Attachment B - All Questions and Answers.pdf

HSI Participant Recruitment Attachment B RFQ Questions and Answers

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

# Document Page Question Answer 1 Attachment E –

Proposal Price Template _HSI Participant

LCAT Tab Instruction (Pricing Sheet)

The pricing template (LCAT tab) specifies four particular labor categories. Could the Government please clarify whether these positions are meant to be considered key personnel positions requiring resumes and/or Letters of Commitment at the time of proposal submission, or if they are simply general categories for pricing purposes?

Key Personnel are not required for this requirement, therefore resumes and letters of commintment are not required for proposal submission.

Please reference revised Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors included in Amendment 0002 which removes this requirement.

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N/A Is there an incumbent for this work, and if so, will the government identify them and the associated contract information?

Q1. Yes, there is an incumbent contractor for this work.

Q2. The incumbent contractor was Perigean Technologies, LLC.

3 Attachment E Proposal Price Template

Base Tab Please confirm that the $40,925 total for participant reimbursement includes face-face travel incentives.

Yes, this is for participant reimbursements for face-face travel incentives.

4 PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment – Background and Scope Sections

Will the government advise offerors if this is a new requirement or an ongoing requirement?

This is a new procurement to continue ongoing support.

Solicitation 36C10G25Q0094

Can the Government confirm whether these participant recruitment services have been provided under a previous contract? If so, could the Government identify the current or most recent contractor?

Q1. Yes, these support services were provided under a previous contract.

Q2. The incumbent contractor was Perigean Technologies, LLC.

Solicitation 36C10G25Q0094

Can the government confirm whether the incumbent is eligible to bid on this requirement?

Confirmation will not be provided.

PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment – Section 12 – Performance Metrics

The PWS references the use of a QASP for the life of the contract to assess contractor performance.

Will the government confirm that the QASP was not posted and made available to offerors with the other solicitation documentation in the SAM.GOV portal?

Yes, the QASP was erroneously not provided with the solicitation.

Please reference Amendment 0002 for a copy of the QASP.

CONTRACTING

Source Selection Information FAR 2.101 and 3.104

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

Solicitation 36C10G25Q0094, Section E, Instructions for Volume I

72 Can the government share the anticipated award date?

As provided on Page 5 and Page 74 of the original solicitation and Page 6 of Amendment 0001, the contract is anticipated to begin on or around September 1, 2025.

9 Attachment E Proposal and Price, LCAT Worksheet

LCAT

Worksheet

Can you confirm the LCATs listed? In particular, the need for a BioInformatician or Health System Specialists II? The tasks described in the PWS seem to describe a research coordinator with recruiting experience, or a UX research operations specialist, or a human factors specialist. These roles would have experience with research objectives and methodologies, understanding of target demographics, and experience with participant engagement for research purposes. Will these types of LCATs be acceptable or disqualify the response?

The LCATs are not required for this requirement. Please reference Amendment 0002 for the revised Attachment E - Proposal Price Template

Solicitation 36C10G25Q0094

Can the Government clarify whether it anticipates designating any specific labor categories or roles as key personnel under this requirement? If so, are offerors expected to include résumés, Letters of Commitment, or other supporting documentation for these individuals at the time of proposal submission?

Key Personnel are not required for this requirement, therefore resumes and letters of commintment are not required for proposal submission.

Please reference revised Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors included in Amendment 0002 which removes this requirement.

Source Selection Information FAR 2.101 and 3.104

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

# Document Page Question Answer 1 Attachment A –

PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment.pdf

PG. 3-9 Does the Government require resumes for proposed key personnel (whether listed in the PWS or on the pricing sheet) to be submitted with the initial proposal, or will resumes only be needed upon request or before award?

Key Personnel are not required for this requirement. Please reference revised Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors included in Amendment 0002.

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N/A The solicitation and PWS make multiple references to Key Personnel requirements, however none are provided in either document. Will the Government clarify the Key Personnel roles and update the solicitation accordingly?

Key Personnel are not required for this requirement. Please reference revised Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors included in Amendment 0002.

3 Attachment A -

PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment

4 The PWS states “The Government estimates a need to recruit up to six hundred (600) total Participants over the course of a twelve (12) month period of performance (PoP). This includes a range of potential Participant mix:

Employees (Staff) Veterans Caregivers (Delegates) Survivors.” Will the Government provide samples for each of the required participant groups, or will the contractor be responsible for sourcing this information?

Please reference PWS 4.2.1. The Government will provide specific screening criteria, and the contractor will be responsible for recruiting participants that meet these eligibility criteria.

4 Attachment A -

PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment

7 Will the Government permit administration of electronic incentives (e.g., Amazon E-Gift cards) as a reward to non-staff interviewed Participants?

Yes. Please reference Amendment 0002 for revised

PWS.

5 Attachment A PWS, Section 5, Table, 4.2.1

10 of 12 There is a reference to Attachment A Participant Agreement but there is no Attachment A on the PWS

Please reference Amendment 0002 attachments.

6 Attachment A PWS, Section 5, Table, 4.2.2

10 of 12 There is a reference to Screening Questionnaire Attachment B Screening Questionnaire but there is no Attachment B on the PWS

Please reference Amendment 0002 attachments.

7 Attachment A PWS, Section 2 last bullet

3 of 12 There is a reference to Attachment D HSI Consent of Participants Standard Operating Procedure but there is no Attachment D on the

PWS

Please reference Amendment 0002 attachments.

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

8 Attachment A PWS, Section 4.2.3, Table 1 Honorarium

8 of 12 Can you provide approximate percentage of sessions per duration of session?

How many <1 hr; 1-1.5 hrs; 1.5-2 hrs; 2+ hrs

No, we cannot provide approximate percentages but, as noted in PWS 4.2.1, we expect 90% of the studies to be 1 on 1, which generally take less time than group studies or sessions.

9 Attachment A PWS, Section 4.2.3, Table 1 Honorarium

8 of 12 In the honorarium section it points out travel for participants for face to face sessions. Is there any travel budget for contractor to greet participants and coordination with Govt HSI PM occurs and necessary technology is started and functional?

No travel allowed for the contractor. Travel is only allowed for participants for face to face studies.

10 Attachment A PWS, Section 4.2.1, 6 of 12 "Contractor shall maintain a Pool of active participants that is at least two times the required Participant Mix". Is the "mix" defined by the specified Govt estimates for Employees/Staff, Veterans, Caregivers, and Survivors (bottom of page 4)? For example, the pool should have 2 x 300 for Employee/Staff?

Correct

11 Attachment A PWS, Section 4.2.1, 6 of 12 "Contractor shall maintain a Pool of active participants that is at least two times the required Participant Mix". Is there an existing database of participants that we will start with or are we starting the outreach from scratch?

There is not an existing database.

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

12 The Contractor shall provide electronic summary notes that capture key Participant verbatim quotes, new ideas, key themes, and discussion points. This indicates some level of analysis of the gathered survey data, but page 3 states “the Government is responsible for analyzing the collected data.” Can the government expound on the types and potential quantity of studies intended to be conducted face-to-face? Are the face-to-face studies driven by the specific topic discussed or a means to gather information across another modality and compare with other survey means? Page 5 states “The majority of studies will be conducted remotely,” however, page 4 notes the on-site location in Orlando for conducting face-to-face studies.

Please reference Amendment 0002 for revised PWS.

13 PWS Could the Government provide further detail regarding the required qualifications or experience for key personnel?

Key Personnel are not required for this requirement. Please reference revised Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors included in Amendment 0002

14 PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment –Scope of Work Section 2.0

2 Will the government advise offerors if there is or will be guidance concerning the use of machine language/artificial intelligence in the execution this work and production of deliverables? If there is guidance from the government, may it be provided prior to the RFQ response submission date for acknowledgement in Volume I – Technical Factors

No guidance will be distributed, however please note the requirement in PWS 4.2.2 "The Contractor shall review any web conferencing software automatic transcription output"

15 PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment

3 To support clear alignment with the Government’s expectations, can the Government clarify whether proposals should demonstrate existing recruitment infrastructure or whether a clearly defined, rapid implementation plan is acceptable if it meets all stated performance objectives?

Please reference E.10 Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors and E.12 Addendum to 52.212-2 Evaluation of the solicitation (and any updates per amendements)

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

16 PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment –Scope of Work Section 2.0

3 Will all anticipated studies be defined at the time of award, or will studies be introduced on a rolling basis throughout the period of performance?”

Rolling basis throughout the period of performance.

17 PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment –Scope of Work Section 2.0

3 Can the Government clarify whether any Government Furnished Information (GFI), such as internal points of contact, recruitment communication protocols, or facility engagement pathways, will be provided to facilitate coordination and outreach for recruiting VA staff and Veteran participants?

If known, internal points of contacts, protocols, and engagement pathways will be communicated to help facilitate coordination but the Government is not required to provide this information.

18 PWS HSI

Participant Recruitment

4 Can the Government provide additional guidance or examples regarding the process and expected timelines for obtaining required union approvals when recruiting VA staff participants? Is there a preferred point of contact at the VA or established protocols contractors should follow to initiate these approvals?

As PWS 4.2.1 states, the Contractor will be responsible to ensure all Union-related requirements are met, including effectively coordinating communications between relevant Union representatives and HSI.

There are local union POCs and national groups for enterprise purposes that will have to be coordinated with. Generally two weeks is the required response time for inquiries. The Government will share any known protocols after award.

19 Solicitation 36C10G25Q0094, Section E, Instructions for Volume I

72 In presenting the offeror’s technical capability and execution approach, will the government confirm that there is no requirement for a “Transition In/Transition Out” activity, plan and schedule as a component of Volume I - Technical Factor submission?

No requirement for "transition in/transition out" activity

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

# Document Page Question Answer 1 Attachment D –

Past Performance Questionnaire

(PPQ)

PG. 1-3 Will the Government consider relevant corporate-level experience or individual executive leadership experience (from either private sector or military assignments) in lieu of or in addition to organizational past performance when evaluating the Past Performance factor, especially when such experience is directly related to participant recruitment, human-centered design, or human factors initiatives?

Please reference Page 5 of Amendment 0001 which provided

- References provided may include those entered into with the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments and commercial concerns.

Additionally it provided - Relevancy. The aspects of relevancy that will be reviewed includes similarity to services/support required by the HSI Participant Recruitment scope, complexity and size (dollar value).

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73 The past performance submission instructions state "Each Offeror shall submit no more than one recent and relevant references for its proposed subcontractors (2 or more must be for the Offeror)", can the government confirm that SBA-certified Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture offerors may utilize past performance from either party to satisfy the requirement?

Yes, certified JV's may use past performance from either party.

Consideration and evaluations of such JV responses will be in accordance with FAR 15.305(a)(2)(vi), 13 CFR 125.8(e), and 13 CFR 128.402(f).

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73 The past performance submission instructions state "in the event an assessment was not completed or marked as Final in CARS/PPIRS for the contract/order, Offerors may request the reference point of contact (POC) to complete and submit a Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) (See Attachment D of this solicitation)", in light of the very short (<6 full working days) response timeline, can the government confirm that this is an optional requirement ('may') ?

This is not an optional requirement.

Please reference revised Addendum to 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors included in Amendment 0002 which extends the due date of PPQs

ONLY.

PAST PERFORMANCE

Solicitation No 36C10G25Q0094

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74 The past performance submission instructions state "Past Performance references shall provide evidence of ability establish and maintain a databases of Participants using specific recruitment criteria (gender, age, use or not use of health IT (HIT), specific medical conditions, etc.; Participant logistics: scheduling of participants, delivery of study instructions, and remuneration of study participants.; and set-up and utilization of technology for remote testing and recording of study sessions and focus groups; transcription of sessions", can the government clarify if this requirement applies to all three submitted references or just one or more?

Please reference Amendment 0001, Page 5 where it provides:

Each reference will be evaluated individually, and then relevancy (size, scope, and complexity) will be considered cumulatively across all the past performance references.

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72 The content requirements table lists a "Offeror Name_Vol III-Price Narrative.pdf" file" that is not subsequently referenced or included in the submission requirements or evaluation criteria.

Can the government explain the purpose of this file and provide Offerors with further instruction of what to include?

As provided in Amendment 0001, Page 6 - Offerors may also detail any discounts or other relevant pricing information. This is what the narrative is for. It is an optional file.

Attachment E - Proposal Price Template is MANDATORY to complete the Volume III - Price proposal.

6 Attachment E - Proposal Price Template _HSI Participant

LCAT Tab Attachment E includes a tab listing four mid to senior level labor categories, can the government please clarify what, if anything, Offerors are to use these for?

Please reference revised Amendment 0002 which provides revised Attachment E -Proposal Price Template which removes the unneccesary labor categories.