Questions Answers 75D301-24-R-87613 DSD ARISE.xlsx
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- Communities FOCUS Notification
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- 75D301-24-R-87613
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This document contains questions and answers related to a federal contract opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate a FOCUS Learning Collaborative and related vaccine confidence and demand activities. The opportunity is to review and synthesize notes from the FOCUS Learning Collaborative, conduct key informant interviews and focus groups with jurisdiction partners, and provide technical assistance for evaluation of local vaccine confidence and demand efforts. The contract will be a Firm-Fixed-Price contract with a period of performance of 1 year. Key details include:
- The contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews and potentially supplemental focus groups with jurisdiction representatives.
- The contractor will provide technical assistance on evaluation to 12-15 jurisdictions, with an estimated 7-10 hours of assistance per jurisdiction.
- The technical and cost proposals are each limited to 15 pages, with the cover page, executive summary, staffing, and management proposals excluded from the page limits.
- The proposal submission deadline has been extended to August 29, 2024.
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| A19 FOCUS Solicitation Amendment 19AUG24.docx | DOCX document | |
| A19 FOCUS Solicitation_PWS 25JUL24.docx | DOCX document |
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SUBMISSION
| Opportunity Title: Evaluation of Communities of FOCUS Learning Collaborative and Immunization Partner Vaccine Confidence and Demand-related Activities | |||
| Opportunity Number: 75D301-24-R-87613 | |||
| Questions Due Date: 8/9/24 | |||
| Question Instructions: You are encouraged to submit any questions in writing to James Sprigler at zbs6@cdc.gov and David Dombeck at vwj8@cdc.gov. The deadline for question submission is 09 Aug 2024 by 4:30PM EST. | |||
| Question | Document | Section and/or Page # | CDC Response |
| On page 4 of the RFP, a need to conduct key information interviews with jurisdictional partners is described as part of Task 1. Can the government please specify how many interviews are expected? | PWS | 4 | Contractor will develop interview and/or focus group guides for CDC approval; contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews with jurisdiction representatives. If necessary, the contractor may conduct a combination of key informant interviews and focus groups in order to ensure input from 12-15 jurisdictions. |
On page 5 of the RFP, the need to conduct key information interviews and/or focus groups is described as part of Task 2. Can the government please specify how many interviews and focus groups are expected? PWS 5 Contractor will develop interview and/or focus group guides for CDC approval; contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews with jurisdiction representatives. If necessary, the contractor may conduct a combination of key informant interviews and focus groups in order to ensure input from 12-15 jurisdictions.
| Could the government please provide an estimated level of effort for “Task 4: Provide technical assistance to jurisdictions and partners to evaluate, and build capacity to evaluate, local efforts to address vaccine hesitance, build demand, and increase coverage” or other assumptions that bidders should use to develop pricing (such as the number of sites anticipated to need technical assistance per contract year and the average duration of support)? Without such guidance, the government is likely to receive widely different proposals for this task that will be hard to compare and evaluate in a fair manner. | PWS | Section 4, Task 4 | Please anticipate providing technical assistance to 12-15 jurisdictions, with an estimated 7-10 hours of assistance per jurisdiction. |
| Could the government please confirm that the 15-page limit specified on page 39 of the RFQ only applies to the “Technical Proposal” section and that the “Cover Page,” “Executive Summary”, “Staffing Proposal,” “Management Proposal,” and “Cost Proposal” are excluded from the page limits? | PWS | 39 | Technical and Cost proposals are 15 pages max for each. The Cover Page, Glossary/Index, Executive Summary, Staffing Proposal, & Management Proposal are not included in the 15 pages. |
| Will the government consider extending the proposal submission deadline to 8/29/2024? | PWS | 39 | Extension of 8/29/2024 will be granted for final submission of proposal |
| L.I.I Submission of Proposals does not specify how the proposal should be submitted to the Government. Can the government please detail how the proposal should be submitted? | RFP | L.1.1, pg 39 | See section L & M in the solicitation. |
| Is there an incumbent for this contract? If so, can the government provide the contract number? | N/A | This is a new requirement; no incumbent. | |
| Would the government share a budget range for this SOW so that we can propose the appropriate labor mix to accomplish the work within the range? | N/A | The CDC will not provide a budget range/disclosure of magnitude as this is not a construction requirement. | |
| For the budget detail, is showing fully loaded labor rates by staff member, with a detailed breakout of any proposed other direct costs, sufficient? Or does CDC require a full break out of indirect costs? If the latter, are proposed subcontractors also required to provide this level of cost detail and how may sealed bids be submitted? | L.1.2(a)(vii) Page 2 | The initial description is sufficient for CDC with the Prime and Sub's all rolled into one | |
| We understand the contract resulting from this Solicitation is planned to be a Firm-Fixed-Price contract. Will the Government consider a hybrid contract with Task 4 as T&M, given that the Technical Assistance effort will be dependent on an unspecified and unknown volume of jurisdiction and partners’ requests? | Section B Page 2 | Please see the answers to the questions on lines 6 and 7 for more information. CDC is unwilling to change the contract type at this time and the vendor should factor their uncertainty into the proposed pricing. | |
| Our Reps & Certs are up to date on SAM.gov. Should the form fillable Reps & Certs included at L.2 still be included in Section K in the proposal, or after contract award? | L.2 Page 39-41 | A statement within the business proposal indicating that your Reps and Certs are up-to-date in SAM is sufficient for completing this section. | |
| Should the form fillable Reps & Certs in Section K (which are currently listed by reference) be included in full text for completion. If not, how should offerors be responsive to Section K. | Section K Page 38 | Please see the answer on line 16 above. If your Reps and Certs are not up-to-date in SAM, please complee the fillable form and include it within the business proposal section. | |
| Similar efforts have varied considerably in the level of intensity; would CDC share the anticipated level of effort or funding for this project? If that is not possible, can CDC share estimates or ranges of number of FGs and interviews expected by task/phase. | NA | Contractor will develop interview and/or focus group guides for CDC approval; contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews with jurisdiction representatives. If necessary, the contractor may conduct a combination of key informant interviews and focus groups in order to ensure input from 12-15 jurisdictions. |
| For budgeting purposes, how many jurisdictions and partners should bidders assume they are providing technical assistance to in Task 4? | Sec 4 Page 5 | Please anticipate providing technical assistance to 12-15 jurisdictions. |
| For the key informant interview/focus group transcription notes deliverables (Task 1.3 and Task 2.2), is it permissible for the contractor to use automated transcription services through meeting platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom, as long as these go through human quality control review? | Sec 8 page 6-7 | Yes, this is permissable |
| Given that travel is not anticipated, can CDC confirm that all data collection and technical assistance will occur virtually? | Sec 7 Page 6 | Yes, all data collection will be virtual |
| Can the CDC please confirm that the FOCUS Collaborative is centered on vaccine hesitancy broadly as opposed to on MMR vaccine hesitancy alone? Page 1 of the RFP focuses heavily on MMR and the RFP mentions “vaccine preventable diseases (i.e., measles)” on page 4. However, the RFP also says that the initiative aims to "increase vaccination coverage" on page 3 and not "increase MMR vaccination coverage." | Sec 1 and 2 Page 1, 2, 3 | There is a primary focus on MMR vaccine, however many of the communities of focus encounter problems with vaccine hesitancy more broadly. Expanding the dialogue beyond MMR vaccines is permissable; measles is used as a case study for the FOCUS work. |
| For the key informant interviews and focus groups in Tasks 1 and 2, will the Contractor be responsible for recruitment? If so, will CDC provide lists of individuals to recruit from? | Sec 4 Page 4, 5 | Yes, contractors will be responsible for recruitment. Yes, CDC will provide a list of individuals to recruit from. |
| Please describe the number and types of organizations that participate in the FOCUS Learning Community. We are hoping to get a better sense of the scale of the LC. | Participation in the LC is restricted to jurisdctions. There are currently 22-25 jurisdictions intending to take part, with an undetermined number of representatives per jurisdiction. The implementation of the LC has been delayed, and the final number of participants in each session is not yet established. | |
| With regard to Section 10--Minimum Vendor Qualifications, which states "Health services research organization experience with immunization services delivery." Does the government require that the successful vendor be a health services research organization? | No, the vendor does not need to be a health services research organization. | |
| With regard to Section 10--Minimum Vendor Qualifications, which states "Health services research organization experience with immunization services delivery." Does the government require that the successful vendor have experience delivering immunization services? | No, the vendor does not need to be a health services research organization. | |
| Pg1 (Table of Contents) notes the inclusion of Section A - Solicitation/Contract Form. However, they were not included with the solicitation package (package starts with Section B). Can you provide the referenced Section A? | Page 1 listed the Solicitation/Contract Form as N/A. There was no 1449 added, thus being N/A | |
| Pg 8(c)(3) includes a "yes" response for the involvement of PII for this contract. However, this type of work traditionally does not require PII to perform. Can the Government confirm that PII will be shared with the successful Offeror in the performance of the scope of work? | No, there will be no PII. We will remove this from the contract. | |
| Pg 3 (Section C - Performance Work Statement) defines scope associated with the creation and delivery of a VCD FOCUS Learning Collaborative. That scope, as it is traditionally delivered, does not include the use of sensitive or protected data that warrants heightened information security requirements. However the solicitation (pgs. 8-12) include heightened information security requirements (e.g. NIST) which seem to not align with the work associated with the PWS. Can the Government confirm whether this level of Information Security requirements are mandatory for this type of work, and would the Government consider removing? | No, there will be no PII. We will remove this from the contract. | |
| A brief description of the FOCUS Learning Collaborative (LC) is provided but there are few details about what it entails. The site provided at the bottom of page 3 (RISE) does not reference FOCUS. To help us understand the scope of work, please provide more details about the following: Can you share documents to describe FOCUS LC to better know the scope of the community's work? How many partners are involved in FOCUS LC? How many will participate in the evaluation? On page 3, it states "Communities of FOCUS include those that have had consistently lower routing childhood vaccination rates"-- how many communities are involved in this effort? | Section 1- Background, p 3 | Development of the LC is currently underway; an estimated 25 jurisdictions will take part in LC listening sessions. The contractor should anticipate recruiting 12-15 participants from different jurisdictions in the evaluation. The FOCUS initiative has identified four Communities of Focus (CoF) where efforts are being/will be made to increase vaccination uptake among persons who self identify as any of the following: Ultra Orthodox Jewish (i.e. Haredi), Somali, Ukrainian, Plain People (i.e., Amish, Mennonite, Anabaptist). FOCUS will support jurisdictions working with Communities of FOCUS (Cof) by providing learning opportunities, sharing resources (including data on CoF barriers and successes), engaging with subject matter experts (SMEs), and partnering with other agencies and organizations to increase reach and impact. |
A select group of CDC and jurisdiction representatives will shape the Learning Collaborative, provide subject matter expertise (SME), and inform opportunities to grow the effort. Regular opportunities exist for peers and SMEs supporting similar communities of FOCUS to collaborate and share with each other. LC sessions may involve SME speakers, discussion sessions on navigating barriers, and awardee spotlights. Ongoing collection and evaluation of strategies and promising practices will build an evidence base for culturally competent, community-specific interventions that improve vaccine access and confidence.
| What is the extent of the notes and other documents collected and produced during Collaborative sessions? Is qualitative coding and analysis of the notes expected or just summaries | Section 3- Scope of Work, p 4 | Summaries of the collaborative sessions are sufficient; there are no expectations of qualitative coding or analysis of session notes/minutes. |
| How many focus groups are expected for the first series with partcipants? | Section 3- Scope of Work, p 4 | Contractor will develop interview and/or focus group guides for CDC approval; contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews with jurisdiction representatives. If necessary, the contractor may conduct a combination of key informant interviews and focus groups in order to ensure input from 12-15 jurisdictions. |
| How many focus groups/interviews are expected for the second series with jurisdictions? | Section 3- Scope of Work, p 4 | Task 2 is anticipated to be a convenience sample of local health departments and/or community-based organizations that have implemented interventions intended to increase vaccine confidence and uptake in communities of focus. LHDs and CBOs will be identified by jurisdiction representaitves who are willing to facilitate those linkages. There is no fixed number, however 1-3 focus groups per cooperating jurisdiction. Optimally, jurisdictions that have shared successful stories or promising practices will be approached by the contractor to take part in Task 2. CDC expects no fewer than 2 jurisdictions will take part in Task 2, however there is no limit. |
| Data elements listed in Section 3 indicate that the project includes "gathering detailed information about the type, design and implementation of the activities…"- are there data sources (e.g., administrative data) for these details beyond the focus group/interviews? | Section 3- Scope of Work, p 4 | This will depend on jurisdiction records, reports, or other documents that may be shared by the implementing jurisdiction. |
| Please provide details on the level of effort for providing evaluation support (e.g., number of sites, development of tools). | Section 3- Scope of Work, p 4 | 12 to 15 jurisdictions; one semi-standard tool that may be applicable for all jurisdictions and across interventions. Contractor TA may consist of working with jurisdiction to adapt the semi-standard tool and identify appropriate data sources to populate indicators. |
| Please verify that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval will not be required such that no more than 9 respondents will be asked the same questions. | Section 4- Tasks to be Performed, p 4-5 | In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, CDC will seek OMB approval. |
| The period of performance (POP) is noted as 1 year yet the deliverables are all due within 28 weeks (instead of 52 weeks). Some dates seem infeasible, such as the draft of protocols is due at Week 20 but the notes (from completed data collection) are due at Week 22 allowing only 2 weeks to collect and produce the data. Please verify the due dates in the deliverables and timing of each task. | Section 8- Deliverables, p 6-7 | Updated the deliverables schedule in the PWS. |
| Qualifications are stated as "health services research organization experience with immunization services delivery". Does the organization have to have this experience or can a subject matter expert on the team provide the necessary expertise (since we assume CDC and project respondents will provide that expertise-- the vendor needs to know how to conduct an evaluation for the project's context)? | Section 10- Minimum Vendor Qualifications, p 7 | No, it does not need to be a health services research organization |
| Can the government please add another CLIN to include ODCs? | CLINs / Cover Page | The CDC will not add a CLIN for ODCs. |
| It is stated that the technical proposal is limited to 15 pages (line L.1.2.iv) and the total proposal is 15 pages (line L.1.2.vii). Please verify the total pages for the proposal that includes the technical section, as well as staffing, and management. | Section L.1, p 39 | Technical and Cost proposals are 15 pages max for each. The Cover Page, Glossary/Index, Executive Summary, Staffing Proposal, & Management Proposal are not included in the 15 pages. |
| In light of the upcoming due date and to ensure we can effectively prepare a competitive response after receiving answers to our questions, we respectfully request that the deadline be extended to August 30, 2024 | Extension of 8/29/2024 will be granted for final submission of proposal | |
| Can the government remove the statement "Health services research organization experience with immunization services delivery.", this statement greatly reduce the number of qualified small businesses from responding to the opportunity. | Sec 10 Minimum Vendor Qualification | Yes; respondents are not required to be health services research organizations |
| The government has conducted an assessment of the data that will be either gathered, transmitted, or stored in order to perform the duties of the contract. With the overall Risk Score being at a Moderate level, and the involvement of sensitive information, it is advisable for the government to furnish the required laptops and equipment. This approach ensures that all devices comply with federal security standards, thereby minimizing the risk of data breaches and ensuring the protection of sensitive information. Will the government minimize the risk of exposure by providing government furnished equipment (GFE)? | Sec 11 Info Security Additional Req. | GFE will not be issued. |
| Do we have to submit a STARS Determination with a PR? | Sec 11 Info Security Additional Req. | No |
| What are the labor categories and workload hours identified by the federal government? | The Government will not be providing an estimated budget or recommended labor categories. | |
| How many estimated key informant interviews with jurisdiction participants from FOCUS need to be conducted (an estimate)? | Task 1.2 | Contractor will develop interview and/or focus group guides for CDC approval; contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews with jurisdiction representatives. If necessary, the contractor may conduct a combination of key informant interviews and focus groups in order to ensure input from 12-15 jurisdictions. |
| How many estimated interviews/focus groups need to be completed with representatives from jurisdictions engaged in work and local health department and community-based organization immunization partners? | Task 2 | Task 2 is anticipated to be a convenience sample of local health departments and/or community-based organizations that have implemented interventions intended to increase vaccine confidence and uptake in communities of focus. LHDs and CBOs will be identified by jurisdiction representaitves who are willing to facilitate those linkages. There is no fixed number, however 1-3 focus groups per cooperating jurisdiction. Optimally, jurisdictions that have shared successful stories or promising practices will be approached by the contractor to take part in Task 2. CDC expects no fewer than 2 jurisdictions will take part in Task 2, however there is no limit. |
| Please define the number of partners anticipated to be needing evaluation and technical assistance. Would they all need different evaluation design plan or would it be the same one for all the different partners? Would it be one evaluation plan for process, one plan for impact, and one plan for retrospective? | Task 4 | Contractor should anticipate technical assistance to 12 to 15 jurisdictions; may use one semi-standard tool that may be applicable for all jurisdictions and across interventions. Contractor TA may consist of working with jurisdiction to adapt the semi-standard tool and identify appropriate data sources to populate indicators. |
| Is RISE or FOCUS a continuation of (or connected to) the P4VE initiative? If so, will the contractor be provided access to insights and findings from that workstream? | Background, Pg 3 | No, this is not a continuation of the P4VE initiative. |
| The PWS indicates that proposed Learning Collaborative (LC) implementation is planned for June –December 2024. How many listening sessions have occurred, and how many total are expected? | 1, Pg 3 | The start of the LC has been delayed; sessions will begin in September 2024. A minimum of 8-10 sessions are planned. |
| Since the LC is planned for June – December 2024, is it expected that the Contractor would attend the remaining LCs and take notes once awarded? | 1, Pg 3 | The start of the LC has been delayed; sessions will begin in September 2024 and may continue through May 2025. Contractor should attend LC sessions to observe; the contractor is not expected to take notes of the proceedings. |
| How many individuals comprise the LC? | 1, Pg 3 | The LC is made up of jurisdiction participants; these is no limit on number of participatnts, but ~25 jurisdictions are expected to take part. |
| For budgeting purposes, are LC members and others eligible for honoraria for focus group and interview participation? | 1, Pg 3 | No honoraria will be given or authorized |
| Does this initiative include a focus on both adult and pediatric vaccines? If so, is either group of higher priority for this initiative? | Purpose/Objective, Pg 4 | Pediatric vaccines take priority, however the focus is not strictly limited to the pediatric population given overall vaccine hesitancy in some CoF. |
| How many documented interventions will need to be reviewed? | 4/Task 1, Pg 4 | The number and types of interventions to be reviewed will be based on the outcomes of the FOCUS Learning Collaborative listening sessions. Therefore, no current estimate of the total number of documented interventions and other activities implemented is currenlty available. The review will be conducted in close coordination with CDC staff, who will provide the necessary notes and documents. Subsequently, the contractor will draft a brief report synthesizing the findings. |
| Will transcripts of the LCs be available, or will the notes be those taken by staff/the CDC team during the LCs? | 4, 4 | Yes, transcripts of the LC's will be available. |
| Task 1, Subtask 2, describes conducting key informant interviews; however, item 3 mentions focus group transcripts. Please clarify the intention of conducting interviews vs. focus groups. How many interviews is the CDC expecting? If more than nine, should the Contractor budget for the preparation of an OMB clearance package? | Pg 5 | Contractor will develop interview and/or focus group guides for CDC approval; contractor will conduct 12-15 key informant interviews with jurisdiction representatives. If necessary, the contractor may conduct a combination of key informant interviews and focus groups in order to ensure input from 12-15 jurisdictions. CDC will be responsible for any required OMB clearance. |
| How many interviews and/or focus groups is CDC expecting? If more than nine, should the Contractor budget for the preparation of an OMB clearance package? | 4/Task 2, Pg 5 | CDC will do OMB clearance |
| Please provide an estimate regarding the number of partners or the number of hours expected to be expended in the provision of technical assistance? | 4/Task 4, Pg 5 | Anticipate TA to 12-15 jurisdictions, with 7-10 hours of assistance per jurisdiction. |
| The deliverables schedule for Tasks 2.1-3.1 includes only a 4-week timeframe to draft the interview/focus group guide, schedule and conduct the interviews, transcribe the notes, analyze the data and present it to the CDC. That seems insufficient and does not account for any time required by the CDC to review the draft interview/focus group guide. Would the CDC consider increasing the timeframe for those tasks? | 8, Pg 6 | Yes, CDC will consider increasing the timeframe for those tasks. |
| RFP states (iv) Technical Proposal: Detailed description of technical approach is (Limited to 15 pages). Does the 15 pages also include the (i) cover page, (ii) table of contents, (iii) executive summary, (v) staffing proposal and (vi) management proposal sections? If so, would the CDC consider increasing the technical proposal page count to 25? | L.1.2 Proposal Format, 1, Pg 39 | Technical and Cost proposals are 15 pages max for each. The Cover Page, Glossary/Index, Executive Summary, Staffing Proposal, & Management Proposal are not included in the 15 pages. |
| Similar Experience is not identified in the proposal format section. Please indicate whether Similar Experience is to be included within the 15 pages or included as an attachment. | L.1.2 Proposal Format, 1, Pg 39 | Similar experience is not part of the 15 pages. It will be viewed as an attachment. |
| Please confirm that the (vii) Cost Proposal is to be a separate document and is not included within the 15 pages. Please provide instructions on what is required in the Cost Proposal. | L.1.2 Proposal Format, 1, Pg 39 | Technical and Cost proposals are 15 pages max for each. The Cover Page, Glossary/Index, Executive Summary, Staffing Proposal, & Management Proposal are not included in the 15 pages. |
| Please describe the number and types of organizations that participate in the FOCUS Learning Community. We are hoping to get a better sense of the scale of the LC. | The organizations that will participate in the FOCUS Learning Community include CDC and jurisdictions. Guest speakers/SMEs may participate in select sessions; such speakers may include representatives from other national agencies, local health departments, community-based organizations, or others. | |
| With regard to Section 10--Minimum Vendor Qualifications, which states "Health services research organization experience with immunization services delivery." Does the government require that the successful vendor be a health services research organization? | No, it does not need to be a health services research organization. | |
| With regard to Section 10--Minimum Vendor Qualifications, which states "Health services research organization experience with immunization services delivery." Does the government require that the successful vendor have experience delivering immunization services? | No, the successful vendor does not need to have experience delivering immunization services. |
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