75F40121Q00012.pdf

75F40121-Q-00012

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.6 as supplemented with FAR 13.5 and additional information included in this notice. The incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2021-02.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION AND A SEPARATE

SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The solicitation number for this acquisition is 75F40121-Q-00012 and is being issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ). The NAICS Code for this solicitation is 811310 and the Small Business Size Standard is $8,000,000. This will be awarded as a Firm-Fixed Price and a Full and Open Competitive Procurement. Prospective Offerors are responsible for downloading the solicitation and any amendments from beta.SAM.gov. The Government reserves the right to award an order without discussions if the Contracting Officer determines that the initial offer is providing the Best Value and discussions are not necessary.

The Government intends to issue a Purchase Order.

A. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW

The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Office of Regulatory Science (ORS) own ten (10) each short read sequencing instruments (Illumina MiSeqs) that support FDA microbial genomics program. These instruments are required for bacterial foodborne pathogen genome sequencing, targeted gene sequencing, and amplicon sequencing of foodborne pathogens.

These instruments need to be maintained in a manner that does not void the warranty provided by the manufacturing company (Illumina Inc.). The instruments also need to perform at optimum specifications to ensure that all data generated is consistent and meets industry-accepted quality standards for use in FDA regulatory research program.

B. OBJECTIVES/PURPOSE

The objective of the requirement is to procure maintenance and support services for ten (10) each Illumina MiSeq instrument.

C. SPECIFICATIONS

In support of ten (10) each Illumina MiSeq instruments, the FDA is looking for a Vendor to provide a Base Period of 12 months with one Option Period (12 months) of coverage. The coverage shall include, at a minimum, the following:

1. Repair parts, labor, and travel

2. 1 Annual Preventive Maintenance

3. Reagent replacement due to instrument failures

4. 2 business day on-site response time target

5. On-site FAS application support

6. Hardware and software updates

7. 5 days a week × 18 hours per day phone and email access to Technical Support

(Monday through Friday)

8. Discount on Advanced Application Training

9. Repairs shall be performed by a manufacturer approved and certified technician

10. The service contract shall not void the warranty with the manufacturing company

The quote shall include all estimated travel costs.

Below is a list of the ten (10) each Illumina instruments that shall be covered through this procurement:

Equipment list:

Illumina MiSeq SN

M01022

M00229 M00939

M01038 M03076

M03101 M03415

M04154 M01321

M02296

D. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition College Park, Maryland 20740 Phone Number: TBD Email Address: TBD

FOB: Destination Inspection/Acceptance: Destination

The services shall occur during regular business hours (Monday-Friday) during the times of 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET, excluding holidays. The Vendor shall provide at least 48-hour notice for installation, set-up, and training date(s).

E. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

Base Period – TBD, 12 months starting from day of award Option Period 1 – TBD, 12 months

F. LINE ITEM AND PRICES:

Description Quantity Price

Line Item 1: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M01022

1 each $

Line Item 2: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M00229

1 each $

Line Item 3: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M00939

1 each $

Line Item 4: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M01038

1 each $

Line Item 5: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M03076

1 each $

Line Item 6: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M03101

1 each $

Line Item 7: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M03415

1 each $

Line Item 8: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M04154

1 each $

Line Item 9: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M01321

1 each $

Line Item 10: MiSeq service plan Serial Number: M02296

1 each $

Total:

Provide a fixed price quote in accordance with the specifications identified and the above template.

G. SECURITY AND PRIVACY

A. Baseline Security Requirements

1) Applicability. The requirements herein apply whether the entire contract or order (hereafter “contract”), or portion thereof, includes either or both of the following:

2) Access (Physical or Logical) to Government Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee will have or will be given the ability to have, routine physical (entry) or logical (electronic) access to government information.

a. Operate a Federal System Containing Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) will operate a federal system and information technology containing data that supports the HHS mission. In addition to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 2.1 definition of “information technology” (IT), the term as used in this section includes computers, ancillary equipment (including imaging peripherals, input, output, and storage devices necessary for security and surveillance), peripheral equipment designed to be controlled by the central processing unit of a computer, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

3) Safeguarding Information and Information Systems. In accordance with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS)199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. Protect government information and information systems in order to ensure:

• Confidentiality, which means preserving authorized restrictions on access and disclosure, based on the security terms found in this contract, including means for protecting personal privacy and proprietary information;

• Integrity, which means guarding against improper information modification or destruction, and ensuring information non-repudiation and authenticity; and

• Availability, which means ensuring timely and reliable access to and use of information.

b. Provide security for any Contractor systems, and information contained therein, connected to an FDA network or operated by the Contractor on behalf of FDA regardless of location. In addition, if new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either the agency or contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately, within one (1) hour or less, bring the situation to the attention of the other party. This includes notifying the FDA Systems Management Center (SMC) within one (1) hour of discovery/detection in the event of an information security incident.

c. Adopt and implement the policies, procedures, controls, and standards required by the HHS/FDA Information Security Program to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government information and government information systems for which the Contractor is responsible under this contract or to which the Contractor may otherwise have access under this contract. Obtain the FDA Information Security Program security requirements, outlined in the FDA Information Security and Privacy Policy (IS2P), by contacting the CO/COR or emailing your ISSO.

d. Comply with the Privacy Act requirements and tailor FAR clauses as needed.

4) Information Security Categorization. In accordance with FIPS 199 and .National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-60, Volume II: Appendices to Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Appendix C, and based on information provided by the ISSO or other security representative, the risk level for each Security Objective and the Overall Risk Level, which is the highest watermark of the three factors (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) of the information or information system are the following:

Confidentiality: [ x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High Integrity: [ x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High Availability: [ x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High Overall Risk Level: [ x ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High

Based on information provided by the Privacy Office, system/data owner, or other privacy representative, it has been determined that this solicitation/contract involves:

[ x ] No PII [ ] Yes PII

Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Per the OMB Circular A-130, “PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.” Examples of PII include, but are not limited to the following:

Social Security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, etc.

PII Confidentiality Impact Level has been determined to be: [ ] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High

5) Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). CUI is defined as “information that laws, regulations, or Government-wide policies require to have safeguarding or dissemination controls, excluding classified information.” The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must comply with Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information, (implemented at 3 CFR, part 2002) when handling CUI. 32 C.F.R. 2002.4(aa). As implemented the term “handling” refers to “…any use of CUI, including but not limited to marking, safeguarding, transporting, disseminating, re- using, and disposing of the information.” 81 Fed. Reg. 63323. All sensitive information that has been identified as CUI by a regulation or statute, handled by this solicitation/contract, shall be:

a. marked appropriately;

b. disclosed to authorized personnel on a Need-To-Know basis;

c. protected in accordance with NIST SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for

Federal Information Systems and Organizations applicable baseline if handled by a Contractor system operated on behalf of the agency, or NIST SP 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-60-rev1/SP800-60_Vol2-Rev1.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-60-rev1/SP800-60_Vol2-Rev1.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-60-rev1/SP800-60_Vol2-Rev1.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-60-rev1/SP800-60_Vol2-Rev1.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-60-rev1/SP800-60_Vol2-Rev1.pdf

Systems and Organizations if handled by internal Contractor system; and

d. returned to FDA control, destroyed when no longer needed, or held until otherwise directed. Destruction of information and/or data shall be accomplished in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization and the FDA IS2P Appendix T: Sanitization of Computer-Related Storage Media.

6) Protection of Sensitive Information. For security purposes, information is or may be sensitive because it requires security to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall protect all government information that is or may be sensitive in accordance with OMB Memorandum M-06- 16, Protection of Sensitive Agency Information by securing it with a FIPS 140-2 validated solution.

Confidentiality and Nondisclosure of Information. Any information provided to the contractor (and/or any subcontractor) by FDA or collected by the contractor on behalf of FDA shall be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract and shall not be disclosed or made known in any manner to any persons except as may be necessary in the performance of the contract. The Contractor assumes responsibility for protection of the confidentiality of Government records and shall ensure that all work performed by its employees and subcontractors shall be under the supervision of the Contractor. Each Contractor employee or any of its subcontractors to whom any FDA records may be made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the Contractor that information disclosed to such employee or subcontractor can be used only for that purpose and to the extent authorized herein.

The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of such information shall be protected in accordance with HHS and FDA policies. Unauthorized disclosure of information will be subject to the HHS/FDA sanction policies and/or governed by the following laws and regulations:

a. 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records);

b. 18 U.S.C. 1905 (Criminal Code: Disclosure of Confidential Information); and

c. 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, Subchapter I (Paperwork Reduction Act).

7) Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). All procurements using Internet Protocol shall comply with OMB Memorandum M-05-22, Transition Planning for Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).

8) Government Websites. All new and existing public-facing government websites must be securely configured with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) using the most recent version of Transport Layer Security (TLS). In addition, HTTPS shall enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to instruct compliant browsers to assume HTTPS at all times to reduce the number of insecure redirects and protect against attacks that attempt to downgrade connections to plain HTTP. For internal-facing websites, the HTTPS is not required, but it is highly recommended.

9) Contract Documentation. The Contractor shall use FDA-provided templates, policies, forms and other agency documents to comply with contract deliverables as appropriate.

10) Standard for Encryption. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. Comply with the HHS Standard for Encryption of Computing Devices and Information to prevent unauthorized access to government information.

b. Encrypt all sensitive federal data and information (i.e., PII, protected health information [PHI], proprietary information, etc.) in transit (i.e., email, network connections, etc.) and at rest (i.e., servers, storage devices, mobile devices, backup media, etc.) with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption solution.

c. All devices (i.e.: desktops, laptops, mobile devices, etc.) that store, transmit, or process non-public FDA information should utilize FDA-provided or FDA information security authorized devices that meet HHS and FDA-specific encryption standard requirements. Maintain a complete and current inventory of all laptop computers, desktop computers, and other mobile devices and portable media that store or process sensitive government information (including PII).

d. Verify that the encryption solutions in use are compliant with FIPS 140-2. The Contractor shall provide a written copy of the validation documentation to the

COR.

e. Use the Key Management system on the HHS Personal Identification Verification (PIV) card or establish and use a key recovery mechanism to ensure the ability for authorized personnel to encrypt/decrypt information and recover encryption keys. Encryption keys (PIV card) shall be provided to the COR upon request and at the conclusion of the contract. Upon completion of contract, contractor ensures that COR is able to access and read any encrypted data.

11) Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Each Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee having access to non-public government information under this contract shall complete the FDA non-disclosure agreement (3398 Form), as applicable.

A copy of each signed and witnessed NDA shall be submitted to the CO and/or COR prior to performing any work under this acquisition.

12) Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA)/Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) – The Contractor shall assist the procuring activity representative, program office and the FDA SOP or designee with conducting a PTA for the information system and/or information handled under this contract to determine whether or not a full PIA needs to be completed.

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips140-2/fips1402.pdf http://inside.fda.gov:9003/downloads/administrative/forms/fda/ucm013733.pdf

a. If the results of the PTA show that a full PIA is needed, the Contractor shall assist procuring activity representative, program office and the FDA SOP or designee with completing a PIA for the system or information after completion of the PTA and in accordance with HHS and FDA policy and OMB M-03-22, Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. The PTA/PIA must be completed and approved prior to active use and/or collection or processing of PII and is a prerequisite to agency issuance of an authorization to operate (ATO).

b. The Contractor shall assist the procuring activity representative, program office and the FDA SOP or designee in reviewing and updating the PIA at least every three years throughout the Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) /information lifecycle, or when determined by the agency that a review is required based on a major change to the system, or when new types of PII are collected that introduces new or increased privacy risks, whichever comes first.

B. Training

1) Mandatory Training for All Contractor Staff. All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees assigned to work on this contract shall complete the applicable FDA Contractor Information Security Awareness, Privacy, and Records Management training (provided upon contract award) before performing any work under this contract. Thereafter, the employees shall complete FDA Information Security Awareness, Privacy, and Records Management training at least annually, during the life of this contract. All provided training shall be compliant with HHS and FDA training policies.

2) Role-based Training. All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees with significant security responsibilities (as determined by the program manager) must complete role-based training annually commensurate with their role and responsibilities in accordance with HHS and FDA policy and FDA Role-Based Training (RBT) of Personnel with Significant Security Responsibilities Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

3) Training Records. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall maintain training records for all its employees working under this contract in accordance with HHS and FDA policy. A copy of the training records shall be provided to the CO and/or COR within 30 days after contract award and annually thereafter or upon request.

C. Rules of Behavior

1) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure that all employees performing on the contract comply with the HHS Information Technology General Rules of Behavior.

2) All Contractor employees performing on the contract must read and adhere to the Rules of Behavior (ROB) before accessing HHS and FDA data or other information, systems, and/or networks that store/process government information, initially at the beginning of the contract and at least annually thereafter, which may be done as part of annual FDA

Information Security Awareness Training. If the training is provided by the contractor, the signed ROB must be provided as a separate deliverable to the CO and/or COR per defined timelines.

D. Incident Response

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall respond to all alerts/Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) provided by HHS Computer Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC)/FDA SMC /Incident Response Team (IRT) teams within 24 hours, whether the response is positive or negative.

FISMA defines an incident as “an occurrence that (1) actually or imminently jeopardizes, without lawful authority, the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of information or an information system; or (2) constitutes a violation or imminent threat of violation of law, security policies, security procedures, or acceptable use policies.” The HHS Policy for IT Security and Privacy Incident Reporting and Response further defines incidents as events involving cybersecurity and privacy threats, such as viruses, malicious user activity, loss of, unauthorized disclosure or destruction of data, and so on.

A privacy breach is a type of incident and is defined by FISMA as the loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or any similar occurrence where (1) a person other than an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses personally identifiable information or (2) an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses personally identifiable information for an other than authorized purpose. The HHS Policy for IT Security and Privacy Incident Reporting and Response further defines a breach as “a suspected or confirmed incident involving PII.”

In the event of a suspected or confirmed incident or breach, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

1) Protect all sensitive information, including any PII created, stored, or transmitted in the performance of this contract to avoid a secondary sensitive information incident with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption.

2) NOT notify affected individuals unless so instructed by the Contracting Officer or designated representative. If so instructed by the Contracting Officer or representative, the Contractor shall send FDA approved notifications to affected individuals as directed by FDA’s SOP.

3) Report all suspected and confirmed information security and privacy incidents and breaches to the FDA Systems Management Center, COR, CO, and other stakeholders, including incidents involving PII, in any medium or form, including paper, oral, or electronic, as soon as possible and without unreasonable delay, no later than one (1) hour of discovery/detection, and consistent with the applicable FDA and HHS policy and procedures, NIST standards and guidelines, as well as US-CERT notification guidelines. The types of information required in an incident report must include at a minimum: company and point of contact information, contract information, impact classifications/threat vector, and the type of information compromised. In addition, the Contractor shall:

a. cooperate and exchange any information, as determined by the Agency, necessary to effectively manage or mitigate a suspected or confirmed breach;

b. not include any sensitive information in the subject or body of any reporting e-mail;

and

c. encrypt sensitive information in attachments to email, media, etc.

4) Comply with OMB M-17-12, Preparing for and Responding to a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information and HHS and FDA incident response policies when handling PII breaches.

5) Provide full access and cooperate on all activities as determined by the Government to ensure an effective incident response, including providing all requested images, log files, and event information to facilitate rapid resolution of sensitive information incidents. This may involve disconnecting the system processing, storing, or transmitting the sensitive information from the Internet or other networks or applying additional security controls. This may also involve physical access to contractor facilities during a breach/incident investigation demand.

E. Position Sensitivity Designations

All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees must obtain a background investigation commensurate with their position sensitivity designation that complies with Parts 1400 and 731 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The following position sensitivity designation levels apply to this solicitation/contract:

F. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) and its employees shall comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12, Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors; OMB M-05-24; FIPS 201, Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors; HHS HSPD-12 policy; and Executive Order 13467, Part 1 §1.2.

Roster. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall submit a roster by name, position, e-mail address, phone number and responsibility, of all staff working under this acquisition where the Contractor will develop, have the ability to access, or host and/or maintain a government information system(s). The roster and any revisions to the roster as a result of staffing changes shall be submitted to the COR and/or CO per the COR or CO’s direction.

Any revisions to the roster as a result of staffing changes. The COR will notify the Contractor of the appropriate level of investigation required for each staff member.

If the employee is filling a new position, the Contractor shall provide a position description and the Government will determine the appropriate suitability level.

G. Contract Initiation and Expiration

1) General Security Requirements. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall comply with information security and privacy requirements, Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) processes, HHS Enterprise Architecture requirements to ensure information is appropriately protected from initiation to expiration of the contract.

All information systems development or enhancement tasks supported by the contractor shall follow the FDA EPLC framework and methodology in accordance with the HHS Contract Closeout Guide (2012).

HHS EA requirements may be located here:

https://www.hhs.gov/ocio/ea/documents/proplans.html

2) System Documentation. Contractors (and/or any subcontractors) must follow and adhere to NIST SP 800-64, Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle, at a minimum, for system development and provide system documentation at designated intervals (specifically, at the expiration of the contract) within the EPLC that require artifact review and approval.

3) Sanitization of Government Files and Information. As part of contract closeout and at expiration of the contract, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall provide all required documentation in accordance with FDA OAGS SMGs to the CO and/or COR to certify that, at the government’s direction, all electronic and paper records are appropriately disposed of and all devices and media are sanitized in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization and FDA IS2P Appendix T: Sanitization of Computer-Related Storage Media

4) Notification. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall notify the CO and/or COR as soon as it is known that an employee will stop working under this contract.

5) Contractor Responsibilities Upon Physical Completion of the Contract. The contractor (and/or any subcontractors) shall return all government information and IT resources (i.e., government information in non-government-owned systems, media, and backup systems) acquired during the term of this contract to the CO and/or COR. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide a certification that all government information has been properly sanitized and purged from Contractor-owned systems, including backup systems and media used during contract performance, in accordance with HHS and/or FDA policies.

6) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall coordinate with the COR via email, coping the Contract Specialist, to ensure that the appropriate person performs and documents the actions identified in the FDA eDepart system http://inside.fda.gov:9003/EmployeeResources/NewEmployee/eDepartDepartureSyste m/default.htm as soon as it is known that an employee will terminate work under this contract within days of the employee’s exit from the contract. All documentation shall be made available to the CO and/or COR upon request.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/ea/documents/proplans.html http://inside.fda.gov:9003/EmployeeResources/NewEmployee/eDepartDepartureSystem/default.htm http://inside.fda.gov:9003/EmployeeResources/NewEmployee/eDepartDepartureSystem/default.htm

H. Records Management and Retention

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall maintain all information in accordance with Executive Order 13556 -- Controlled Unclassified Information, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records retention policies and schedules and HHS/FDA policies and shall not dispose of any records unless authorized by HHS/FDA.

In the event that a contractor (and/or any subcontractor) accidentally disposes of or destroys a record without proper authorization, it shall be documented and reported as an incident in accordance with HHS/FDA policies.

H. FDA 1335 PERSONNEL SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

1. BACKGROUND

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), requires that DHHS employees and contractor employees (including subcontractors) who will be working in a DHHS-owned or leased space and/or who will have access to DHHS equipment, and non-public privileged, proprietary, or trade secret information, undergo a background investigation of some type.

Contractor employees who will be in DHHS-owned or lease space for less than thirty (30) days are exempted from the background investigation requirement. These contractor employees must be escorted at all time while in DHHS-owned or leased space.

2. GENERAL

The contractor shall submit the following items to the Contracting Officer, ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work under this contract:

Certification that all required security form packets and a list of contractor employees names for whom the requisite security information has been provided to Division of Security Operations, Policy and Planning, Personnel Security Staff.

a. "Contractor's Commitment to Protect Non-public Information Agreement" forms signed by each employee named in the paragraph above.

With the exception of costs associated with fingerprinting Contractor employees outside of the FDA Personnel Security Office, the Government will conduct all required background investigations at no cost to the contractor. The cost of fingerprinting Contractor employees at any location other than the FDA Personnel Security Office will be borne by the Contractor.

Contractor employees shall obtain security badges in order to access to DHHS-owned or leased property without an escort. (See Section 3 for details on the badging process) However, in the event that work must commence before security badges can be issued, contractor employees will be allowed onto DHHS-owned or leased property, but must be escorted at all times.

All Contractor employees who undergo a background investigation are required to log onto the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM’s) Electronic Questionnaire for Investigation Processing (e-QIP) system to complete the forms necessary to initiate their background investigations. The forms required vary with the position risk levels for the contract.

The position risk levels for this contract are Non-Sensitive Positions (Level 1).

There are two (2) potential position risk levels, which are:

Non-Sensitive Positions (Level 1) (SEE CHART A) - Positions which involve the lowest degree of adverse impact on the efficiency of the Agency. The forms set forth by CHART A are required for Non-Sensitive Positions (Level 1). Contractor employees assigned to Level 1 who receive a security badge will be required to provide additional security information for a background investigation as specified in Paragraph 5 below.

b. Public Trust Positions (Levels 5 or 6) (SEE CHART B) - Positions in which the incumbent's actions or inaction could diminish public confidence in the integrity, efficiency, or effectiveness of assigned Government activities, whether or not actual damage occurs. The forms set forth by CHART B are required for Public Trust Positions (Levels 5 or 6). Contractor employees assigned Levels 5 or 6 must receive security badge as well as a background investigation.

In order to access the e-QIP system, Contractor employees must provide the appropriate Personnel Security Specialist with the following information: (a) full name; (b) position title; (c) social security number; (d) date of birth; (e) place of birth; (f) email address; and (g) phone number. The Personnel Security Specialist will use this information to initiate each Contractor employee into the e-QIP system.

Once this is done, each Contractor employee will receive an email that contains a web link to access the e- QIP system, as well as instructions and additional forms needed to initiate the suitability background investigation. The Project Officer for the contract will provide the name of the appropriate Personnel Security Specialist to the Contractor.

A Contractor’s failure to comply with the e-QIP processing guidelines will result in that Contractor’s employees being denied access to FDA property until all security processing has been completed.

3. BADGING PROCESS

The FDA Project Officer will sponsor Contractor employees on the FDA Form 3391 for the purpose of obtaining an FDA Security Access Card. In order to obtain one, a contractor employee must receive a "favorable" fingerprint return. Fingerprints must be submitted to the Personnel Security Office at least ten

(10) days prior to the commencement of work. Fingerprints will be submitted in one of two ways, depending on where the contract will be performed:

Contractor employees who will work in the Washington D.C. metro area will, at the direction of the FDA Project Officer or his/her designee, contact the Personnel Security Branch to schedule a fingerprinting appointment, or

b. Contractor employees who will work in a field office will submit fingerprints to:

Food and Drug Administration Fingerprinting and Personnel Security Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993

Upon the receipt of a "favorable" fingerprint return, each Contractor employee must present two forms of identification in order to receive his or her badge. One form of identification must be a government-issued photo identification document. Acceptable forms of photo identification are referenced on the FDA Form 3391. Acceptable forms of secondary identification are listed on the back of the I-9 Form. This form can be obtained at http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/files/i-9.pdf

An individual who receives an unfavorable report may appeal that finding by submitting a written request to the Personnel Security Staff.

4. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS

The Government shall conduct an additional background investigation for those individuals named to risk Levels 1, 5 and 6 serving under this contract.

Required background investigations may include, but not be limited to:

Review of prior Government/military personnel records;

Review of FBI records and fingerprint files;

Searches of credit bureaus;

Personal interviews; and Written inquiries covering the subject's background.

Background investigations will be conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that the integrity of contract performance is maintained pending completion of all appropriate background investigations of contractor employees.

The Contractor shall submit the information required for eQIP access and other requisite forms for the risk level(s) specified. In addition, the contractor shall provide a cover letter which includes: the Contractor's name, the contract number, the name of the Contracting Officer administering the contract, the names of all Contractor employees' for whom a background check is required and those employees’ social security numbers, dates of birth, and former names. This cover letter and all completed forms shall be transmitted, in a separate sealed envelope marked, "TO BE OPENED BY ADDRESSEE ONLY," to:

Food and Drug Administration Badging and Credentialing Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993 http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/files/i-9.pdf

The contractor shall send a separate letter to the Contracting Officer that includes the contract number and employee names.

The contractor shall advise its prospective employees that all standard forms submitted to the FDA will be forwarded to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for scheduling background investigations.

Personnel Security Staff will resolve with the contract employee any issues arising out of inaccurate or incomplete forms.

Employees who have been previously granted a Government security clearance shall advise Personnel Security Staff of the details of such clearances to determine if a previous clearance level is suitable for the current FDA position.

At any time, if a contractor employee for whom security forms have been submitted is terminated or otherwise ceases work under the contract, the contractor shall immediately notify Personnel Security Staff, in writing, with copies to the respective FDA Project and Contracting Officers.

The OPM background investigation will take approximately 120 days. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor in writing if an employee is denied a clearance. Those individuals who have been cleared by Personnel Security Staff may continue to work under the contract. Those who are not cleared must cease work on the contract immediately.

If a Contractor employee changes job responsibilities under this contract, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer, and the Government will make a determination whether an additional security clearance is required.

In the event that a cleared individual is replaced, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and comply with all requirements of this clause, as specified herein, prior to the commencement of work by the replacement individual.

The Contractor shall be responsible for the return of any Government issued security badges to the Project Officer.

6. NON-PUBLIC DATA PROTECTION

The contractor shall protect the privacy of all information reported by or about contract employees and shall protect against unauthorized disclosure.

CHARTS A & B ARE APPENDED TO THIS CLAUSE

For clarification purposes and to facilitate the flow of all required security forms, the following matrix is provided:

CHART A

Mandatory for all on-site contract employees

NON-SENSITIVE

POSITIONS - LEVEL 1

FORM NAME

OBTAIN

FROM WHEN REQUIRED SUBMIT

TO DATE REQUIRED

FDA Form 3391 - FDA Security Card Access Request

Project Officer.

Sponsorship must be provided by FDA Project Officer.

All positions on DHHS property or leased space

Food and Drug Administration Attn: Badging and Credentialing Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993 **Form must be submitted by Security Rep.

Form must be received prior to making fingerprint appointment.

Contractor’s Commitment to Protect Non-Public Information (NPI) Agreement form

Contracting Officer

All positions with access to non-public privileged, proprietary, or trade secret information

Contracting Officer for retention in contract file

Ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work

Listing of all contractor employee names, social security #s, gender, dates of birth, former names, and a completed Fair Credit Reporting Act Release

Contractor generated

All positions, including intermittent, per diem or temporary

*Food and Drug Administration Attn: Badging and Credentialing Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993

(301) 796-4592

Ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work

SF 85 - Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions

Online via OPM’s e-QIP system

Non-Sensitive Positions – Level 1 Clearance

*Submit to OPM online via the e-QIP system

Ten (10) calendar days upon request of the Contracting Officer

FD 258 - Fingerprint Chart (2 Charts Required) Fingerprinting services available by appointment only.

Call (301) 827-9527

Contracting Officer

Non-Sensitive Positions – Level 1 Clearance

*Food and Drug Administration Fingerprinting & Personnel Security Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993

(301) 796-4607

Ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work

*In addition to the submission of these forms, the contractor shall provide a cover letter that includes:

contractor’s name, contract number, contractor employees’ names, and name of Contracting Officer.

*Upon favorable fingerprint return, contractor will be notified to respond to the badging office for their building pass.

CHART B

*Food and Drug Administration Badging and Credentialing Office

*Food and Drug Administration

Public Trust Positions - Levels 5 or 6

FORM NAME

OBTAIN

FROM WHEN REQUIRED SUBMIT

TO DATE REQUIRED

SF 85P - Questionnaire for Public Trust

Online via OPM’s e-QIP system

Public Trust Positions – Level 5 or 6 Clearance

*Submit to OPM online via the e-QIP system

Ten (10) calendar days prior to Commencement of work

FD 258 - Fingerprint Chart (2 Charts Required) Fingerprinting services available by appointment only.

Call (301) 827-9527

Contracting Officer Public Trust Positions – Level 5 or 6 Clearance

*Food and Drug Administration Fingerprinting & Personnel Security Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993

(301) 796-4607

Ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work

FDA Form 3391 - FDA Security Card Access Request

Project Officer.

Sponsorship must be provided by FDA Project Officer.

All positions on DHHS property or leased space

Food and Drug Administration Attn: Badging and Credentialing Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993

**Form must be submitted by Security Rep.

Form must be received prior to making fingerprinting appointment.

Contractor’s Commitment to Protect Non-Public Information (NPI) Agreement form

Contracting Officer

All positions with access to non-public privileged, proprietary, or trade secret information

Contracting Officer for retention in contract file

Ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work

Listing of all contractor employee names, social security #s, gender, dates of birth, former names, and a completed Fair Credit Reporting Act Release

Contractor generated All positions, including intermittent, per diem or temporary

*Food and Drug Administration Attn: Badging and Credentialing Office 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201 Silver Spring, MD 20993

(301) 796-4592

Ten (10) calendar days prior to commencement of work

Badging and Credentialing Office 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

10903 New Hampshire Avenue Building 1, Room 1201

Silver Spring, MD 20993 No appointment necessary

(301) 796-4592

*Upon favorable fingerprint return, contractor will be notified to respond to the badging office for their building pass.

*In addition to the submission of these forms, the contractor shall provide a cover letter that includes:

contractor’s name, contract number, contractor employees’ names, and name of Contracting Officer.

I. GOVERNMENT HOLIDAYS

a. The Government hereby provides notification that Government personnel observe the listed days as holidays:

(1) New Year's Day (6) Labor Day

(2) Martin Luther King's Birthday (7) Columbus Day

(3) President’s Day (8) Veterans' Day

(4) Memorial Day (9) Thanksgiving Day

(5) Independence Day (10) Christmas Day

b. In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days:

(1) Any other day designated by Federal Statute

(2) Any other day designated by Executive Order

(3) Any other day designated by the President’s Proclamation

c. When any such day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is observed. Except for designated around-the-clock or emergency operations, Contractor personnel will not be able to perform on-site under this contract with FDA on holidays set forth above. The Contractor will not charge any holiday as direct charge to the award.

d. It is understood and agreed between the Government and the Contractor that observance of such days by Government personnel shall not otherwise be a reason for an additional period of performance, or entitlement of compensation except as set forth within the award.

e. Nothing in this clause abrogates the rights and responsibilities of the parties relating to stop work provisions as cited in other sections of this contract.

J. EVALUATION AND AWARD:

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (OCT 2014)

Lowest Priced, Technically Acceptable (LPTA)

K. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFEROR FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items (JUN 2020)

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORMAT:

***Proposal shall be in 2 volumes: 1 Technical and 2 Price. The volumes shall be separate and complete. The volumes shall be separate and complete, so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, the evaluation of the other. No pricing information shall be provided in volume 1.***

The total number of pages for the technical quote shall not exceed ten (10) pages, using 1” margins, single spaced, font type Time New Roman, and a font size of 12.

***The solicitation does not commit the Government to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a quote or proposal. It is also advised that the Contracting Officer (CO) is the only individual who can legally commit and obligate the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with the proposed acquisition.***

QUESTIONS DEADLINE: Interested offerors shall submit questions electronically to Teddy.Weng@fda.hhs.gov no later than December 24, 2020, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Please include the company name, FDA solicitation number, and “Question(s)” in the subject line.

No Phone Calls Please.

QUOTES DUE: All quotes are due, electronically through beta.SAM.gov for the RFQ no later than December 29, 2020, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

PROVISIONS and CLAUSES:

The following provisions and clauses apply:

FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor any time before the contract expires.

FAR 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000) mailto:Teddy.Weng@fda.hhs.gov

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor any time before the contract expires; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 0 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 24 months.

FDA Three-Way Match Invoicing Procedures

A. The contractor shall submit all invoices to:

U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Attn: Vendor Payments Division of Payment Services 10903 New Hampshire Ave WO32 - Second Floor

MAIL HUB 2145

Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 301-827-3742

FDAVendorPaymentsTeam@fda.hhs.gov

*** Acceptable methods of delivery include: E-mail (preferred) and Standard Mail. Provide a copy marked courtesy to the TPOC. The TPOC is (TBD)

B. Invoices submitted under this contract must comply with the requirements set forth in FAR Clauses 52.232-25 (Prompt Payment) and 52.232-33 (Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - System for Award Management) and/or other applicable FAR clauses specified herein. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must be submitted on company letterhead and include each of the following:

(i) Name and address of the contractor;

(ii) Invoice date and invoice number;

(iii) Contract/Order number (including a reference to any base award for Indefinite- Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contracts or Blanket Purchase Agreements);

(iv) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price supplies delivered or services performed, including:

(a) period of performance for which costs are claimed;

(b) itemized travel costs, including origin and destination;

(c) any other supporting information necessary to clarify questionable expenditures;

(d) the contractor shall include the Contract Line Item/Funding line item for each description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price, and extended price supplies delivered or services performed;

(v) Shipping number and date of shipment, including the bill of lading number and weight of shipment if shipped on government bill of lading;

(vi) Terms of any discount for prompt payment offered (Prompt Payment terms other than NET 30);

(vii) Name and address of official to whom payment is to be sent (must be the same as that in the purchase order/award, or in a proper notice of assignment)

(viii) Name, title, and phone number of person to notify in event of defective invoice;

(ix) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);

(x) banking routing transit number of the financial institution receiving payment for Electronic funds transfer (EFT);

(xi) Name and telephone number of the FDA Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or other Program Center/Office point of contact, as referenced on the award;

(xii) For all Inspections, Time-and-Materials and Labor-Hour Awards, Contractor is required to attach an invoice log addendum to each invoice which shall include, at a minimum, the following information for contract administration and reconciliation purposes:

(a) list of all invoices submitted to date under the subject award, including the following:

(1) invoice number, amount, & date submitted

(2) corresponding payment amount & date received

(b) total amount of all payments received to date under the subject contract or order

(c) and, for definitized contracts or orders only, total estimated amounts yet to be invoiced for the current, active period of performance;

(xiii) Any other information or documentation required by the award.

C. An electronic invoice is acceptable if submitted in adobe acrobat (PDF) format.