Amendment 1- USRDS--RFP Number 75N94023R00015-12-21-2023.pdf

DHHS: 275- OMB No.: 0990-0115

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

PAGE

OF PAGES

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

12/21/2023

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ.

NO.

5. PROJECT NO. (if applicable)

6. ISSUED BY CODE

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

National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Acquisition Services Branch 6710B, Rockledge Drive

BETHESDA MD 20892-7510

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

TO ALL POTENTIAL OFFERORS

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

RFP: 75N94023R00015

X

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

December 12, 2023

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 Offers 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___ copy of the amendment in your business proposal; (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_ copy in your business proposal to the issuing office.

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

PURPOSE: 1) to provide responses to Offerors’ questions.

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

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

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

Usha Raman, Contracting Officer NIH, NICHD, OA, Acquisition Services Branch

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

RFP-75N94023R00015

Amendment 1

RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS

1. Question: At the time the RFP was released on December 12th, many University Contracting Offices were gearing up for the Winter Break, and most will not return until near the current proposal due date. Will NIH please extend the deadline to January 31st?

Response: The Government has revised the deadline for receipt of proposals from all Offerors to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

2. Question: Attachment 1 includes the Packaging and Delivery instructions. Can NIH please confirm if Attachment 1, dated March 12, 2018, remains valid?

Response: The Government has now provided revised packaging and Delivery instructions. See Attachment 1 to Amendment 1.

Please note that Section J Attachment 2: Packaging and Delivery of Proposal (2 locations) is hereby deleted in its entirety. Offerors should submit proposals only through eCPS.

3. Question: Can NIH provide the page limit and font type for the technical proposal?

Response: The Government has now provided revised instructions for page limit and font size for technical proposals. See Attachment 1 to Amendment 1.

4. Question: Can NIH clarify the curriculum vitae and biosketch requirements, outlined on page 112, for both Key personnel and non-Key-personnel? Should we use the NIH biosketch format only for Key-personnel and a three-page resume for all other personnel?

Response: For Key Personnel, Offerors should submit full curriculum vitae (5-page limit) using the NIH non-fellowship Biosketch format (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm ) .

For non- Key Personnel, biosketches should be limited to 3 pages , however, the Government is not mandating the use of any specific format for their resumes.

Resumes for the subject matter experts for the CMB may be in any format but should be limited to 5 pages.

In addition, Offerors shall provide position descriptions for any proposed TBD personnel.

5. Question: Can NIH confirm if the "Principal Investigator/Project Director", mentioned in Technical Proposal Instructions on Page 88, and "Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Coordinating Center (CC) Director", mentioned in Technical Evaluation Criteria on page 110, are two different roles? If different, what is the expected FTE for the Principal Investigator/Project Director?

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm

Response: The terms “Principal Investigator/Project Director” and “Subject Matter Expert (SME) 1 or Coordinating Center (CC) Director” are all synonymous and refer to the same individual/role. The Government expects a sufficient time commitment of at least .4 FTE to the USRDS program for this position.

6. Question: USRDS is currently not listed on https://ecps.nih.gov/. Can NIH confirm that proposals have to be submitted via https://ecps.nih.gov/.

Response: Currently, eCPS helpdesk Team is working to resolve the issue. Offerors should monitor www.sam.gov for any forthcoming Amendment/s for information regarding this.

7. Question: 7. RFP – Title Page

RFP - PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J - LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

a) Page 1-# 7

7….See Part III, Section J, "Packaging and Delivery of the Proposal,"ATTACHMENT 1 of this Solicitation - Will the government please provide an updated Attachment 1, that includes the Formatting and Page Limitations for the USRDS CC proposal?

b) Pg 2 - #12

12. Technical Proposal Page Limitations: See "Packaging and Delivery of the Proposal" - Section J, Attachment 1.

c) Pg 61 – Attachment 1 Attachment 1: Packaging and Delivery of Proposals for Use with the NIH electronic Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) Website https://oamp.od.nih.gov/DGS/DGSworkform-information/attachment-files

The reference attachment and link the government provided (https://oamp.od.nih.gov/DGS/DGSworkform-information/attachment-files ) takes the offeror to a generic/template file with no information on page counts in Section B. Page limitations.

Response: See response to Question 2.

8. Question: Intent to Submit Proposal: By what date and in what format should we confirm our intent to submit a proposal?

Response: A link to the form was provided on the RFP. Offerors may use the form or just confirm their Intent to Propose via email to the Contracting Officer at ramanu2@mail.nih.gov as soon as possible.

9. Question: Page Limit and Formatting: Is there a specified page limit for the application, and are there any specific format requirements (e.g., margins)?

https://ecps.nih.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://oamp.od.nih.gov/DGS/DGSworkform-information/attachment-files https://oamp.od.nih.gov/DGS/DGSworkform-information/attachment-files mailto:ramanu2@mail.nih.gov

Response: See response to question 2.

10. Question: CVs, Resumes, and Biosketches (Page 112): The RFP mentions requirements for CVs, resumes, and biosketches for various contributors. It is unclear whether these terms are used interchangeably or if different formats are required. For this proposal, should we use the NIH biosketch format for all personnel (5 pages for key personnel, and 3 pages for others)? What format and length are appropriate for proposed CMB members?

Response: see response to question 4.

11. Question: Further Instructions: Will any other specific instructions for this RFA be forthcoming?

Response: No further instructions are anticipated at this time. Offerors should always monitor www.sam.gov for any updates to the solicitation.

12. Question: Will NIDDK allow security assessments from a security group within the larger organization that the Contractor belongs to, but has no reporting structure to the contracting organization?

Response: This would be acceptable.

13. Question: On p.109, the term ‘Project Director’ seems to refer to a Project Manager, rather than the PI/Program Director elsewhere in the RFP. Is this understanding correct?

Response: That is correct.

14. Question: Can the role of Deputy Director be filled by two individuals (e.g., co- Deputy Directors)?

Response: This is acceptable, as long as there is at least a combined .3 FTE to the USRDS Program.

15. Question: A page limit is not given for the proposal and/or sections/appendices. Can NIDDK specify a page limit?

Response: See response to Question 2.

16. Question: Page 70, (2) Instructions to Offers, (a) General Instructions, (1) Contract Type and General Clauses states that “a cost-reimbursement completion type contract will be awarded”. Can NIH confirm that offerors may propose a Cost-Plus Fixed Fee contract as this is considered a cost-reimbursement type contract in accordance with FAR 16.306?

17. Response: Offerors can propose a Cost-Plus Fixed Fee contract in accordance with

FAR 16.306.

http://www.sam.gov/

18. Question: Can you please clarify the following instructions related to cv/biosketch for key personnel (p. 112) - Full curriculum vitae should be included for the proposed key personnel.

Resumes for Key personnel should be in accordance with NIH biosketch format and should not exceed five pages.

Are we expected to submit only the NIH biosketch for key personnel, and/or a full cv, which is typically much longer?

Response: see response to question 4

19. Question: From SOW Task 2 ( Attachment 4, page 7) it states When directed by the COR, at least 60 days prior to the ASN and CMS, the Contractor shall attend in person, (up to 2 individuals). The meetings occur once annually.

What CMS meeting is being referred to?

Response: “And CMS” was a typographical error and is hereby deleted from this sentence in the solicitation.

20. Question: Given the timeline for receiving responses to these questions, and the likelihood that many organizations will be closed for several days over the holidays, is it possible to extend the submission deadline?

Response: See response to question 1.

21. Question: Given the website is hosted in the .gov domain, can you specify whether bidders should propose any other direct costs associated with maintenance of the USRDS website?

Response: While a portion of the website is hosted centrally by NIDDK, the data visualizations, annual data report, and received clinical datasets are contractor hosted. Therefore, estimated costs for those activities should be included in any proposal.

22. Question: What technology tools/stack are currently used for the USRDS website in the .gov domain, including the database for the DESKRIBE tool? Besides those currently used for USRDS, what other tools are available to the contractor in this environment?

Response: The diagram below provides information about the current technical implementation of the USRDS:

- USRDS pages on the NIDDK site: hosted by NIDDK as part of their Sitecore environment for NIDDK.NIH.gov, backend Sitecore CMS accessible by contractor for content management tasks using government-provided equipment and credentials

- Interactive ADR: hosted by contractor (but DNS managed by NIDDK) and linked from USRDS pages on the NIDDK site. Stack: React frontend running on IIS and Windows Server, ASP.NET API running on IIS and Windows server, SQL Server database backend running on Windows Server.

- Interactive ADR CMS: custom content management system hosted by contractor and available internally within contractor’s network for content management tasks. Stack: ASP.NET application running on IIS and Windows Server, SQL Server database backend running on Windows Server.

- DESKRIBE: set of 4 interactive applications giving different presentations of USRDS data, hosted by contractor (but DNS managed by NIDDK) and included via iframe within USRDS pages on the NIDDK site. Stack: Shiny server and nginx SSL reverse proxy running on Ubuntu.

- Quarterly update: interactive application giving quarterly updates of USRDS data, hosted by contractor (but DNS managed by NIDDK) and included via iframe within USRDS pages on the NIDDK site. Stack: Shiny server and nginx SSL reverse proxy running on Ubuntu.

Attachment 1 - Packaging and Delivery of Proposals for Use with the NIH electronic Contract Proposal Submission ( eCPS) Website

I. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

A. eCPS

1. Proposals must be submitted via the electronic Contract Proposal Submission ( eCPS) website at https://ecps.nih.gov.

2. Proposals submitted by facsimile or e-mail will not be accepted.

3. Follow the "How to Submit an Electronic Proposal" instructions provided on the eCPS website at: https://ecps.nih.gov/home/howto. Please note that creating an account to submit may take up to three (3) business days. Please apply for a new account early to allow enough time for the registration process.

4. Offerors are solely responsible for submitting proposals and any modifications or revisions so as to reach the Government office designated above by the date and time specified in the solicitation. If your proposal is not received by the date and time specified in the solicitation, it will be considered a "late proposal," in accordance with

FAR Clause 52.215-1 Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisition.

B. Creating and Naming Files:

1. Create one PDF file of your Technical Proposal, including all attachments. The

Technical Proposal should be created in a PDF format that enables word searches to the maximum extent practicable. Forms and/or documents requiring signature(s) may be scanned, but must be merged into the Technical Proposal PDF file.

2. Create one PDF file of your Business Proposal, including all attachments:

The Business Proposal should be created in a PDF format that enables wont searches to the maximum extent practicable. Forms and/or documents requiring signature(s) may be scanned, but must be merged into the Business Proposal PDF file.

Additionally, the "Breakdown of Proposed Estimated Costs (plus Fee) with Excel

Spreadsheet" (http://oamp.od.nih.gov/sites/default/files/DGS/contracting forms/spshexcl dec2012.xlsx) must be included in the Business Proposal.

3. Create your Business Document Excel. The Excel file should be the "Breakdown of

Proposed Estimated Costs (plus Fee) with Excel Spreadsheet"

(http://oamp.od.nih.gov/sites/default/files/DGS/contracting-forms/spshexcl dec2012.xlsx) included in the Business Proposal in its original Excel format, not PDF. Multiple Excel files may be included, as necessary.

4. Each of the proposals, Technical and Business, must be separate and complete in itself.

Do not reference one proposal in another.

ATTACHMENT 1

PACKAGING AND DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL

March 12, 2018

5. File naming convention: It is requested that the filenames for your Technical Proposal, Business Proposal, and Excel Workbook include the name of the offeror, the solicitation number and the type of proposal (i.e., Technical, Business, or Excel Workbook).

Examples:

Technical Proposal: XYZ Company_ NIHAl201200 l _ Technical.pdf

Business Proposal: XYZ Company_ NIHAl2012001 _ Business.pdf

Excel Workbook: XYZ Company_NIHAl201200l_Business.xlsx

II. FORMATTING AND PAGE LIMIT A TIO NS:

A. Formatting for proposals

1. Pro_Rosal _Rage layout shall be letter size 8.5" x 11" for all _Rages.

2. Proposals shall not include links to internet web site addresses (URLs) or otherwise direct readers to alternate sources of information.

3. Proposals shall not include audio or video files of any type.

4. Font size must be 10 to 12 points.

5. Spacing should be no more than 15 characters per inch. Within a vertical inch, there must be no more than six lines of text.

6. Margins must be at least one-inch on all sides.

7. Failure to adhere to the formatting requirements above may impact whether your proposal is reviewed in its entirety.

B. Page limitations:

1. The total page count of the Technical proposal (including all Appendices and Attachments) shall not exceed 50 pages.

2. Total page count does not include:

a. Title and Back Page; Table of Contents; Section Dividers that do not contain information other than title of Section, and all other Section J Attachments required for submission along with the technical proposal.

3. Each Curriculum Vitae (CV) shall not exceed 5 pages for key personnel and 3 pages for non-key personnel.

4. Pages exceeding limitations will be removed from the proposal and will not be considered.

ATTACHMENT 1

PACKAGING AND

DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL

December 21, 2023