CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (NIOSH)

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)

RFP# 75D30127Q 79334

ADVANCES IN CONTEMPORARY MINING SAFETY AND HEALTH

CHALLENGES FOR CRITICAL MINERALS

Issuance Date: ................................................................... 11/05/2026

Proposal Q&A Deadline: .................................................. 11/30/2026 - 12:00 pm Eastern

Full Proposal Submission Date/Time: .............................. 01/11/2027 - 3:00 pm Eastern

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A – INTRODUCTION

Authority

Background and Research Opportunity Description

General Information and Process

Funding Information

Eligibility

SECTION B – NIOSH RESEARCH INTERESTS

Topic area 1: Deep Mining

Topic Area 2: Air Pollutant Exposure Risk to miners in metal/nonmetal surface/underground mines

SECTION C - PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Submission Process

Proposal Questions and Communications

Proposal Format Requirements

Volume I: Technical Proposal Content

Volume II: Pricing Proposal

Volume III – Administrative Proposal

SECTION E –PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD

Initial Review

Proposal Evaluation

Discussions, Proposal Revisions, and Partial Award(S)

Basis of Award

Applicable Clauses, Provisions, and CDC-Specific Terms

SECTION F- BAA SOLICITATION FORMS & ATTACHMENTS

SECTION A – INTRODUCTION

Authority

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is issued on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) pursuant to the authority of Radical FAR Overhaul (RFO) FAR 35.102 and RFO FAR 6.101(b)(3) which provide for the competitive selection of research proposals.

Contracts awarded based on responses to this BAA are considered the result of full and open competition and are therefore in full compliance with the requirements of PL 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984."

The CDC may award contracts with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, not for profit organizations, state and local government, and private industry for research and development (R&D) in those areas covered in Section B of this BAA.

Within the meaning of RFO FAR 6.101 and 35.102, this announcement constitutes the Government’s only solicitation and the Government will not issue any other formal solicitation for the requirement(s) outlined herein. Offerors are advised that solicitation amendments may be issued via www.sam.gov and that concept paper and/or proposal submissions shall comply with the most current amended solicitation documents and/or attachments.

Background and Research Opportunity Description

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act) permanently established the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research under the direction of an Associate Director, within NIOSH. One purpose of this office is to enhance the development of new technology and technological applications, and to expedite the commercial availability and implementation of such technology in mining environments. The MINER Act grants the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research the authority to (1) award competitive contracts and grants to institutions and private entities to encourage the development and manufacture of mine safety equipment and (2) award contracts to education institutions or private laboratories for the performance of product testing or related work with respect to new mine technology or equipment. This announcement is an opportunity for the award of contracts for enhancing safety in mines.

The primary goal of the MINER Act technology mandate is to improve/increase the use of technology in mines to improve mineworker safety and health, and the intent of this broad agency announcement is to support enabling activities such as technology identification, validation, demonstration, adaptation, and/or commercialization. The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research of NIOSH is soliciting concept papers to conduct research, exploratory development, testing, or evaluations of new technologies to improve mine safety, or to adapt technologies from other industries for application in mining environments. The primary interest of this BAA is to promote the modification or final development of practical technologies or systems that can be adopted by the mining community in a short period of time. Under this specific solicitation, proposals to conduct theoretical or basic research will not be considered. NIOSH strongly encourages proposals that include collaboration with mining industry partners who understand the reality of the mining environment and can provide insight into unique mining-related design requirements and potential commercialization of the technology.

Current Broad Agency Announcement is issued by the in furtherance of NIOSH’s statutory http://www.sam.gov/ responsibilities for occupational mine safety and health research, including authority established under (MINER) Act of 2006 and in response to congressional direction supporting research on (i) deep mining of critical minerals and Matals, and (ii) air pollutant exposure risk in FY2026.

General Information and Process

The Government will award contracts to proposals that provide the best value, as determined by the established evaluation criteria. Participants are sought who can develop and demonstrate technologies necessary to achieve the objectives outlined in this announcement.

Only a Contracting Officer (CO) may obligate the Government to contracts involving expenditure of funds. The Government is not responsible for costs incurred in developing concept papers or proposals and is not committed to funding any proposal. Submissions are strictly voluntary.

Funding Information

Estimated total funding under this solicitation is $8,000,000, with two awards anticipated (one in deep mining and another in airborne pollutant exposure risk). Individual awards are expected to be up to $1,000,000 per year and $4,000,000 in total; proposals exceeding this amount will not be evaluated.

Awards will generally be made as firm-fixed-price (FFP) contracts, although the CO may negotiate a fixed-price Other Transaction (OT) Agreement under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 242c when determined to be in the Government’s best interest. Grants and cooperative agreements will not be issued under this solicitation.

The period of performance for both awards shall consist of one base period of 12 months followed by three option periods of 12 months each.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements differ between the two research topics areas included in this funding opportunity.

a) For the Deep Mining of Critical Minerals and Metals (Topic area 1), eligible Offerors are U.S.

academic institutions that offer an undergraduate mining engineering program accredited under the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Mining Engineering Program Criteria, as well as graduate programs in both mining engineering and explosives engineering focused on mining applications. This reflects the congressional direction for specialized university capabilities in these areas.

b) For the Air Pollutant Exposure Risks in Mining (Topic area 2), eligible Offerors are research institutions located in the western United States that demonstrate expertise in mining air pollution, familiarity with western mining challenges, and possess accredited environmental analytical laboratory capabilities, consistent with the congressional direction. For purposes of this solicitation, the western United States is defined as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and all states located west of these states.

The Offeror is responsible for demonstrating eligibility.

SECTION B – NIOSH RESEARCH INTERESTS

The solicitation encourages offerors to propose innovative solutions addressing significant mine worker safety and health challenges that are responsive to the objectives and guidelines of one of the topics areas of this funding opportunity. Proposals outside the following specifically identified research interest topic areas are not encouraged and will not be evaluated for funding. The main topics of the call include:

Topic area 1: Deep Mining of Critical Minerals and Metals

Deep mining of critical minerals and metals presents distinct safety and health challenges as operations extend to greater depths and encounter higher ground stresses, elevated temperatures, complex geologic conditions, and increasingly difficult ventilation and emergency-response requirements. Greater depth can increase the potential for ground instability, seismic events, rock bursts, heat stress, challenging contaminant exposures, equipment and transportation hazards, and challenges associated with worker access, communications, escape, evacuation, and rescue. Addressing these interconnected hazards requires advances in mine design, ground control, ventilation and environmental management, monitoring and sensing, equipment and explosives safety, emergency preparedness, and worker protection. Research that improves understanding and management of these hazards is essential to support safe expansion of U.S. deep-mining capabilities for critical minerals and metals.

Areas of particular interest include development of ground control solutions for deep mines such as intelligent ground-condition monitoring and early warning; advanced seismic and microseismic monitoring; distributed fiber-optic sensing; computer vision, LiDAR, and automated geotechnical surface and subsurface mapping; and robotic or autonomous inspection of hazardous areas. Research may also address novel stress, deformation, and ground-support sensors; sensor fusion for dynamic ground-risk assessment; digital twins and predictive ground-control models; and advanced subsurface characterization using technologies such as seismic, electromagnetic, radar, quantum sensors, or muon tomography. Data-driven numerical modeling, uncertainty analysis, and integrated decision-support systems that combine geological, geotechnical, monitoring, and operational data to improve mine design, support selection, hazard prediction, and ground-control decisions are also of particular interest.

Topic Area 2: Air Pollutant Exposure Risk to miners in metal/nonmetal surface/underground mines

Metal and nonmetal miners may be exposed to complex mixtures of airborne contaminants generated during drilling, blasting, cutting, crushing, loading, hauling, processing, and other mining activities. Of particular concern are respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica (RCS), although other particulate and gaseous contaminants may also contribute to occupational health risks. Exposure conditions can vary substantially by commodity, geology, mining method, work activity, location, environmental conditions, and effectiveness of engineering controls. Improved understanding of these exposures and practical methods for their recognition and control are needed to better protect mine workers.

NIOSH seeks research to characterize and evaluate airborne pollutant exposure risks among workers in metal and nonmetal surface and underground mines and translate research findings into effective exposure-reduction practices. Research should address one or more elements of the exposure-prevention continuum, including hazard characterization, exposure measurement, development of monitoring technologies, identification of high-exposure tasks and sources, evaluation and implementation of engineering or administrative controls, worker training, and dissemination of effective practices. This scope reflects the congressional direction to evaluate airborne pollutant exposure risks, develop novel respirable dust and crystalline silica monitoring technologies, implement monitoring and mitigation measures with mine operators, train mineworkers, and transfer resulting knowledge.

Areas of particular interest include comprehensive characterization of worker exposure to respirable dust, RCS, and other relevant airborne pollutants; identification of exposure sources, tasks, occupations, and conditions associated with elevated exposures; and development and validation of novel personal, wearable, direct-reading, real-time, or near-real-time monitoring technologies. Research may also investigate advanced sensing, aerosol characterization, data analytics, pollutant dispersion modeling in mining environment, exposure mapping, sensor networks, or other data-driven and intelligent approaches that improve understanding of when, where, and why elevated exposures occur.

Research conducted in partnership with mine operators is particularly encouraged to evaluate and implement practical exposure-monitoring and mitigation strategies under actual operating conditions.

Such efforts may include evaluation or optimization of ventilation, dust capture and collection, water sprays, enclosed or filtered operator environments, process modifications, isolation, remote operation, work practices, or other engineering and administrative controls. Research should consider the durability, usability, effectiveness, and sustainability of proposed approaches within real mining environments.

An important component of this research area is the translation of scientific findings into worker protection. Proposals may develop and evaluate mineworker education and training approaches that improve recognition of airborne hazards, appropriate use and interpretation of exposure-monitoring information, and implementation of effective exposure-reduction practices. Research outcomes should be communicated in forms useful to mine operators, workers, occupational health professionals, and other stakeholders such as training material, infographics, promotional multimedia, etc.

Where appropriate, proposals should also describe how findings, technologies, monitoring approaches, controls, and training methods developed through the research could be transferred to other mining regions, commodities, occupational settings, or industries with similar airborne exposure hazards. The desired outcome is an integrated body of research that advances exposure science while producing practical and transferable tools, technologies, controls, and knowledge capable of reducing airborne pollutant exposures and improving the health of mine workers.

SECTION C - PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Submission Process

The proposal shall include all required technical, pricing, administrative, and supporting information specified in this section. Offerors are responsible for all costs associated with preparing and submitting proposals, and the Government will not reimburse such costs. The Government reserves the right to make no award or to cancel the requirement at any time without liability for proposal preparation or submission costs.

Offerors shall submit full proposals electronically via email to the CO Jennifer Gartzke, at xuy7@cdc.gov no later than the deadline specified in this solicitation. Late proposal submissions will not be considered by the Government. The email subject line shall be formatted as follows: “Proposal Submission for NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D30127Q79334 [Offeror Name]”. Proposal files shall be named using the PI’s last name followed by the name of the offering institution or organization, with additional identifiers added as necessary to distinguish separate proposal volumes or attachments.

Proposal Questions and Communications

Offerors shall direct all communications concerning any aspect of this solicitation exclusively to the CO via email Jennifer Gartzke, at xuy7@cdc.gov by the question submission deadline specified in the solicitation. The Government intends to respond to questions received by the specified deadline no later than seven business days after the Q&A period has ended. Questions received after the question submission deadline, but before the Proposal submission deadline, may be answered at the discretion of the CO. Offerors should not contact any other Government personnel regarding this solicitation unless expressly authorized by the CO.

Proposal Format Requirements

The Proposal shall consist of, at a minimum, three mandatory volumes: (I) Technical Proposal, (II) Pricing Proposal, and (III) Administrative Proposal. Volume II shall consist of two components: Volume II-1, Pricing Proposal Narrative, and Volume II-2, Pricing Proposal Supporting Spreadsheet. Additional supporting documents identified in this solicitation, such as résumés or curricula vitae of key personnel, any quotations or invoices, subcontractor documentation, and letters of collaboration or partnership support, may be submitted as a combined single supplemental PDF attachment, named “Supplemental Documents” as applicable. Adding bookmarks or a table of contents is recommended for the Supplemental Documents file.

Technical Proposal (Volume I) of the Proposal shall be limited to a maximum of 20 pages in total and shall comply with the formatting requirements specified below. There will be no page limit for pricing/administrative proposals or supplemental documents.

Offerors shall submit Proposal documents in Microsoft Word and PDF format, using 8.5 × 11-inch letter-size pages, 1-inch margins on all sides, Aptos, 11-point font, and 1.15 line spacing. Text within tables, figures, charts, and graphics may deviate from the specified font size and spacing requirements, when necessary, provided that all content remains clearly legible. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that the proposal contains all information required by this solicitation. The Government will redact and remove all pages that exceed the page limitation and will not review the excess pages.

The SOW section of the technical proposal shall not include commercial product advertising or promotional materials and shall be unclassified and suitable for incorporation into any resulting award contract. Accordingly, the SOW shall not contain proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information, data, legends, or markings. If proprietary information is necessary to support the technical proposal, it may be provided in a separate appendix as supplemental information, with each page containing proprietary drawings, data, or other mailto:xuy7@cdc.gov mailto:xuy7@cdc.gov information appropriately identified and marked. The appendix will count toward the total page limitation.

The Government reserves the right to revise or refine the proposed SOW, as appropriate, based on clarifications or discussions with the Offeror prior to award, and any agreed-upon revisions may be incorporated into the resulting award.

Volume I: Technical Proposal Content

Technical proposal shall be limited to a maximum of 20 pages, including all sections, and shall comply with the structure specified below. Each section of the Technical Proposal must start on a new page.

Section 1: Cover Page Offerors shall prepare the cover page clearly labeled “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL” in the first line. The cover page shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

a) Solicitation title and number;

b) Proposing company/institution/organization, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) registered in SAM.gov;

c) Proposed project title;

d) Administrative and technical points of contact onformation, including title, telephone number, address, and email;

e) Total proposed price; and

f) Proposed period of performance, including the proposed base and option periods and overall project duration;

g) Offeror representative name, title, and signature.

Section 2: Statement of Work (SOW) The SOW will be incorporated into a resulting award, it shall be written as a clear, complete, and executable description of the work to be performed. The SOW shall be structured to include, at a minimum, the following information:

A. Proposed Project Title Provide a descriptive title that reflects the proposed effort.

B. Synopsis Provide a concise synopsis of the proposed effort that defines the mine safety or health problem and research focus area (Topic 1 or 2), summarize the current state of knowledge, and identify significant scientific or technical gaps.

The Offeror shall also identify and describe the location(s) where the proposed work will be performed, including the primary place of performance and any additional laboratories, test facilities, mine sites, field locations, subcontractor facilities, or other locations anticipated and the activities to be conducted at each location.

The proposed Period of Performance shall be four years, consisting of a 12-month base period (Year 1) and three successive 12-month option periods (Years 2–4). Offerors shall structure the proposed research, milestones, deliverables, schedule, and pricing accordingly and clearly identify the anticipated start and end dates for the base period and each option period. All proposals shall include the three option periods. Inclusion or evaluation of an option does not obligate the Government to exercise or fund that option.

C. Problem Statement and Background Identify the specific mine safety or health issue, technology gap, or research focus area that the proposed effort is intended to address. Clearly explain the significance of the problem and the anticipated safety or health benefit of successfully addressing it.

The background shall establish the need, relevance, and technical basis for the proposed effort and describe the proposed technology in clear, concise, and generally non-technical terms. The background shall summarize the current state of knowledge and relevant commercial or industry technology development. Identify the remaining technical or implementation gaps that must be addressed to achieve a practical and, where applicable, commercially viable solution. Provide sufficient supporting evidence to demonstrate that the proposed effort represents a logical and meaningful advancement toward addressing the identified safety or health problem. This part shall also identify significant known or anticipated barriers to successful implementation, including those associated with the mining environment, operational constraints, regulatory or statutory requirements, permissibility or intrinsic-safety requirements, industry adoption, or other relevant factors.

D. Scope of Work, Tasks, and Schedule Describe the steps required to accomplish the project objectives including key milestones and decision points.

Organize the proposed effort into clearly defined milestones, tasks and, where appropriate, subtasks. Each task shall be numbered and assigned a concise, descriptive title that clearly reflects the work to be performed. Task titles shall be expressed in terms of services, activities, or technical work and shall not be stated as labor categories, personnel assignments, milestones, or deliverables. Scope of Work shall provide sufficient detail for each task to clearly establish what work will be performed, how the activities relate to the overall technical approach, and how completion of the proposed tasks will lead to the anticipated project outcome. For each task, identify the principal activities to be performed, anticipated results or deliverables, and estimated period of performance for each task. Tasks should be logically sequenced, and significant dependencies or relationships among tasks should be clearly identified.

The proposed schedule shall be realistic, achievable, and consistent with the technical approach, available resources, and overall period of performance. Where project progression depends on successful completion of technical milestones, testing, validation, or other decision criteria, the Offeror shall identify these decision points and describe how the results will inform subsequent phases of the work. Where applicable, the schedule should also identify significant prototype development, laboratory testing, field evaluation, demonstration, regulatory or permissibility activities, and other major project events.

A Gantt chart is required and shall provide a graphical representation of the proposed schedule for the entire period of performance. At a minimum, the Gantt chart shall identify all major tasks and subtasks, their anticipated start and completion periods, significant milestones and decision points, and schedule of major deliverables. The Gantt chart shall be consistent with the task descriptions and period of performance presented elsewhere in the proposal. If option periods are proposed, they shall be clearly identified and visually distinguished from the core/base effort in both the narrative Scope of Work and the Gantt chart.

E. Deliverables and Reporting Schedule The Offeror shall provide a summary and schedule of all deliverables and reporting requirements under the proposed effort. Deliverables shall be directly aligned with the tasks, milestones, and schedule identified in the Scope of Work section. For each deliverable, identify the associated task or subtask, deliverable description, due date or frequency, and delivery format. Where applicable, address delivery and disposition of prototypes, hardware, software code, data repository, or other products developed under the effort.

At a minimum, deliverables shall include, as applicable:

a) Technical Progress Reports: Monthly/quarterly reports summarizing work performed, progress toward objectives and milestones, significant results, technical issues or risks, and planned activities.

b) Schedule/Status Reports: Updates identifying progress against SOW tasks, milestones, decision points, and deliverables, including significant schedule deviations and corrective actions.

c) Task-Specific Deliverables: Reports, designs, test results, data, analyses, software, prototypes, or other products resulting from individual tasks. Each deliverable shall be traceable to the corresponding SOW task and project schedule.

d) Draft Final and Final Technical Reports: Reports documenting the overall methods, designs, results, conclusions, and recommendations. The schedule shall allow approximately 30 calendar days for Government review of the Draft Final Report before submission of the Final Report.

e) Data and Prototype Deliverables: Applicable data-collection and analysis protocols and, where appropriate, a prototype or demonstration system developed under the effort.

At a minimum, the final technical report shall be submitted electronically in Word and PDF formats and shall comply with applicable Section 508 accessibility requirements (refer to the note at the end of this section). If proprietary information is included, a separate version suitable for public release shall also be provided. The Contractor shall submit the applicable HHS Section 508 Checklist and accessibility self-check results with the Final Report.

F. Bibliography Identify reference materials necessary to support or clarify the requirements of the SOW. References may include technical reports, studies, publications, standards, specifications, field memoranda, datasets, or other relevant documents. Each reference shall be clearly identified and, where appropriate, cross-referenced to the applicable SOW section or task. Provide an electronic link or other means of access when available. For materials that are not publicly available or readily accessible, identify how, when, and where the Offeror may obtain or review the referenced material. If no reference materials are applicable, omit this section.

G. Definitions If applicable, provide definitions for specialized terms, acronyms, or terminology necessary to interpret the SOW.

If no definitions are required, omit this section in its entirety.

H. Special Considerations This section can be used to describe any relevant considerations that do not logically fall within other sections of the SOW. Furthermore, Offerors shall identify, in this section, any special approvals, clearances, reviews, permits, certifications, or other requirements that are known or reasonably anticipated to apply to the proposed effort.

Offerors are not expected to identify all government requirements that may ultimately apply; however, known requirements that could affect project scope, schedule, cost, testing, data collection, or implementation should be identified. If any of the considerations below is not applicable, the Offeror shall state “Not Applicable.”

Government-Furnished Property: If applicable, identify all government-furnished property (GFP) required for performance of the proposed effort and expected to be provided to the Contractor. The Offeror shall provide sufficient information to identify each item and its intended use in accordance with applicable requirements of RFO FAR 45.201. For each item of proposed GFP, identify, to the extent known, the property description, quantity, required configuration or specifications, intended use, location, and the date or project phase by which the property is required. The Offeror shall also explain why Government-furnished property is necessary for performance and identify any impact to cost, schedule, or technical performance if the requested property is unavailable or not provided by the anticipated date. Offerors should not assume that government equipment, facilities, instrumentation, data, software, or other property will be available unless specifically identified and authorized by the Government. If no government-furnished property is required, the Offeror shall state:

“Government-Furnished Property is not required for performance of this effort.”

Assertion of Data Rights: Include a summary of any proprietary rights to preexisting results, prototypes, or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, and/or prototype. Any rights made in other parts of the proposal that would impact the rights in this section must be cross-referenced. If there are proprietary rights, the Offeror must explain how these affect its ability to deliver subsystems and toolkits for integration. Additionally, Offerors must explain how the program goals are achievable in light of these proprietary and/or restrictive limitations.

Information Security and Privacy: Identify any anticipated collection, access, storage, transmission, or processing of sensitive information or data and describe applicable information security, cybersecurity, privacy, or data-protection requirements. Identify any systems, software, connected devices, or information resources that may require Government security or privacy review.

Human Subjects Protections in Research: Identify whether the proposed effort is expected to involve human subjects, human-subject data, interaction or intervention with individuals, or other activities that may require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review or other human-subject protections. Describe any anticipated approvals and their potential effect on the project schedule.

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA): Identify any proposed surveys, questionnaires, interviews, forms, or other information collections that may require review or approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Where applicable, describe the anticipated information collection and account for necessary review and approval activities in the proposed schedule.

Notice: Section 508 Compliance, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194), require that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.

Accordingly, any offeror responding to this solicitation must comply with established HHS EIT accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508. The complete text of the Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm. The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract are:

In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed EIT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, in accordance with its completion instructions. The purpose of the template is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed EIT supplies conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The template allows offerors or developers to self-evaluate their supplies and documentation detail - whether they conform to a specific Section 508 accessibility standard, and any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues. Instructions for preparing the HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template are available under Section 508 policy on the HHS Web site http://hhs.gov/web/508.

Respondents to this solicitation must identify any exception to Section 508 requirements. If an offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies or services delivered do not conform to the accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

http://www.hhs.gov/web/508 http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm http://hhs.gov/web/508

Electronic content must be accessible to HHS acceptance criteria. Checklist for various formats is available at http://508.hhs.gov/, or from the Section 508 Coordinator listed at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section- 508/additional-resources/section-508-contacts/index.html. Materials that are final items for delivery should be accompanied by the appropriate checklist, except upon approval of the Contracting Officer or Representative.

Section 3: Appendices Any proprietary information necessary to support the Technical Proposal may be included in this section. All proprietary information shall be clearly identified and appropriately marked as proprietary, including each page, figure, table, drawing, or other material containing such information. If no appendices are required, omit this section in its entirety.

Section 5: Contractor Qualifications Provide a concise summary of the Principal Investigator and other key personnel of the proposed project including relevant experience, prior major accomplishments, and capabilities in the proposed research and development technology area or closely related fields to demonstrate their ability to successfully perform the proposed effort. The Offeror shall identify all current, prior, and pending funding, grants, contracts, agreements, or in-kind supports related to the proposed effort or closely related work, including the source, period of support, and relevance to the proposed project and clearly identify all potential overlaps.

Complete résumés or curricula vitae for all key personnel shall be submitted in the Supplemental Documents attachment to the proposal package and will not count toward the applicable proposal page limitations.

All key personnel and other personnel necessary to initiate and perform the proposed work shall be available and in place within one to two (1–2) months following contract award.

Section 6: Management Approach A discussion of the overall approach to the management of this effort, including brief discussions of the total organization, use of personnel, project/function/subcontractor relationships, government research interfaces, and planning, scheduling and control practice. Identify which personnel, collaborators, and subcontractors (if any) will be involved. Include a description of the facilities that are required for the proposed effort with a description of any government furnished equipment, hardware, software, or information required, by version and/or configuration. Identify any planned collaborations with mining industry partners, including the nature of the collaboration.

Volume II: Pricing Proposal

This volume shall be submitted separately from the Technical Proposal and shall consist of two distinct files: a narrative document and a supporting pricing spreadsheet.

Volume II-1 – Pricing Proposal Document The Pricing Proposal shall include, at a minimum, the elements identified below and shall be prepared in accordance with Attachment A:

1. Direct Labor: The Offeror shall identify the proposed labor categories, fully burdened hourly rates, and estimated level of effort (hours) required to perform the proposed work. Pricing shall be provided for each applicable line item, together with totals for the proposed period of performance and a grand total for the entire contract.

2. Contractor-Acquired Equipment: All equipment proposed for acquisition under the contract, including computer hardware, instrumentation, test equipment, and other equipment necessary to perform the work, shall be separately identified and itemized with estimated costs. The Offeror shall describe the equipment nomenclature, configuration, intended use, basis of estimate, proposed procurement method, and whether http://508.hhs.gov/ https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/additional-resources/section-508-contacts/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/additional-resources/section-508-contacts/index.html the equipment will be incorporated into or delivered as part of a contract deliverable. Equipment not included in a deliverable will be evaluated for allowability on a case-by-case basis. The Offeror shall also identify the anticipated residual value and proposed disposition of acquired equipment at contract completion, including whether it will be delivered to the Government or retained by the Contractor. Any proposed Contractor retention shall be adequately justified based on factors such as obsolescence, condition, remaining value, modification, or prohibitive removal or transportation costs.

3. Direct Materials and Supplies: Materials and supplies required to perform the proposed work shall be itemized with estimated costs. The Offeror shall provide the basis for the estimates, including relevant assumptions and methodology, in Volume II-2.

4. Other Direct Costs: The Offeror shall identify and itemize other direct costs not included in the preceding categories, including travel and other project-specific expenses, and provide the basis for each estimate.

5. Indirect Costs: All applicable indirect costs, including Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs, shall be separately identified. The Offeror shall provide the applicable indirect cost rate(s), allocation base(s), and resulting amounts and identify the basis or agreement supporting the proposed rate(s), as applicable.

6. Subcontractor Costs: Each proposed subcontractor shall prepare its cost information using the same general cost categories required for the prime Offeror. The leading Offeror shall separately identify the proposed total cost for each subcontractor and include those amounts in the overall proposed contract price. The Offeror shall also provide its analysis supporting the reasonableness of each subcontractor’s proposed price.

Additionally, the Offeror shall provide a table for cost breakdown by task and, where applicable, subtask, using the same task numbering and titles identified in the SOW. For each task/subtask, the cost breakdown shall identify included cost elements, to permit the Government to evaluate the level of effort and reasonableness of the proposed costs. Other applicable direct, indirect, equipment, material, travel, and subcontractor costs shall also be allocated to the appropriate task/subtask. Any optional tasks, phases, or periods shall be clearly distinguished from the base effort and separately priced using the corresponding SOW task/subtask numbers.

Lastly, Offeror shall propose a payment schedule tied to measurable project accomplishments rather than the passage of time alone. Each proposed payment shall be linked, as appropriate, to the corresponding SOW task/subtask, major milestone, deliverable, and associated cost. The cumulative value of the proposed payments shall reconcile with the total proposed contract price, including separately identified optional periods.

Volume II-2 – Pricing Proposal Supporting Spreadsheet The pricing proposal supporting spreadsheet shall include all applicable cost elements and line items used to calculate the Offeror’s proposed price. A separate supporting spreadsheet shall be prepared for each subcontractor, and each subcontractor’s total proposed cost shall be incorporated into the prime Offeror’s spreadsheet.

Pricing summary worksheet will be automatically populated based on the cost element inputs on cost details worksheet. All formulas, calculations, assumptions, and worksheet/workbook links used to develop the proposed price shall remain visible, intact, and functional. Spreadsheets containing values only, flattened worksheets, or print/image versions are not acceptable. Dollar amounts shall be reported to no more than two decimal places;

other numerical values shall generally be reported as whole numbers unless decimals are necessary to accurately represent the proposed information.

Costs shall be clearly allocated among the base period and applicable option periods, task, or phase, as required by Attachment A. The core/base effort (Year 1) shall constitute a complete, standalone effort that provides value to the Government independent of any options. All option periods, tasks, or phases shall be clearly identified and separately priced.

The spreadsheet and accompanying documentation shall provide sufficient information to substantiate proposed costs for labor, equipment, materials and supplies, other direct costs, indirect costs, and subcontracted efforts.

Supporting evidence may include supplier quotations, invoices, published or online pricing, historical costs, indirect cost rate agreements, or other appropriate documentation. Column L of the supporting spreadsheet shall cross-reference each cost item to the corresponding page of Supplemental Documents or basis of estimate.

For subcontracted efforts, the Offeror shall also document its determination that the proposed subcontractor price is reasonable. The analysis may include comparison with historical prices, competitive quotations, prices for similar work, independent estimates, or other appropriate price-analysis methods.

Volume III – Administrative Proposal

The administrative proposal shall be submitted separately from the technical and pricing proposals and shall contain the following information, as applicable:

Accounting System Point of Contact:

Provide the name, title, telephone number, and email address of the individual responsible for or knowledgeable about the Offeror’s accounting system.

Existing Government Commitments:

Identify any current Government contracts, agreements, or other commitments that involve resources proposed for this effort. Describe whether and how such commitments could affect the Offeror’s ability to perform the proposed work within the required schedule.

Use of Current or Former HHS Personnel:

Disclose whether any current or former HHS employee will participate in the preparation of the proposal or performance of the proposed effort. If applicable, provide the individual’s name, former or current HHS organization and position, period of employment, and proposed role in this effort.

Offeror Resources:

Confirm that the Offeror possesses the financial capacity, working capital, personnel, facilities, equipment, and other resources necessary to successfully perform the proposed effort. If external financial or other resources will be required, identify the nature and estimated amount of such resources and their anticipated source.

DCAA/DCMA Points of Contact:

If applicable, provide the name and contact information, including address, telephone number, and email address, for the Offeror’s cognizant Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) offices or representatives.

Environmental Considerations:

Identify and discuss any applicable environmental and energy-conservation considerations associated with the proposed effort, including those addressed under FAR Part 23. Where applicable, discuss the potential need for an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under 40 CFR Part 1502, any anticipated environmental issues and proposed mitigation measures, and any environmental requirements that may affect performance of the resulting award.

Representations and Certifications:

Provide an affirmative statement confirming that the Offeror’s required representations and certifications in SAM.gov are complete, accurate, and current. The Offeror shall maintain an active SAM.gov registration and all required representations and certifications as applicable to eligibility for award under this BAA.

Partners, Subcontractors, and Consultants Disclosure:

Disclose whether the Offeror has used, is currently using, or intends to use any partners, subcontractors, or consultants in preparing the proposal or performing the proposed effort. For each applicable entity or individual, provide the name, address, proposed role, and nature and scope of the anticipated engagement.

SECTION E –PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD

Initial Review

Upon receipt of a proposal, the Government will conduct an initial review to determine its scientific and technical merit, relevance to the NIOSH Mining Program mission, and availability of funding relative to the proposed cost.

Proposals that lack sufficient scientific or technical merit, do not adequately address the objectives of this solicitation, or fall within areas for which funding is not anticipated may be declined without further evaluation.

The Government will also review the technical, pricing, and administrative proposal submissions for completeness and compliance with the solicitation requirements. Proposals determined to be materially incomplete, or otherwise unacceptable may be rejected without proceeding to the detailed evaluation described below.

Proposal Evaluation

The Government will evaluate each full proposal using the factors and subfactors described below and assign an overall confidence rating of “High Confidence,” “Moderate Confidence,” or “Low Confidence.” The confidence rating will reflect the Government’s assessment of the Offeror’s likelihood of successfully performing the proposed effort and achieving the intended outcomes.

Evaluation factors are listed in descending order of importance. Factor 1 is more important than Factor 2.

Subfactors within each factor are of equal importance. Technical evaluation factors and past performance, when combined, are more important than price. Followings are the proposal evaluation factors and subfactors:

1. Factor 1: Scientific and Technical Merit and Offeror Qualifications

a. Scientific and Technical Merit: The extent to which the proposed effort addresses a significant mine worker safety or health problem, is scientifically and technically sound, and has the potential to contribute meaningfully to the NIOSH Mining Program mission. The Government will consider the quality and rigor of the proposed approach, the significance of the anticipated outcomes, and the extent to which the work addresses an identified safety or health need or technology gap.

b. Technical Risk and Risk Management: The extent to which the technical risks associated with the proposed effort are reasonable relative to its potential benefits and the Offeror has identified significant risks, uncertainties, and technical barriers and proposed appropriate strategies to monitor, manage, or mitigate them.

c. Offeror Qualifications and Capabilities: The extent to which the proposed project team possesses the qualifications, expertise, facilities, resources, and capabilities necessary to successfully perform the proposed effort. Where applicable, the Government will also consider the relevance and strength of proposed collaborations with mining industry partners, technology developers, research organizations, or other stakeholders.

2. Factor 2: Innovation, Feasibility, and Pathway to Implementation

a. Innovation and Feasibility: The extent to which the proposed technology, methodology, or approach is innovative, appropriate for addressing the identified problem, technically feasible, and achievable within the proposed period of performance and available resources. Where the proposed effort involves the collection or generation of public health data, the Government will also evaluate the adequacy of the applicable Data Management Plan (DMP).

b. Pathway to Implementation and Commercialization: The extent to which the proposed effort represents a credible advancement toward a practical, deployable, and, where applicable, commercially viable solution for the identified mine safety or health need. The Government will consider the proposed pathway from the current state of development to implementation, including anticipated technical development, testing and validation, regulatory or permissibility considerations, field demonstration, commercialization, technology transfer, and/or industry adoption, as applicable.

3. Factor 3: Past Performance The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s available past performance information, including CPARS records and other relevant Government or…