Questions and Answers.docx

Questions and Answers Reginal Innovation Clusters

RFP 47QACA26R0295

1. Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing these services?

SBA has overseen the Regional Innovation Cluster (RIC) Program since 2010. This solicitation is not a direct follow-on requirement, so this is considered a new contract. There are currently four RICs operating across the country.

2. Would like to know if the SBA would accept and consider competitive an application proposing a cluster focused on a horizontal technology segment that directly benefits all of the vertical priority segments listed in the solicitation.

The purpose section of the statement of objectives directs offerors to “propose their target industry and region served through the RIC funding in their proposal. Offerors shall propose one target industry and one geographic region to be served.”

3. What is the award time frame? Period of Performance is 9/30/2026 – 9/29/2028.

4. How many past performance references are to be submitted? 3

5. Are there any restrictions on how many awards will be made per geographic region OR per target industry?

Awards will be made based on the best value that meets the objectives requested in the Statement of Objectives (SOO) as it relates to this RFQ and contained in Attachment 2. The Government will make awards based on best value to responsible Offerors using a 3-Step evaluation process.

6. The Provision/Clause Package, however, includes several small-business provisions and clauses whose applicability is unclear in light of the stated acquisition basis. These include Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside; 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan; 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting; and related alternate provisions.

Please clarify:

a. Whether the procurement is definitively being conducted as full and open competition. Yes, full and open

b. Which Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 19 provisions and clauses are incorporated into and applicable to the resulting contracts. Attachment 1 has been revised. FAR Part 19 doesn’t apply.

c. Whether a nonprofit institution of higher education must submit a small-business subcontracting plan with its proposal or after selection for award. Yes, but only If you plan to subcontract to a small business.

d. Whether the Government intends to issue an amended Provision/Clause Package that removes or clearly identifies provisions and clauses that do not apply to this procurement. Yes, a revised Provision/Clause attachment will be uploaded.

7. Section 5.2 of the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan states that the Government’s monitoring forms will document whether the required results for “Translation and Interpretation services” are being achieved. This language appears unrelated to the Regional Innovation Cluster requirement.

Please confirm whether this is an administrative carryover from another acquisition and whether the sentence should refer to Regional Innovation Cluster services. We also request that the Government issue a corrected Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan so the performance standards and surveillance requirements are clear to all offerors. The language has been updated.

8. Are there any preferences or expectations to how the regions served by each cluster are defined? In other words – is there a preference for larger or statewide regions of a cluster over multi county regions within a state?

A successful cluster will leverage the region's unique competitive strengths across geographies and identify and develop networks for business financing, business-to-business sales, business-to-government sales, and workforce development as well as opportunities to expand into markets nationally and internationally.

Additionally, the offer and designated region should (a) demonstrate strong regional, bottom-up support to small businesses; (b) are market-driven; (c) comply with administration priorities; (d) can reshore critical industrial and manufacturing capabilities; and (e) demonstrate high potential for success and sustainability.

9. Would it be possible to use a small portion of the cluster budget for competitive grants or to fund small scale pilot projects of companies served by the cluster?

Subcontracts are allowed as long as the majority of the work is completed by the prime contractor. Any subcontracts should further the overall proposed work as described in the offer.