shall be responsible for assuring that each employee, including subcontractors, has completed the HHS Computer Security Awareness

Training course (or another course designated by CDC) prior to performing any contract work, and thereafter completing the HHS-specified annual refresher course during the period of performance of the contract. This would be provided at the Offeror's expense and would be the

Offeror's responsibility to plan and arrange.

The successful offeror shall maintain a listing of all individuals who have completed this training and shall submit this listing to the project officer.

(6) HSPD-12 Compliance

Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS-201) (vii) compliant, Homeland Security

Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) card readers shall: (a) be included with the purchase of servers, desktops, and laptops; and (b) comply with FAR Subpart 4.13, Personal Identity

Verification.

(7) Encryption

All sensitive CDC-funded data stored on desktop computers used on behalf of HHS shall be secured either through a FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption solution or through adequate physical security and operational controls at the desktop’s residing location.

All mobile devices, portable media and transfer data files that contain sensitive CDC- data shall be encrypted using FIPS 140-2 compliant algorithms.

Question #78: How many awards are anticipated for the IDIQ contract?

Answer: The Government anticipates awarding 2 or more IDIQ contracts.

Question #79: Please confirm that all Task Order awards will be in firm-fixed price.

Answer: Task orders will be issued on a firm-fixed-price basis.

Question #80: (Page 7) The three Task Areas are specified that data collection to be completed within a certain period of time after receiving OMB and IRB approval. Will the Government consider allowing additional time in the event that unexpected obstacles may occur during the data collection process, such as participants’ scheduling conflict?

Answer: Procurement policy restricts the period of performance for any Task Order to be no more than 12 months from the date of the Task Order’s award. All work needed for any Task Order must be completed within this 12 month period. There is no expectation of extending the period of performance for any specific Task Order beyond 12 months, even though the length of the entire contract extends for a longer period. This means that if a Task Order requires OMB/PRA and IRB approvals as well as data collection, all those steps must be completed within the 12 month period of performance specified for that Task Order.

Question #81: In Task Order 0001, please advise whether the Government has in place the OMB concept clearance approval for fast tracking of conducting data collection requirements under this IDIQ vehicle. If not, the OMB clearance process may take up to 9 months and could impact the available time for data collection, analysis and reporting. Will the Government consider to extending the POP for this Task

Order?

Answer: CDC/NCHHSTP has in place a mechanism that will cover information collection requests

(ICRs) for conducting formative research. It is anticipated that this may reduce the amount of time required for OMB review and approval. Procurement policy restricts the period of performance for any Task Order to be no more than 12 months from the date of the Task Order’s award. All work needed for any Task Order must be completed within this 12 month period. There is no expectation of extending the period of performance for any specific Task Order beyond 12 months, even though the length of the entire contract extends for a longer period. This means that if a Task

Order requires OMB/PRA and IRB approvals as well as data collection, all those steps must be completed within the 12 month period of performance specified for that Task Order.

Question #82: Please confirm whether this solicitation is a new requirement by the Government. Are there any contractor(s) providing similar or related services to the Government, and who are these contractors?

Answer: This is a new requirement. There are no predecessor contracts.

Question #83: Page 64, under L.11 states that “The electronic files which comprise the offeror’s proposal shall be in MS Word.” Would the government accept .pdf files in place of MS Word files as well?

Question #84: Task Order, Page 5 under “Security Compliance”, please note the government has deemed this FISMA Moderate, which is an added level of security. Given the requirements of the current task order, the project does not appear to meet the qualifications for “moderate”. Is it possible to amend this requirement?

Answer: This was meant to be an example. The system can be a low, moderate or high based on the information that is gathered. Once the system begins the C&A process I (NCHHSTP

Information System Security Officer) make the determination if the system category and type in accordance with FIPS 199/200 will be a low, moderate or high and that decision is subsequently validated by the CDC Chief Information Security Office.

Question #85: Would the government please provide an anticipated cost range or LOE for the task order?

Answer: We will not be providing an LOE for this task order.

Question #86: My company has experience in many of the following activities, but in the context of other infectious diseases, not HIV. Do you anticipant that awards will only be made to companies with HIV-specific experience? If we hire-contingent upon award one or more highly qualified HIV researchers, or team with a subcontractor with the needed experience, would that be accepted as “Institutional Capacity” and as “Experience” in the context of Subfactor :

a) The following are the three (3) Technical Evaluation subfactors for Part A:

b) Subfactor 1 – Institutional Capacity/Technical Competence

c) Experience with federally funded qualitative HIV prevention, care and treatment research.

d) Experience collecting qualitative data using methods such as in-depth or semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and direct observation and ensure data safety.

e) Experience managing and analyzing qualitative data, including development of reliable codebooks, expertise with qualitative analysis software packages, and ensure data safety.

f) Experience accessing difficult or hard to reach populations impacted by HIV or at greatest risk for HIV-infection for enrollment in qualitative studies.

g) Experience accessing HIV providers and healthcare systems that serve persons at risk for HIV or who experience interruption in HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.

Answer: CDC cannot pre-screen content of a Contractor’s forthcoming proposal.

Question #87: Similarly, in regards to the Sample Task 0001:

a) can “Technical Experience Persons Living With HIV/AIDS “ be satisfied with experience provided by a sub-contractor / team member?

b) can “Technical Experience Persons Living With HIV/AIDS “ be satisfied with experience provided by a contingent-hire employee?

c) Also, For the Business proposal L-12. b) Past/Present Performance; Can the past performance requirement be satisfied by either a subcontractor or a contingent-hire proposed employee? If so, which is acceptable?

Answer: CDC cannot pre-screen content of an offeror’s forthcoming proposal

Question #88: Section C.4 Technical Requirements, page 6 of 80: The solicitation states "…data shall be collected from one or more sites or geographic regions in the U.S…." Will CDC specify the sites and/or geographic regions for a given RFTOP, or is that the responsibility of the Contractor to identify sites and/or regions?

Answer: The sites and geographic regions proposed for data collection should have demonstrated burden of HIV infection as determined by national or local epidemiological data.

Question #89: Section C.4 Technical Requirements, page 7 of 80: The solicitation states "The Contractor is responsible for seeking IRB approval for all data collection activities.” Does this include obtaining IRB approvals at sites where data collection is to occur? Or support sites in obtaining IRB approval?

Answer: Yes, if appropriate. All data collection activities must be covered by local or other IRB approvals.

Question #90: Section C.4 Technical Requirements, page 7 of 80 (Task Area 3.0. Large-scale qualitative studies): The solicitation states "The contractor shall recruit and enroll a sample of 200 or more participants." Is there an upper limit to "or more,” given the data collection completion time-frame of 3 months from IRB and OMB approval?

Answer: There is no upper limit. Proposed activities should be feasible within the timeframe of the task order.

Question #91: Task Order 0001: Can the order of completion of tasks be modified? Our recommendation would be to begin the literature review (Task 5) to inform main study parts – research questions of interest, research design, data collection plan – sample, instruments, procedures for data collection, management, and monitoring --. Past studies may point to areas or topics worth examining in more detail or that enough information is already available. The literature review may also inform the study about effective data collection instruments and approaches to their use, reliability and limitations.

Answer: The tasks can be initiated at any time. Task completion is guided by the due dates outlined in the Deliverables Table. The literature review, as part of the study protocol, will be completed in tandem with the study design and instruments.

Question #92: In task 4, it is mentioned that the data plan should include description of “….development of data models, matrices….” Please elaborate what is meant by these descriptions.

Answer: Proposed data analysis activities may include coding activities, including building models and matrices with coded data.

Question #93: The study’s main focus is on perceptions of HIV care professionals about care and outcomes among PLWHA. Would CDC also be interested in gathering data from PLWHA-- for instance to confirm or better understand findings expressed by care providers? Past research conducted by our researchers in a major metropolitan area offers relatively easy access to local populations of PLWHA from racial/minority populations. These data can be gathered at no significant cost to the overall study and may contribute to validating findings.

Answer: The purpose of task 1 is to collect information from HIV service providers, not PLWHA.

Question #94: Please provide an example of a performance-based payment schedule for a fixed price task order IDIQ contract.

Answer: Performance-based payment schedules will vary dependent upon the task requirements.

The payments may be made based on the performance measured by objective, quantifiable methods, accomplishment of defined events, and other quantifiable measures of results.

Question #95: Page 68 asks for supporting information on Direct Labor rates, fringe benefits, indirect costs, etc. However, the RFP indicates that issued Task Orders would be Firm Fixed Price. Please explain how this information is to be provided, since labor estimates, travel costs, ODCS, etc. are unknown.

Answer: “Supporting Information and Cost Estimate Rationale” is relative to the Basic Contract and Task Order #0001 to be awarded.

Question #96: Can GSA-approved labor category rates for proposed individuals be used for costing the

Sample Task Order?

Answer: The Task Order is not a “Sample” Task Order. The Task Order will be awarded at the time the Basic Contract is awarded. Task Orders awarded will be against the Basic Contract not as

Task Orders against a GSA IDIQ Contract. Offerors may propose categories and rates from an existing GSA schedule along with information in accordance with the solicitation instructions.

Question #97: L. 12 Business Proposal Instructions: What information are offerors' team members required to submit for justification of labor rate and other business related requirements?

Answer: Prospective Contractors are required to explain their basis for labor rates and other business related requirements (to include an explanation for first-tier subcontractors).

Question #98: Does CDC anticipate conducting quantitative surveys under this IDIQ.

Answer: The RFP allows for the use of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. It is possible that some future Task Orders may include quantitative survey components.

Question #99: For TO 0001, will respondent monetary incentives be allowed? If so, is there an allowable range?

Answer: Yes, incentives are allowed. In general for any Task Order, the incentive amount should be appropriate for the sampled study participants and the substantive needs of the Task Order.

Question #100: Will travel cost be allowable for most of the task orders, with previous CDC approval?

Answer: IF travel is applicable to task orders a separately priced cost reimbursable line item…