75N98026Q00122_Amendment 00001.pdf

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 or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication 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 letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

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

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

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

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

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 extended. is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

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

NUMBER IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

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.

15C. DATE SIGNED

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

16C. DATE SIGNED

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

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

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

Previous edition unusable

00001

RFQ PROJECT TITLE: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Gateway to Research Opportunities for the Workforce (GROW) Program

The PURPOSE of this amendment is to provide answers to the questions submitted in response to the above referenced solicitation as follows.

R&D and Professional Services (Division A) Office of Acquisition (OA) National Institutes of Health (NIH), OD Bethesda, MD 20892

All Interested Offerors

See Block 6.

75N98026Q00122

1 5

06/24/2026

06/18/2026

SF-30 CONTINUATION SHEET

SOLICITATION NO. 75N98026Q00122 - AMENDMENT NO. 00001

National Institutes of Health (NIH) / Office of Acquisition (OA)

Request for Quotation (RFQ) Number: 75N98026Q00122

Project Title: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Gateway to Research Opportunities for the Workforce (GROW) Program

Amendment Number: 00001

Date of Issuance: 6/24/2026

The above numbered RFQ is amended as set forth below. The hour and the date specified for receipt of proposals remains unchanged. Offerors must acknowledge receipt of the amendment prior to the hour and the date specified in the RFQ or as amended, by one of the following methods:

I. By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the proposal submitted. Please note that this is the preferred method.

II. By separate letter or email which includes a reference to the RFP and amendment number.

FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF

QUOTATIONS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

QUOTATION. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change a quotation already submitted, such change may be made by letter, provided each letter makes reference to the RFQ and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

The PURPOSE of this amendment is to provide responses to questions received concerning the above numbered RFQ as follows.

Interested Offeror Questions Government Responses to Interested Offeror Questions Interested Offeror Question 1:

B. Past Performance Information - The solicitation states that we need to list 3 federal contracts "relevant or similar to the work within the Statement of Work". Would training undergraduate and/or high school students in other disciplines such as Aviation constitute similar work? What is meant by "similar work"?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 1:

"Similar work" may refer to experience that demonstrates the offeror's ability to successfully perform the requirements in the Statement of Work. Relevant experience includes biomedical science research training or related STEM-M programs for high school or undergraduate students (activities such as curriculum development, mentoring, student recruitment, and program administration). While prior experience that mirrors the NIH GROW Program is not required, offerors are encouraged to provide the most relevant examples available, as alignment with the scope of work is factored into the past performance evaluation.

Interested Offeror Question 2:

What is the total budget limit that we could request for the program?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 2:

This is a solicitation for noncommercial services prepared in accordance with Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Part 13 - Simplified Procedures for Noncommercial Acquisitions valued at or below the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) inclusive of the base period and option period.

Additional price reductions should be considered. The

Department (HHS) continues to prioritize cost efficiencies/savings and quotes determined technically acceptable will be evaluated for reasonableness as stated in the solicitation.

Interested Offeror Question 3:

Are we limited to charging 8% for overhead or can we use our institution's negotiated indirect cost rate?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 3:

This is not limited. This procurement type is firm-fixed-price (FFP) in which the negotiated prices are final and not subject to adjustment based on a contractor's actual cost experience. Since this is a firm-fixed price, Offeror’s are not expected to provide estimated line by line cost element details that may be common in a cost reimbursable type requirement.

Interested Offeror Question 4:

Should the Technical and Pricing proposals be emailed to you as one PDF document or can we email as two separate PDF documents?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 4:

Quoter submissions via email to the CO shall include two separate PDFs for each volume (business and technical).

The format for the business volume includes PDF and Excel.

Interested Offeror Question 5:

Should Standard Form 18 be submitted as part of the Technical or Pricing volume?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 5:

The SF-18 may be submitted as part of the Business Volume.

Interested Offeror Question 6:

Do the contract Terms & Conditions and FAR Clauses need to be included within the Technical or Pricing volumes as part of our quotation to you?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 6:

Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) and FAR/HHSAR clauses may be included as part of the Business Volume.

Interested Offeror Question 7:

Is the vendor allowed to provide stipends to Program students with contract funds?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 7:

Stipends for this procurement and resultant award(s) in accordance with government regulations cannot cover stipends.

Interested Offeror Question 8:

Is the vendor allowed to cover housing and travel expenses for Program students with contract funds?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 8:

Travel, as in local public transport (not air), can be paid for with funds. Housing (Room and Board) cannot be paid for using contract funds, and food costs in general are not covered.

Interested Offeror Question 9:

What are the anticipated start and end date for the base period?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 9:

Award(s) are anticipated to be made on or about July 6, 2026. If awarded on July 6th, the 12-month base period shall be effective on July 6, 2026 through July 5, 2027 and Option Period One (1) shall be effective on July 6, 2027 through July 5, 2028.

Interested Offeror Question 10:

The _________ 2026-2027 academic year begins on 08/19/2026. It is not possible to conduct a "seven-to-eight-week summer program for summer 2026" even with a project start date of July, 6, 2026. The earliest

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 10:

For the Base Year only, NINDS recognizes that the NIH GROW Program may not be initiated during the traditional summer period due to the shortened implementation timeline. Therefore, contractors may administer the required we can implement a 7-8-week summer program is summer 2027.

Can we conduct an academic-year (Saturdays in Fall and Spring semesters) program during the 2026 - 2027, instead of the requested Summer 2026 program for the Base Period?

7-8 weeks of curriculum during late summer and/or the fall semester. The curriculum requirements, learning objectives, and overall scope of work must remain unchanged, and any adjustments to the program calendar must be coordinated with and approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). For the Option Year, the program must be conducted as originally intended during the summer period. Refer to item e. in the technical volume format of the solicitation.

Interested Offeror Question 11:

We were just wondering when our proposal was due.

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 11:

Quotations are due by 6/29/2026, 9:00 A.M., Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Interested Offeror Question 12:

__________________________ is preparing a quotation for RFQ No. 75N98026Q00122, NIH Gateway to Research Opportunities for the Workforce (GROW) Program, Undergraduate Track. We would like to request clarification regarding the Past Performance section of the Business Volume. The RFQ requests up to three recent and relevant contracts or subcontracts similar to the work described in the Statement of Work.

______________ most directly relevant prior experience comes from federally funded and philanthropic undergraduate research training and workforce development programs rather than procurement contracts. May ____________ include the following as past performance examples in the Business Volume, provided that we clearly identify them as relevant training and capacity-building awards rather than procurement contracts?

These programs involve substantially similar work to the NIH GROW Statement of Work, including undergraduate student recruitment, cohort-based research training, mentoring, professional development, program administration, student tracking, and outcome reporting.

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 12:

Offerors may include relevant non-contract funding mechanisms, such as NIH training grants or philanthropic awards, as past performance examples if they demonstrate experience performing work similar to the requirements described in the Statement of Work. Offerors should clearly describe the scope of the award and explain how the activities performed are relevant to the NIH GROW Program.

Interested Offeror Question 13:

We wish to confirm - if we submit a contract by the deadline and are selected, are we mandated to use the funds for this year as Year 1? Also, the solicitation says: "For the undergraduate track, eligible institutions must (1) award undergraduate degrees (B.S. and B.A.) in

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 13:

If offered an award, resultant contractor(s) are expected to perform the Base Year requirements during the Base Period of the contract. For the Base Year only, NINDS recognizes that the shortened implementation timeline may not allow for a traditional summer program. Therefore, the required 7-biomedical sciences, (2) have received less than $6 million per year in NIH R01 support (total funding) in each of the preceding three fiscal years, and (3) enroll at least 25% of undergraduate students supported by Pell grants based on the most recent two years of data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics."

We wish to confirm that undergraduate degrees (B.S) in biology, bioinformatics, and chemistry meet criteria for #1.

8 weeks of curriculum may be administered during late summer and/or the fall semester, provided that the curriculum requirements, learning objectives, and overall scope of work remain unchanged. Any adjustments to the program calendar must be coordinated with and approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). The Option Year program must be conducted during the summer period as originally intended. Refer to item e. in the technical volume format of the solicitation.

Institutions must award undergraduate degrees in biomedical sciences. Biology and related life science degrees would generally meet this requirement.

Interested Offeror Question 14:

I am unsure of if it is like a grant/contract submission?

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 14:

This solicitation is a contract opportunity not a grant submission.

Interested Offeror Question 15:

Physical submission address — Confirmation that 3WFN MSC 6012, 301 N Stonestreet Ave, Bethesda, MD 20892, is the correct address for any physical or courier delivered materials.

Government Response to Interested Offeror Question 15:

All quotations (business and technical volumes) must be sent to the contracting officer via email at rieka.plugge@nih.gov by the closing date and time specified in the solicitation. Faxed quotes nor physical hard copies will not be accepted.

(End of Answers to Questions to the RFQ) mailto:rieka.plugge@nih.gov