75N91023R00033-_Amendment_0003_0003.pdf

(x)

75N91023R00033 x x

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 electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 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 letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

NCI

Bethesda, MD 20892-7511 National Cancer Institute National Institutes of Health

NCI-EXEC

Bethesda, MD 20892-7511 National Cancer Institute National Institutes of Health

10/30/20230003

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

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

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

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

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

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

10/10/2023

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

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

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

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

Purpose: 1) Provide answers to offerors questions.

Estimated IDIQ

Period of Performance: 12/29/2023 to 12/28/2028

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

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

RANDALL L. TIQUI

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

10/30/2023

RFP: 75N91023R00033 2

Amendment No: 0003

Date: 10/30/2023

This amendment answers questions received regarding Solicitation 75N91023R00033.

1. Is there is a number of FTE expected for this opportunity?

a. For Sample Task Order # 1, Offerors should propose their estimated labor mix and effort to complete the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW). For Sample Task Order # 2, Offerors should propose to the exact total number of hours specified, using their own proposed labor mix. There is no specific number of FTE required for the base IDIQ;

however, each Offeror should provide sufficient information to allow the Government to evaluate the proposal in response to the criteria outlined Section M (e.g., Personnel).

2. What are the key personnel for this proposal?

a. Per HHSAR 352.237-75 (Article G.2), the Contracting Officer is requiring that each offeror designate, or identify, the key personnel in their proposal . Key Personnel are considered essential to work performance.

3. RFP L.2.a.2 Authorized Official and Submission of Proposal (pg. 58)- The solicitation states that the Cover Page should “indicate whether the proposal is an original or a copy.” Since proposals are to be submitted electronically, please confirm that only one (1) copy is required, and that it is unnecessary to indicate whether the proposal is an original or a copy.

a. Yes, Offerors are required to submit one electronic copy. The cover page should identify the proposal as an original submission.

4. RFP L.2.a.3 Proposal Summary and Data Record (NIH-2043) (pg. 58)- Please confirm that the

Proposal Summary and Data Record (NIH-2043) (Attachment 10) should be submitted with the

Business Proposal.

a. Attachment 10- Proposal Summary and Data Record, NIH-2043, should be included with both the technical and business proposal submissions.

5. RFP L.2.a.10 Certification Regarding Tax Matters (pg. 60)- FAR 52.209-12 is not included in the Section K attachment. Do offerors still need to fill out this clause and provide it with the

Business Proposal?

a. Please see Amendment 0002, which updated Attachment 5- Section K- Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors, to add FAR 52.209-12- Certification

Regarding Tax Matters. Attachment 5 should be included with the business proposal submission.

6. RFP L.2.b.1.b Personnel (pg. 67)- What labor categories were utilized on the previous contract?

a. Each Offeror is responsible for proposing the appropriate labor categories and labor mix for this requirement, and in response to each task order.

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Date: 10/30/2023

7. RFP L.2.c Business Proposal Instructions (pg. 72)- Are offerors only required to provide pricing for Sample Task 1 and Sample Task 2 (with no specific pricing at the IDIQ level)?

a. Yes, per Section L.2.a.2.III., “A business proposal must be submitted for Sample Task Orders

1 & 2 and any supporting business information related to the IDIQ”. No price is required at the IDIQ level as an IDIQ Minimum of $3,500 and IDIQ Maximum of $9,930,850 has been established, per Article B.2. PRICE/COSTS; however, supporting business documentation should be provided in response to the IDIQ (e.g., salary/compensation support).

8. RFP L.2.c Business Proposal Instructions (pg. 72)- Are offerors to include Sample Task 1 pricing and Sample Task 2 pricing in one Attachment 11 file? Or should there be one

Attachment 11 file for Sample Task 1 and one Attachment 11 file for Sample Task 2?

a. A separate Attachment 11- Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Costs (plus fee) w/ Excel

Spreadsheet, should be provided for each Sample Task Order.

9. RFP L.2.c.1 Basic Cost / Price Information (pg. 72) and Attachment 11 (Summary Tab)- Since the companies in a Joint Venture do not disclose their indirect rate structures to each other, can the Government provide instructions on how two companies in a Joint Venture for this effort would submit their indirect rate structure for the cost and pricing information? Is it acceptable to provide two separate indirect price proposals/summaries to demonstrate our cost basis?

a. Proprietary information (e.g,. rates and cost breakdown) from the Joint Venture companies may be submitted separately directly to the Contracting Officer (CO) at the email address stated in the solicitation; however, the total proposed costs submission/summary (inclusive of indirects and fee) must reflect all cost of the Prime Joint Venture Contractor.

The Joint Venture team arrangement must be disclosed to the government as part of the offer. The teaming arrangement (Joint Venture) shall be evaluated as a part of overall prime contractor responsibility, as well as under the technical evaluation factors, where applicable.

10. RFP L.2.c.7.d Pertinent Contracts (pg. 79)- Section L.2.c.7.d (Pertinent Contracts) states that pertinent contracts are defined as a listing of each related contract completed within the last three years or currently in process. However, Section L.2.a.12 (Past Performance Information) states: “A list of the last 3 contracts completed during the past five years…” Please confirm that contracts may be within the last five years.

a. Yes, Past Performance Information should be provided for the past five years, in accordance with L.2.a.12. Information regarding Pertinent Contracts should be provided for each related contract completed within the last three years or currently in process, in accordance with

L.2.c.7.d.

11. Attachment 1 (I.B.5) (pg. 1)- Attachment 1 requires the submission of only one (1) Excel

Workbook (Attachment 11 Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Costs). Are offerors to submit one spreadsheet for the IDIQ pricing, one for Sample Task 1, and one for Sample Task 2? If so, multiple Excel spreadsheets cannot be combined into one. Please clarify what Excel files are required and what they should include.

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a. Yes, as addressed previously in Question # 8, a separate Attachment 11- Breakdown of

Proposed Estimated Costs (plus fee) w/ Excel Spreadsheet, should be provided for each

Sample Task Order. No, breakdown of proposed estimated costs are required at the IDIQ level, but separate Attachment II documents should be provided for Sample Task Orders 1 &

2.

12. Attachment 1 (II.B.2) (pg. 2)- Please confirm that resumes and appendices are not included in the total page count.

a. Sample Task Orders 1 & 2, under Technical Proposal Instructions, identifies: “Technical

Proposal should be 15 pages max. in length. Resumes, the Cover Sheet, Attachments or

Appendices do not count towards the page count”. The same instruction, specifically that resumes and appendices are excluded from the technical proposal page limit, also applies to the IDIQ technical proposal.

13. Attachment 1 (II.A.4) (pg. 2)- Please confirm that font size for images, graphics, tables, and callout boxes can be less than 10 points.

a. Per the Formatting and Page Limitations, identified in Attachment 1, “Font size must be 10 to

12 points.” This is also applicable to font size for images, graphics, tables, and callout boxes.

14. Attachment 1 (II.B.1) (pg. 2)- Attachment 1 states: “The total page count of the Technical

Proposals (CDATS IDIQ, STO #1, and STO #2) shall not exceed 15 pages, each.” However, Attachment 1 also states that there should be one PDF file of the Technical Proposal and one

PDF file of the Business Proposal. Should the Technical Proposal and Business Proposal be broken out into multiple documents for the IDIQ, STO #1, and STO #2?

a. Offerors must submit one PDF file for the technical proposal and one PDF file for the business proposal. The technical and business proposals should each include three separate sections identifying the Offerors responses for the IDIQ, Sample Task Order # 1, and Sample

Task Order # 2. The technical proposal for these sections shall not exceed 15 pages. There is no page limit on the business proposal sections.

15. Attachment 3 (Task 1, Task 2, and Task 3) (pg. 2-5)- The Technical Proposal requires schedules to “be shown in terms of calendar months from the date of authorization to proceed or, where applicable, from the date of a stated event…” Is the offeror expected to provide estimated delivery schedules for the work items specified in the IDIQ Statement of Work (SOW) for Tasks

1, 2, and 3?

a. No, a schedule is not required for the tasks outlined in the IDIQ. A separate schedule should be provided for Sample Task Order 1 and Sample Task Order 2.

16. Attachment 3 (Task 2) (pg. 4)- Please confirm the number of existing databases and/or volume of data that will be made available to the contractor to perform data analyses and reporting for

Task 2.

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Date: 10/30/2023

a. Existing databases include external databases (NIH Reporter, PubMed) and internal databases

(QVR, iSearch) to support portfolio and bibliometric analyses. The volume of data can range widely depending on the specific analysis (from a focused portfolio of 50 grants to the broader database of NCI applications which includes tens of thousands of entries).

Additionally, secondary data analyses to support the portfolio may utilize non-NCI resources such as the Demographic and Health Surveys, the Global Tobacco Surveillance System, or

GLOBOCAN. Individual task orders will outline the specific requirements (e.g., required databases, other known parameters).

17. Attachment 6 (L.b) (pg. 10)- Section L.b of Attachment 6 states: “See RFP Attachment 10-

Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Costs.” Please confirm that the Government meant

Attachment 11 and not Attachment 10.

a. Yes, this was a typo. Offerors should use Attachment 11- Breakdown of Proposed Estimated

Costs (plus fee) w/Excel Spreadsheet.

18. Attachment 7 (K.a) (pg. 9)- The Labor Hours table on page 9 of Attachment 7 lists “TBD” in each cell, but a completed Labor Hours table is provided further down on page 12. Was the first table included in error?

a. The level of effort required for Sample Task Order # 2, is 23,550 direct labor hours, with options for up to an additional 2,500 direct labor hours, if all options are exercised. The table under Section N- Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations, paragraph a. Level of Effort, is the Government’s estimate of how the hours could be expended across labor categories.

The table under Section K- Level of Effort- will be populated in the resulting contract award, with the contractor’s proposed labor mix that equals the required number of direct labors hours identified above. In addition, this article also identifies the requirements for the contractor to earn full fee or how fee will be adjusted if less than number of hours have been furnished.

19. Attachment 11- The periods of performance on the labor worksheets have the incorrect dates.

Can the Government adjust the dates to reflect the correct years?

a. Offerors must revise the period of performance to reflect the period of performance’s and schedule identified for Sample Task Order # 1 and 2, assuming a start date of December 29 for each Task Order.

20. Attachment 11- Various tabs in Attachment 11 ask for personnel names. Please confirm that only key personnel resumes are required to be submitted with the proposal even if additional, non-key personnel names are included in Attachment 11.

a. Yes, per the solicitation, Section L.2.b.1.b.4.- Resumes- Resumes of all key personnel are required.

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Date: 10/30/2023

21. Due to the requirement to fully respond to and price the IDIQ and Sample Task Orders #1 and

#2, along with the time it will take to respond to questions, we respectfully request a 15-day extension.

a. Amendment 0002 extended the proposal due date to 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) local time on November 17, 2023. The Government does not anticipate any further extensions at this time.

22. Since the due date, November 10, 2023, is a federal holiday, would the government consider extending the due date to November 14, 2023?

a. See Amendment 0002 and response to Question # 21 above.

23. Can NCI confirm if resumes need to be submitted with the technical proposal submitted for the

IDIQ SOW, and is so, that resumes are not included in the page 15 page limit?

a. See response to Question # 12.

24. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 75, Section 5, Salary Rate Limitation)- Given the key technical personnel that would be required for this contract, would NCI consider increasing the salary rate limitation from Executive Schedule, Level II to accommodate PhD level consultants with historically higher rates?

a. We are unable to increase the NIH Salary Rate Limitation; however, please note the salary rate limitation only applies to direct labor costs. Consultants often charge a fully burdened rate that includes costs in addition to labor, such as applicable indirect costs and profit/fee.

25. RFP- 75N91023R00033/Attachments 6 & 7- Does each sample task order require a separate 15-page technical proposal, or are they both to be included as sections in one 15-page technical proposal for the entire solicitation?

a. Please see response to Question # 14.

26. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 61, Past Performance Information)- Please confirm any subcontractor’s past performance must be valued over $500K.

a. This section does not require subcontractor past performance submissions to be valued over

$500,000. Offerors may submit past performance information for proposed subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement. “Major subcontract” is defined as $500,000 and above. Note, the reference to $500,000 is for Offerors who are proposing a subcontractor where the estimated subcontract amount will exceed $500,000.

27. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 58, Business Proposal)- Does each sample task order require a separate cost proposal Excel sheet, or are they both to be included in the cost proposal Excel sheet for the entire solicitation?

a. Please see response to Question # 8.

RFP: 75N91023R00033 7

28. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 58, Business Proposal)- Please advise if we are to provide a separate business proposal for each of the Sample Task Orders.

a. Please see response to Question # 14.

29. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 58, Separation of Technical and Business Proposals)- Can NIH please confirm that the required Attachments for the Technical Proposal response may be placed in an Appendices and are not counted towards the 15-page maximum requirement for this response?

a. Attachments required as part of the technical proposal may be included as an appendix.

30. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 58, Business Proposal)- We assume if the subcontractor is working under the Prime contractor's labor categories and rates, the subcontractor does need to submit a completed cost proposal. Please confirm this assumption is accurate.

a. Per Section L2.c.8- Subcontractors- If subcontractors are proposed, the proposal should include, “a complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror’s cost proposal.”

31. Attachment 8 (pg. 1, Technical Proposal Cost Summary)- We assume contractors should provide the total cost of Sample Task Orders 1 & 2 in the Technical Cost Proposal Summary. Is this correct or should we include a Technical Cost Summary for each Sample Task Order? Or is the Technical Cost Price Summary only for the overall IDIQ Task pricing?

a. Please include a technical cost proposal summary for each sample task order. A technical cost proposal summary is not required for the IDIQ section.

32. Attachment 6 (pg. 1, Contract Requirements)- Are the monthly webinars interactive with a chat function or are attendees in listen mode only?

a. They are interactive, with Q&A sessions included at the end of every seminar; however, the contractor is not required to serve as the facilitator nor moderate these sessions.

33. In the Excel spreadsheet, do you need specific names of each individual who will be working on the projects? Or can we list by function? For example, we have two people who are in the final stages of the interview process who will be joining the team and will likely be supporting this project, but until they are officially hired, I'd prefer not to list their names.

a. Please list the names of each individual who will be working on the project under the labor tab in the excel document. If a position is unfilled and/or an individual is in the process of being hired, please list “TBD” for the individual’s name (and explain the specific circumstances elsewhere in the proposal). Consultants and subcontractors should be listed in a separate tab.

34. For each of the tasks in the RFP, there is an example of the types of deliverables that may be done. I've estimated how many of the types of deliverables will be completed to build out the

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Date: 10/30/2023 yearly project plan. Since there are only examples, is there any way to provide some perspective on how many of some reports are expected on average? Whether it is quarterly or monthly?

a. As this is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) type contract, the majority of the deliverables and reports will be outlined within and submitted under each individual task order, once issued. Please refer to the solicitation for a description of reports and typical delivery schedules (e.g., Article C.2, Article F.1).

35. We've included examples of our past performance in the private sector - is there any particular metrics that are essential to include for past performance?

a. Beyond the requirements outlined in Section L- Instructions to Offerors (2.a.12), no specific metrics are required to be submitted with past performance examples.

36. Will this project be for one drug development program or several drug molecules?

a. This requirement is in support of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Center for Global

Health (CGH) activities in the following areas: (1) Technical support for CGH research, coordination, and evaluation activities (Task Area 1); (2) Data and portfolio analysis, and production of accompanying reports (Task Area 2); and (3) Science and technical writing, presentations, and documentation support (Task Area 3). Drug development program and drug molecules are not applicable to this requirement.

37. Confirm the oncology segment you wish to work within – Prostate, Colorectal, Pancreatic, Breast, Neuro.

a. See response to Question # 36 above.

38. What is the timeline of this project, will it be 1 year/3yr or 5 yr?

a. The period of performance for the IDIQ contract will be for five years. Task orders placed within the ordering period of the base IDIQ contract may extend up to five years beyond the end date of the base IDIQ’s contract’s period of performance/ordering period.

39. Can you share performance of the last contract awardee, SYNERGY ENTERPRISES INC for the NCI Center for Global Health, Coordination, Data Analysis, and Technical Support?

a. Past performance evaluations are considered not releasable information.

The following questions will be addressed in a forthcoming amendment:

40. Attachment 3 (Task 1) (pg. 3)- Please confirm existing design tools methods that are currently used to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses such as sampling, network analysis, and bibliometrics?

a. Response to be provided in forthcoming amendment.

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Date: 10/30/2023

41. Attachment 7 (pg. 2)- Can the Government confirm the availability of a web-based survey platform already in use for the dissemination of surveys?

42. Could you provide a list of NCI approved data systems/software?

43. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 83, Section 4- Technical Evaluation Factors- Facilities and

Equipment) Can you clarify what specific facilities and equipment are being evaluated?

44. RFP- 75N91023R00033 (pg. 83, Technical Evaluation Factors- Facilities and Equipment)- What level of clearance (Public Trust, Secret, Facility, etc.) is required for staff supporting this engagement?