MACPAC Survey Data RFP Questions and Answers 05222025.pdf

MACPAC Analysis of Survey Data on a Task Order Basis: Questions and Answers Thursday, May 22, 2025

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Question Response

1 For 3.1.1 Mock Task, should the Mock Task project budget be included in the business or technical proposal?

The mock task budget should be included as a part of the mock task section in the technical proposal. It does not need to be included in the business proposal.

2 For 3.1.1 Mock Task, in order to stay within the 2-page limit, can some or all of the following be included as an appendix: sample table shell, staff loading chart, project timeline for deliverables? If so, can appendix files be submitted as an Excel document?

Staff loading charts, project timelines, and the sample table shell may be included in an appendix and may be included as Excel attachments.

Please ensure all documents submitted as a part of Offerors' technical proposals are labeled with the Offeror name and a descriptive file name.

3 Does the government intend to contract with multiple contractors for this IDIQ, or award a single contractor?

The government intends to award to a single contractor for this vehicle as described in Section 1.

4 Please confirm that any costs incurred as part of obtaining requested data sets will be part of the budget for the task order, if applicable.

Confirmed; data acquisition costs, where applicable, should be included in task order budgets. MACPAC does not anticipate frequent data acquisition costs under this task order contract.

5 Can the government estimate how many records with PHI or PII will be shared over the course of the contract? Is there an estimate of this figure from past implementations?

Generally, MACPAC does not anticipate frequent use of PHI or PII given that many public health and health care survey data sets have public use files free of PHI.

6 Can the government share additional details about how a "quick turnaround" is defined? Is the requested turnaround hours or days or weeks?

The timeliness of turnaround is case- and circumstance-dependent.

However, MACPAC generally anticipates "quick turnaround" to mean one to two weeks.

7 Can the government share additional details about the range of the budget or level of effort required for past task orders?

Under the current contract, MACPAC has funded an average of just over seven task orders per year at an average value of $39,000.

8 Please share the names of the contractor(s) on the current IDIQ. The current contract is held by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota.

9 Please share a comprehensive list (or at least a sample) of Task Orders under the current IDIQ.

Offerors may see examples of past contractor work on MACPAC's website.

10 Please share the number of tasks awarded under the current IDIQ and award amounts (or range).

Under the current contract, MACPAC has funded an average of just over seven task orders per year at an average value of $39,000. The anticipated range of estimated task orders annually under this contract is reflected in Section 1.8 of the RFP and is between 0 and 15. MACPAC reserves the right to fund multiple tasks but does not guarantee any set level of funding or number of tasks to the awardee. MACPAC is unable to provide an approximate total value of all tasks.

11 RFP p.1, Section 1.1: MACPAC indicates that this IDIQ will fund a single contractor. Will MACPAC consider the feasibility of funding multiple awards under this IDIQ to provide MACPAC to support competitive, potentially cost-saving approaches to do this impactful, important work?

Please see the response to question 3.

12 RFP p.4, Section 1.8: MACPAC shares the expected quantity of task orders under this IDIQ. Can MACPAC please share the approximate total value of all task orders under this IDIQ?

Please see the response to questions 7 and 10.

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13 When awarding the IDIQ, will MACPAC give consideration to encouraging small business participation as prime awardees or subcontractors?

MACPAC's evaluation criteria for all proposals are described in the RFP.

14 What specific FedRAMP impact level is required (Low, Moderate, or High)?

If "equivalent" environments are acceptable, what specific security requirements would qualify as equivalent? (under 1.3)

FedRAMP Moderate is required if the data to be analyzed are not publicly-available files and contain protected information. For analyses using publicly-available data, MACPAC recommends but does not require FedRAMP certification.

15 What is MACPAC's definition of "quick turn-around" in terms of business days? What is the expected volume of quick-turnaround requests per month/quarter? (under 1.3)

Please see the response to question 6.

16 What is the expected turnaround time for submitting preliminary scope estimates? (in 2.4.3)

The timeliness of turnaround is task-dependent, since some tasks may have shorter timelines for deliverables. However, MACPAC generally anticipates a turnaround time within one to two weeks.

17 Is there a minimum number of staff with SSS credentials expected? Will MACPAC or the contractor be responsible for sponsoring new SSS applications? (in 2.3)

There is no minimum requirement for the number of staff who have obtained SSS. If this is needed for a task, the contractor will be responsible for sponsoring new SSS applications. Task order budgets may reflect these costs.

18 Is there an anticipated distribution of task orders across the base period years? Is there seasonality to task order issuance? (in 1.8)

Please see the response to question 10. MACPAC does not anticipate a seasonality to task issuance.

19 Can MACPAC please provide instructions or guidance on the expected content for 3. Technical approach. Section 3.1 does not provide instructions and there does not appear to be relevant evaluation criteria associated with a Technical approach in section 3.4.

The expected content for the technical proposal is described in 3.1.

Offerors' technical approach should describe its proposed approach to the contract tasks described within the RFP.

20 Does MACPAC have an anticipated timeline for this task or should that be determined by the proposer?

It is unclear to which task this question refers. If it is regarding the mock task, Offerors can propose a timeline of their own determination.

21 What is the incumbent contract for this requirement and what is the contract number?

Please see the response to question 8.

22 Also, what is the estimated value for this requirement? Is it the same as the incumbent?

Please see the response to questions 7 and 10.

23 Can MACPAC confirm that our responses to the requirements listed in Section 2.3 Staffing and Section 2.4 Project Management can be included under the Management Plan and Proposed Personnel Qualifications sections of the technical proposal (rather than the technical approach section)?

Yes, offerors may include their descriptions of staffing and project management approaches under the management plan and personnel qualifications.

24 P.10 of the RFP shows how proposals will be scored. Will any points be assigned to the “Technical Approach” section of the technical proposal?

No, no points are assigned directly to evaluation of this section of the proposal.

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25 The RFP (p.9) states that “Offerors must have two past performance questionnaires submitted via https://macpacgov.app.box.com/f/092654e7817344a7b7ab6269738077a8 by 5pm ET on June 6, 2025. The past performance questionnaire is included in Appendix B for this procurement. Offerors should send the questionnaire to previous or current clients (may include federal and state governments, think tanks, and academic institutions), to be filled out by the client and sent directly to MACPAC. Offerors should not pre-fill or otherwise influence the client’s assessment in the questionnaire in any way.” Can the offeror submit CPAR evaluations already completed by the Federal government in place of these questionnaires for this requirement?

MACPAC does not have access to CPARS. If offerors are unable to contact any past project officers to complete past performance questionnaires, they should reach out to contracts@macpac.gov to discuss possible submissions of CPARS reports.

26 Please confirm that Appendix A is not included in the 25-page limit for the Technical Proposal Volume.

Confirmed; resumes are not expected to fall within the 25-page limit.

27 Is there a page limit for each resume included in Appendix A: Resumes for all proposed professional personnel?

There is not a specific page limit for individual resumes; offerors are still encouraged to use the appendix efficiently.

28 Is there an overall page limit for Appendix A: Resumes for all proposed professional personnel?

There is not a specific page limit for the appendix; offerors are still encouraged to use the appendix efficiently.

29 The RFP (p.7) states “The contractor shall provide mechanisms that will allow the COR and other MACPAC staff to monitor the level of staff and computer resources for ongoing tasks and the progress being made on individual tasks. These monitoring mechanisms shall also provide sufficient information to allow for a review of work performed to ensure consistency with billing on invoices.” – Is this expected to be in the form of Monthly Progress Reports?

Yes, as described in Section 2.5.1, MACPAC expects monthly progress reports.

30 Is there an incumbent currently performing the scope of work identified in the RFP?

Yes, MACPAC currently has a survey task order contract in place.

Please see the response to question 8.

31 Section 3.1.1 Mock Task stipulates that a project budget should be included. Given that typically cost or pricing data is not included in the technical proposal, please identify what volume to include the project budget. Additionally, does MACPAC request a detailed project budget by person/labor category?

Please see the response to question 1. The mock task budget should include sufficient detail to permit MACPAC to evaluate the soundness of the budget.

32 Section 3.2 Business Proposal. “At this time, MACPAC is requesting fully burdened FFP labor rates only for the base period.” Can MACPAC please clarify that the offeror should propose one set of burdened rates for the entire period, or can the offeror propose burdened rates for each year of the five-year base period?

Offerors are expected to propose fully burdened FFP labor rates for the base year, by year. Business proposals can reflect rates for each year of the base period.

33 Will this be a single or multiple award contract? Please see the response to question 3.

34 Who is the current incumbent doing this work? Please see the response to question 8.

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Question Response

35 Please confirm that the cover page, cover letter and table of contents do not count against the 25-page limit.

Confirmed; cover letters, cover pages and tables of contents do not count against the 25-page limit.

36 Please confirm that citations can be included in a non-paginated appendix. Citations may be included in an appendix.

37 The RFP states that some analyses will require access to restricted data.

Access to restricted data may incur significant management and other usage fees.

May these fees be included as ODCs on task orders issued under this

IDIQ?

Please see the response to question 4.

38 The RFP requests Offerors have two past performance questionnaires submitted.

How/where in our proposal should Offerors identify the projects/clients from whom these PPQs were requested?

Offerors may reference entities completing past performance questionnaires in any section of the technical proposal that references the projects or contracts performed for those entities. These entities may also be described in a cover letter or appendix.

39 The RFP states Offerors must include a project budget for the mock task.

Please confirm this budget and associated assumptions for the mock task should be included as part of the business proposal (perhaps as an appendix) as opposed to being included in the technical volume.

Also, does MACPAC have a preferred pricing template required for the mock task budget?

Please see the response to question 1. MACPAC does not require adherence to a standardized template.

40 The RFP states Offerors should include “one sample table shell that includes notes on the denominator, exclusion descriptions, and description of conducted statistical analyses.” Given the additional requirements for the mock task and the mock task page limitation of two pages, would MACPAC consider allowing the sample table shell to be included on a non-paginated page?

Please see the response to question 2.

41 The RFP states, “This volume shall consist of the following sections at minimum:

1.Fully Burdened Labor Rate Schedule and Other Direct Costs 2.Exceptions/Assumptions and Rationales”

Does MACPAC have a preferred pricing template for the Labor Rate Schedule and Other Direct Costs? If yes, can MACPAC please provide?

MACPAC does not have a preferred pricing template for business proposal contents.

42 The RFP states, “This volume shall consist of the following sections at minimum:

1.Fully Burdened Labor Rate Schedule and Other Direct Costs Other direct costs are usually defined at the task order level based on the requirements of the task order statement of work. Please clarify if there are required other direct costs that should be included as part of the budget at the IDIQ level?

MACPAC asks that Offerors include and characterize in the business proposal any foreseeable direct costs not included in labor rates (e.g.

costs associated with certain likely tasks under the contract scope).

While budgeting occurs at the task order level, MACPAC is seeking to understand Offerors' routine direct costs in assessing business proposals.

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Question Response

43 The RFP lists the scoring for each section of the proposal. Please confirm there are no scores (points) assigned for the Executive Summary or Technical Approach.

Please see the response to question 24.

44 Will MACPAC estimate or provide the funding ceiling for this IDIQ throughout the 10-year life of the vehicle? (Section 1.8, page 4)

Please see the response to question 10.

45 There is no reference to citizenship requirements for staffing on this IDIQ.

Will MACPAC accept use of non-U.S. citizens by contractors? (Section 2.3, page 6)

MACPAC expects compliance with U.S. employment and immigration laws, but imposes no additional terms on employment and immigration status.

46 Can MACPAC confirm that a simple budget table within the two-page limit of the Mock Task will be acceptable? (Section 3.1, 3.1.1, page 9)

Please the response to question 2.

47 Considering that there may be instances where the government POC from whom a Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) is requested may not be responsive or is no longer with the government, would the government consider a government contractor performance evaluation CPARS report in lieu of a PPQ? (Section 3, Att B, page 9)

Please see the response to question 25.

48 Given the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, would MACPAC consider extending the response deadline to June 13, 2025? (Section 3, page 8)

MACPAC is unable to extend the due date for this solicitation.

49 Will MACPAC also give additional consideration to contractors with staff that already have obtained Special Sworn Status (SSS) or Public Trust Clearances for a federal agency? (Section 2.3, page 6)

As described in section 2.3, MACPAC will grant additional consideration to contractors with staff who already have obtained Special Sworn Status.

50 Will MACPAC also give additional consideration to contractors with staff that already have Public Trust Clearance for a federal agency but do not have Special Sworn Status (SSS)? (Section 2.3, page 6)

MACPAC will not grant additional consideration for any status not already described in the RFP.

51 Is technical score weighted significantly more than pricing? MACPAC seeks an award that represents best value to the government, considering both technical expertise and price in its final selection.

52 Please clarify the methodology for comparative price evaluation amongst offerors, including the formula for Total Evaluated Price (TEP).

Please see the response to question 51.

53 Can the government clarify how the Fully Burdened Labor Rate Schedule will be used in determining an offeror's financial capacity?

MACPAC does not anticipate using fully burdened labor rates to determine an Offeror's financial capacity. MACPAC intends to use business proposals to assess the best value to the government across technical specifications and pricing.

54 Could MACPAC confirm whether this RFP will result in a single-award or multiple-award IDIQ contract?

Please see the response to question 3.

55 Are the cover letter and table of contents excluded from the 25-page limit? Please see the response to question 35.

56 Could MACPAC please confirm whether there are any page limitations for resumes?

Please see the response to questions 26-28.

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57 Who is the current incumbent vendor, and what is the associated contract number?

Please see the response to question 8.

58 What is a typical work effort for each task, expressed in labor hours or FTEs, as a guide to resource estimates?

Please see the response to questions 7 and 10.

59 What would be a reasonable estimate of the number of concurrent projects issued at any one time?

Please see the response to question 10.

60 Do MACPAC resources require access to vendor IT platforms? For instance, to maintain accounts/logins to vendors statistical software platforms?

No, MACPAC staff do not routinely require access to Offerors' statistical software platforms.

61 Is vendor required to submit resumes for all possible staff, or may we limit it to key personnel such as lead statistical investigators, Program Managers, Research Scientists and similar key roles?

Offerors are expected to supply resumes for the key staff required to execute the scope of the contract successfully in order to permit MACPAC's evaluation of the Offeror's technical approach.

62 Will selected vendor be required to submit recommendations or proposals for government policy, or are vendor responsibilities limited to data, analysis, and insights that support MACPAC to formulate recommendations?

Contractor responsibilities are outlined in the RFP. While the contractor is expected to demonstrate expert-level familiarity with Medicaid policy informed by contract activities, the scope of vendors activities are limited to those in the RFP.

63 Should fully burdened labor rates include projections of statistical software computational costs, or are these variable costs a separate line item on each task order budget?

Other direct costs should be described in the business proposal, distinct from labor rates fully burdened to reflect all staffing-related expenses.

While these costs are typically budgeted on a task order basis, MACPAC seeks to understand Offerors' routine direct costs in executing the projects under the scope of this contract.

64 SAS and STATA are jointly referenced – is vendor required to maintain both statistical platforms and expertise, or are we able to select one platform as the preferred statistical tool?

MACPAC requires vendors access and use statistical software to sufficiently achieve the objectives of the contract, but imposes no limitations on a platform of preference.

65 Is vendor required to utilize off the shelf programs such as SAS or STATA, or may we utilize custom code written by our programmers in a language such as “R” or Python?

Please see the response to question 64.