Q&A_Final.docx

61320618Q0187 Child Strength Study Questions and Answers

1. Is the response date of Aug 23, 2018 the due date?

Answer: Yes, all quotes must be emailed to csterba@cpsc.gov no later than the response date listed on fbo.gov for this requirement, which is currently August 23, 2018 at 3:00pm eastern.

2. What will be the suggested or earliest effective/start date for this project?

Answer: If CPSC determines to fund this requirement and initial quotes are sufficient for award, performance may begin as early as mid-September. If award is made, performance will begin no later than September 28, 2018.

3. What is the difference in Volume I: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Pricing and Volume IV: Task Order Pricing?

Answer: Volume I is the pricing for all items the contractor is interested in performing over the life of the IDIQ, including the base period and all option periods. The price list will form the basis for all further task orders which the contractor may be interested in quoting. Volume IV is the firm fixed-price for each individual task order that has been included with this IDIQ, based on the price list proposed in Volume I.

4. While a report is listed as a deliverable for CPSC, will there be the option to also submit these data to the peer-reviewed literature in the form of a manuscript to a relevant journal (e.g. physical therapy, child development, biomechanics)?

Answer: CPSC supports the publication of data from this effort in peer-reviewed journals and other academic channels, so long as the awardee complies with the clauses regarding publication, specifically LC 21A Disclosure of Information - Limits on Publication and LC 24 Nondisclosure Of Any Data Developed Under This Contract. These clauses require the contractor to get approval from CPSC before any report or data are published.

5. Is there any guidance as to the budget target or limitation for each task order? Should we include full indirect costs at the rate negotiated between the federal government and our institution?

Answer: CPSC cannot provide budget information for a competitive requirement. Each offeror must arrive at their own pricing based on the required tasks. Additionally, task orders from the anticipated IDIQs will be on a firm fixed-price basis. There are no cost elements or negotiated rates.

6. Can we include in the budget funds to present this work at relevant academic conferences?

Answer: The task orders do not include this as a requirement, and pricing should not include items outside the scope of the required tasks.

7a. The timeline for the task orders indicates an OMB submission is required within 40 weeks of contract approval and then IRB approval within 4 weeks of OMB approval. How long should we plan for OMB review and approval?

Answer: OMB review and approval timeline is unpredictable. Our experience with previous approvals shows that it may take six months to a year to obtain the approval. Data collection cannot start until after OMB and IRB approvals are obtained.

7 b. Following on the previous question, the draft final report is due within 48 weeks of IRB approval. Elsewhere, the document states that this IDIQ can be for a base year and four option years. It would seem that the task order timeline would be 2 years at maximum. How should we reconcile that with the base+four concept?

Answer: The task order period of performance is independent of the IDIQ period of performance. Each task order will include the period of performance for the specific tasks of the order. The IDIQ period of performance is the period during which the Government may issue task orders.

7 c. If we bid for more than one task order, is it expected that these scopes of work are conducted in parallel or could they be done serially?

Answer: The current plan is to award all task orders at the same time. Because the task orders have the same schedule, which is based on contract award date, work for multiple tasks orders would be conducted in parallel. However, it is possible that the task orders will not all be awarded this year. If this is the case, it is possible that a contractor with an active IDIQ contract would be awarded an additional task order at a later date, allowing for the work to be conducted serially.

8. The duration specified up front is 3 years, but then the reporting timeline in the table suggests there is ~48 weeks for setting up and 52 weeks for completing the project (thus 2 yrs, which would be very difficult if doing more than one Task Order). Somewhere in the budget it says that the initial award is 1 yr (understandable) renewable each year for 4 more years (thus 5 yrs). Can you please clarify?

Answer: The first 40 weeks of the schedule is based on the contract award date, the remaining schedule is based on the OMB approval date. Our experience with previous OMB approvals shows that it may take six months to a year to obtain the approval (see answer to 7a). Based on this, we estimate that the projects will be completed approximately 2.5 to 3 years after contract award.

Additionally, the IDIQ period of performance is a base year with 4 option years – this is the timeframe during which task orders may be issued off of the IDIQ. Each task order issued will have its own period of performance for the tasks included in that individual requirement.

9. Is there a separate (10 page) proposal and budget request for each task order if applying for more than one?

Answer: Yes. Per Instruction to Offerors Volume V: Each Task Order technical quote is limited to 10 pages.

10. The cost of the sum of the parts would be more than the cost of the whole since we would create common infrastructure.

Answer: If the Offeror chooses to quote multiple Task Orders, it may include information on price discounts if selected for multiple awards. However, each Task Order should be priced as a stand-alone effort. If CPSC determines to fund this project, it may fund some task orders but not others, or award them to separate offerors depending on the technical responses received.

11. The desire is for 50 children per age group, right?

Answer: Yes.

12. For a contract of this type, is it formatted like a research proposal with lit review, summary of gaps, specific aims and approach/methods, or is it purely about the methods we would propose to execute the acquisition of desired information? I imagine you don't have a template, but if you do that would be very helpful.

Answer: CPSC does not have a template, however detailed instructions were included in the Instructions to Offerors on what to include in each quote volume. The offeror’s task order quote(s) must be on a firm fixed-price basis, showing how the offeror intends to meet the required tasks.