QandAs_RFQ 75N91024Q00158.pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Q&AS)

RFQ No.: 75N91024Q00158

1. Q: Please verify the definition of 'adolescent for this project (e.g., 9-14 years of age, both male and female).

A: 9-13 years of age, male and female

2. Q: Please verify the operational definition for 'healthcare systems' (e.g., public and private, size) and 'organizations' (e.g., for profit, pharmaceuticals, pharmacies, advocacy).

A: Healthcare systems can be any group of healthcare care providers who share an organizational structure and who deliver HPV vaccines to adolescents; organizations include, additionally, those who work as part of that larger structure where HPV vaccines are delivered to adolescents but may not provide care themselves; therefore, not pharmaceutical companies and advocacy organizations are not included because they do not deliver HPV vaccines to adolescents. The contractor can propose collecting data from pharmacies that provide HPV vaccine to adolescents.

3. Q: Data collection is required for Task 4.1.4 but there is no mention of whether

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is required. If IRB approval is required, should the contractor plan to use their own contractual IRB or NIH's? How much time should be allotted to obtaining this approval?

A: IRB approval does not apply to this acquisition. The RFQ has been amended to include additional language. See section 4.4 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS in the amended RFQ, attached, titled “RFQ 75N91024Q00158_SOW and Clauses_00001.”

4. Q: Please verify that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval is not required for this project. If OMB approval is required, how much time should be allotted to obtaining this approval?

A: OMB approval does not apply to this acquisition. The RFQ has been amended to include additional language. See section 4.4 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS in the amended RFQ, attached, titled “RFQ 75N91024Q00158_SOW and Clauses_00001.”

5. Q: For participant recruitment, is it NCI's intention that the Contractor would recruit representatives from their network or will NCI provide guidance on contacting those involved with NCI projects (e.g., prior grantees)?

A: The Contractor should recruit from their own network.

6. Q: If the Contractor is to recruit participants from their own network, are there specific selection criteria to be used for recruiting the professional organizations, partners, and others the Contractor should use (e.g., only systems NOT using EPIC, exclusion of prior HPV vaccine grantees, private systems as opposed to public like community health centers or state health department systems, primary care as opposed to other types of clinics and modes for accessing parents)?

A: There are no selection criteria other than what has been outlined in the statement of work (SOW). The Contractor should suggest participants.

7. Q: Through a limited number of interviews with experts and organizations, it will be challenging to fully "quantify the percentage of healthcare systems that have implemented such systems within the last 12 months and analyze adoption rates".

Would NCI consider the addition of an environmental scan to more fully assess the field to be acceptable?

A: No, the Contractor should identify how many healthcare systems have implemented these appointment systems through the interviews and quantify (e.g., 25% of 4) as well as possible. The applicable RFQ language (page 2, section 4.1.2 and page 4, section 4.1.8) has been modified to emphasize “quantifying,” and to remove the suggestion that numbers should be large enough for statistical testing. Please see the amended RFQ, attached, titled “RFQ 75N91024Q00158_SOW and Clauses_00001.”

8. Q: Please verify what the outline for the proposal should be and how bids will be assessed for award.

A: Please see the submission instructions and evaluation information beginning in SECTION 2 – QUOTE SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION of the document titled “RFQ 75N91024Q00158_Instructions and Provisions.” Specifically, see sections 2.3 – QUOTATION SUBMISSION and 2.4 – BASIS FOR AWARD AND EVALUATION.

9. Q: Please provide any formatting requirements, including page limits (for technical and CVs), font sizes, etc.

A: Please see the response to question 8 above. All submission instructions are provided in the RFQ; there are no additional formatting requirements. However, per the RFQ, Quoters are encouraged to be succinct and economical in their presentation. Excessive volume and elaborate presentations are unnecessary.

10. Will the government please consider extending the due date to at least 3 business days after the receipt of answers to questions?

A: The submission deadline has been extended until 3:00 pm EST on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 (8/21/24).

11. Q: For Task 4.1.4, does NCI have a list of participants to invite to the interactive presentation or will the Contractor need to generate one?

A: The Contractor will need to generate one.

12. Q: (In reference to SOW: 4.1.2) Will contractor be responsible for creating the interview questions or will these materials be provided?

A: The Contractor is responsible for creating the interview questions.

13. Q: If script is provided, is it possible to receive a draft to help estimate approximate hours for interviewing?

A: Not applicable. See response to question 12.

14. Q: Who is the incumbent for this initiative? If there is an incumbent, are they eligible to submit a proposal?

A: This is a new acquisition; there is no incumbent.

15. Q: What is the anticipated level of funding for this initiative?

A: The Government cannot disclose this information.

16. Q: Would the Agency consider extending the deadline for quotes to one week after the response to questions has been posted?

A: The submission deadline has been extended until 3:00 pm EST on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 (8/21/24).

17. Q: What are the page limits for the response?

A: See response to questions 8 and 9 above.

18. Q: Is the need for OMB approval and/or Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval anticipated for this endeavor?

A: No. See response to questions 3 and 4 above.

19. Q: Does the Agency anticipate the need for conducting the semi-structured interviews in languages other than English? If so, which languages?

A: No languages other than English.

20. Q: Could the Agency please elaborate on the expectations for “statistical testing for quantifiable research” (Page 2, Section 4.1.2 of the Statement of Work (SOW) document)?

A: See response to question 7 above. The applicable RFQ language (page 2, section 4.1.2 and page 4, section 4.1.8) has been modified to emphasize “quantifying,” and to remove the suggestion that numbers should be large enough for statistical testing. Please see the amended RFQ, attached, titled “RFQ 75N91024Q00158_SOW and Clauses_00001.”

21. Q: Does the Agency anticipate the semi-structured interviews to be conducted in-person or virtually?

A: It is up to the Contractor to propose a solution. Either in-person or virtually is acceptable.

22. Q: Does the Agency anticipate offering incentives for participation in the interviews?

A: It is up to the Contractor to propose a solution for participation in interviews. The Government will not be offering incentives.