PSTSS 2.0 RFP Amendment 003 12.04.2024.pdf

Amendment Issue Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Kristel Turansky Contracting Officer

OA/DEA/NIAID/NIH/DHHS

5601 Fishers Lane Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9821

Rosemary Gomes, Contracting Officer Email Address: Rosemary.Gomes@nih.gov

Kristel Turansky, Contracting Officer Email Address: Kristel.Turansky@nih.gov

Proposal Due Date/Time: 3:00pm ET on Monday, December 16, 2024

RFP Reference Question Answer

Clarification regarding Small Business requirement to perform work:

Please note that FAR 52.219-14 applies to this requirement. Please identify both the dollar value and percentage of the work that will be performed by subcontractor(s) in your Business Proposal.

The RFP specifies a proposal “cover page” in some areas and a proposal “title page” in other areas. Are we correct in assuming the proposal “cover page” and the proposal “title page are the same thing?

Yes.

Confirm that resumes are exclusive of the technical volume’s 50-page maximum.

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume of Key Personnel and any letters of commitment.

These do not count towards the page limit.

Attachment 2 - Proposal Intent Response Sheet

Can the government please clarify if the project director can change from period of intent to bid and RFP proposal timeframe?

Yes.

Page 100: Instruction to Offerors This is listed under the business volume, did the govt intend for this to be under technical volume evaluation Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Page 100: M. Past Performance

m. Past Performance Information where in the proposal is this past performance information required (it is not listed in Attach 4, Attach 5, or in the instructions for the technical or business proposals.

Please include Past Performance references in your Business Proposal. Please refer to Page 134 of the RFP for additional information.

Page 100: Section 1.m Page 134: Section g

Would the Government like offerors to address the criteria included in the "Qualifications of the Offeror" section

(pg. 134) within the Business Proposal's "Past Performance" section (pg. 100)? Or would the government like offerors to address this criteria in a separate section within the Technical Proposal?

Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Page 100: Section m. Past Performance

RFP states: “Offerors shall submit the following information as part of their Business Proposal: A list of the last five (5) contracts completed during the past three years and all contracts currently being performed that are similar in nature to the solicitation workscope.” Is this past performance in addition to the corporate experience requirement listed in Attachment 4 Additional Technical Proposal Instructions?

Past performace references and Corporate Experience are not the same thing. Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Page 116: Section L, Technical Proposal Instructions and Page 156: Attachment 4 Additional Technical Proposal Instructions

This section requires a Statement of Work to include a schedule which does not seem appropriate for an IDIQ submission with no specific task yet identified. Additionally, it is at odds with the instructions in Attachment 4 and not aligned with the evaluation criteria. Please confirm that Attachment 4, which is in alignment with the Evaluation Criteria, is the set of instructions the proposal format should follow to be considered compliant. If so, can the government please remove the contradictory instructions from Section L?

The referenced schedule will be addressed on a Task Order basis.

Please note that this is the final Amendment to respond to the RFP-related questions submitted by the deadline (November 7, 2024). Questions received after the deadline will not be answered. If duplicate questions were received, the Government may not respond individually to each duplicated question.

Offerors must acknowledge receipt of this amendment by identifying this amendment number and date of the amendment on each copy of the proposal submitted. Failure to receive your acknowledgement may result in the rejection of your proposal. Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

Amendment Number 003 RFP Number 75N93024R00013

Title: NIAID PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES (PSTSS)

Issued By:

Points of Contact:

The purpose of this amendment is to answer questions from potential offerors regarding the solicitation. Please note that we do NOT intend to extend the due date for submission of proposals as a result of this Amendment. The date specified for receipt of proposals remains unchanged.

RFP Number 75N93024R00013, Amendment Number 003 1

Section B Personnel states “Describe the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned for direct work on this program.” Please clarify if this is a requirement for all positions listed in Attachment 18: PSTSS Labor Category Catalog”

At the IDIQ proposal level, this requirement is only for the Key Personnel. Experience and qualifications of proposed personnel for the Labor Categories included in Attachment 18 will be addressed on a Task Order basis.

Section B Personnel Section 1 Project Director requests the name of the Project Director and their qualifications and experience. Is the Project Director a Key Personnel for the IDIQ?

The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

Section B Personnel Section 1 Project Director is not listed in Attachment 18: PSTSS Labor Category Catalog. Is this position directly billable to the contract?

The Project Director is not directly billable, no. Any costs associated with the Project Director should be included in your Indirect Costs.

Technical Proposal Instructions requests a schedule for completion of the work and delivery of items specified in the statement of work. Since this is an IDIQ under which task orders for individual projects will be issued, please clarify what items should be included and how the schedule should be addressed.

This will be addressed on a Task Order basis.

Page 117 Technical Proposal Instructions requests the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned and later references key personnel; however, HHSAR 352.237-75 Key Personnel (Page 28) states key personnel will be specified prior to award. Please clarify if resumes are required for this submission and if so, for what positions and where they should be included in the Technical Proposal.

Resume(s) are required only for the Project Director (Key Personnel) and should be included as an Attachment to the Technical Proposal.

Page 117 and Page 162

The RFP refers to both a Project Director (PD) and a Project Manager. Attachment 7 refers to a PD, Principal Investigator, and "other key personnel". It also states that there will be key personnel designated in the PWS;

however, no key personnel are listed in the PWS. Will the government please clarify if the Project Director is the only key personnel designated by the government and is the only resume and LOC required related to personnel?

Attachment 7 is a standardized form used in many solicitations. For the purposes of this RFP, all references to "Principal Investigator" may be disregarded. The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP. Correct, the only resume required is that of the Project Director. Other resumes and LOCs may be included at the Offeror's discretion if deemed applicable. Resumes do not count towards the page limits.

Page 117: Technical Proposal Instructions

The RFP states that “Special mention shall be made of direct technical supervisors and key technical personnel, and the approximate percentage of the total time each will be available for this program”. The RFP also requires the Offeror to list the name of the Project Director and to provide resumes of all key personnel. Can the Government clarify the key personnel that are required?

The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

Item a., 2 Additional Personnel and item 3. Resumes. We would respectfully request any resumes and letters of commitment be excluded from the page count for the Technical Proposal.

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume of Key Personnel and any letters of commitment.

These do not count towards the page limit.

Page 118 When including key personnel resumes, do they go towards the technical propsoal's page count?

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume of Key Personnel and any letters of commitment.

These do not count towards the page limit.

Several places in the solicitation referred key personnel. We are confused of what type of key personnel the government is asking in the proposal. Is the government looking for an IDIQ contract manager (Project Director) or task order manager? Or is the Government looking for a scientist or principal investigator? How many total key personnel are needed in the proposal?

The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

Page 118: Section B.3 Would the Government like offerors to include Key Personnel resumes within the Technical Proposal content or as supplemental Technical attachment/appendix?

Key Personnel resume(s) should be included as Attachments to the Technical Proposal.

Page 134: G. Qualifications of the Offeror

You are requested to submit a summary of your "General Experience, Organizational Experience Related to this RFP, Performance History and Pertinent Contracts. Please confirm if the response to these sections should be provided as part of Section 2- Attachment 4 : Additional technical proposal instructions. If yes, please increase the page limit for section 2 . We request the government to allow the offeror to use their discretion to provide a suitable response without any restriction on the page limit for section 2, please

Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal. The page limit for the Technical Proposal remains unchanged.

Page 134: Section g. Qualifications of the Offeror

Confirm that this requirement should be submitted as part of the Technical Proposal.

Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Page 134: Section L, 3 Business Proposal Instructions, g Qualifications of Offeror

Is the offeror required to provide Corporate Experience in response to this requirement as well as in the Technical Volume? We respectfully request the Government revisit this requirement for clarity on what would be included here that is different from Corporate Experience and what level of detail should be provided.

Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Page 139: Section M

The technical evaluation factors include recruitment capability (30 points), retention capability (30 points), management approach (20 points), and corporate experience (20 points), but they do not include the technical overview or the technical discussions. Can the Government please clarify how it will evaluate the technical portion of the proposal?

The Technical Proposal will be evaluated per the Criteria as set forth in Section M of the RFP. Per the RFP (Page 156), "These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the RFP provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the RFP. The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein."

Page 139: Section M The Section L instruction calls for a “technical approach” while Section M focuses on recruiting capabilities. This does not appear to be a complete question.

RFP Number 75N93024R00013, Amendment Number 003 2

Please confirm that the proposal title page, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, list of acronyms, and resumes are excluded from page count.

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume and letter of commitment of Key Personnel. These do not count towards the page limits. A list of figures, tables, and/or acronyms are not requested inclusions.

If included, they will count towards the total page count.

Page 142: Attachment 1: Packaging and Delivery of Proposals for Use With eCPS

Would the government confirm the offeror may include a cross-reference matrix with the technical proposal to ease evaluation and this matrix will not be included in total page count?

This is not a requested inclusion. If included, it will count towards the total page count.

Page 156: Ref. Attachment 4, p.1 Please confirm the “Technical Proposal Overview” is excluded form the 50-page limit for the Technical Proposal.

The Technical Proposal Overview is NOT excluded from the page limit. The Technical Proposal Overview is INCLUDED in the page limit count.

Page 156: RFP Attachment 4: Additional Technical Proposal Instructions, Format for Technical Proposal, and Table of Contents

Attachment 4 instruction strongly suggest following the outline of Attachment 4. Page 116 provides different instructions with A Statement of Work (Objectives, Approach, Methods, and Schedule), B Personnel, b Other Considerations. Can the government please clarify this contradiction and what is expected of offerors from page 116? (The amount of content requested would not fit the Attachment 4 outline recommendations of 3 pages)

Per Page 116 of the RFP, "The technical proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical proposal must include information on how the project is to be organized, staffed, and managed. Information should be provided which will demonstrate your understanding and management of important events or tasks." The technical evaluation committee will review the complete technical proposal in addition to the evaluation factors listed in Section M. Per the RFP (Page 156), "These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the RFP provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the RFP. The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein."

Page 157 Section 3 Recruiting Capability Item 3 states to demonstrate the ability to ensure work readiness of contractor/subcontractor/consultant personnel. Recruited personnel should have the appropriate credentials, licenses, and certifications as well as the applicable current background checks/security clearances suitable for their position. Please provide any specific credentialing procedures or guidelines required by sites for Nurse Practitioners.

Specific credentialing procedures or guidelines for Nurse Practitioners will be addressed on a Task Order basis as applicable.

Attachment 4: Additional Technical Proposal Instructions, Format for Technical Proposal, and Table of Contents Section 5 Management Approach requires that the respondents “Outline how the Project Director (PD) or Project Manager will communicate with the COR and Contracting Officer.” Which of the Project Manager labor categories listed in Attachment 18: PSTSS Labor Category Catalog does this requirement reference?

The Project Director is not an included Labor Category. Any costs associated with the Project Director should be included in your Indirect Costs.

Page 158: Attachment 4 RE: "SECTION 7 – FINANCIAL CAPACITY Representations and documentation necessary to adequately establish its financial capability." Is financial documentation required in the technical volume excluded from page count?

Financial capability should be addressed in the Business Proposal. Please refer to the Financial Capacity section on Page 132.

Page 158: Attachment 4 RE: "SECTION 7 – FINANCIAL CAPACITY Representations and documentation necessary to adequately establish its financial capability." What documentation is required to demonstrate financial capability within the Technical Volume (it is already in business volume)

Financial capability should be addressed in the Business Proposal. Please refer to the Financial Capacity section on Page 132.

Page 158: Attachment 4 Would the government confirm that Section 7: Financial Capacity should be included in the Business Volume as opposed to the Technical Volume as currently requested in Attachment 4?

Financial capability should be addressed in the Business Proposal. Please refer to the Financial Capacity section on Page 132.

Page 159: Ref. Attachment 5, p.1 Please confirm that the NIH-2043 form is to be used as the proposal title page for the Business Proposal.

Please use NIH 2043 as your Cover Page per Attachment 5. Additional requirements as defined on Page 119 of the RFP should be included on a second page as needed.

Page 162: Attachment 7 In the Summary of Related Activities on page 162 of the solicitation, the government names a Principal Investigator as Key Personnel on the contract. Would the government please consider providing a summary of expected contract level duties for this position?

Attachment 7 is a standardized form used in many solicitations. For the purposes of this RFP, all references to "Principal Investigator" may be disregarded. The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

Page 162: Attachment 7 Will the government please specify where in the Technical or Business volume it would like offerors to submit Attachment 7 - Summary of Related Activities for the Project Director, Principal Investigator, and other key personnel? Also - is this in addition to a resume or instead of a resume?

Attachment 7 should be included as an Attachment to the Technical Proposal, and is in addition to a resume.

Page 162: Attachment 7

Attachment 7: Summary of Related Activities states “The following specific information must be provided by the offeror pertaining to the Project Director, Principal Investigator (PI), and each of any other proposed key professional individuals designated for performance under any resulting contract.” Is the Principal Investigator considered Key Personnel to the IDIQ? In our experience, PIs are usually assigned at the Task Order level. If the PI is required at the IDIQ level, please provide the required qualifications.

Attachment 7 is a standardized form used in many solicitations. For the purposes of this RFP, all references to "Principal Investigator" may be disregarded. The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

Page 162: Attachment 7 Can the Government please specify if the Offeror is required to provide Attachment 7: Summary of Related Activities as a separate file, as an appendix, or as part of the technical proposal?

Attachment 7 should be included as an Attachment to the Technical Proposal.

RFP Number 75N93024R00013, Amendment Number 003 3

Page 162: Attachment 7 Are Offerors required to complete and submit RFP Attachment 7? If so, are Offerors to include it in the Technical Proposal, or in the Business Proposal, and where in the specified proposal are Offerors to include it?

Attachment 7 should be included as an Attachment to the Technical Proposal.

Page 162: Attachment 7

If it is the governments intent for Attachment 7 to be included within the Technical Proposal, will it count towards the total page limit?

Required Attachments do not count towards the page limit.

Page 162: Attachment 7

Would the government like offerors to include Attachment 7 in the Technical or Business Proposal? Attachment 7 should be included as an Attachment to the Technical Proposal.

Page 65: Attachment 14, Section J Where would the Government like offerors to include their completed ARC/VPAT and will it count towards page limit?

Required Attachments do not count towards the page limit. Please Include Attachment 14 as an Attachment to your Business Proposal.

Page 65: Section J- List of Documents, Exhibits and Other Attachments

Would the government please provide a listing of what attachments are to be included in both the technical and business volumes?

Attachment 7 should be included as an Attachment to your Technical Proposal. All other required Attachments listed in Section J should be included as Attachments to your Business Proposal.

Page 67: Section K Please confirm that both the Representations & Certifications downloaded from the SAM system and the Attachment 6: Section K - Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors downloaded from the provided link in Section J should be included in the Business Proposal.

Attachment 7 should be included as an Attachment to your Technical Proposal. All other required Attachments listed in Section J should be included as Attachments to your Business Proposal.

Page 95: Instructions to Offerors, General Instructions, Separation of Technical and Business Proposals

The RFP states, “The technical proposal must include direct cost and resources information, such as labor-hours and categories and applicable rates, materials, subcontracts, travel, etc., and associated costs so that the offeror's understanding of the project may be evaluated (See SECTION J, Attachment entitled, TECHNICAL PROPOSAL COST SUMMARY.)” Can the Government confirm they want financial information in the Technical Volume?

This is standard language for inclusion in RFPs. Usually, this information is required as part of the Technical Proposal. For the purposes of this RFP, you may include cost information in the Business Proposal only.

Page 95: Ref. Section L. Proposal Summary and Data Record (NIH-2043)

Please confirm that the NIH-2043 should be included in the Business Proposal.

Please use NIH 2043 as your Cover Page per Attachment 5. Additional requirements as defined on Page 119 of the RFP should be included on a second page as needed.

Page 95: Section d. Separation of Technical and Business Proposals

RFP states: “The technical proposal must include direct cost and resources information, such as labor hours and categories and applicable rates, materials, subcontracts, travel, etc.” Please confirm that this information should be provided as part of the business volume.

This is standard language for inclusion in RFPs. Usually, this information is required as part of the Technical Proposal. For the purposes of this RFP, you may include cost information in the Business Proposal only.

Page 95: Section L, Technical Proposal Instructions, d. Instructions to Offerors

For para d. which states that “The technical proposal must include direct cost and resources information, such as labor-hours and categories and applicable rates, materials, subcontracts, travel, etc., and associated costs….”?

Did the Government intend this to say that “the Business Proposal must include” as typically cost information is not included in a technical response.

This is standard language for inclusion in RFPs. Usually, this information is required as part of the Technical Proposal. For the purposes of this RFP, you may include cost information in the Business Proposal only.

Page 96: Attachment 1, Packaging and Delivery of Proposals for Use With eCPS

Page 96 lists those items that are excluded from the technical volume page count which includes "the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information and literature cited." whereas Attachment 1 states "total page count does not include: Title and back page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than Title of Sections". Please confirm that the items listed on page 96 are excluded from the page count.

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Page 96: Page and Formatting Limitations

Please confirm if the 50-page limit for the technical proposal includes all appendices, attachments, and supplementary material.

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Page 96: Section 7 (Cover Sheet) Page 119: Section 3.b and Page 159:

Attachment 5, Section 1 (Proposal Cover Sheet) Page 87: Section e.1 - e.2 (Title Page) Page 156: Attachment 4, Section 1 (Proposal Title Page) Page 95: (b) Section I-III (Cover Page)

The RFP references a Cover Sheet, Proposal Cover Sheet, Title Page, Proposal Title Page, and a Cover Page. Are all of these terms being used interchangeably or are they each separate requirements?

Please use your best judgment in interpreting these phrases within their contexts.

Pages 100, 134, 140, and 158

P. 100 asks for Past Performance Information including 5 contracts completed within the past three (3) years along with detailed information to be submitted in the Business Proposal. P. 134 asks for the Business Proposal to have Qualifications of the Offeror including General Experience, Organziational Experience, Performance History, Pertinent Contracts completed within the past three (3) years, and Pertinent Grants. P. 140 Technical Evaluation Factors lists Criterion 4:Corporate Experience and asks for experience and contracts to be submitted in the Technical Proposal. (which is noted on p.158 to be in Section 6 - Corporate Experience of the Technical Proposal.

Can Government clarify if this requeseted contract information and description should appear in the proposal in these 3 separate places?

Past performace references and Corporate Experience are not the same thing. Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

RFP Number 75N93024R00013, Amendment Number 003 4

Pages 116 - 117 and Attachment 4 :

Additional technical proposal instructions: Technical Proposal Instructions

The page limit provided for Section 2- Technical proposal overview suggests a 3-page maximum. We request the government to allow the offeror to use their discretion to provide a suitable response without any restriction on the page limit for section 2, please. This would allow the offeror to provide an overview of the key elements of Section L , namely - Statement of Work: 1. Objectives, 2. Approach, 3. Methods and 4. Schedule.

The 3-page maximum referenced on Page 156 of the RFP is "suggested," not required.

Pages 116 - 117, and 139 - 140 The technical proposal instructions in page #116, 117 do not appear to correlate with the evaluation criteria listed in page #139, 140? We request the government to clarify or revisit and modify the technical proposal instructions needed to reflect the evaluation criteria.

Per Page 116 of the RFP, "The technical proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. The technical proposal must include information on how the project is to be organized, staffed, and managed. Information should be provided which will demonstrate your understanding and management of important events or tasks." The technical evaluation committee will review the complete technical proposal in addition to the evaluation factors listed in Section M.

Pages 116 - 118, and 227: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS; A. Statement of Work

The language on p116-118 appears to be a remnant of a research RFP, such as for original scientific research involving a PI. Would the government please confirm that the technical proposal instructions beginning on p156 should take precedence when formulating a response to the RFP?

The Technical Proposal will be evaluated per the Criteria as set forth in Section M of the RFP. Per the RFP (Page 156), "These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the RFP provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the RFP. The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein."

Pages 116 - 118: General Instructions Can the Government please clarify if sections A Statement of Work, B Personnel, and b Other Considerations are to be evaluated as part of Criterion 3 Management Approach? If not, please advise under which Criterion it will be evaluated.

Please refer to Section M for detailed information.

Pages 116 - 118: Technical Proposal Instructions

Can the Government please confirm that the Technical Proposal Instructions apply only to the TO level and not to the IDIQ level submission?

The instructions included in the RFP apply to the IDIQ proposal submission. Task Order proposal requirements will be provided on a Task Order basis.

Pages 116 and 139: Technical Proposal Instructions and Section M

The requirements under the Technical Proposal Instructions are not mentioned under Section M. Can the Government please clarify how those requirements will be evaluated?

The Technical Proposal will be evaluated per the Criteria as set forth in Section M of the RFP. Per the RFP (Page 156), "These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the RFP provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the RFP. The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein."

Pages 116 and 156: Technical Proposal Instructions and Attachment 4

Can the Government please clarify if the Offeror can insert additional sections to the sections from Attachment 4 so that we can include requirements from the technical proposal instructions section on page 116?

The Technical Proposal will be evaluated per the Criteria as set forth in Section M of the RFP. Per the RFP (Page 156), "These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the RFP provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the RFP. The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein."

Pages 116, 139, and 156; Sections L, M, and Attachment 4

The technical proposal instructions defined in Attachment 4 align directly with the evaluation criteria in Section M. Can the Government please confirm whether the technical proposal instructions on Pages 116-118 of Section L apply as well? If so, can the Government please clarify the desired alignment of the Section L content (p116-

118) into the outline furnished in Attachment 4?

Per the RFP (Page 156), "These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the RFP provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the RFP. The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein."

Pages 117 - 118 Please confirm the requirements pertaining to the Project Director and Additional Personnel refer to the Contractor’s program management staff, and not those providing support to NIAID.

The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

Pages 117 - 118; and RFP Attachment 4:

RFP Section L Technical Proposal Instructions, A. Statement of Work, B.

Personnel, 1. Project Director, 2.

Additional Personnel, and 3. Resumes;

and RFP Attachment 4

Section L requires specific identifying information for the Project Director and additional personnel, letters of commitment for personnel not currently employed by the Offeror, and submission of resumes for all key personnel; however, Attachment 4 does not require any of this information. Is this information required in the Technical Proposal? If so, in what section of the Technical Proposal?

Yes, this information is required in the Technical Proposal. Resume(s) and letter(s) of commitment may be included as Attachments to your Technical Proposal. Please use your best judgment as to placing of additional information.

Pages 117 and 162: Technical Proposal Instructions and Attachment 7

Page 117 references a Principal Investigator and a Project Director, but only the Project Director is key personnel.

Page 162 also states, “…Project Director, Principal Investigator, and each of any other proposed key professional individuals…”Can the government please confirm the distinction between the PD and PI, or are they one and the same?

The only Key Personnel being requested is a Project Director as described on Page 117. The terms "Project Director" and "Project Manager" are the same for the purposes of this RFP.

RFP Number 75N93024R00013, Amendment Number 003 5

Pages 134 - 135: Qualifications of the Offeror

Instructions for Qualifications of the Offeror (General Experience, Organizational Experience Related to the RFP, Performance History, Pertinent Contracts, Pertinent Grants) are listed under Business Proposal Instructions. Did the Government intend to put this under Technical Proposal Instructions?

Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Pages 158 and 132

Page 132, under instructions for the Business Proposal, says, “Financial Capacity - The offeror shall indicate if it has the necessary financial capacity, working capital, and other resources to perform the contract without assistance from any outside source. If not, indicate the amount required and the anticipated source.” Page 158, under Technical Proposal Instructions, says, “Financial Capacity - The offeror should provide representations and documentation necessary to adequately establish its financial capability.” Did the Government intend to include this under the Business Proposal only, not the Technical Proposal?

Financial capability should be addressed in the Business Proposal. Please refer to the Financial Capacity section on Page 132.

Pages 158 and 132 Where would the government like offerors to address the Financial Capacity section criteria? Currently, this section is listed as a requirement for both the Technical and Business Proposals.

Financial capability should be addressed in the Business Proposal. Please refer to the Financial Capacity section on Page 132.

Pages 158 and 227: SECTION 6 –

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

The government requests that the offeror "Provide a detailed description, and where possible, demonstration, of the offeror's ethe Washington, DC Metro area and Hamilton, Montana, as well as remote workers. 2) Provide a detailed description, and where possible, demonstration, of the offeror’s experience in managing a medical surveillance program to ensure proper screenings. 3) Outline the offeror's experience with and approach to sponsoring and renewing various types of visas for non-US citizens that include but are not limited to H-1B, 0-1, F- 1, J-2, TN, and others." The government also requested on page 100/227 that past performance information be included as part of the Business proposal including a list of the last five (5) contracts completed within the past 3 years and all contracts currently being performed similar in nature to the application workscope. Would the government please confirm that the Past Performance information requested in page 100 should be included in the Business volume and clarify the degree to which the "5. Description of Requirement" should describe the overall offeror experience as related to the scope of the work of RFP 75N93024R00013, and how this information relates to the information requested by the government on page 158/227 under CORPORATE EXPERIENCE:

"Provide a detailed description, and where possible, demonstration, of the offeror's experience in carrying out similar types of activities under federal and/or other similar contracts. This may include NIAID locations such as the Washington, DC Metro area and Hamilton, Montana, as well as remote workers."?

Past performace references and Corporate Experience are not the same thing. Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Pages 158 and 227: SECTION 6 –

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

The government requests that the offeror "Provide a detailed description, and where possible, demonstration, of the offeror's experience in carrying out similar types of activities under federal and/or other similar contracts.

This may include NIAID locations such as the Washington, DC Metro area and Hamilton, Montana, as well as remote workers. 2) Provide a detailed description, and where possible, demonstration, of the offeror’s experience in managing a medical surveillance program to ensure proper screenings. 3) Outline the offeror's experience with and approach to sponsoring and renewing various types of visas for non-US citizens that include but are not limited to H-1B, 0-1, F-1, J-2, TN, and others." Does the government have a preferred number of corporate experience references?

No.

Pages 158 and 227: SECTION 6 –

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

Would the government please clarify their preference, if any, for the information used to identify Corporate Experience references vs. past performance references in terms of the information requested on page 100, i.e.// "1. Name of Contracting Organization; 2. Contract Number (for subcontracts, provide the prime contract number and the subcontract number); 3. Contract Type; etc..."?

Past performace references and Corporate Experience are not the same thing. Please include Corporate Experience in your Technical Proposal and provide relevant Past Performance information in your Business Proposal.

Pages 65 - 66: SECTION J - List of Documents, Exhibits and Other Attachments

Would the government confirm that Attachments 12 and 14 are required to be submitted as part of this response? If so, please confirm these can be included as attachments to the Business Volume.

Attachments 12 and 14 should be submitted as Attachments to the Business Proposal.

Pages 67 - 68 FAR 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications. Should additional clauses in the solicitation also be completed and included in their entirety in the Business Proposal? (e.g., FAR 52.204-8, FAR 52.204-24, FAR 52.204-26, etc.)

Yes, clauses may be included as an Attachment to your Business Proposal.

Pages 85, 116 - 118: Technical Proposal Instructions

Can the Government please confirm that for the IDIQ submission offerors are to the follow Attachments 1, 4 and 5 Instructions, and clarify offerors are not to follow Section L, General Information FAR 52.215-1 (Nov 2021), beginning on page 85.

Section L is applicable to this RFP and should be followed.

Pages 96 and 142 Please clarify if appendices/required attachments count towards total Technical page limit? Required Attachments do not count towards the page limit.

RFP Number 75N93024R00013, Amendment Number 003 6

Pages 96 and 142

The language included in 7. Page and Formatting Limitations in the General Instructions provided on page 96 of the RFP states, “The Technical Plan (objectives, approach, methods and procedures) of the technical proposal shall not exceed 50 single-sided pages or 25 double-sided pages. This page limitation does not include the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited. The language in page 2 of Attachment 1 – II. Formatting and Page Limitations; B.2. Page Limitations states, “The total page count of the Technical proposal shall not exceed 50 pages. Total page count does not include: Title and Back Page; Table of Contents; and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than Title of Section.” Please confirm which page limit is correct for the Technical Proposal. Please confirm what is included in the total page count of the Technical Proposal and what is not included in the total page count.

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Pages 96 and 142

The government has provided multiple sections that include page limit exclusions: Section L states - "This page limitation does not include the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited" and Attachment 1 states "Total page count does not include: Title and Back Page; Table of Contents; and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than Title of Section." Will the government please specify which page exclusion list is applicable and specifically will the required cover letter be excluded from page count?

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Pages 96 and 142

Can the government please clarify page count limitations in reference to those sections of the technical proposal that will NOT be counted against the 50 page count limitation. According to the general instructions section, page 96, those sections not included in the 50 page limitation include personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited. Some of these sections are specifically requested in Technical Proposal Instructions on page 116 (i.e. Personnel and Other Considerations). Can the government confirm that Personnel and Other Considerations sections will NOT be included in the page count.

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume of Key Personnel and any letters of commitment.

These do not count towards the page limit.

Pages 96 and 142

Page 96 states that the Technical Proposal 50-page limit “does not include the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited.” Page 142 states that the 50-page limit “does not include: Title and Back Page;

Table of Contents; and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than Title of Section.” Can the government please clarify what is not included in page limits?

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section.

Pages 96 and 142

Several areas of the RFP and Attachments specify a cover page and list the required cover page contents, implying Offerors are to draft a cover page; however, other areas of the RFP and Attachments indicate the cover page should consist of a completed Attachment 8 Proposal Summary and Data Record, form NIH 2043. Please clarify whether Offerors are required to use a completed Attachment 8 Proposal Summary and Data Record, form NIH 2043 for the cover page.

Please use NIH 2043 as your Cover Page per Attachment 5 for your Business Proposal. Additional requirements as defined on Page 119 of the RFP should be included on a second page as needed.

Pages 96 and 142

Earlier in the solicita on, on page 96, "7.Page and Forma ng Limita ons The Technical Plan (objectives, approach, methods and procedures) of the technical proposal shall not exceed 50 single-sided pages or 25 double-sided pages. This page limitation does not include the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited." Will the Government please confirm that personnel resumes and letters of commitment are excluded from the page count?

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume of Key Personnel and any letters of commitment.

These do not count towards the page limit.

Pages 96 and 142

Page 96 states that the Technical Proposal 50-page limit “does not include the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited.” Page 142 states that the 50-page limit “does not include: Title and Back Page;

Table of Contents; and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than Title of Section.” Can the government please also clarify if “personnel” refers to key personnel resumes?

Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume of Key Personnel and any letters of commitment.

These do not count towards the page limit.

Pages 96 and 142: Instructions to Offerors , Section 7 - Page and Formatting Instructions

Page 96 of 227: The Technical Plan (objectives, approach, methods and procedures) of the technical…