75N91021R00028_Amendment 2.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

N/A

PAGE

OF PAGES

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

01/26/2022

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE

REQ. NO.

5. PROJECT NO. (if applicable)

6. ISSUED BY CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 5) CODE

National Cancer Institute

Office of Acquisitions

9609 Medical Center Drive

Bethesda, MD 20892-9705

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, city, county, State and ZIP Code)

TO ALL POTENTIAL OFFERORS

() 9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

75N91021R00028

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

01/10/2022

10A. MODIFICATION OF

CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

CODE FACILITY CODE 10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offersis extended, is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15 and returning _1__ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR

ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED

MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (if required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO FAR 52.243-2. THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B.THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b) and Contract ARTICLE B.4.

C.THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D.OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor _ _ is not X is required to sign this document and return 1 _ copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this amendment is to respond to questions received from the Potential Offerors regarding the Request for Proposal.

All other terms and conditions of this RFP as amended, including proposal due date and time, remain unchanged.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

Sara McLaurin, Contracting Officer

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

BY ______________________________________________

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BY _____________________________________

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

16C.DATE SIGNED

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 30-105 STANDARD FORM 30 (REV 10-83.)

PREVIOUS EDITION UNUSABLE Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Sara M. Mclaurin -S Digitally signed by Sara M. Mclaurin - S Date: 2022.01.26 11:15:25 -05'00'

Amendment 2 – RFP 75N91021R00028: Tobacco Control Research Scientific and Technical Services Support Contract (TCRB)

General Questions

1. Question: Please confirm that resumes are not to exceed 3 pages EACH. Instructions just state resumes should not exceed 3 pages.

Response: NCI confirms that resumes are not to exceed 3 pages EACH.

2. Question: Is Section K required to be completed and submitted with proposal? If so, what volume should it be included in?

Response: Yes; Business Proposal.

3. Question: Please confirm that certified pricing is not required in order to submit a proposal response.

Response: In accordance with FAR 19.806 Pricing the 8(a) Contract, “SBA shall obtain certified cost or pricing data from the 8(a) contractor.” Hence, NCI confirms that certified pricing is not required in order to submit a proposal response.

4. Question: The government has indicated font size must be 11 point font. Are offerors allowed to use a smaller, but legible font for tables and graphics?

Response: Font size must be 11 point.

5. Question: Per 13 CFR §124.503, please confirm that eligible offerors must be certified as 8(a) businesses at the initial date specified for the receipt of offers (i.e., February 9, 2022).

Response: Yes.

6. Question: Will the Government allow for smaller font sizes in tables and graphics?

Response: See question #8.

7. Question: Per the RFP: "The total page count of the Sample Task Order proposal shall not exceed 14 pages." As there are two sample task orders, will the Government please confirm each task order proposal may be up to 14 pages?

Response: Yes.

8. Question: Does the Government plan on awarding Task Orders 1 and 2 along with the IDIQ contract?

Amendment 2 – RFP 75N91021R00028

Response: Yes.

Technical Questions

9. Question: There are references made re: a Principal Investigator, yet this is not considered a key personnel, technical personnel, or support personnel as indicated beginning on page 128. Is the “Principal Investigator” considered the Project Manager? Is the Principal Investigator a separate position? Is listing the Principal Investigator an error and all reference to the Principal Investigator need to be removed? It is also included on page 144 as a point of contact reference.

Same question applies to the “Other Investigators” and “Additional Personnel” on page 77 of the solicitation.

Response: The principal investigator (PI) leads the project’s scientific development or execution for example, project manager. The PI should be listed as key personnel.

10. Question: Item 8 Qualifications of the Offeror and item 9 Subcontractors sections seem to require this information be provided in the Business Proposal. Is this correct?

Based on the evaluation factors, it seems that Experience and Support Capabilities (page 90, item c) should be included in the technical volume. Please clarify in which volume this information should be included.

Response: NCI confirms Item 8 Qualifications of the Offeror and item 9 Subcontractors sections should be provided in the Business Proposal. Experience and Support Capabilities should be included in the Technical Proposal.

11. Question: Page 89, section a, item v requires the submission of a transition plan, but page 10, item 7, page 17, page 102, and page 108 state that a Transition Plan is not required until 20 days after contract award. Please clarify whether a transition plan is required with proposal response.

Response: The transition plan should be submitted no later than twenty (20) calendar days after Contract award.

12. Question: Are letters of intent required if key personnel are already employed by the Prime or the Prime’s subcontracting partner?

Response: Yes. Please provide a letter of intent for each proposed key personnel staff member.

13. Question: Historically, how many FTEs have performed in each position/role?

Response: One (1) project manager is estimated at 100% full-time equivalent, and three (3) 100% full-time Scientific Research Associates are estimated to meet the requirements of Core task. For the Monographs task, one (1) project manager is estimated at 75% full-time equivalent.

14. Question: Project Objectives - – what response does the Government expect? Please elaborate on the instructions for this requirement.

Response: Please provide a response in accordance with the Project Objectives explained on Page 125 within the Technical Proposal.

15. Question: What documentation is the government expecting for proof of complete reports?

Response: The proof of completed reports might include a brief description of a project completed that was similar in scope or complexity to this SOW. It can include a link to the project, such as a report, manuscript, summary, etc.

16. Question: Do you have an estimate of how many task orders will be requested? How many task orders have historically been requested?

Response: The current contract awarded two (2) task orders.

17. Question: Approximately how many participants have historically been invited to participate in meetings?

Response: The number of participants invited to scientific meetings has ranged historically.

Most meetings have less than fifty (50) participants; occasionally a pre-conference session or online webinar may have as many as two hundred fifty

(250) participants.

18. Question: Please confirm the types of prior conference locations and facilities used for meetings.

Response: Consistent with NIH’s Efficient Spending Policy as noted in the Statement of Work, any meetings that involve reimbursed travel expenses would prioritize Federal facilities over commercial, non-Federal facilities. It is unknown how many of these meetings would occur in Federal facilities due to availability. For budget preparation purposes, the Contractor should assume that one (1) program hosted meeting and one (1) focus group per year will be held in non- Federal facilities.

19. Question: What platform(s) has previously been used for virtual meetings?

Response: Platforms for virtual meetings must meet NIH’s requirements for security and reasonable accommodation. In the current contract, platforms used for virtual meetings were WebEx, Zoom.gov, and RingCentral.

20. Question: Attachment 15 is the wage rate determination. Please provide clarification on wage determination, does the government expect specific staff to work out of Maryland?

Response: NCI Program Office expects Key Personnel staff to be able to work periodically from Montgomery County, MD.

21. Question: We assume contractors should provide pricing for only two (2) meetings under this Sample Task Order as required in Attachment #10. Please confirm. We also assume these meetings will take place in Rockville, MD. Please confirm.

Response: Attachment #10 describes anticipated travel for the Core task order, including travel related to program hosted meetings. For budget preparation purposes, please include projected costs for four (4) program hosted meetings per year, for fifteen (15) travelers per trip, three (3) days per trip, and two (2) hotel nights per trip. You may use Chicago, IL to Rockville, MD to estimate travel costs.

Program hosted meetings are expected to be held in Rockville, MD.

22. Question: Historically, how many pages are included in each meeting summary and transcription?

Response: The number of pages for a meeting summary or transcription ranges depending on the meeting. Historically, summaries or transcriptions averaged about 30 pages per meeting.

23. Question: How many individuals will be traveling? Is there international travel required?

Response: For both sample task orders, please refer to Attachment #10 to help prepare your budget proposal that includes travel costs. Sample Task Order #1 reflects domestic and international conference-related travel. You may estimate one (1) contractor to support each of these domestic and international conferences.

Sample Task Order #2 reflects domestic travel only. Consistent with Federal Travel Regulations, please include per diems for meals and incidentals for travelers.

24. Question: For pricing purposes, the government provided a summary of anticipated travel for sample task order #1 (CORE). We assume the government is seeking estimated travel costs for the specific requirements described in the chart on page 1 of Attachment 10 and no other costs are associated with this travel (i.e., staffing for meeting support, materials, etc.)? Please confirm.

Response: For both sample task orders, Attachment #10 provides information to help prepare your budget proposal. On Attachment #10, page 2, a section titled “Other Direct Costs” explains anticipated costs related to program hosted meetings. Please assume four (4) program hosted meetings per year, and these meetings are anticipated to have costs related to printing, materials, and A/V costs.

25. Question: The government identified additional subcontractor are often required to support STO #1, to include six (6) external consultants, one (1) journal specialists, and one (1) focus-group expert. For pricing purposes how many hours should contractors account for each of these individuals or should we assume they are full time (i.e., 2080 hours annually)?

Response: Subcontractors under Sample Task Order #1 should not be assumed to be 100% FTEs. External consultants and focus group experts will be selected as needed based on their specific expertise, and thus are estimated to have a range of salary levels. For budget proposal preparation, you may use a lump sum payment for these individuals: $25,000 each for six (6) external consultants and $17,000 for one (1) focus group expert, to occur each contract year. The journal special issue is a one-time payment that would be issued to the journal directly.

You may estimate a cost of $45,000 per special issue per year.

26. Question: Printing, Copying, Materials. Does the government require pricing for printing, copying and materials for each of the meetings listed in the travel charts including international conferences OR are these costs required for the two (2) meetings described under Scientific Technical Support for Scientific Meeting and Conferences requirement in Attachment 10? If additional pricing is required for each meeting listed in the charts, how many participants do you anticipate attending each meeting? How many pages are typically included in each document?

Response: NCI does not require detailed pricing for the anticipated printing, copying, and material costs described in Attachment #10. For budget proposal preparation, you may use the following historical amounts for these annual costs: printing and copying – $3,500, materials and supplies –$2,000, meeting-related expenses – $5,000.

27. Question: Meeting Related Expenses. Should we provide estimated AV costs for each of the meetings described in the travel charts or for the two (2) meetings described in the Scientific & Technical Support for Scientific Meeting and Conferences requirement?

Response: See question #23.

28. Question: Miscellaneous. How many computers are typically required per meeting? How many foreign visas are required?

Response: NCI does not require detailed pricing for the anticipated miscellaneous costs described in Attachment #10. For budget proposal preparation, you may use the following historical amount for this annual cost: $2,000.

29. Question: We assume the contractor should provide in-person costs and virtual costs for Sample Task Order #1. Is that accurate?

Response: Attachment #10 describes travel and meeting expenses for conferences and meetings that could occur in-person or virtually. Given the uncertainties related to COVID-19-related travel restrictions, please prepare your budget proposal assuming in-person costs. You do not need to reflect virtual meeting costs separately. Your Technical Proposal should address your organization’s experience with hosting virtual meetings and preparing materials for virtual scientific meetings.

30. Question: It appears the last Monograph was published in 2017. Will the Government confirm that Monographs have not been contracted for or completed under the current contract?

Response: A monograph has been contracted for during the term of the current contract. It is expected to be published Summer 2022.

31. Question: Scientific and Technical Support for Scientific Meeting and Conferences – is the government able to provide an estimate on the number of speakers/presenters for each of the two meetings?

Response: Unable to provide an exact number since this is referencing an anticipated need for facilitators and/or on-site support staff for meetings.

32. Question: Scientific and Technical Support for Scientific Meeting and Conferences – is the government able to provide some estimate on the number of total participants for each of the two meetings?

Response: See question #31

33. Question: Program hosted meetings – aside from travel reimbursement support, as well as printing and copying, are any other technical or logistical support services required?

Response: Attachment #10 describes the anticipated costs related to program hosted meetings, including travel, printing, copying, materials, and miscellaneous costs.

Please ensure your budget proposal also addresses costs for facilitation services for two (2) meetings per year.

34. Question: Focus groups – aside from travel reimbursement and providing services of content experts, are any other technical or logistical support services required?

Response: Attachment #10 describes the anticipated costs related to focus groups, including travel, printing, copying, materials, and miscellaneous costs. Please ensure your budget proposal also addresses costs for facilitation services for two (2) meetings per year.

35. Question: “Printing & Copying” and “Materials & Supplies” for program meetings: can the Government please confirm the total number of participants for each meeting?

Response: See question #17.

36. Question: Additional Writing, Editing and Graphics Design: Can the Government provide an average page length or details for each of the 35 projects?

Response: These projects may include information briefs, PowerPoint presentations, portfolio analyses, literature reviews, manuscript preparation, poster preparation, meeting transcriptions, qualitative interview coding and summaries, and infographic data displays. Page length typically ranges from 1- 300 pages per project.