NIHBPSSIII RFP Questions and Answers.pdf

NIHBPSSIII Questions & Answers (Q&A)

Q&A No.

Question Answer

1 Could the government please Confirm the set aside of Subject requirement?

This requirement is a partial set aside. The Government anticipate awarding 16 IDIQ contracts. Furthermore, the Government anticipate 8 IDIQ contracts being awarded to small businesses.

2 Please confirm the Incumbent name, Size and Value of Contract?

The are 14 incumbents on NIHBPSSII. Each vendor has an IDIQ contract with a $45M ceiling. The list of vendors can be found here:

https://nihbpss.olao.od.nih.gov/vendors.html

3 Can we submit CPARS information instead of past performance questionnaires?

CPARS may not be utilized in lieu of Past Performance Questionnaires. PPQs shall be submitted to satisfy the Past Performance requirement.

4 On page 92 of RFP, under 5. Technical Evaluation Factors, Criterion I: Technical Approach mentions, “..……Demonstrated understanding of the requirements as supported by the offeror’s methodology/approaches, and scheduling…..”.

Our understanding of the tasks listed in the Statement Of Work is that schedule for each item will depend on priority and dependencies which will not be known until the contract begins. Could the Government please remove the requirement for providing a schedule or would it be sufficient to provide an approach to scheduling and not the actual schedule itself?

Please Clarify.

It would be sufficient to provide approach to scheduling or demonstrate how you have done it in the past on similar contracts.

5 Is the prime contractor required to perform a certain percentage of the work, specifically for small-business prime contractors with other-than-small-business subcontractors?

The prime is required to do a minimum of 51% of the work.

Question Answer

6 May offers submit a proposal for subset of the tasks, or should specialized contractors team with other businesses to ensure that all tasks can be performed by the team?

The contractor by themselves or through teaming must be able to handle all task areas.

7 On page 71 of the RFP, it says, “an anticipated 8 contracts are set aside for small business concerns from this solicitation”. Could you please confirm if 8(a) firms are eligible to submit for this RFP and the 8 awards include 8(a) set-aside?

The Government intends to set aside eight contracts (of the total 16) for small businesses. The anticipated small business set aside contracts will be set aside to small business in general. It can be a general small business OR a specified small business (i.e. 8(a), EDWOSBs, HUBZone, etc.).

8 Is it a requirement that the contractor respond to ALL Task Areas or can the contractor respond to one or more Task Areas?

The contractor by themselves or through teaming must be able to handle all task areas.

9 This will be a Multi-Award Task Order Vehicle, is that the Same as a BPA?

No- it will be a Multiple-Award IDIQ contract.

10 Place of Performance: Would the Government please clarify the Place of Performance(s) locations for this Contract? It would be important for hiring and proposing Personnel for quote submission.

Place of performance for the master contract is at the contractor’s facilities and the place of performance for the task orders will determined at the task order level.

11 RFP – Section G.2 – Key Personnel: Will the government require the contractor to deploy the Program Manager at a particular geographic location?

Place of performance for the master contract is at the contractor’s facilities and the place of performance for the task orders will determined at the task order level.

12 RFP – Section M.3 – Mandatory Qualification Criteria - Proposal Summary and Data Record, NIH 2043 (Attachment 7): Would the Government please confirm the URL for this attachment? We cannot find this attachment in Section J.

NIH 2043 is N/A and will be removed from the RFP.

13 RFP – Section J – Attachment 8: Offeror's Points of Contact: Would the Government please clarify if this form is required at the time of proposal

Will be needed at time of award and may be needed at the Task Order level. It is not in section M because it is not being evaluated, we just need to know who to contact in the event of an award or other.

Question Answer submission? As the same in not mentioned in the Mandatory Qualification Criteria (Sec. M).

14 RFP – Section M – Criterion I – Technical Approach:

Can the Government please confirm whether it is mandatory to respond to all 8 Task Areas in Volume I – Technical?

The contractor by themselves or through teaming must be able to handle all task areas.

15 If a company submits as Prime in the Large category, can that company be a sub to another small business track?

That is a business decision for your company.

16 How many total large and total small business awards?

The Government anticipates awards to 8 large businesses and 8 small businesses.

17 Is it mandatory to respond to all Task areas, or is it allowed to submit a response to some Task areas?

The contractor by themselves or through teaming must be able to handle all task areas.

18 Is it full and open, or do we need to be part of any contract vehicle?

This is a Full and Open RFP.

19 RFP, Page 8, Section E.1: Link:

https://www.hhs.gov/ocio/ea/documents/proplan s.html generates "page not found". Please provide correct link.

Please use the following:

https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/hhs-policy-for-enterprise-architecture.html

20 RFP, Page 9, Section E.6: Link https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/ac quisition/Documents/ Emp-sep-checklist.pdf requires authorization to access. Please provide proper access.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Docume nts/Emp-sep-checklist.pdf

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

21 RFP, Pages 16, 18, 71, Article G.3.c.2, Article G.4.e.2, and Section L.1.b.1: This sections states "All orders with an expected total value between $3,500 and $700,000 shall be set aside for small business concerns". The $700,000 top end is

The small business set-aside ceiling will remain $700,000.

https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/hhs-policy-for-enterprise-architecture.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/hhs-policy-for-enterprise-architecture.html https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Documents/Emp-sep-checklist.pdf

Question Answer significantly low. Can NIH please increase the set-aside limit to several million dollars?

22 RFP, Pages 16 and 18, Article G.3.c.3 and Article G.4.e.3 subsections ii and iii: FARFAR 16.505(b)(1)(iii) and FAR 16.505(b)(1)(iv) appear to specify $6 million as the current "exceed" dollar amount. Can NIH please review and correct if necessary?

This information has been updated within the RFP.

23 RFP, Page 42, ARTICLE H.10.4.E.1, 2nd bullet: Link https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Pages/CM.

aspx page not found. Please clarify.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Pages/default.aspx

24 RFP, Page 66, Part III, Section J, Attachment 14:

Link https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/ publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Documents/ Emp-sep-checklist.pdf provides an internal server error, please clarify.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Docume nts/Emp-sep-checklist.pdf

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

25 RFP, Page 74 and 75, Section L.2.a.3, 2nd paragraph and L.2.a.3 subsections 1.and 2.: Section states "Electronic copies (softcopy) must be submitted in a format other than ".PDF" that is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and the ".doc" or ".docx" standard." Yet subsections 1 and 2 state "Create a PDF file". Please clarify.

One PDF for Technical and One PDF for Business and one Excel workbook. The RFP will be amended to remove the language about Electronic copies.

26 RFP, Page 75, L.2.a.3 subsection 3: Example:

XYZCompany_NIHOD201800024_Technical.pdf.

Would NIH prefer to use the current solicitation number in these examples so as to not confuse offerors?

This section has been updated to state the RFP number.

https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Pages/default.aspx

Question Answer

27 RFP, Page 75, L.2.a.3 subsection 3: Can NIH please provide excluded items from the Technical Proposal page limitation of 25 pages (for example Cover Sheet and Table of Contents)?

Nothing is excluded. However, the Technical Proposal page limit will be increased to 30 pages.

28 RFP, Page 75, L.2.a.3 subsection 3: Does the 25-page limit for CV pertain to only Key Personnel or Key and Non-Key Personnel proposed by Offeror?

Does this page limit also include Letter(s) of Commitment?

As stated on page 79 1. Curriculum Vitae - Curriculum Vitae (CV) shall be submitted for each person proposed; not to exceed 3 pages per position. CVs are required for all key personnel. Each must indicate educational background, recent experience, specific or technical accomplishments, and a listing of relevant publications. Yes, the page limit will also include the Letter(s) of commitment.

29 RFP, Page 79, L.2.b.1.a.b: Does NIH not need SOW Section 3.2 addressed?

The RFP will be amended to address SOW Section 3.2.

30 RFP, Page 79, L.2.b.1.b: Section states "Describe the experience and qualifications of personnel who will be assigned for direct work on this program."

Does this requirement pertain only to key personnel or all key and non-key personnel proposed by Offeror?

All key and non-key personnel proposed by offeror.

31 RFP, Page 80, L.2.b.2: Is Other Considerations included in the 25-page limit for the Technical Proposal?

Yes. However, the Technical Proposal page limit will be increased to 30 pages.

32 RFP, Page 85, L.2.c.8: Does NIH want offerors to include the contract Period of Performance for Past Performance Information?

Yes.

33 RFP, Page 85, L.2.c.8: Section states "Subject line of email shall note the Offeror's name.". Should the subject line also include the Solicitation Number?

Subject line should at least include Offeror’s name regarding the questionnaire. Additional language in the subject line will be accepted but not required.

34 RFP, Page 90, M.5, Criterion 1: Subsections a) through h) do not match subsections a) through h) on page 79, Section L.2.b.1.a.b. Please clarify.

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

35 RFP, Page 91, M.5, Criterion 2: Section states "Qualifications and experience of offeror's

That is up to the offeror if they want to offer more key personnel so that there is a backup or a DPM.

Question Answer technical and project management personnel". Is Offeror supposed to propose more Key Personnel than identified in ARTICLE G.2. KEY PERSONNEL?

36 SOP, Page 5, Section 1, General Information:

Section states: "This multiple award contract with 16 vendors will be used by NIH to procure business and professional support services on a task order (TO) basis". Is this an on-ramp for NIHBPSSIII? How many open slots are you looking to fill?

There will be an anticipated total of 16 prime spots, 8 for large business and 8 for small business.

37 RFP, Page 3, ARTICLE B.3(a), Prices/Costs: Section states: "This is a Multiple Award Indefinite Quantity contract as contemplated by FAR 16.504. The Contractor shall be reimbursed by the Government in an amount not less than a total of $250 (minimum) nor more than a total of $49,000,000.00. (maximum) for successful performance of this contract". What is the overall cap for this BPA? We noted that for the existing NIHBPSSII BPA, the cap is shown as $137 million. Is it the same for this NIHBPSSIII BPA?

This is an IDIQ, not BPA. The ceiling for each IDIQ contract under NIHBPSSIII will be $49M. It is anticipated that 16 IDIQ contracts will be awarded.

38 SOP, Page 5, Section 1.2, Labor Categories: In addition to the labor categories listed in the SOP, is the offeror permitted to add additional labor categories?

No.

39 RFP: What is the projected ceiling on the NIHBPSS

III BPA?

This is an IDIQ, not BPA. The ceiling for each IDIQ contract under NIHBPSSIII will be $49M. It is anticipated that 16 IDIQ contracts will be awarded

40 RFP, SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

ARTICLE F.1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE, Page 14:

Could you please confirm that the period of

This is an IDIQ. It will be a base plus 1 optional period as directed by management within OLAO.

Question Answer performance for this BPA is only Base +1 year?

Please advise why this is such a short period.

41 RFP, Section b. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS b. Personnel, Page 79: Please confirm that only Program Manager is Key Personnel.

As stated in G.2 Key personnel on pg. 15, the Program Manager is the only position deemed key personnel.

42 RFP, Section b. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS b. Personnel, Page 79: Please confirm that only CV required will be of Program Manager.

As stated on page 79, Curriculum Vitae (CV) shall be submitted for each person proposed. It is required for key personnel and shall be submitted for non-key personnel also.

43 RFP, c. BUSINESS PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS 8. Past Performance Information, Page 85: Would the government consider CPARS in lieu of Past Performance Questionnaires as acceptable submissions?

CPARS may not be utilized in lieu of Past Performance Questionnaires. PPQs shall be submitted to satisfy the Past Performance requirement.

44 Can any additional sizing information be provided, such as the number and diversity of task orders and/or which task areas have been used most?

N/A – since we cannot guarantee the same work will be required under NIHBPSSIII.

45 Reference: Article G.3 Methods of Ordering, section c. 2 – “All orders with an expected total value between $3,500 and $700,000 shall be set aside for small business concerns”

Question: Would the government consider raising that value to $4M given that the FAR and SBA allow for sole-source up to or greater than this value for 8(a), WOSB, and HUBZone categories of small businesses?

The small business set-aside ceiling will remain $700,000.

46 References: - Section L, part 2.a.2 – “In order to prepare for source selection activities, the Government requests that vendors who intend to submit offers for this acquisition complete the

Section L refers to the master contract and if you plan to submit an offer and Article G.4 refers to the Task order level and it is referencing performance under the contract.

Question Answer attached proposal intent response sheet (Attachment 1) and submit to the email address above by 3:00PM EST on October 19, 2020.” - Article G.4. Task Order Procedure, section b – “An election not to propose on a given TORFP will not negatively affect or prohibit a Contractor from competing on future TORFPs. However, it may affect the Contractor's eligibility for continuations or extensions of the resultant Task Order.”

Question: Given the government requested a proposal intent for source selection planning purposes, we assume that the government planned to exclude parties that do not submit the proposal intent response sheet by the deadline. Is that correct?

47 Given that NIH has added an additional task to the SOW but the Technical Volume writeup page limit has remained the same (25 pages) would NIH consider increasing the technical volume page limit to 30 pages?

Yes. The page limit will be increase to 30 pages.

48 Will NIH conduct a price realism (“too low”) analysis to prevent unfair lowball bidding?

An evaluation will be conducted on all business proposals to deem price reasonableness.

49 Reference: RFP - Pg. 81 of 94: 1(a) – Technical Discussions/Technical Approach: Please confirm the mapping of subtasks (a-h) to various SOW sections as they seem to be not aligned.

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

50 We presume that HHS’ eminent role in providing COVID-19 response is reflected in NIHBPSSIII’s SOW Task Area 4 (i) requirement “Provide technical and advisory services for the purpose of COVID-19 efforts”. Please confirm if it is important that all

Confirmed

Question Answer qualifying prime vendors (not just their subcontractors) have some direct experience in providing COVID-19 related technical and advisory services.

51 In the “PAST PERFORMANCE CONTACT INFORMATION SHEET AND QUESTIONNAIRE,” it says the completed questionnaires should be forwarded by email directly from the Vendor’s reference Sharmaine Fagan-Kerr at NIHBPSSIII@od.nih.gov.

Given the current uncertain situation and having telework concerns, if the reference miss to submit it for any reason, then our RFP response will be in jeopardy. After putting a lot of time and resources, our proposal fate will be in the reference hands.

We are facing challenges to connect with Contracting officers and CORs in these difficult times.

The question is, can we ask the reference to send the questionnaire back to us. And we can include it with the response. We request you to please change this requirement to allow the offeror to submit the completed questionnaires (signed by the reference) along with the RFP response?

You may ask them to CC you in their submission so that you know they submitted.

52 Could you please clarify if we need to submit the technical proposal in Microsoft Word or PDF format?

On Page 76 it says: Electronic copies (softcopy) must be submitted in a format other than ".PDF"

One PDF for Technical and One PDF for Business and one Excel workbook. The RFP will be amended to remove the language about Electronic copies.

Question Answer that is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and the ".doc" or ".docx" standard.

On Page 87 it says: 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.

53 Do we submit section K of NIH BPS SIII RFP to this email (NIHBPSSIII@od.nih.gov)?

Yes – it should be submitted as part of your business proposal

54 In the RFP, page 80, Technical Proposal Instructions, Section 2 Other Considerations, please confirm the information requested is within the 25 pages of the Technical Proposal?

Confirmed. However, the Technical Proposal page limit will be increased to 30 pages.

55 In the RFP, page 85, Business Proposal Instructions, Section 9 Proposal Summary and Data Record (NIH- 2043) states “The Offeror must complete the Form NIH-2043, attached, with particular attention to the length of time the proposal is firm and the designation of those personnel authorized to conduct negotiations and submit with the Business Proposal. (See SECTION J, Attachment entitled, PROPOSAL SUMMARY AND DATA RECORD). Section J does not include a link to the Proposal Summary and Data Record FORM 2043. Please update the RFP to clarify if FORM 2043 is required.

NIH 2043 is N/A and will be removed from the RFP.

56 RFP, Section L, page -79-, a. Technical Approach, item d., RFP states: “Plan to provide a full range of

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

Question Answer supply chain and transportation management support; (SOW Section 3.5).”

SOW Section 3.5, page 4, refers to Task Area 5:

Policy Development, Implementation, and Administration. Please clarify.

57 RFP, Section L, page -79-, a. Technical Approach, item e., RFP states: “Plan to provide management of all aspects of the NIH personal property program (asset management) including developmental systems; (SOW Section 3.6).”

SOW Section 3.6, page 5, refers to Task Area 6:

System Integration Work. Please clarify.

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

58 RFP, Section L, page -79-, a. Technical Approach, item f., RFP states: “Plan to provide written policy development support and demonstrate experience with providing written policy development support; (SOW Section 3.7).”

SOW Section 3.7, page 5, refers to Task Area 7:

Center of Excellence (CoE) Support. Please clarify.

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

59 RFP, Section L, page -79-, a. Technical Approach, item g., RFP states: “Plan to ensure successful system integration of any new enhancements with all elements of NIH; (SOW Section 3.8).”

SOW Section 3.8, page 8, refers to Task Area 8:

Human Resources (HR) Solutions. Please clarify.

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

60 RFP, Section L, page -79-, a. Technical Approach, item h., RFP states: “Plan to ensure successful Center of Excellence (CoE) support. (SOW Section 3.9).”

Question Answer

The SOW does not include Section 3.9.

61 On the Reference Response Form, Part II, page 3, the Instructions read: The following questionnaire will be considered in as part of the Past Performance evaluation for an NIH solicitation, referenced below. The contractor who provided this questionnaire to you wishes to have your responses considered as part of the NIH’s past performance evaluation in the acquisition. Please complete the questionnaire and provide an electronic copy of it to Sharmaine Fagan-Kerr at NIHBPSSIII@od.nih.gov by Thursday, August 16, 2018. Please include “75N98020R00023” and the name of the vendor in the subject line of any submissions.

Should the date be updated to December 2, 2020?

It should be the same date/time as the proposal deadline date and time. This document will be updated.

62 RFP, Pg. 79, a – Technical Approach: SOW Section

3.2 “Business Process Improvement and Organizational Assessment” is not listed. Can the government confirm that offerors should include SOW Section 3.2 in its technical response?

The RFP will be amended to address SOW Section 3.2.

63 RFP, Pg. 79, a – Technical Approach: This section references SOW Section 3.5 as “supply chain and transportation management support”, yet the SOW document references SOW Section 3.5 as “Policy Development, Implementation and Administration.” Can the government clarify if the SOW tasks listed in the SOW document are the final SOW task areas given the discrepancy? The task areas look to be inconsistent with those on the SOW document.

Question Answer

64 RFP, Pg. 80, L, 2.c.1 - Basic Cost/Price Information:

The attachment 5 Pricing Spreadsheet includes only a summary table for proposed fully burdened labor rates and does not contain a format for offerors to provide the required elements of cost information described in L.2.c.1. Please confirm that completing the attachment 5 Pricing Spreadsheet is sufficient and the elements called for in the reference section is not required.

The elements called for in the reference section is required. The Pricing Spreadsheet is in addition to what else is being requested in this section.

65 RFP, Pg. 90, recent annual financial report: If a bidder’s annual financial report is either unavailable, or otherwise not releasable, would the government accept a Confirmation of Financial Capability signed by the CFO?

Yes, with the appropriate information within the document.

66 Are contractors expected to satisfy the Information and/or Physical Security (SSP, SAP/SAR, IA, POA&M, and Contingency Plan/Plan Test) due date requirements upon Contract award or Task Order award?

The RFP has been amended to state it will be addressed at the Task Order.

67 Will there be a briefing and a Q&A process for IDIQ (Task Orders) to understand the project thoroughly?

Yes

68 What is the anticipated time frame to bid on Task Orders?

It varies depending on the complexity of the Task Order.

69 NIHBPSSIII falls under FAR Subpart 32.9, Prompt Payment Act --- will there be a standardized NET payment term for Order under the contract vehicle or will they be negotiated at the Task Order level?

A standardized NET payment term for Order.

70 The RFP makes several references to the Contractor's IT system and the need to comply with FEDRAMP, HHS, NARA and other requirements.

This will be determined at the Task Order level. You must show that you are able to support it if it is needed.

Question Answer

The RPF also states that the contactors IT system shall conduct and provide an SA&A within 30 days of contract award. Is it the intent of NIH that the contractor shall already have an existing IT system in place prior to contract award? If so, what are the baseline requirements of this system?

71 What is the current NIH IT system based on (i.e.

Application and Data) and is it cloud based or on premise?

This will be determined at the Task Order level. You must show that you are able to support it if it is needed.

72 The RFP refers to having an ATO or the process for one. Is this expected at IDIQ or the specific tasks order awards?

This will be determined at the Task Order level. You must show that you are able to support it if it is needed.

73 Are there any incumbents for the prior effort? If so who are they and how many were small businesses?

The are 14 incumbents on NIHBPSSII. 6 are small businesses. The list of vendors can be found here:

74 The RFP in section C.5 “Mentor-Protégé Program, HHSAR 352.219-70 (December) 2015” discusses NIH’s Mentor-Protege (MP) Program. The Small Business Administration has similar programs, 13CFR125.9 discusses the small business mentor-protégé program, and 13CRF125.9(d)(1) states “Benefits. (1) A protégé and mentor may joint venture as a small business for any government prime contract or subcontract, provided the protégé qualifies as small for the procurement.

Such a joint venture may seek any type of small business contract (i.e., small business set-aside, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVO, or WOSB) for which the protégé firm qualifies (e.g., a protégé firm that qualifies as a WOSB could seek a WOSB set-aside as

This is a full and open solicitation.

Question Answer a joint venture with its SBA-approved mentor).”

(emphasis added)

Will the government consider an offer from an SBA approved JV pursuant to 13CFR125.9?

75 RFP Sec L, 2.c.9 Proposal Summary and Data Record (NIH-2043), pg 85 - Paragraph indicates Form NIH-2043 is provided as attachment to the solicitation. However, section J does not list the Form, nor does it appear to be attached as indicated. Can the government please provide the Form?

NIH 2043 is N/A and will be removed from the RFP.

76 RFP Sec L, 1.b Notice of Partial Small Business Set- Aside, pg 71 - Under item 1. General there is reference to “NIH Business and Professional Support Services II task orders”. Should this be corrected to refer to NIH BPSSIII?

This section will be amended to state NIH Business and Professional Support Services III task orders.

77 RFP Section L 2.b.1.b.1 (Page 79): Can the government please verify that only one Key Personnel (Program Manager) CV is needed to be submitted in the Volume 1 Technical Proposal:

Appendix 1 CV section? Does the CV need to be provided in the Volume 1 Technical Proposal:

Appendix 1 CV section for the other 19 personnel mentioned in the Pricing Spreadsheet?

As stated on page 79, Curriculum Vitae (CV) shall be submitted for each person proposed. It is required for key personnel shall be submitted for non-key personnel also.

78 Pricing Spreadsheet (Excel Document): Can the government provide the anticipated Level of Effort (LOE) or if it is Full-time 1880 hours per year for each position? For example, Program Manager and the 19 personnel in the Pricing Spreadsheet?

For the IDIQ, Offerors are encouraged to propose based on their hourly rate for the Pricing Spreadsheet. Each task order will define the Level of Effort.

Question Answer

79 RFP Section M 9. (Page 92): It says maximum evaluation will be given to small business respondents, but it does not say whether or not you need to provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan. Can the government please clarify?

A Small Business Subcontracting Plan is required. However, as noted in FAR 52.219-9, this clause does not apply to small business concerns.

80 RFP, Page 74 - Para 2a(3), Page 75 - Para 2a(3.1), Page 75 - Para 2a(3.2): Para 2a(3) states electronic copies should NOT be in PDF format, but compatible with Word; and Para2a3(1 & 2) states "create one PDF"? Does the Government desire one PDF file and one non-PDF file for the Technical and Business proposals?

One PDF for Technical and One PDF for Business and one Excel workbook. The RFP will be amended to remove the language about Electronic copies.

81 RFP, Page 80 - Para 2c1: As the IDIQ and the eight SOW task areas are professional services, and the Task Orders are FFP and T&M (and not Cost Reimbursement), is there a valid need to identify basic elements of the proposed cost/price? If so, which of the identified elements must be submitted to satisfactorily meet the identified need?

Task Orders can be awarded as FFP, T&M, or Labor Hours. T&M and Labor Hours contracts have Cost Reimbursement aspects to them.

There is a valid need and these elements are listed in paragraph of this section (Para 2c1).

82 SOW, Page 3 - Para 3.2c-i: Does the Government expect the contractor to be a certified LSS-BB instructor to perform these SOW tasks?

Yes

83 SOW, Page 5-8: Para 3.7: How does the Government plan to award five CoE support services? Is it full time for the duration of the contract to one contractor, or potentially 5 different contract awards? If not, what is the plan?

This will be determined at the Task Order level. You must show that you are able to support it if it is needed.

84 SOW, Page 12 - Para 6a2e: There does not appear to be a Section H clause requiring an 'IT Security Certification and Accreditation (IT-SC&A)';

This will be determined at the Task Order level.

Question Answer certaining not under the referenced number (D.c.4). Is this a mandatory certification, or something inadvertently inserted into this SOW?

85 RFP: In order to assure that all awardees utilize disciplined, mature, repeatable management and work processes, we recommend adding a requirement for all prime contractors to have and maintain Capability Maturity Model – Integration (CMMI) Level 3 (minimum) certification for Development and Services.

This recommendation has been noted. At this moment, no further changes will address this.

86 RFP: In order to assure that all awardees deliver high quality work products and services, we recommend adding a requirement for all prime contractors to have and maintain certification in

ISO 9001:2015

This recommendation has been noted. At this moment, no further changes will address this.

87 RFP: In order to assure that all awardees maintain mature processes for information technology service management, we recommend adding a requirement for all prime contractors to have and maintain certification in ISO/EIC 20000-1:20:11

This recommendation has been noted. At this moment, no further changes will address this.

88 RFP: In order to assure that all awardees maintain disciplined corporate information security management practices, we recommend adding a requirement for all prime contractors to have and maintain certification in ISO/EIC 27001:2013

This recommendation has been noted. At this moment, no further changes will address this.

89 RFP, Section F, Article F.1 Period of Performance, Page 3 & 14/ SOP, Section 1, Page 5: The RFP states that the Period of Performance will be 12-month base period with one 12-month option. The SOP states the contract period of performance will consist of a base year performance period and two one-year option periods.

This requirement will be for one base period and one option period.

Question Answer

Can the government please confirm whether there are one or two option years?

Also, Article B3 states that the base period is January 14, 2021 – January 14, 2022; however, Article F.1 states the base period is January 14, 2021 – January 13, 2022. Can the government please clarify the base period dates?

90 RFP, Article B.3. Prices/Costs, Page 3: The RFP states that the prices will cover the Base Period of the period. Should this article also cover the Option Year period, as noted under Article F.1. Period of Performance, para b?

The RFP will be amended to address this.

91 RFP, Article C.2 Reporting Requirements, HHS Security and Privacy Language for Information and IT Procurements, Information and/or Physical Security, subparagraphs B and C, Pages 6-7: The RFP lists specific due date time frames for the SSP, SAP/SAR, Independent Assessment, POA&M, Contingency Plan, and Contingency Plan Test. The requirements for each Task Order will be highly variable, and these time frames may not be applicable or appropriate. Recommend that the RFP be modified to state that the due dates for these deliverables will be specified by individual Task Order RFPs

The RFP will be amended.

92 RFP, Article C.2 Reporting Requirements, HHS Security and Privacy Language for Information and IT Procurements, Information and/or Physical Security, subparagraphs E.1, General Security Requirements, Page 8: The link provided is not

Please use the following:

https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/hhs-policy-for-enterprise-architecture.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/hhs-policy-for-enterprise-architecture.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/it-policy-archive/hhs-policy-for-enterprise-architecture.html

Question Answer reachable on the public internet. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

93 RFP, Article C.2 Reporting Requirements, HHS Security and Privacy Language for Information and IT Procurements, Information and/or Physical Security, subparagraphs E.6, Page 9: The link provided is not reachable on the public internet.

Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Docume nts/Emp-sep-checklist.pdf

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

94 RFP, Article H.10.1. Information Security and/or Physical Access Security, subparagraph A.12, 29:

The link provided is not reachable on the public internet. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://oma.od.nih.gov/forms/Privacy%20Documents/Documents/NI H%20PIA%20Guide.pdf

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

95 RFP, Article H.10.1. Information Security and/or Physical Access Security, subparagraph B.2, Page 29: The link provided is not reachable on the public internet. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asa/ocio/cybersecurity/securit y-awareness-training/index.html

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

96 RFP, Article H.10.1. Information Security and/or Physical Access Security, subparagraph C.1, 30: The first link provided is not reachable on the public internet. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Documents/NIH%20IT%20G eneral%20Rules%20of%20Behavior%20v2.0.pdf

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

97 RFP, Article H.10.1. Information Security and/or Physical Access Security, subparagraph D.2, Page 30: The link provided is not reachable on the public

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Pages/default.aspx https://oma.od.nih.gov/forms/Privacy%20Documents/Documents/NIH%20PIA%20Guide.pdf https://oma.od.nih.gov/forms/Privacy%20Documents/Documents/NIH%20PIA%20Guide.pdf https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asa/ocio/cybersecurity/security-awareness-training/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asa/ocio/cybersecurity/security-awareness-training/index.html https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Documents/NIH%20IT%20General%20Rules%20of%20Behavior%20v2.0.pdf https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Documents/NIH%20IT%20General%20Rules%20of%20Behavior%20v2.0.pdf https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/Policy/Pages/default.aspx

Question Answer internet. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

98 RFP, Article H.10.1. Information Security and/or Physical Access Security, subparagraph G.1, Page 33: The link provided is not reachable on the public internet. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/E-A/Pages/default.aspx

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

99 RFP, Article H.11. Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice, footnote after subparagraph d, Page 46: The footnote states that the HHS Section 504 Product Assessment Template is provided as an attachment to this solicitation.

Recommend this be revised to state that the template will be provided as part of Task Order RFPs.

Please use the following:

https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/contracting/technology-products/vpath-instructions/index.html

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

100 RFP, Article H.12. Communications Materials and Services, Page 47: The last three links provided in this section (chapters 2804, 2805 and 2809) are not reachable on the public internet. Please correct the links or provide the documents as attachments to the solicitation.

Copies will be provided with amendment

101 RFP, Part III, Section J, Informational Attachments, Attachment 12, Page 65: The link provided does not reference the specified document. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://irtsectraining.nih.gov/NIH_Non-Disclosure_Agreement.pdf

102 RFP, Part III, Section J, Informational Attachments, Attachment 14, Page 66: The link provided does not reference the specified document. Please correct the link or provide the document as an attachment to the solicitation.

Please use the following:

https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Docume nts/Emp-sep-checklist.pdf https://ocio.nih.gov/E-A/Pages/default.aspx https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/contracting/technology-products/vpath-instructions/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/contracting/technology-products/vpath-instructions/index.html https://irtsectraining.nih.gov/NIH_Non-Disclosure_Agreement.pdf

Question Answer

103 RFP, Section L, para 2.1.a, Page 79: The descriptions and SOW references do not match the SOW contents. Please provide correct references.

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

104 RFP, 2.c.11.f, Business Proposal Instructions, Page 88: Can the government remove the cost proposal submission requirement for subcontractors under section 2.C 11.f since the subcontractor’s fully loaded labor rates are directly incorporated in the prime contractor’s rates?

Removed.

105 RFP, 2.c.11.f, Business Proposal Instructions, Page 88: If subcontractors are required to submit proprietary pricing data such as fringe, overhead, and fee to the government for evaluation, would a sealed bid or direct submission of costing to the government be available?

Subcontractor’s rates must be included/incorporated into the Prime’s Business (Cost) Proposal. The Government will analysis the Business Proposal as a whole. It will be the responsibility of the Prime offerors to analyze and govern their subcontractors’ cost/price.

106 RFP, Technical Evaluation Factors, Page 90: The list of qualifications and experience of the offeror’s technical and project management personnel includes a list of experience categories which generally align with the SOW Task Areas, with some exceptions. For example, the list includes “asset management products and services” which is no longer a SOW Task Area, but the list does not include anything relevant to “human resource solutions” which is now Task Area 8.

Since these are the factors on which personnel will be evaluated, can the government please update

Question Answer this listing to align with the appropriate SOW Task Areas?

107 SOP, 1.2 Labor Categories, Pages 5-10/ SOW, Appendix A – Task Labor Order Category Descriptions and Requirements, Pages 14-18/ Pricing Spreadsheet, Sheet 1, Page 1: May the offeror propose additional labor categories that are not currently listed?

No.

108 SOW, Article C.2, subparagraph 6.a.2.b through f., Pages 11-12: The SOW lists specific due date time frames for the IT-SP, IT-RA, Assessment, and IT- SC&A. The requirements for each Task Order will be highly variable, and these time frames may not be applicable or appropriate. Recommend that the RFP be modified to state that the due dates for these deliverables will be specified by individual Task Order RFPs

Should remove specific dates and state that will be determined at the Task Order level. SOW will be amended.

109 SOW, 3.3 Task Areas, Page 3: Can the government provide examples of the types of training support work that will be performed under this task area?

To be determined at the Task Order level

110 SOW, 3.6 Task Areas, Page 5: Can the government provide examples of enhancements to systems that it envisions making under this contract?

To be determined at the Task Order level

111 SOW, 3.3 Communications and Training: Is there a current communications style guide, or does one need to be developed/refreshed?

To be determined at the Task Order level

112 SOW, 3.1 Financial Analysis, Business Solutions and Acquisition Lifecycle Support: We note that logistics management is included in this section, but not specified as Acquisition Lifecycle Support is.

Is it the government’s expectation that logistics fall

Yes.

Question Answer into acquisition lifecycle but will also require lifecycle (cradle to grave) support/analysis?

113 Part II Past Performance Questionnaire Contact, Page 3: Please clarify the due date for the questionnaire (currently listed as August 16, 2018)

It should be the same date/time as the proposal deadline date and time. This document will be updated.

114 RFP Section H.11, item c, on p. 46 requires that offerors submit the HHS Product Assessment Template and refers offerors to Section J. However, the template is not included in the list of attachments. Can NIH confirm whether offerors are required to submit the PAT with their technical proposals (excluded from the page limits), or is the PAT required at the task order level only?

Please use the following:

https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/contracting/technology-products/vpath-instructions/index.html

If it doesn’t work for you try coping the complete URL and pasting into browser.

115 RFP Page 74 indicates proposals are to be submitted in a format "other than PDF" while page 75 indicates PDF format. We suggest PDF format best maintains the integrity of the submitted proposals.

One PDF for Technical and One PDF for Business and one Excel workbook. The RFP will be amended to remove the language about Electronic copies.

116 RFP Page 74 states that “font size no smaller than Times New Roman 10 point will be acceptable for tables and graphs.” Can offerors use non-Times New Roman fonts such as Arial or Arial Narrow for graphics and tables to increase readability, as long as they are no less than 10 point?

No.

117 RFP page 75 provides a 25-page limit for technical proposals. Does this page limit exclude cover pages and tables of contents?

Nothing is excluded. However, the Technical Proposal page limit will be increased to 30 pages.

118 RFP Page 79. Does the Technical Approach list of items to address need to be aligned with the updated BPSS III SOW, like the list in the Technical Approach evaluation criteria on page 90?

Specifically, should SOW 3.2 be added, references

The RFP will be amended to ensure these areas are now accurate.

Question Answer to asset and supply chain management removed, training removed from task area 3, and HR solutions (now SOW 3.8) be added?

119 RFP Technical proposal instructions - Page 79, item

b. For personnel who will be assigned for direct work on the program, the RFP requests “approximate percentage of the total time each will be available for the program.” However, the proposal is for a multiple award IDIQ where the work will be conducted on to-be-determined task orders that will be competed and awarded at any time over the three-year period of performance.

Would NIH consider removing this requirement since it seems more applicable to individual task orders?

This language will remain in the RFP. It’s an important notification for this solicitation and awareness if selected for one of the contract awards.

120 RFP pp. 89-90, Mandatory Qualification Criteria, requires offerors to provide an index to and include the following item in their business proposals:

Proposal Summary and Data Record, NIH 2043 (Attachment 7). Can NIH confirm whether this attachment is required and provide a current link to it? It is not included in Section J, List of Attachments.

NIH 2043 is N/A and will be removed from the RFP.

121 RFP Page 90. Section 5. It appears that training has been moved to Task Area 8. We suggest that for clarity and evaluation purposes, "training" be removed from item c.

The RFP will be amended.

122 RFP Page 91 Key Personnel. We suggest that the list of scope items be updated for the BPSS III SOW (remove both instances of supply chain management, remove asset management, add HR Solutions)

Question Answer

123 SOW P1, 2.3. To align with the new RFP, we suggest that items a, b, and c be removed.

SOW will be amended to remove a, b, and c

124 SOW p. 1, items 2.1-2.11. Can NIH clarify whether offerors need to address these items in their technical approach and whether they will be evaluated?

These items need to be addressed and they will be evaluated.

125 SOW pp. 3-4. Task 3. It appears that training has been moved to Task Area 8. We suggest that for clarity, remaining training references be removed from task 3 title and content.

The SOW will be amended.

126 SOW p. 18. Based on our experience with BPSS II and HHS customer requirements, we suggest that the labor categories and rate card would be more flexible and usable for task orders and serving client needs if there were three levels of seniority with associated different rates for each labor category (e.g. Junior (0-3 years), Mid (4-8 years), Senior 9 years+)).

The labor categories and description will remain as is.

127 Can NIH provide guidance on how offerors are intended to complete section c of the Summary of Related Activities form for key personnel, since this is an IDIQ contract with no level of effort, and the level of effort required to support future task order awards is unknown at this time?

As stated in G.2 Key personnel on pg. 15, the Program Manager is the only position deemed key personnel.

128 RFP Page 34, Article H.10.2 includes fill-in-the-blanks items that have not been completed. Could the Government please insert the appropriate codes?

This will be determined at the Task Order level.

129 RFP, Subcontractors (page 87-88) – The solicitation states that the commitment letter from the subcontractor should detail the following:

f. and g. will be removed. Subcontractor’s rates must be included/incorporated into the Prime’s Business (Cost) Proposal. The Government will analysis the Business Proposal as a whole. It will be

Question Answer

a. Willingness to perform as a subcontractor for specific duties (list duties).

b. What priority the work will be given and how it will relate to other work.

c. The amount of time and facilities available to this project.

d. Information on their cognizant field audit offices.

e. How rights to publications and patents are to be handled.

f. A complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror's cost proposal.

g. Where labor rates are proposed for both the prime and subcontractor's in a given labor category, offerors shall indicate an anticipated proportion of the work attributable to each.

Items “d” through “f” do not appear applicable to this requirement. Will the Government consider removing these requirements?

the responsibility of the Prime offerors to analyze and govern their subcontractors’ cost/price.

130 RFP, pages 87-88, Subcontractors: As part of the Subcontractor’s Commitment letter, sub-element f states: “A complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror’s cost proposal”. Please clarify what should be part of the Subcontractor’s cost proposal as some elements are inherently Prime related materials. Does this mean the subcontractor will need to fill out Attachment 5 (the excel spreadsheet) only?

Subcontractor’s rates must be included/incorporated into the Prime’s Business (Cost) Proposal. The Government will analysis the Business Proposal as a whole. It will be the responsibility of the Prime offerors to analyze and govern their subcontractors’ cost/price.

131 RFP, pages 87-88, Subcontractors: As part of the Subcontractor’s Commitment letter, sub-element f states: “A complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror’s cost proposal”. Due to the

Subcontractor’s rates must be included/incorporated into the Prime’s Business (Cost) Proposal. The Government will analysis the Business Proposal as a whole. It will be the responsibility of the

Question Answer proprietary information contained in the Subcontractor’s cost proposal, please provide cost proposal delivery instructions for the Subcontractors to email directly to the Government.

Prime offerors to analyze and govern their subcontractors’ cost/price.

132 RFP, pages 87-88, Subcontractors: As part of the Subcontractor’s Commitment letter, sub-element g states: “Where labor rates are proposed for both the prime and subcontractor's in a given labor category, offerors shall indicate an anticipated proportion of the work attributable to each.” Since this is a Prime Offeror’s responsibility (not subcontractor), we recommend this requirement be removed.

Removed.…