Attachment 0004 - 75ACF124R00023 - Questions and Answers.pdf

Question # Question Government Response

Could OPRE clarify the anticipated level of effort—in hours or dollars--overall and by service component?

The Government has provided budget ceilings for SC1 and SC2. The contractor is to propose the remaining based upon its review of the PWS and its specific approach.

See M.3.1.6 of the RFP.

In Section B, there does not appear to be a line for indirect costs. Should we amend the table to include these costs?

See revised solicitation. Note that indirect costs allocable to a CLIN are billed to that specific CLIN.

The PWS and the bidding assumptions are inconsistent in their descriptions of the expected OMB package requirements. The PWS describes a generic OMB clearance to be prepared under SC 2 Task 4. However, the bidding assumptions call for a full OMB package under that task and a generic package to be prepared later under OSC 4, Task 3. Could OPRE clarify expectations for OMB packages under SC2 Task 4 and OSC4 Task 3?

See Revised PWS in Amendment 0001.

Could OPRE clarify whether an Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Plan is required at the time of proposal submission? The discussion on page 8 of the PWS seems to suggest a plan must be submitted at the time of proposal submission by all offerors. But the OCI plan described under H.1 on page 7 of the solicitation suggests one does not need to be submitted at the time of proposal submission as long as the offeror certifies no actual or apparent OCI exists at the time of proposal submission. Could the Government clarify whether an OCI plan is required at the time of proposal submission if the offeror certifies there is no actual or apparent organizational conflict of interest at the time of proposal submission?

An Offeror must submit either an OCI Plan, or certification that no OCI exists with the proposal.

Can the chart required in the Technical detailing “the amount of time to be committed by key staff in sufficient detail to determine whether the time committed is reasonable for the proposed role and that he proposed staff have availability” be submitted as part of the Technical Appendices?

See Amendment 0001, the Government has clarified the submission instructions.

May a single contractor serve as a subcontractor on SUPPORTT and a Prime contractor on TOTAL?

The Government is unable to completely respond to the question as presented as it would be a fact specific inquiry based upon the specifics of the arrangement and any OCI Plan submitted. The Government has identified a potential OCI as set forth in Section H which may impact a companies ability to perform both efforts. Offeror's should be mindful in this instance that there is an OCI identified and if unable to present an adequate mitigation for actual, potential, or preceived OCIs then the offeror may be precluded from performing one or the other requirement.

Will the Government permit additional assumptions beyond the provided Bidding Assumptions?

L.7.A.2.6 allows for pricing assumptions to be included in the pricing volume.

How does the government anticipate this contract will interact with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Outcomes Technical Assistance and Logistics (TOTAL) contract?

Per the PWS, the contractor is expected to coordinate technical assistance efforts with any parties supporting the states participating in the FRA TANF pilot program.

This includes ACF's Office of Family Assistance who will oversee the implementation of the pilot programs which includes identifying performance benchmarks and the associated targets, as well as monitoring program performance.

Given the desire to maximize efficiency, would the government accept a firewalled team approach across SUPPORTT and TOTAL to address any potential conflicts of interest?

The Government is unable to completely respond to the question as presented as it would be a fact specific inquiry based upon the specifics of the arrangement and any OCI Plan submitted; see also the response to question #6.

Can the government clarify whether the Offeror needs full IRB and OMB packages for the design of the implementation and outcomes studies, or is the goal to submit full IRB and OMB packages as part of this contract with an eye to the future implementation and outcomes studies that are outside of the scope and period of performance of the current work?

See response to question #3.

11 Can the government confirm there is no page limit for the CV/Resumes? See Amendment 0001 for clarification to page limitations.

Can the government confirm that Volume II. Technical Factor may be single spaced?

See Amendment 0001 for clarification to page limitations.

Can staff loading tables to demonstrate the amount of time to be committed by key staff be included in an appendix?

See response to question #5.

Is there a budget ceiling for this contract? If not, can the government provide guidance on the anticipated overall LOE by labor category or services component?

See response to question #1.

Is the period of performance for Services Component 2 intended to be 15 months or 18 months?

See the revised solicitation and PWS for the SC 2 period of performance.

Does the government intend to provide a template for the Cost Proposal Workbook? Or should offerors use their own templates? Are the reference columns required?

The Govenrment will not be providing a template. Offeror format is acceptable.

Can the government confirm that the Offeror cannot charge any fee on the ODCs (Materials and Equipment) and Travel?

Correct. The RFP states Fee will not be applied to ODCs.

The RFP refers to the Cost Proposal Workbook throughout, but this is not included as an appendix or an attachment. Can you share this?

See response to Question #16. The offeror workbook shall be submitted in excel with formulas included.

Is there a specific expected format for the Organizational Conflict of Interest Plan?

No, Offeror format is acceptable.

Is the government expecting the approach to a potential Organizational Conflict of Interest to be addressed as part of the technical proposal? Or just in the Organizational Conflict of Interest Plan submitted as part of the Administrative Volume? Will the Technical Evaluation Panel review the OCI Plan?

1) The OCI plan does not need to be addressed in the Technical proposal unless the Offeror determines it is relevant to its proposed approach.

2) The OCI Plan or certification is included in the Administrative Volume.

3) The OCI plan is not evaluated as part of the technical evaluation. The contracting officer will review the plan and determine acceptability IAW FAR Subpart 9.5.

Will the government provide any guidance on anticipated level of effort and/or mix of labor hours for this solicitation?

See response to question #1.

22 Are materials due at 10:00 AM or PM (ET) on 9/17/24? 10:00am (ET), see page 1 of the solicitation, block 9.

Can we assume that illustrative exhibits (e.g. GANTT chart, organizational chart) and other supporting materials (e.g. CVs, products from relevant projects) are permitted to go in the technical appendices?

See response to question #5.

In the Bidding Assumptions, Service Component 1: Task 3 tells offerors to assume visits to 5 sites. The Performance Work Statement (pages 14-15, page 31) indicates that visits are conducted under SC1 Task 4. Did the Government intend to include site visits under both tasks, or were the Bidding Assumptions meant to describe Task 4?

See revised bidding assumptions.

In the Bidding Assumptions, Service Component 2 Task 4 tells offerors to assume preparation of a full clearance package to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). However, the Performance Work Statement (page 22) states “the Government anticipates that work conducted under this SC could be accomplished under a generic clearance.” Can the Government clarify the level of clearance required for the OMB package in SC2?

See Revised PWS in Amendment 0001.

In the Bidding Assumptions, Optional Service Component 3 Task 5 tells offerors to assume production of one public-facing dissemination product.

However, the Performance Work Statement (pages 26-27, page 35) suggests multiple products should be produced throughout OSC3 Task 5. Can the Government confirm whether this public-facing product is the only dissemination product under OSC3 Task 5?

Per the bidding assumptions, offerors shall assume production of one (1) public-facing dissemination product under OSC 3 Task 5. The PWS provides examples of dissemination products.

Can the Government provide any guidance as to the total budget ceiling of each service component?

See response to question #1.

Are subcontractors to be proposed in the Labor line or the Materials & Equipment line?

Where subcontractor costs are proposed depends on the Offeror's accounting system and what the costs are for. If it is subcontractor labor then it may be appropriate in the Labor CLIN, if for ODCs, then the ODC CLIN. However this final determination is up to the Offeror regarding where costs are properly allocable in its proposal.

Regarding 7.j. Indirect Costs, page 29 of the solicitation, if the offeror has an approved Negotiated Indirect Rate Agreement (NICR) are cost calculations also required?

It depends. If the contractor has an indirect costs agreement the Government asks that it be provided however cost calculations will be required for any period not covered by the agreement.

Regarding HHSAR 352.231-70 –Salary Rate Limitation, page 15 of the solicitation, how is this applied to an individual that is over the Executive Level II Salary but they are working less than full time on this project?

The contractor may not submit for reimbursement, and the Government will not reimburse the contractor for, direct costs for the labor of an individual exceeding the rate paid for the Federal Executive Schedule Level II as of the date of contract award.

(HHSAR 352.231-70(b)). This does not affect the reimbursement of indirect costs by the Government but only the direct labor costs allowable under the contract.

Can the Government provide an Excel file of the “Section B: Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs” template?

See response to question #16.

Is it reasonable to assume that the start of the outcomes and implementation studies would overlap with this contract, or should we assume that they are consecutive? (Asking to help frame the ongoing TA found in OSC4.)

This contract is only intended to design implementation and outcomes studies of the pilot programs.

What scope of technical assistance does the Government intend for the Implementation Study to capture in its design (SC2 Task 2)? For example, is the scope limited to the research, evaluation, and data-related technical assistance provided in other parts of the SUPPORTT contract? Does the scope include programmatic technical assistance that might be provided under other federal contracts?

Per the PWS, the contractor will design an implementation study of the FRA TANF state pilot programs under SC 2 Task 2.

Is the organizational conflict of interest expected to be addressed in the proposal? Is the conflict of interest form being considered in decision making?

See response to question #20.

What is the anticipated number of states that will participate in the TANF pilot program?

Per the PWS, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA) requires HHS to carry out a pilot program under which it may select up to five states to negotiate Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) performance benchmarks for work and family outcomes instead of the Work Participation Rate (WPR).

Is there an estimated budget range for this project across all Services Components and Optional Services Components?

See response to question #1.

Are there specific equity-related metrics or outcomes that the pilot states will be expected to track?

Additional information about the TANF FRA Pilots is available here:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/law-regulation/tanf-provisions-fra-2023

Are there any specific software platforms or tools that ACF prefers for project management and reporting?

Offerors should propose an approach to successfully manage and execute the tasks of the PWS and produce the required deliverables.

39 How will ACF measure the overall success of this project?

Per the PWS, the Government will use a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) to measure the contractor's performance under this task order.

Are there any anticipated challenges or risks for this project that potential bidders should be aware of?

Per the solicitation, offerors shall identify key challenges or risks in the project and the offeror’s proposed approach, along with proposed mitigation strategies.

What level of security clearance, if any, will be required for contractor personnel?

There is no Government required security clearance level. However, the need for security clearances will depend on the offeror's proposed approach.

42 Are there any limitations on the use of subcontractors for this project?

Offerors may propose subcontractors in accordance with L.6.2 Section B: Staffing Approach of the solicitation.

How much flexibility will the contractor have in designing the implementation and outcome studies?

Per the PWS, the contractor will design an implementation study under SC 2 Task 2 and design an outcome study under SC 2 Task 3.

Are there any specific qualifications required for key personnel on this project?

Per L.6.2 Section B: Staffing Approach of the solicitation, offerors shall propose a combination of proposed personnel that have the technical qualifications and academic, professional, and technical experience to complete the functions and duties they would perform.

How will changes to the project scope be handled if pilot states' needs evolve over time?

The scope of this order is subject to the Changes clause if authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer.

Are there any specific requirements for the format or content of deliverables beyond what's mentioned in the PWS?

Dissemination product requirements are stated in the PWS. Any additional internal Government guidelines may be provided in the ordinary course of performance.

How should potential bidders approach cost estimation for the Optional Services Components?

The Government is unclear regarding this question. Offerors shall use any approach it determines is appropriate and comply with section L.7 of the solicitation to submit its Cost/Price volume and substantiating documentation.

What is the expected level of coordination with state-level evaluators or researchers, if any?

See response to question #8.

How should potential bidders approach staffing for the varying workloads across different project phases?

Per the solicitation, offerors shall provide a narrative describing its proposed staffing approach.

How will ACF handle potential disagreements between the contractor and pilot states on approach or methodology?

Per the PWS, the contractor shall design an implementation study and an outcomes study in consultation with the COR, other federal staff, the pilot states, and other key groups.

What is the expected level of flexibility in the project timeline to accommodate potential delays or challenges?

The Government is unable to speculate regarding future matters of contract administration.

What is the expected approach for addressing potential staff turnover in pilot state TANF agencies?

This question is outside the scope of the instant solicitation as the offeror is not responsible for staff turnover at pilot state agencies. To the extent that an offeror determines this poses a risk to successful performance, it may include proposed mitigation strategies in its proposal as part of its approach.

How should potential bidders approach the balance between process and outcome evaluations in study designs?

See response to question #43.

Are there any specific requirements for the data analysis plan mentioned in the PWS?

The data analysis plan requirements are stated in the PWS, see SC2, Subtask 2.3.

How will ACF handle potential differences in pilot state capacities to participate in research and evaluation activities?

Per the PWS, this contract will provide research, evaluation, and data-related technical assistance to the states participating in the FRA TANF pilot program.

What is the expected level of coordination with state-level data systems or IT departments?

Offerors should propose an approach to successfully execute the tasks of the PWS and produce the required deliverables.

What is the expected level of coordination with child welfare agencies or other related social service programs?

Offerors should propose an approach to successfully execute the tasks of the PWS and produce the required deliverables.

How will ACF ensure that the pilot program and associated research align with broader federal efforts to reduce poverty?

This question is outside the scope of the instant solicitation.

What is the expected level of flexibility in the project budget to accommodate emerging needs or opportunities?

Offerors are subject to the terms and conditions of the contract, including any Limitation of Cost clauses.