B3- Complete List of Questions Answers_75D301-26-R-73414_ccqder.xlsx
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This is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for RFP 75D301-26-R-73414, a Firm Fixed Price contract (with severable cost reimbursement lines for Tasks 5-6) supporting the CDC/NCHS Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) in Hyattsville, Maryland. The document contains 69 vendor questions and government responses addressing proposal formatting, pricing, scope of work, system requirements, staffing, security, and operational logistics. Key clarifications include: the incumbent (Swan Solutions) contract ended February 28, 2026 with no transition period available; Tasks 1-4 are primarily performed onsite in Hyattsville, MD on a five-day-per-week schedule with situational telework available by mutual agreement; the government currently maintains a Tier 5 enterprise Qualtrics license for 11 users and has no budget estimate to provide; and legacy systems (Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank, and Recruitment Tool in Access) are being transitioned to COTS products including Whisper and Qualtrics, with a goal to retire legacy systems within the contract period rather than five years.
The scope encompasses six tasks: Project Management (Task 1), Hardware/Systems/Applications Maintenance and Support (Task 2), Cognitive Interview Data Management (Task 3), Optional Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition (Task 4), Remuneration Payments to Respondents (Task 5 at cost reimbursement), and Optional Advertisement Coordination (Task 6 at cost reimbursement with approximately 1% of overall budget). Government responses clarify that CCQDER anticipates 8-12 cognitive interviewing projects annually with 300-400 respondents; over 3,000 archived video/audio recordings exist (of which only 15 are currently transcribed), with an estimated 120-220 new annual interviews and a goal to complete backlog transcription in the base year; respondent remuneration is $50 for 60-minute interviews and $100 for 90-minute focus groups; and all contractor personnel require CDC PIV cards and network access. The government declined to provide specific technical architectures for legacy systems, programming languages, database details, historical labor hour ranges, or budget estimates, citing differences from the incumbent contract and inability to predict future changes.
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Sheet1 Questions in response to 75D301-26-R-73414 RFP posted March 2, 2026
| Question # | RFQ Document | Page # | Paragraph Number | RFQ Heading (where applicable) and Text | Vendor Question | Government Response |
| 1 | 106 | 11 | Proposal Format | Are appendices required to follow specified proposal formatting or may they be excluded from format requirements, provided all content remains easily readable? | We encourage appendices to stay within the specified formatting as much as possible. | |
| 2 | 106 | 11 | Proposal Format | "Page formatting can be altered for illustrations and tables but must be easily readable." Please confirm that easily readable landscape pages are allowed for illustrations and tables. | Confirmed. | |
| 3 | 106 | 11 | Proposal Format | May offerors use a font less than 12 pt in tables? | Pg.99 now states: "NOTE: THE TECHNICAL VOLUME SHALL NOT EXCEED 20 PAGES, TIMES NEW ROMAN EQUIVALENT AT 12 POINT FONT OR LARGER WITH MARGINS OF AT LEAST 1-INCH ON ALL SIDES…" Smaller than 12 point font will not be acceptable. | |
| 4 | 106 | 11 | Proposal Format | May offerors submit the Technical in a PDF file? | Yes | |
| 5 | 106 | 12 | Proposal Format | Please clarify the intended number to be provided for "contract number" in the request to include "a footer in your proposal that includes your company name; RFP number, your contract number, and Page # of # Pages." | Please include the RFP number in your footer along with the Page #of # pages. | |
| 6 | 110 | 3 | Section L, Vol - II Price | Please confirm if there is a specific format that the Government prefers for the required Pricing Table in Volume II - Price, or if offerors may utilize their own pricing template. | The vendor may use their own pricing template. | |
| 7 | 110 | 3 | Section L, Vol - II Price | To inform proposal development, can the Government provide the anticipated budget for this effort, or the historical budget for the incumbent contract performing similar services? | The government is unable to provide estimated budget for this RFP. | |
| 8 | 9 | Section 3 1–3 | Section C – Section 3: Scope of Work; general solicitation | Is there a current incumbent contractor performing these services, and if so, can the Government identify the incumbent and whether all Tasks (1–6, including Optional Task 4) are currently in scope under that contract? | No, the incumbent contractor's contract ended on 2/28/2026. Tasks have changed from the incumbent contractor. | |
| 9 | 9-10 | Section 3 3; Task 1 1–3 | Section C – Section 3: Scope of Work; Task 1: Project Management | Does the Government anticipate a formal transition‑in period (with specific duration and overlap with the incumbent contractor, including access to system documentation, standard operating procedures, inventories, and data dictionaries) at contract award? | No, the incumbent contractor's contract ended on 2/28/2026. Tasks have changed from the incumbent contractor. | |
| 10 | 8, 12 | 7–8; Task 3 1,4 | Section C – Section 1 (Background); Task 3: Cognitive Interview Data Mgmt. | The SOW notes that current video/audio recordings (≈3,000 interviews) are stored on on‑site servers and that, as Q‑Video is phased out, video and transcript data will be stored on a "CIPSEA‑approved, internal secure cloud environment." Can the Government please clarify: (A) Whether the current or target CIPSEA-approved cloud environment is hosted on AWS, Azure, or another platform; (B) The approximate current data volume (TB) for video/audio and transcripts, and (C) Whether there is an expected split between on‑premise vs. cloud storage during the transition period. | Current information resources covered by this reside in 1) an enclave that is not hosted/managed by CDC/OCIO; 2) CDC/OCIO-hosted/managed environments (e.g,, CDC’s Azure IaaS, on-prem infrastructure); 3) FedRAMP SaaS not managed by CDC/OCIO | |
| 11 | 8, 12-13 | 7–8; Opt. 4 1–5 | Section C – Section 1 (Background); Optional Task 4: CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition | Section 1 and Optional Task 4 describe Q‑Video, Q‑Notes, Q‑Bank, and the CCQDER Recruitment Tool as internally developed legacy systems, with Qualtrics and other COTS tools supporting recruitment and data management. Could the Government provide for each of these applications: (A) Primary technology stack/platform (e.g., database, application framework, hosting environment), (B) The current operational status (e.g., fully active, partially retired, read‑only), (C) Whether the applications are currently maintained by an incumbent contractor or internal CDC/NCHS staff, and (D) Which components are in scope for this contract vs. other CDC/NCHS contracts. | All legacy systems and COTS tools are active and currently being minimally managed by the CCQDER staff due to the previous support contract having ended on 2/28/2026. | |
| 12 | 8-9, 12-13 | 7–8; Opt. 4 5–8 | Section C – Section 1 (Background); Optional Task 4: CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition | Optional Task 4 directs the contractor to "assist in migration of data from CCQDER Legacy Systems…to new COTS applications and storage systems," and Section 1 indicates movement to an internal secure cloud environment. Could the Government elaborate on: (A) The expected target architecture (e.g., centralized repository vs. application‑specific stores), (B) Any existing data migration tools, pipelines, or standards the contractor is expected to use, and (C) Whether the Government has defined priorities or sequencing for migrating Q‑Video, Q‑Notes, Q‑Bank, and Recruitment Tool data. | At this time, the government is unable to provide specific information regarding the programming languages and database architectures used for the legacy systems (Q-Notes, Q-Video, Q-Bank). We appreciate your understanding. | |
| 13 | 13 | Opt. 4 4–8 | Section C – Optional Task 4: CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition | Does the Government have a target set of replacement COTS products already selected (e.g., specific qualitative analysis, transcription, or survey platforms), or is the contractor expected to support evaluation and selection of COTS solutions as part of this contract? | Legacy products include: Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank and the CCQDER Recruitment Tool (developed in Access). |
COTS products utilized or aimed at include: Whisper & Qualtrics.
The government is open to recommendations on other comparable systems pending CDC approvals.
| 14 | 13 | Opt. 4 4-5 | Section C – Optional Task 4: CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition | Does the Government anticipate fully retiring any of the legacy systems during the base period, or should offerors assume that legacy system maintenance and support may be required throughout the base and option periods? | The goal is to retire the legacy systems in a feasible timeframe. We do not believe it should take five years to complete the transition. It is possible the systems will need to be archived in case any information is needed from them in the future. |
| 15 | 12-13 | Task 3 1–5; Task 5 2–3 | Section C – Task 3: Cognitive Interview Data Management; Task 5: Remuneration Payment to Respondents | Task 5 estimates 8–12 projects and 300–400 respondents annually, and Task 3 notes over 3,000 existing recordings. Does the Government anticipate similar annual volumes of new recordings and projects over the life of the contract, or are there planned changes (e.g., expansion to more multilingual work)? How many cognitive interviewing projects, focus groups, and/or usability testing efforts are typically active concurrently, and what is the anticipated peak number of concurrent projects during a contract year? | The estimates provided are what are anticipated annually. There are no peak numbers to provide. |
| 16 | 2–7, 12 | CLIN tables; 2.2 Software Support 6 | Section B – CLINs 0005/1005/2005/3005/4005; Section C – Task 2: Implementation, Maintenance and Support of CCQDER Hardware, Systems and Applications | Section 2.2.6 identifies an "[Optional Subtask] – Contractor shall acquire Qualtrics software application or another COTS software application with similar capabilities and approved by NCHS," and notes this "will only be needed if NCHS does not already have an existing application as described above." Section B also includes separate Optional Purchase – Qualtrics (or equivalent) CLINs for each period of performance. Could the Government clarify: (A) Whether NCHS currently maintains an enterprise or local Qualtrics (or equivalent) license that could be used under this contract, (B) Whether offerors should include pricing for acquisition and annual renewal of Qualtrics (or equivalent) under the Optional Purchase CLINs, and (C) The Government's preferred pricing structure (e.g., fixed annual license cost, not‑to‑exceed ceiling, or unit pricing). | A. Yes the government currently has a Tier 5 enterprise license for 11 users |
B. Yes please include pricing estimates C. Fixed annual license cost
| 17 | 12 | 2.2 Software Support 6 | Section C – Task 2: Implementation, Maintenance and Support of CCQDER Hardware, Systems and Applications | What criteria will the Government use to determine equivalency for alternative Commercial Off‑the‑Shelf (COTS) tools proposed by the Contractor? | Comparisons of tool capabilities will be considered. |
| 18 | 15–16 | Section 6 Subsection B Table | Section C – Section 6 Subsection B: Contract Support Hours | Section 6.B provides estimated support hours per task based on prior contract history and program projections. Can the Government provide historical high and low ranges, or percentage variability, for annual labor hours by task over the prior two to three years to support offerors’ staffing and pricing assumptions? Can the Government indicate whether there are known upcoming changes (e.g., planned increases in studies, new systems, or decommissioning milestones) that would materially increase or decrease hours for Tasks 2–4 during the base and option periods? | The government is unable to provide these price ranges at this time due to the fact that the current RFP is not a one for one comparison to the incumbent contract. The government cannot predict any changes that could increase or decrease hours at this time. |
| 19 | 10-12; 12-13 | Task 2 2.1 and 2.2; Opt. 4 3–4 | Section C – Task 2: Implementation, Maintenance and Support of CCQDER Hardware, Systems and Applications; Optional Task 4: CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition | Optional Task 4 requires "rapid response (within 2 hours)" for legacy application outages. Are there any additional service level expectations (e.g., maximum time to restore service, coverage hours, or after‑hours/on‑call requirements) for Tasks 2 and Optional Task 4? | Expectations on responses after-hours and time taken to restore services will be based on the needs requested and the vendors understanding of the needs. |
| 20 | 2–7, 110-112 | CLIN tables; Section M | Section B – Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs (Base and Options); Section M – Evaluation Factors for Award | Will the Government evaluate optional CLINs (Legacy Systems Maintenance & Transition, Optional Purchase – Qualtrics/equivalent, Advertisement) for price realism and completeness as part of the best‑value determination? Should offerors assume that Optional Task 4 will be exercised for pricing and staffing purposes? | For budgeting purposes assume all Optional Tasks will be exercised. |
| 21 | 14 | Opt. 6 1 | Section C – Optional Task 6: Coordination of Advertisement Payments for Recruitment Efforts | Optional Task 6 describes the contractor’s responsibility for coordinating the purchasing of print, digital, social media, and other advertisements for recruitment efforts. Would the Government consider providing a standardized “plug” or notional amount for advertising costs (e.g., an assumed annual dollar value or range) in order to level the playing field for pricing this optional task? | CCQDER has a set budget for Task 6 annually that is about 1% o the overall budget and does not increase with time. |
| 22 | 14 | Opt. 6 1 | Section C – Optional Task 6: Coordination of Advertisement Payments for Recruitment Efforts | Optional Task 6 directs the contractor to “support the recruitment efforts for cognitive interviews and focus groups by coordinating the purchasing of print, digital, social media, and other advertisements by making payments for various approved advertisement platforms.” Would the Government consider allowing the contractor, with Government approval, to use a third‑party recruiting firm in lieu of or in addition to placing advertisements directly, where this approach is more efficient or cost‑effective for reaching specialized target populations? | The government is open to recommendation for advertisements as long as they are approved by CDC. |
| 23 | 14-15 | Section 6 Subsection A and B | Section C – Section 6: Place of Performance and Contract Support Hours | Section 6 states that Tasks 1–4 are "primarily performed onsite in Hyattsville, MD" and that "situational telework may be available" by mutual agreement, while Tasks 5 and 6 may be performed virtually or at a mutually agreed local location. To better inform staffing and pricing, could the Government clarify: (A) Whether there are any positions expected to be full‑time on‑site vs. eligible for routine telework, (B) The minimum on‑site presence (e.g., days per week) the Government anticipates for key labor categories (such as Project Manager and lead technical roles), and (C) Any constraints on remote performance for specialized technical work (e.g., system administration, development, or data management). | A. All positions are expected to be on-site, situational telework may be available as needed. |
B. Per Section 6-Subsection A-Place of Performance-Task 1-4 are primarily performed in Hyattsville, MD which operates on a five day a week schedule (Monday-Friday). Tasks 5 and 6 can also be completed in person.
C. Any tasks associated with the physical lab may not be done virtually
| 24 | NA | NA | Who is the current incumbent (if any)? | The incumbent was Swan Solutions, and that contract ended on 02/28/26 |
| 25 | 14 | SECTION 6 – Place of Performance and Contract Support Hours | For Tasks 1–4 identified as primarily onsite in Hyattsville, MD—what is the expected weekly onsite cadence (e.g., 5 days/week)? | Per Section 6-Subsection A-Place of Performance-Task 1-4 are primarily performed in Hyattsville, MD which operates on a five day a week schedule (Monday-Friday). Depending on the nature of the tasking, situational telework may be available. Telework arrangements would be mutually agreed to by the Contractor, the COR, the NCHS Confidentiality Officer, and the CCQDER Director. Task 5 (remuneration payments to CCQDER) and Optional Task 6 (advertisement payments) are performed virtually and/or at a local location mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and CCQDER. |
| 26 | 24 | SECTION 10 – Information Security & Privacy Requirements | What are the required background investigation/suitability levels (e.g., PIV, Tier 1/2/3), expected processing time, and will contractor staff need additional access approvals for labs/systems? | Pleas see page 28, under #5 - Position Sensitivity Designations |
| 27 | 8 | SECTION 3 – Scope of Work | What are the current hosting locations, user base, interfaces, and data volumes for Q-Video/Q-Notes/Q-Bank? Are there existing technical documents (architecture diagrams, SOPs, user guides) available to offerors? | There are SOPs and user guides available. |
| 28 | 11 | SECTION 3 – Scope of Work | Which specific systems or components under this effort are expected to be ATO-bound, and what is the current authorization status (existing ATO vs. new ATO required)? | Existing ATO boundaries are expected to be leveraged (e.g., Q-Video and Q-Bank). |
| 29 | 12 | SECTION 3 – Scope of Work | Will transcription be performed by Government staff, contractors under this contract, or a separate vendor? If contractor-managed, are there approved transcription tools/vendors, required turnaround times, quality thresholds, and a required format for transcripts/metadata? | Transcriptions are conducted by the government staff and contract staff (as needed); currently the government is using Whisper (for historic data) and Microsoft Teams (contemporary)for transcriptions; timelines will be decided upon post-award. |
| 30 | 13 | SECTION 3 – Scope of Work | What is the estimated monthly volume of participant incentives, typical incentive amounts, and the preferred delivery mechanisms (cash vs. e-gift vs. other)? What financial controls and reporting (reconciliations, receipts, audit trail) does CDC/NCHS require? | As stated on pg. 13 in Task 5: |
CCQDER conducts approximately 8-12 English language cognitive interviewing projects, focus groups, and usability tests consisting of approximately 300-400 respondents annually.
..."remuneration of $50 is allocated for standard 60-minute cognitive interviews, and $100 for 90-minute focus groups and establishment studies."
Contractors are expected to maintain accounting records of the funds.
| 31 | 14 | SECTION 3 – Scope of Work | What platforms are typically used (e.g., social media providers), what is the estimated frequency and spend, and what procurement/approval workflow applies (e.g., pre-approval thresholds, required documentation, who authorizes ad buys)? | Currently all advertisement is through Craigslist due to CDC restrictions on platforms such as Facebook. CCQDER is open to other platforms that meet the CDC requirements. Estimated frequency is based on the projects which are 8-12 annually. Advertisements will be coordinated via the CCQDER Operations Team Lead. |
| 32 | 10 | SECTION 3 – Scope of Work | For SOW activities that involve coordination with OCIO/CSPO/ISB and program staff, what actions are contractor-performed versus Government-only (e.g., system changes, security documentation submissions, approvals, financial authorizations)? | For Q-Video, at this time all IT ops (CM, ConMon, patching, etc.) are addressed/managed by contractor. Q-Video is an air-gapped system and a FISMA Reportable system, so security/compliance issues would be requested by Vendor on behalf of customer, SSPO approves, CSPO ultimately approves. For Q-Bank, these information resources ride on CDC/OCIO managed IT. As such, OCIO/ISB frameworks for CM / EA / operational changes / etc. are adhered to. Q-Bank is a subcomponent in an ISB FISMA reportable boundary. |
| 33 | 16 | SECTION 9 – Minimum vendor qualifications | The RPF states that the vendor needs to have proven knowledge of developing user-facing software applications used for data analysis. How is this knowledge applied to the statement of work? | Vendor needs to be able to support Q-Notes Legacy system (qualitative data analysis software too) and assist in transition to COTS qualitative data analysis tool. |
| 34 | 110 | Volume II - Price | Please confirm whether offerors are required to price CLIN 0005/1005/etc. in all years, given that Task 2.2 identifies Qualtrics or equivalent as an optional subtask that is only needed if NCHS does not already have an existing application. If these CLINs must be priced, please provide the assumed license scope, user counts, and required modules. | CCQDER currently has an enterprise license, Tier 5 for 11 people. Estimates can be provided at that level. |
| 35 | 110 | Volume II - Price | Please confirm whether the Optional Task 6 CLIN is intended to cover only the contractor’s labor to coordinate advertisement payments, or whether it must also include the third-party advertising/media spend itself. If media spend is included, please provide an estimated or not-to-exceed budget by year. | The cost on this line only includes the budget for advertisement. Any associated labor is included in the hours for the project management in Task 1. |
| 36 | 110 | Volume II - Price | Please confirm the intended contract type by CLIN. Section B identifies Tasks 1–3, Optional Task 4, Optional Task 6, and Qualtrics/equivalent as Firm Fixed Price CLINs, while Task 5 respondent remuneration is identified as a Cost Reimbursement CLIN. However, Section B also states the Government contemplates award of a Firm Fixed Price contract. Please confirm whether this is intended to be a hybrid contract with FFP CLINs and cost-reimbursement CLINs for respondent remuneration. | This is a typo. The CLINS for Tasks 1-4 are Firm Fixed Price and the CLINS for Tasks 5 & 6 will be severable cost reimbursement lines. |
tc={81D0DBB5-29BC-40D5-9FEB-FE97AC9CBE10}: [Threaded comment]
Your version of Excel allows you to read this threaded comment; however, any edits to it will get removed if the file is opened in a newer version of Excel. Learn more: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=870924
Comment:
Sheena, should I state this differently?
| 37 | 35 | Security / Cloud Hosting Requirements | FedRAMP compliant ATO required for cloud-based solutions | Can the Government clarify whether contractors are expected to operate systems within CDC-hosted infrastructure, contractor-managed FedRAMP cloud environments, or a hybrid architecture? | It would be a hybrid. |
| 38 | 12 | Optional Task 4 – Legacy Systems Maintenance | References to QBank, QNotes, QVideo, Respondent database and Recruitment Tool | Can the Government provide a current inventory of CCQDER legacy systems (QBank, QNotes, QVideo, Respondent Database, Recruitment Tool) including architecture, hosting environment, technology stack, and approximate user base? | Legacy products include: Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank and the CCQDER Recruitment Tool (developed in Access). |
COTS products utilized include: Whisper & Qualtrics
| 39 | 12 | Task 3 – Cognitive Interview Data Management | Over 3,000 video/audio recorded interviews stored on on-site servers | Can the Government clarify how many of the existing cognitive interview recordings are currently transcribed, the average recording length, and the expected annual volume of new interviews? | 15/3000 interviews are currently transcribed. Average length ~40 minutes. Annual volume of new interviews varies (estimated ~120-220). We currently use Whisper onsite to transcribe historic data and Microsoft Teams to transcribe data currently being collected (and moving forward). |
| 40 | 12 | Task 3 – Cognitive Interview Data Management | Oversee and execute transcription of all archived interviews | Are automated transcription tools (e.g., AI-assisted transcription) permitted, or is manual transcription required for cognitive interview recordings? | We currently use Whisper onsite to transcribe historic data and Microsoft Teams to transcribe data currently being collected (and moving forward). |
| 41 | 12 | Task 3 – Cognitive Interview Data Management | Develop and maintain a catalogue of all CCQDER data including archived and future recordings | Does the Government currently maintain a metadata schema or catalog system for CCQDER data that the contractor should extend, or should the contractor propose a new catalog framework? | We currently have a data catalog in Excel with some metadata. Contractor should propose expansion or revision of this format. Currently all data is stored within the Q-Suite (Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank). |
| 42 | 11 | Task 2.2 - Software Support bullet 4 | Complete CCQDER CDC System Assessment & Authorization (SA&A) documentation | If contractor-hosted systems are proposed, should the system operate under an existing CDC Authorization to Operate (ATO), or should the contractor anticipate supporting a new ATO package submission? | Any systems/solutions proposed will need to have an ATO associated it with it. Whether a contractor needs to support a new ATO package depends on what is proposed (e.g., if vendor proposes a FedRAMP SaaS solutions, an CDC ATO would need to be achieved / maintained for each cloud solution provider SaaS.) Level of effort to achieve ATO is similar to non-cloud; however, level of effort to maintain ATO is lower that non-cloud as FedRAMP carries out certain actives. |
| 43 | 12 | Task 3: Cognitive Interview Data Management | Activities conducted onsite in the CCQDER lab environment | Will contractor staff require access to CDC internal networks or on-site systems in order to manage CCQDER interview recordings and legacy systems? | Yes |
| 44 | 12 | Task 3: Cognitive Interview Data Management | Management and storage of archived and future recordings | Can the Government provide estimated annual growth rates for interview recordings and transcript data to inform storage planning? | As stated on pg. 13 in Task 5, CCQDER conducts approximately 8-12 English language cognitive interviewing projects, focus groups, and usability tests consisting of approximately 300-400 respondents annually. |
| 45 | 12 | Optional Task – Survey Software | Optional subtask to acquire Qualtrics or similar COTS application | Does NCHS currently maintain an enterprise license for Qualtrics (or similar survey platform), or should the contractor budget for acquisition of the software? | Yes they currently have an enterprise license. |
| 46 | 45 | Task 2 – Implementation, Maintenance and Support of CCQDER Hardware, Systems and Applications (Task 2.1 – IT Support) | Provide Desktop support for CCQDER staff with the OCIO. Requests for support received during duty hours are answered within 2 hours of receipt. | To support accurate cost proposals, can the Government clarify the anticipated operational model for CCQDER technical support, including whether the contractor is expected to provide dedicated on-site support personnel, an on-call support function, or a structured help desk service? | The support could be a combination of the 3 options with at least some onsite support required several times a week. |
| 47 | 15 | Section 6 – Place of Performance / Government Furnished Property | Tasks 1–4 are primarily performed onsite in Hyattsville, MD…” and “CDC will provide contractor personnel with government-furnished property including computers with appropriate CDC and CCQDER LAN connections | Because Tasks 1–4 are primarily performed onsite at the NCHS facility in Hyattsville, MD and contractor personnel will require access to CDC networks and systems, can the Government clarify whether contractor staff will be issued CDC Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards and network credentials to access CDC facilities and systems, and whether offerors should account for any onboarding or security processing time associated with obtaining these credentials? | All personnel will need access to CDC networks and systems, thus will be to be onboarded and issued a PIV card. |
| 48 | 9 | Subsection A - Online and Internal Applications | CCQDER is phasing these legacy systems out in favor of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products and in-house solutions. | The SOW indicates that CCQDER legacy systems (Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank, Respondent Database, and Recruitment Tool) are being phased out in favor of COTS products and in-house solutions. Can the Government clarify whether specific replacement platforms or technologies have already been selected, or if the contractor is expected to recommend and support the evaluation and selection of replacement systems? | Some COTS products and in-house solutions have been identified as potential options, but program is open to additional recommendations. |
| 49 | 13 | Optional Task 4 – CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition; bullet 4,5,6, 7 | Assist in transition and integration from CCQDER Legacy Systems… to new COTS applications. | Optional Task 4 references transition from CCQDER legacy systems to new COTS applications. Can the Government clarify whether the contractor is expected to design and implement the replacement architecture or primarily support migration and integration of systems selected by the Government? | According to the task, the vendor is expected to not only support the migration and integration of the systems but also to offer insights and recommendations on how to leverage new technologies effectively during the entire program life cycle. |
| 50 | 13 | Optional Task 4 – CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition; bullet 4,5,6, 7 | Assist in migration of data from CCQDER Legacy Systems… to new COTS applications and storage systems. | Can the Government provide any anticipated timeline or phased approach for retiring the legacy systems (Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank, Respondent Database, Recruitment Tool) during the period of performance? | Timeline will be established per the COR, CCQDER Lead and vendor after award. |
| 51 | 9 | Subsection A - Online and Internal Applications | As Q-Video is phased out, video and transcript data will be stored on a CIPSEA-approved, internal secure cloud environment. | The SOW references that video and transcript data will ultimately be stored in a secure cloud environment. Can the Government clarify whether the target environment for this storage has already been established, or if the contractor should propose an architecture to support the transition from Q-Video to the future storage environment? | It has not been established. Contractor can propose an architecture but it will have to be within the capabilities and available CDC approved environment. |
| 52 | 105 | L.1 | 52.222-46 Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees (Feb 1993) | Besides the price proposal requirements included in the solicitation, are there any additional requirements needed to meet this FAR clause? | No. |
| 53 | Q1 | Legacy Tech Stack | Can the government provide the specific programming languages and database architectures used for the legacy systems (Q-Notes, Q-Video, Q-Bank) to help us better align our maintenance and transition expertise? | At this time, the government is unable to provide specific information regarding the programming languages and database architectures used for the legacy systems (Q-Notes, Q-Video, Q-Bank). We appreciate your understanding. | |
| 54 | Q2 | Cloud Platform Details | The SOW mentions transitioning to an 'internal secure cloud environment.' Has the CDC already selected a cloud service provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), or will the contractor be expected to recommend and architect the specific cloud solution? | CDC has their own approved cloud systems available. | |
| 55 | Q3 | COTS Integration | Are there specific Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products already identified for the transition, or will the contractor be responsible for the market research and selection process? | Legacy products include: Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank and the CCQDER Recruitment Tool (developed in Access). |
COTS products utilized or aimed at include: Whisper & Qualtrics
| 56 | Mission Support & Lab Operations Questions | Hardware Inventory | Can the government provide a list of the specific video cameras, audio equipment, and servers currently in the CCQDER lab that require maintenance and troubleshooting under Task 2.1? | A comprehensive list is not available. |
| 57 | Remuneration Logistics | For Task 5, what is the existing physical process for handling and distributing cash remunerations to respondents, and what specific government-approved accounting tools are currently used to track these funds? | Remunerations are handled electronically primarily and in cash as needed (provided from the contractor to CCQDER POC in person). COR and CCQDER POC keep track of funds and distribution for government and contractor is allowed to use preferred tracking for their records. | |
| 58 | Transcription Volume | Regarding the transcription of over 3,000 archived interviews, is there a required monthly quota or a specific timeline for completing this backlog?" | There is no monthly quota expected at this time. Ideally we would like to see the backlog completed in the base year. | |
| 59 | Staffing and security Questions | Incumbency and Transition | Is there currently an incumbent contractor performing these services, and if so, does the government anticipate a transition period for new staff to shadow current personnel? | No the incumbent contractor's contract ended on 2/28/2026 and will not be available for any transitional period to shadow. |
| 60 | Telework Flexibility | The RFP mentions 'situational telework' for Tasks 1-4. Can the government clarify the typical ratio of onsite vs. remote work expected for the IT Support and Project Management categories? | Per Section 6-Subsection A-Place of Performance-Task 1-4 are primarily performed in Hyattsville, MD which operates on a five day a week schedule (Monday-Friday). Depending on the nature of the tasking, situational telework may be available. Telework arrangements would be mutually agreed to by the Contractor, the COR, the NCHS Confidentiality Officer, and the CCQDER Director. Task 5 (remuneration payments to CCQDER) and Optional Task 6 (advertisement payments) are performed virtually and/or at a local location mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and CCQDER. | |
| 61 | Project Management Questions | Undefined Requirement | The SOW states the contractor must manage projects without 'fully developed, defined, or detailed requirements.' Could you provide a recent example of such a project to help us propose the most effective management methodology? | The development of the Q-Notes qualitative data analysis software was an iterative, responsive and flexible process between the developer(s) and the analytic team. |
| 62 | 508 Compliance Workload | Does the government anticipate the contractor will need to remediate existing legacy applications for Section 508 compliance, or will compliance focus primarily on new development and documentation? | Legacy documents should already be 508 compliant but contractors is expected to ensure all documentation old and new are compliant. | |
| 63 | Others | Miscellaneous Qs | It is specified that the vendor should have experience handling digitized video data base systems, used for ad-hoc research. Can you explain briefly? | The requirement means the vendor should have experience with digital video database systems, used to store, organize, and retrieve video content. Vendor should be able to quickly access and analyze this data for specific, on-demand research needs. |
| 64 | Application development without firm fixed requirements: Please explain. | The project may initially lack clearly defined specifications at the start. Requirements can change over time based on user feedback and evolving needs. | ||
| 65 | Staffing Matrix: Is there any specific tool that the vendors will have to use for staffing matrix? | No specific tool is required, expectations are outlined on pg. 108 under 'Staffing Plan'. | ||
| 66 | Can you detail the qualifications needed for the Video/Audio Technicians? | Video/Audio Technicians should possess strong technical skills in operating various equipment and have prior experience in video and audio production. They must be knowledgeable about different formats and codecs, with excellent problem-solving abilities to troubleshoot issues during production. Attention to detail is crucial for ensuring high-quality output, along with effective communication skills for collaboration. Additionally, adaptability to new technologies and a portfolio showcasing previous work are important qualifications for this role. | ||
| 67 | Knowledge of completing and maintaining the CDC Enterprise Systems Catalog (ESC) or equivalent.: Does that mean CCDQ has more enterprise systems in place? | This means that we have items in the CDC ESC and the vendor should have knowledge of how to complete and maintain this. ---> also, ESC is CDC investment portfolio inventory tracker | ||
| 68 | What specific software applications and legacy systems does CCQDER use? | Already answered above in Q3. | ||
| 69 | Which key personnel roles require presence at the kick-off meeting? | Preferably all key personnel |
Sheena, should I state this differently?
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .