Amendment 1 QandA.pdf

Question CMS Response We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. This is not new work for CMS.

Could you please provide the current / previous contract number? The previous contract number was 75FCMC23F0044

It looks like the Agency made a small business procurement decision but the SF 1449 mentions unrestricted? Can you please clarify as this will directly impact our decision to spend the resources on responding via our proposal? This is a small business set aside. The SF1449 has been updated.

The solicitation references Section 508 compliance, can the Agency clarify if the awarding contractor will be uploading the proposed transcripts into a website?

Please see page 6 of the SOW which states. Completed deliverables shall be delivered electronically via email as attachments in Word format in the version in use by the Federal Government, unless another format is requested. AND All deliverables must be 508 compliant. We do not anticipate the awarding contractor uploading the transcripts onto a website.

Can the Government provide additional clarification on the requirement for “real-time recommendation tracking during live meetings,” including expected outputs, level of detail, and whether deliverables are required during the meeting or immediately following?

Please see page 5 of the SOW which states. The contractor is required to keep a real time list of all recommendations made by the Panel over the course of the day.

The contractor is required to present these recommendations at the request of the panel in real time. The contractor must provide a way to provide the panel with any recommendations made in real time at any point during the meeting if requested. We estimate that CMS engages with the contractor 8-10 times to confirm/ clarify codes referenced in a recommendation during an HOP meeting and 0 times during the CDLFS meeting.

Is the Contractor expected to actively participate in live meetings (e.g., providing structured tracking of decisions, action items, or recommendations), or is the role limited to observation and documentation?

The contractor must provide a way to provide the panel with any recommendations made in real time at any point during the meeting if requested as well as documenting the meeting. We estimate that CMS engages with the contractor 8-10 times to confirm/ clarify codes referenced in a recommendation during an HOP meeting and 0 times during the CDLFS meeting.

Can the Government provide examples or descriptions of the expected format for deliverables (e.g., transcripts, action item logs, recommendation trackers, or summary reports)?

Please refer to footnote #3 on page 2 of the SOW. Follow the URL to the downloads section and refer to the August 2025 Meeting.

Sample documents are in that link.

Can the Government provide additional details on the subject matter discussed during meetings to ensure appropriate staffing and domain expertise?

Please see footnotes on pages 1, 2, and 3 of the SOW for information about the previous meetings as well as previous meeting recordings.

Are there any specific subject matter expertise requirements (e.g., medical, regulatory, or technical domains) that the Contractor should account for when proposing personnel?

Please see footnotes on pages 1, 2, and 3 of the SOW for information about the previous meetings as well as previous meeting recordings.

Can the Government provide estimated meeting frequency, duration, and expected volume of transcripts or deliverables to support accurate staffing and pricing?

Please see pages 7 and 8 of the SOW which outlines the duration and frequency of the meetings. Please refer to Attachment 2 FACA Pricing table for how to price your quote. The Government is requiring that all costs be rolled up into the estimated audio minutes in the quantity column - this is to include everything in Task 1, Task 2, Task 3 and Task 3.1. The total not to exceed estimate for each period of performance is in SLINC000XAA. If CMS anticipates that there will be additional audio minutes, 000XAB and AC will be exercised. CMS is assigning up to 16 hours for additional panel related support documents as outlined in Task 4.

What are they paying now? This is a simplified acquisition. The total for 5 years is not expected to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) of $350,000.

Can we get a sample transcript?

Please refer to footnote #3 on page 2 of the SOW. Follow the URL to the downloads section and refer to the August 2025 Meeting.

Sample documents are in that link.

Will you be requiring resumes, certificates and LOIs?

As stated on page 2 of Attachment 3 Evaluation Criteria, The government is not requesting, nor reviewing any resumes submitted. The government is not requesting any resumes, certificates or LOI's.

The cover letter references a submission deadline of 11:00 AM EST on April 30, 2026, while the solicitation form references 12:00 PM EST on the same date. Please confirm the controlling deadline time.

The SF1449 has been updated to reflect the submission deadline of 11am 4.30.2026.

Please confirm whether a registration for SAM.gov that is pending at the time of quote submission but active prior to award will satisfy the SAM registration eligibility requirement.

SAM.gov must be active prior to award. The performance date is estimated and award could occur at any point following release of the solicitation. We will not delay award to wait for approval of SAM registrations.

Are the unit prices expected to remain constant across base and option periods, or may they escalate year over year? This is up to the contractor to decide.

Should the contractor assume full responsibility (and cost) for remediation of Section 508 issues identified post-delivery? All deliverables submitted must be 508 Compliant.

Should pricing assume the quantities listed in Attachment 2 - Pricing Table represent not-to-exceed ceilings?

The quantities in Attachment 2 are not to exceed. The Government will only pay for the minutes that are billed.

How does CMS define an “audio minute” for billing purposes (e.g., actual meeting runtime vs. processed/transcribed minutes)?

“Audio minutes” refer to the length of the meeting recording. Audio minutes do not include breaks, pauses, or technical delays.

Are breaks, pauses, or technical delays included in billable audio minutes?

Audio minutes refer to the length of the meeting recording and do not include breaks, pauses, or technical delays. Please account for any breaks as outlined in the SOW in your costs. While technical delays are possible, they are rare and rarely impact the overall duration of the meeting as outlined on page 8 of the SOW.

Can CMS confirm that all Tasks (transcripts, meeting reports, daily and cumulative recommendations, QA, 508 compliance, and real-time support) are fully covered under the Audio Minute rate?

As stated in Attachment 2 Pricing Table - the SLIN(s) designated to the Audio Minutes will capture all work for each meeting including all deliverables.

Are there any deliverables or activities not intended to be included in the per-minute pricing?

As stated in Attachment 2 Pricing Table - SLIN000XAD is based on level of effort. In accordance with Task 4 Panel Related Support Documents, this purchase order outlines the process for initiating Ad Hoc Requests, including the requirement for the Contractor to provide a level of effort estimate for approval by the Contracting Officer’s Representative before performing any ad hoc tasks.

Upon each submission and acceptance of Task 4 Panel Related Support Documents the Contractor shall bill for the quantity of “Level of Effort Units” associated with the subject ad hoc task, at the amount identified in the “Unit Price” column for SLIN 000[#]AD.

These tasks are not included in the per minute pricing.

Does the Audio Minute rate include pre-meeting preparation and post-meeting revisions or corrections?

As stated in Attachment 2 Pricing Table - the SLIN(s) designated to the Audio Minutes will capture all work for each meeting including all deliverables. This is to include preparation and revisions.

Can you provide samples of the requested documents (verbatim transcript, report for the meeting, daily recommendations, etc.)?

Please see footnotes on pages 1, 2, and 3 of the SOW for information about the previous meetings as well as previous meeting recordings.

Please confirm that CMS makes it’s own recording of the meeting? Is this recording audio or video?

Yes, CMS makes it’s own recordings of the meeting. The recording is audio and video. A publicly available example of a similar recording can be found here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uHJ8MVkX5bY&feature=youtu.be

Please confirm that CMS generates an automatic transcript from the meeting?

This auto transcript is generated by the meeting platform (Zoom, Teams, etc.).

The cover letter mentions this is a small business set-aside but the SF1449 is checked as unrestricted. There are many small businesses that can do this work so please update the SF1449 as a small business set-aside. This is a small business set aside. The SF1449 has been updated.

On Supplies or Services Prices/Cost sheet Item 0001AD (and option years) has “hours” under the description but “Minutes” under Unit. Please change Unit to “Hours”? The SF1449 has been updated.

Would you explain the correlation of the Deliverables to the Line items in the Pricing table? What is the difference between Item 0001AB and 0001AC?

As stated in Attachment 2 Pricing Table - the SLIN(s) designated to the Audio Minutes will capture all work for each meeting including all deliverables. SLINS 000XAB and 000XAC are in place to exercise should CMS anticipate more/longer meetings than originally planned.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uHJ8MVkX5bY&feature=youtu.be