S02 Amendment 36C26025Q0712 0001.pdf

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO. 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

1 10

0001 07-10-2025

648-25-3-1555-0015

36C260

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 20 (V4CONT) 1601 E. Fourth Plain Boulevard Building 17, Suite B428 Vancouver WA 98661

36C260

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 20 (V4CONT) 1601 E. Fourth Plain Boulevard Building 17, Suite B428 Vancouver WA 98661

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C26025Q0712

07-01-2025

X

X X

648-3650160-1555-820100-2580 SP80K00A3

X 1

The purpose of this amendment is to remove sentence from Section 5.1.3., Part II, Price. and answer questions received.

See Section A.1 for detailed sentence removal. See Section A.2 for questions and answers received. Questions will appear in black while answers will appear in red.

Jennifer Robles Contracting Officer

VA-VHA-RPOW-2023-0015

A.1 – SENTENCE REMOVED FROM E.6, 5.1.3

Section 5.1.3. Part II - Price, on Page 41 of the Solicitation stated, "The quoted price from the offeror shall not exceed the stated contractor’s price schedule." This solicitation is an open market solicitation therefore this sentence has been removed from the evaluation criteria.

E.6 BASIS OF SELECTION

1. Contract Type: The contract will be firm fixed price. It will be competed and awarded under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. FAR Parts 14 and 15 are not being used. The Government intends to select one contractor for the subject solicitation.

2. Responsive and Responsible: This is a Low Price solicitation where a single Offeror will be selected who is deemed responsive and responsible in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 9.104-1, whose offer conforms to the RFQ requirements, offers the lowest price, whose price does not exceed the amount of funding available for the procurement, and whose offered price is found to be reasonable.

In addition to the general standards of responsibility found at FAR § 9.104-1, in accordance with FAR § 9.104-2, the special standards of responsibility described below apply to this procurement. Offerors who fail to meet any special standard of responsibility will not be eligible to receive contract award.

Offerors must read the solicitation entirely to ensure compliance with the solicitation requirements.

Offers received that do not comply with the terms and conditions of the solicitation and/or have missing documentation may be considered non-compliant and may be removed from evaluation.

3. SAM Registration: Offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). No contract will be entered into with an unregistered contractor. Internet access allows you to register by completing an electronic on-line registration application at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ On-line Representations and Certifications (ORCA) may also be filled out at this website.

4. Questions: Questions to this RFQ shall be submitted via electronic mail to the Contracting Officer Jennifer Robles (jennifer.robles1@va.gov). Questions shall be accepted until 3:00 PM Mountain on 07/09/2025. The Government is not obligated to respond to any questions received after that date and time. All questions received within the designated timeframe that the Government considers relevant, will be answered. Responses to questions will be provided as amendment to the RFQ that will be made available to all potential Offerors. Telephonic inquires will not be responded to.

5. Quote Preparation Instructions:

5.1. Specific Instructions: Submit signed and dated offers to Contracting Officer Jennifer Robles via email to jennifer.robles1@va.gov. All Quotes shall be legible and prepared in the following general format to be properly evaluated. Offers shall be complete, self-sufficient, and respond directly to the requirements of this solicitation.

5.1.1. Format.

** ALL OFFERORS ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT PARTS 1 THROUGH 3 BELOW TO BE IN ORDER TO

COMPLY WITH THE SOLICITATION INSTRUCTIONS. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE

INSTRUCTIONS, YOU MAY NOT BE FURTHER EVALUATED FOR AWARD. **

Part I: Executed Request for Quote

Part II: Price Proposal

Part III: Responsibility

5.1.2. Part I - Executed Request for Quote: requires the offeror to complete blocks 17a (block 17a must include a SAM Unique Entity ID), 17b, 30a, 30b, and 30c, on the SF 1449 as applicable. Complete acknowledgement of amendments issued.

5.1.3. Part II - Price: Insert proposed unit and extended prices in Contract Line Item Numbers (CLIN). All prices shall be represented in two decimal positions only. Example: $0.27, not $0.27458. Firm fixed unit pricing shall include all labor, overhead, profit, materials, and associated costs of the like to provide services. Pricing shall not be handwritten to ensure they are legible. Pricing will be priced as a total all-inclusive for the items listed in Section B.2 (Price/Cost Schedule). The quoted price from the offeror shall not exceed the stated contractor’s price schedule. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 60 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers. Offers received that do not comply will be found non-compliant and removed from evaluation.

5.1.4. Part III – Responsibility: Requires the offeror to provide information verifying that it has the capability of meeting the requirements of the solicitation. Please read the solicitation in its entirety and provide copies of the following:

5.1.4.1 Resumes outlining experience and education level as outlined on the Statement of Work.

Past performance will be evaluated using the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), as well as the past performance references. If an Offeror does not have past performance available in CPARS, the past performance references will be used exclusively. Government databases and previous Project Owners/CORs may be contacted as references. The Government may research offeror performance on any federal, state, local, and commercial contracts of the offeror that is known to the Government, but not included on a submitted reference. Additionally, the personal experience and evaluator knowledge of offeror performance may be utilized.

6. Basis For Award: An award will be made to a single offeror. Any award to be made will be based on the lowest price offer that meets responsibility requirements with a satisfactory record of past performance. If an offeror has no record of relevant past performance record or if information is not available, they will not be rated favorably or unfavorably. No offer will be accepted that does not contain the total amount of work specified in this solicitation.

7. Price Criteria:

7.1. Price. Price will be evaluated using Price Analysis Techniques and the following criteria:

7.2. Total Price: The total evaluated price will be the sum of all Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs).

7.3. Balance of Offer: The offer is balanced if the price is properly distributed throughout the life of the contract by base and option years.

7.4. Reasonableness. A price is reasonable if, in its nature or amount, it does not exceed what would be incurred by an ordinarily prudent person in the conduct of normal competitive business.

8. Responsibility Criteria:

The ratings focus on the acceptability of the offeror’s offer and will be assessed at the factor level.

Responsibility shall be evaluated using the following rating method:

8.1. Acceptable: Meets all specified minimum performance or capability requirements necessary for satisfactory contract performance.

8.2. Not Acceptable: Fails to meet all or some specified performance or capability requirements.

Clearly state why the offeror does not meet any specified performance or capability requirement.

9. Past Performance Ratings:

9.1. Past Performance: The Government will review available past performance data in the Government’s Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). However, the Government reserves the right to obtain past performance information from any available source and may contact sources other than those identified by the offeror when evaluating past performance. The Government will rate the offeror in relation to risk. A contract award will not be made to any offeror who receives an Unsatisfactory past performance rating. The Past Performance Factor will be assigned one of the ratings defined below:

9.1.1. Acceptable - Little doubt exists that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort based on its performance record.

9.1.2. Not Acceptable – Significant doubt exists that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort based on its performance record.

A.2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR SOLICITATION 36C26025Q0712

1. Question: Must the vendor have experience with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center program?

Answer: Vendors must have experience conducting evidence synthesis and data repository work for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center program network in accordance with page 19 (Statement of Work, Part 3, Scope).

2. Question: B.2 Price Schedule, p. 4 – partial FTE phasing: The two MSc CLINs list 75 percent and 50 percent effort. Do these represent staggered start dates (9 months then 6 months) or two concurrent MSc staff totaling 1.25 FTE for the full year? (Affects staffing plan, timeline, and cash flow projections.)

Answer: Concurrent staff totaling 1.25 FTE for the full year.

3. Question: PWS §4.2(a), p. 21 – literature search cutoff: What exact calendar date was the “last report’s final search”? This date is needed to set the new search window and quantify the citation pool for screening labor estimates.

Answer: April 1st, 2025.

4. Question: PWS §3, p. 20 – annual update workload: Annual updates mention abstracting “40 55 studies per year.” For labor hour estimating, should offers assume the lower bound (40), upper bound (55), or another fixed target number of studies? (The assumed count drives screening, abstraction, and analysis hours.)

Answer: Estimating at the upper bound would be appropriate (55 studies).

5. Question: PWS §4 (Task 7), p. 22 – depth of analysis update: When instructed to “update analyses in previous report,” must the contractor rerun any existing individual participant data meta analyses or only refresh study level syntheses? (Determines statistical programming effort and timeline.)

Answer: Individual participant level data are not required. Updating all previous analyses, results, figures, and tables are required.

6. Question: PWS §4 (Task 3) & Deliverables table, pp. 21 & 23 – Technical Expert Panel scope:

Please confirm the expected number of TEP meetings beyond the kickoff and whether any expert honoraria are a contractor expense or a reimbursable cost.

Answer: 1-3 TEP meetings are expected and no honoraria are expected.

7. Question: PWS §4.8(b–e), pp. 21 22 – report & summary templates: Will NCPTSD provide Word/Section 508 templates and VA branded graphics palettes, or must the contractor create them? (Determines desktop publishing hours, software licensing, and QA workload.)

Answer: NCPTSD will provide these specific VA branded graphics.

8. Question: PWS §4.7(a), p. 22 – repository upload format: Is there an established data submission template or data dictionary for adding new studies to the PTSD Repository platform, or should offers include effort to develop one? (This specification dictates data engineering tasks, tool selection, and validation steps.)

Answer: There is a specific data submission template and data dictionary, though expansion and updating the format of these templates in coordination with NCPTSD requirements is sometimes necessary.

9. Question: PWS §4.5(c), p. 21 – expanded Risk of Bias elements: Will NCPTSD require scoring of any additional RoB domains beyond the standard Cochrane RoB 2 tool this cycle? (Needed to finalize abstraction forms, analyst training, and LOE estimates.)

Answer: Yes, RoB elements include all Cochrane RoB 2 tool elements as well as additional elements specific to this project.

10. Question: ITO §6 & E.5/E.6, pp. 40 42 – evaluation factors: Section E.5 states award will be price only, yet §E.6 references past performance ratings. Will past performance influence award or serve solely as a responsibility check? (Guides proposal emphasis and reference selection.)

Answer: This is a Low Price solicitation where a single Offeror will be selected who is deemed responsive and responsible in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 9.104-1, whose offer conforms to the RFQ requirements, offers the lowest price, whose price does not exceed the amount of funding available for the procurement, and whose offered price is found to be reasonable. A contract award will not be made to any offeror who receives an Unsatisfactory past performance rating.

11. Question: E.6 §7.4, p. 41 – price realism: Beyond price reasonableness, does the Government plan to perform a price realism analysis on this firm fixed price RFQ?

Answer: Price will be evaluated using Price Analysis Techniques and the following criteria:

a) Total Price: The total evaluated price will be the sum of all Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs).

b) Balance of Offer: The offer is balanced if the price is properly distributed throughout the life of the contract by base and option years.

c) Reasonableness. A price is reasonable if, in its nature or amount, it does not exceed what would be incurred by an ordinarily prudent person in the conduct of normal competitive business.

12. Question: ITO §5.1.4, p. 41 – resume formatting: Are there page count, font, or file size limits for key personnel resumes in Part III?

Answer: No.

13. Question: ITO §5.1.3 vs SF 1449 §B.2 – price file format: Should the price volume show only CLIN level totals and a grand total, or also break out the “MO” quantities month by month?

Answer: Vendors should insert proposed unit and extended prices in Contract Line Item Numbers (CLIN). All prices shall be represented in two decimal positions only. Example: $0.27, not $0.27458. Firm fixed unit pricing shall include all labor, overhead, profit, materials, and associated costs of the like to provide services. Pricing shall not be handwritten to ensure they are legible. Pricing will be priced as a total all-inclusive for the items listed in Section B.2 (Price/Cost Schedule).

14. Question: B.2 Price Schedule, p. 4 – “MO” definition: Please confirm that one “MO” equals one full time (160 hour) staff month and that fractional FTEs should be priced by multiplying the unit price by the MO quantity.

Answer: The unit description for MO is month. Each CLIN has different quantities and fractional FTEs.

15. Question: Wage Determination, pp. 24 32 – SCLS labor mapping: No WD labor category matches “PhD Biostatistician” or “MSc Biostatistician.” Which WD labor codes should contractors map to these positions for Service Contract Labor Standards compliance?

Answer: The U.S. Bureau of Labor classifies biostatisticians under 15-2040 Statisticians (see answer to question 16 below).

16. Question: Wage Determination, pp. 24 32 – professional exemption: Will VA concur that PhD and MS level biostatisticians qualify as exempt professional employees under 29 CFR §541 and therefore fall outside SCLS hourly minimums? (Guides labor rate calculations and fringe benefit assumptions.)

Answer: PhD and MS level biostatisticians will qualify as exempt professional employees.

17. Question: SF 1449 Cover Sheet vs VAAR 852.215 70, pp. 1 & 10 – SDVOSB/VOSB preference: The RFQ is a total small business set aside but also cites VAAR 852.215 70 evaluation factors for SDVOSB/VOSB. Will these socioeconomic preferences be applied after low price determination? (Affects teaming strategy and competitive positioning.)

Answer: In accordance with VAAR 815.304-71, VAAR 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors is inserted in competitively negotiated solicitations and contracts that are not set aside for SDVOSBs or VOSBs. This solicitation is a small business set-aside therefore in accordance with VAAR 815.304-71, VAAR 852.215-70 was inserted into the solicitation. The solicitation will be evaluated in accordance with solicitation clauses and provisions contained therein and in accordance with Section E.5 and E.6.

18. Question: Clause 52.217 8, p. 10 & B.3, p. 4 – extension of services pricing: If the Government exercises the six-month extension of services option, should vendors propose optional period rates now, or will those months be priced later at prorated base CLIN rates?

Answer: 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services allows the Government to require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract for the base period of this requirement. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to the prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months.

19. Question: E.6 §1, p. 40 – contract type: Solicitation is being competed using Simplified Acquisition Procedures (FAR Part 13). Please provide the simplified acquisition price threshold that applies.

Answer: The Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) is currently $250,000.00.

20. Question: E.6 §5.1.4, Part III, p. 41 - Section 5.1.4 states "Part III – Responsibility: Requires the offeror to provide information verifying that it has the capability of meeting the requirements of the solicitation." Please specify the information required from the offeror that will enable the government to verify that that the offeror has the capability of meeting the requirements of the solicitation.

Answer: The solicitation requires the offeror to provide information verifying that it has the capability of meeting the requirements of the solicitation not limited to but including resumes outlining experience and education level as outlined on the Statement of Work.

21. Question: E.6 §5.1.4, Part III, p. 41 - Is there a limit to the number of past performance references that can be provided?

Answer: No.

22. Question: E.6 §5.1.4.1, Part III, p. 41 - Is there a limit to the number of resumes that can be provided?

Answer: No, however, the resumes provided should be for those who you are proposing to work on this requirement.

23. Question: Is there an incumbent for this work? If so, please provide the vendor name and contract number.

Answer: Oregon Health & Science University completed the previous work on this project, which was funded through the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Center Program.

24. Question: PWS §3, p. 19 – Scope - Please clarify the number of individuals the government defines as "multiple" individuals (i.e., 2, 3, 4 or more unique individuals).

Answer: Vendor staff must include Masters or doctoral level Research Data Analysts, Biostatisticians, or Data Engineers, with specific training in evidence synthesis, data repositories, and online meta-analysis platforms. Effort required to meet project aims: 0.25 FTE at the PhD level, and 1.25 FTE at the Masters level is required for the duration of the contract.

25. Question: PWS §3, p. 19 – Scope - Related to the scope statement: "Vendor must have experience conducting evidence synthesis and data repository work for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center program network."

Will an offeror receive an unfavorable evaluation if they do not provide a direct past performance reference or CPARS for evidence synthesis and data repository work for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center program network?

Answer: Vendors must have experience conducting evidence synthesis and data repository work program network.

26. Question: In Section 5.1.3. Part II - Price, on Page 41 of the Solicitation it states that "The quoted price from the offeror shall not exceed the stated contractor’s price schedule." Please confirm which GSA Schedule is applicable to this procurement.

Answer: This amendment shall remove this sentence from Section 5.1.3. Part II - Price, on Page 41 of the solicitation. Please see A.1 as listed above.

27. Question: Page 21, Statement of Work, Section 4, Task 7 & 8 - Will we receive access to previous PTSD Repository reports, data dictionaries, or templates to ensure consistency in this year’s update?

Answer: Yes, these are all publicly available and will be provided.

28. Question: Pages 19 - 20, Statement of Work, Section 3: Scope - We understand the total effort required is 0.25 FTE at the PhD level and 1.25 FTE at the Master's level. Is it acceptable to assign this work to just one PhD-level and one Master’s-level person, if both have the combined skills and experience to meet all deliverables? Or is a larger team preferred or required?

Answer: Vendor staff must include Masters or doctoral level Research Data Analysts, Biostatisticians, or Data Engineers, with specific training in evidence synthesis, data repositories, and online meta-analysis platforms. Effort required to meet project aims: 0.25 FTE at the PhD level, and 1.25 FTE at the Masters level is required for the duration of the contract.

29. Question: Page 21, Statement of Work, Section 4, Task 2a - Is there a preferred method or platform for the literature search? Should the vendor supply their own licenses or will access be provided?

Answer: The same search strategy and platform used in the previous reports are required. The Vendor needs to supply their own licenses for these.

30. Question: Page 21, Statement of Work, Section 4, Task 4a and 8d - What is the expected format of the evidence tables and visualizations (e.g., Excel, Tableau, R Markdown, Power BI)? What software or tools are preferred or required for analysis and reporting? Are there any formatting requirements? Page count, font type/size, margin? Is there a page requirement for part 3 responsibility?

Answer: The previous, publicly available reports and appendices should be used as templates, with the same format and structure including providing formatted excel files for the updated data extraction.

31. Question: Page 22, Statement of Work, Section 6: Security Requirements - Does the Government anticipate the selected vendor will use other VA specific repositories/databases/systems to execute this requirement?

Answer: Yes, the vendor will use VA specific repositories and databases for this project. These are publicly available and will be provided to the vendor as templates.

32. Question: Page 19, Statement of Work, Section 3: Scope - Is the FTE allocation (0.25 PhD, 1.25

Masters) fixed and mandatory, or can vendors propose alternative labor mixes that meet the qualifications and achieve the same outcomes?

Answer: Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple offers presenting alternative terms and conditions, including alternative line items (provided that the alternative line items are consistent with FAR subpart 4.10), or alternative commercial products or commercial services for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each offer submitted will be evaluated separately. Ref: Section E.1, 52.212-1 (e), Multiple Offers.

33. Question: Section 3 - Will the Government consider proposals that include qualified personnel who may not have prior experience working directly with the AHRQ EPC network, but have equivalent experience in evidence synthesis?

Answer: Vendors must have experience conducting evidence synthesis and data repository work program network.

34. Question: Page 20, Statement of Work, Section 4 - Task 7 - Will the Government provide access to the prior analyses and database structure used in earlier PTSD Repository reports?

Answer: Yes, the government will provide the vendor with access to the prior analyses and databases, as well as the necessary structure of the updated databases, used in the previous PTSD Repository reports, which are also publicly available.

35. Question: Section 8.a - If follow-on work is anticipated, will the incumbent contractor be given preference or any special consideration?

Answer: If the Government requires continued performance of any services within the limits of the contract, the Government may utilize 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services at the rates specified in the contract.