Amendment 3_75N9802R00042_PSTSS.pdf

Amendment Number 003 RFP Number 75N98026R00042 Title: NIH PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES (PSTSS)

Amendment Issue Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Issued By: Kishan Patel Contracting Officer

OLAO/OALM/NIH

6701B Rockledge Drive Bethesda, Maryland 20817

Points of Contact: Matt Lear, Contracting Officer Email Address: matt.lear@nih.gov

Kishan Patel, Contracting Officer Email Address: kishan.patel@nih.gov

Proposal Due Date/Time: Monday, May 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET (Changed).

The purpose of this amendment

Offerors must acknowledge

RFP Reference Question Answer Pg. 82 Instructions to Offerors. The Technical Proposal Cost Summary does not appear to have been included in the solicitation. Please disregard. This attachment is not included as part of the RFP.

PDF pg. 72-73 instructions for the first page of the proposal vs. PDF

pg. 82 instructions for the cover page

Do both of these instructions apply to the first page (cover page) of the proposal, or should the cover page be the first page and the other, more detailed set of instructions apply to a cover letter?

Instruction on page 82 are for cover page. The instructions on 72-73 are for the page following the cover page.

PDF pg. 103 Technical Proposal Instructions vs. PDF pg. 143 Attachment 4

Please confirm that offerors should align their technical proposal to Attachment 4. The other set of technical proposal instructions seem to apply to task orders based on the extensive list of potential LCATs, the reference to project methodologies and project schedules for the completion of work, along with key personnel resumes, which can only be known at the task order level.

Per Page 103 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, "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."

Is the solicitation strictly for staffing services? Or is NIH seeking a Managed Service Provider (MSP) with technology solutions?

This RFP to provide scientific and professional expertise to support NIH's current and emerging research priorities. Support includes specialized scientific expertise related to basic, translational and clinical research; vaccine research and development;

general laboratory research at BSL-2, -3, and -4; veterinary and scientific research in ABSL-2, -3 and -4 environments; and bioinformatics and computational biology.

Pg. 82 Instructions to Offerors.

Is the government requiring a "direct cost and resources information" section? An, Attachment entitled, TECHNICAL PROPOSAL COST SUMMARY is not provided in section J.

Please disregard. This attachment is not included as part of the RFP.

Pg. 82 Instructions to Offerors.

If direct cost and resources information is required for the technical, will the government provide a sample Task Order to base this on?

No sample Task Order will be provided.

Some labor categories provided are not listed in Attachment 10, should these be added? Yes, please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

Pg. 88-89: Position Sensitivity Designations

Can the Government confirm whether the Program Director or other key vendor personnel will be required to complete a Government-sponsored background investigation, obtain a PIV card, and receive access to Government-furnished equipment?

Per Page 88 and 89 of the RFP, "All Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employees must obtain a background investigation commensurate with their position sensitivity designation that complies with Parts 1400 and 731 of Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The following position sensitivity designation levels apply to this solicitation/contract:

[ ] Tier 5: Critical Sensitive and Special Sensitive National Security, including Top Secret, SCI, and 'Q' access eligibility.

[ ] Tier 5SR: Reinvestigation.

[ ] Tier 4: High Risk Public Trust (HRPT).

[ ] Tier 4SR: Reinvestigation.

[ ] Tier 3: Non-Critical Sensitive, National Security, including Secret and 'L' access eligibility.

[ ] Tier 3SR: Reinvestigation.

X] Tier 2S with Subject Interview: Moderate Risk Public Trust (MRPT).

[ ] Tier 2SR: Reinvestigation.

[ ] Tier 1: Low Risk, Non-Sensitive, including HSPD-12 Credentialing.

6. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) and its employees must comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12, Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors; OMB M-05-24; OMB M-19-17;

FIPS 201, Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors; HHS HSPD-12 policy; and Executive Order 13467, Part 1 §1.2.

For additional information, see HSPD-12 policy at: https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-12."

Pg. 117- 118: Property

Can the Government confirm whether the Program Director or other key vendor personnel will be required to complete a Government-sponsored background investigation, obtain a PIV card, and receive access to Government-furnished equipment?

Per Page 117-118 of the RFP, "The offeror shall identify Government property in its possession which it proposes to use in the performance of the prospective contract as follows:

a. A list or description of all Government property that the offeror or its subcontractors propose to use on a rent-free basis. The list shall identify the accountable contract under which the property is held and the authorization for its use (from the Contracting Officer having cognizance of the property);

b. The dates during which the property will be available for use (including the first, last, and all intervening months) and, for any property that will be used concurrently in performing two or more contracts, the amounts of the respective uses in sufficient detail to support prorating the rent;

c. The amount of rent that would otherwise be charged in accordance with FAR 52.245-9, Use and Charges; and

d. A description of the offeror's property management system, plan, and any customary commercial practices, voluntary consensus standards, or industry-leading practices and standards to be used in the offeror in managing Government property.

NOTE: The Contracting Officer will consider any potentially unfair competitive advantage that may result from an offeror or Contractor possessing Government property. This will be done by adjusting the offers by applying, for evaluation purposes only, a rental equivalent evaluation factor, as specified in FAR 52.245-9. 3. Government-Furnished Property No Government Furnished Property is offered for this acquisition. 4. The management and control of any Government property shall be inaccordance with the HHS Publication entitled, "Appendix Q, HHS Contracting Guide for Contract of Government Property," which can be found at: https://oamp.od.nih.gov/sites/default/files/DGS/HHS Contracting Guide for Contract of Government Property-Appendix Q.pdf.

Page 137: Backfill For the 14-day backfill requirement, is the expectation that a replacement is fully onboarded and working within 14 days, or that a qualified candidate is submitted to the Government within that timeframe?

Per the RFP on page 137, "Backfill: When a position is vacated, the Contractor shall provide qualified candidates within 14 days of the position being vacated. There may, however, be certain circumstances in which the Government allows a longer amount of time for recruitment."

Will Task Orders include separate CLINs for travel, occupational health requirements, and/or visa-related costs?

Travel, Occupational Health Requirements and/or Visa-Related costs will be determined on a Task Order Basis. Per the RFP on page 138 "Travel shall be approved in accordance with the HHS Efficient Spending Policy andexpenses (including required visas) shall be approved in accordance with the JointTravel Regulation for all travel under this contract."

The subject line specified in Attachment 2 references RFP number 75N98026R00044, while the solicitation number throughout the entire document is 75N98026R00042. Which number should appear in the subject line of the Proposal Intent Response email?

Please use 75N98026R00042 in the subject line of the Proposal Intent Response email.

This spreadsheet of labor categories is embedded in the RFP. Would the COR provide a separate catalog, please?

The COR will not provide a separate catalog.

Does NIH anticipate issuing amendments to this solicitation prior to the April 27, 2026 proposal due date, and if so, will NIH extend the deadline to allow offerors adequate time to incorporate changes?

Yes, NIH anticipates issuing an amendment to this solicitation prior to April 27, 2026 but we do not foresee extending the proposal deadline.

Section B states that, if FAR 52.217-8 is exercised, the contract period ends on March 14, 2032, while Section F lists the 6-month option period as September 15, 2032 through March 15, 2032. Please confirm the correct FAR 52.217-8 option period dates and corresponding pricing period.

The option period is September 15, 2032, through March 14, 2032

How many IDIQ contract awards does NIH anticipate making from this solicitation, and is there a per-awardee ceiling in addition to the $3 billion total portfolio ceiling?

Per the RFP on Page 6 and Page 146, "This is a Multiple Award Indefinite Quantity contract as contemplated by FAR 16.504. The minimum guaranteed order will be $2,000 per IDIQ contract, and the maximum total portfolio ceiling (all contracts combined) value will be $3,000,000,000. It is anticipated that multiple awards will be made from this solicitation and that the awards from this solicitation will be multiple-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contracts with a five (5) year ordering period. The minimum guaranteed order will be $2,000 per IDIQ contract and the maximum total portfolio ceiling (all contracts combined) value will be $3,000,000,000. It is anticipated that task orders issued against these contracts will be cost reimbursement, time and materials/labor hour, and fixed price type Task Orders."

Attachment 5 references pre-set hours and quantities that offerors must use to calculate a total evaluated price, yet no Excel template or pre-set values are provided in Attachment 10. Will NIH provide the pre-set hours and quantities, or are offerors expected to develop their own?

The Government will not be providing an Excel sheet as a template. Offerors should create an Excel workbook containing all of the requested information.

Must a prime offeror independently provide all labor categories listed in Attachment 18, or may the prime satisfy this requirement through a combination of its own employees, subcontractors, and consultants as also referenced in the SOW?

At the IDIQ base contract award level, is the offeror required to demonstrate currently credentialed BSL-3 and BSL-4 personnel, or is demonstrating a documented capability and process to recruit, credential, and place such personnel sufficient for award?

Any specific certifications will be specified on a Task Order basis.

Does the 14-day backfill requirement apply universally to all labor categories including doctoral-level scientists, select agent-certified researchers, and licensed clinical professionals, or may individual task orders specify modified timelines for positions with extended credentialing and recruitment lead times?

Per the RFP on page 137, "Backfill: When a position is vacated, the Contractor shall provide qualified candidates within 14 days of the position being vacated. There may, however, be certain circumstances in which the Government allows a longer amount of time for recruitment."

Does NIH require the prime contractor to administer the Health Safety Surveillance Program directly, or may this requirement be fulfilled through a qualified third-party occupational health provider engaged by the contractor on behalf of its employees?

Per the RFP on pages 139-140, "The Contractor must provide a Health Safety Surveillance Program to all of its employees working under this contract. The Health Safety Surveillance Program shall comply with NIH regulations. Examples of these programs include the Animal Exposure Surveillance Program and Retrovirus Exposure Surveillance Program.

Please see https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/sr/dohs/HealthAndWellness/OccupationalMedical/Pages/ Surveillance_Programs.aspx for more details on these programs."

Please confirm which instructions control for the Technical Proposal page limit, excluded sections, single- vs.

double-sided counting, and required margins, since Section L and Attachment 1 appear inconsistent. Does the 50-page limit also exclude resumes, letters of commitment, Attachment 7 Summary of Related Activities, and other required forms and certifications, or are these items counted toward the 50-page limit?

Per the RFP on page 83, "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. Pages in excess of the limitation will be deleted and will be neither read nor evaluated. Each page of the technical proposal must be numbered sequentially. Offerors are encouraged to limit the overall size of the technical proposal, inclusive of appendices, attachments, etc. Although no page limit has been placed on the business proposal, offerors are encouraged to limit its content to only those documents necessary to provide adequate support for the proposed costs. Type density and size must be 10 to 12 points. If constant spacing is used, 15 cpi (characters per inch) or fewer shall be used, whereas proportional spacing should provide an average of no more than 15 cpi. There must be no more than six lines of text within a vertical inch. Margins must be no less than 1/2 inch around, exclusive of headers and footers."

What specific documentation does NIH consider adequate to establish financial capability, and is there a minimum revenue threshold applied during evaluation?

Per page 119 of the RFP, "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."

Does the three-year recency window apply to the date the contract was completed, the date work was substantially performed, or the contract start date?

Per page 89 of the RFP, "A list of the last five (5) contracts completed during the past three (3) years and all contracts currently being performed that are similar in nature to the solicitation workscope. Contracts listed may include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local governments and commercial concerns. Offerors may also submit past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition. For the purposes of this solicitation, a "major subcontract" is defined as any subcontract with a total value of $750,000.00 or greater."

For a joint venture bidding entity, must the accounting system adequacy certification reflect the joint venture's own system, or may it reflect the accounting system of the managing member who will administer contract financials?

Joint venture's own system

Must specific subcontractor names and their assigned labor categories be identified in the Technical Proposal at submission, or is it sufficient to identify the categories of work and types of subcontractors with final identification provided prior to award?

Per the RFP, if subcontractors are proposed, please include a commitment letter from the subcontractor including the details specified in the RFP, with the exception of "A complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror's cost proposal." The Government does not need a separate cost proposal from the subcontractor. During negotiations, if additional information is needed, subcontractors may send proprietary information directly to the Government. A copy of the proposed subcontractor agreement with the prime is required at the time of proposal.

Will NIH provide offerors the opportunity to address adverse past performance information prior to competitive range determination, and if so, through what process and timeline?

Correct.

Is the succession plan a post-award contract performance deliverable only, or must offerors address succession planning approach in the Technical Proposal as part of the Management Approach evaluation criterion?

The succession plan is a post-award deliverable only.

Will visa sponsorship and processing costs be reimbursed as Other Direct Costs at actuals under individual task orders, or must offerors include an estimated visa cost structure in their base IDIQ pricing?

Travel, Occupational Health Requirements and/or Visa-Related costs will be determined during Task Order award. Per the RFP on page 138 "Travel shall be approved in accordance with the HHS Efficient Spending Policy andexpenses (including required visas) shall be approved in accordance with the JointTravel Regulation for all travel under this contract."

Will TORFPs be distributed exclusively by email to the points of contact identified in Attachment 11, or will NIH also post TORFPs on a government portal such as SAM.gov or an NIH-specific platform? Will ASJV receive advance notice of upcoming requirements through a forecast or pipeline?

TORFPS will be distributed exclusively by email to the points of contact identified in Attachment 11, notice of upcoming requirements will be specified on a Task Order basis.

How frequently does NIH anticipate invoking fair opportunity exceptions, and is there a historical rate of sole-source or logical follow-on task orders from the predecessor contract that ASJV can reference?

Please refer to the instructions included on Page 120 of the RFP. If you are a commercial organization and elect to claim Facilities Capital Cost of Money, the offeror shall specifically identify or propose it in the cost proposal for the contract by checking the appropriate box as indicated on Page 133 of the RFP and including it in their proposal. if the prospective Contractor does not propse this cost, the resulting contract will include the clause Waiver of Facilities Capital Cost of Money.

How does NIH define technical areas under this IDIQ, and will all awardees receive notifications for all task orders or only those aligned to specific technical areas? Will technical area assignments be made at award or determined at the task order level?

"All Contractors within a technical area" is standardized language that was included in the RFP. Please disregard, as there are not separate Task Areas or Technical Areas for PSTSS. All offerors must be able to perform the entire SOW and provide all Labor Categories and Levels.

Must ASJV include all teaming partners identified in the base IDIQ proposal on every TORFP response, or may ASJV selectively engage teaming partners based on the specific labor categories and scope of each individual task order?

Per the RFP, if subcontractors are proposed, please include a commitment letter from the subcontractor including the details specified in the RFP, with the exception of "A complete cost proposal in the same format as the offeror's cost proposal." The Government does not need a separate cost proposal from the subcontractor. During negotiations, if additional information is needed, subcontractors may send proprietary information directly to the Government. A copy of the proposed subcontractor agreement with the prime is required at the time of proposal.

“Please confirm whether NIH expects one uniform escalation factor across all labor categories and years, or whether category-specific annual escalation is permitted so long as it is fixed at award.”

The Government does not need a separate cost proposal from the subcontractor. During negotiations, if additional information is needed, subcontractors may send proprietary information directly to the Government. A copy of the proposed subcontractor agreement with the prime is required at the time of proposal.

What is the process for substituting or replacing key personnel proposed in the base IDIQ contract after award? Does NIH require advance approval for key personnel changes at the IDIQ contract level, at the task order level, or both?

Per page 28 of the RFP, "The key personnel specified in this contract are considered to be essential to work performance. At least 30 days prior to the contractor voluntarily diverting any of the specified individuals to other programs or contracts the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and shall submit a justification for the diversion or replacement and a request to replace the individual. The request must identify the proposed replacement and provide an explanation of how the replacement's skills, experience, and credentials meet or exceed the requirements of the contract (including, when applicable, Human Subjects Testing requirements). If the employee of the contractor is terminated for cause or separates from the contractor voluntarily with less than thirty days notice, the Contractor shall provide the maximum notice practicable under the circumstances. The Contractor shall not divert, replace, or announce any such change to key personnel without the written consent of the Contracting Officer. The contract will be modified to add or delete key personnel as necessary to reflect the agreement of the parties."

Will NIH use a standardized TORFP evaluation template with consistent criteria across all task orders, or will evaluation factors and weightings vary significantly by task order? Will the base IDIQ evaluation criteria in Section M carry any weight in task order source selection?

Please refer to page 126, Section M "Evaluation Factors for Award."

Should offerors mark proprietary or confidential information in a specific way (e.g., using legends or headers), and will the Government protect such information from disclosure?

Please refer to page 50 of the RFP, "The Government, to the extent permitted by law and regulation, will safeguard and treat information obtained pursuant to the Contractor's disclosure as confidential where the information has been marked "confidential" or "proprietary" by the company. To the extent permitted by law and regulation, such information will not be released by the Government to the public pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request, 5 U.S.C. Section 552, without prior notification to the Contractor. The Government may transfer documents provided by the Contractor to any department or agency within the Executive Branch if the information relates to matters within the organization's jurisdiction. (iii) If the violation relates to an order against a Governmentwide acquisition contract, a multi-agency contract, a multiple-award schedule contract such as the Federal Supply Schedule, or any other procurement instrument intended for use by multiple agencies, the Contractor shall notify the OIG of the ordering agency and the IG of the agency responsible for the basic contract."

Please confirm whether Attachment 6 should be provided in the Business Proposal or if completed Representations, Certifications, and Other Statement of Offerors on SAM.gov is acceptable.

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.

Please confirm Attachment 14 is not required with submission of the 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.

Please confirm Attachment 15 is not required with submission of the 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.

Please confirm Attachment 17 is not required with submission of the 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.

Please provide the referenced Technical Proposal Cost Summary attachment or remove these instructions. Please disregard. This attachment is not included as part of the RFP.

The solicitation indicates that inclusion of direct cost and resource information (e.g., labor categories, hours, rates, and associated costs) in the Technical Proposal is necessary to support evaluation of the Offeror’s understanding of the project. Considering that Attachment 18 includes 291 labor categories, providing complete applicable rate and cost information for all categories may be difficult within the 50‑page limitation.

Would the Government consider revising the page limit or allowing this information to be submitted as a non‑counting appendix?

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.

For ease of review, would the Government allow the inclusion of a traceability matrix in the Technical Proposal outside of page limitations?

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

Please clarify if the Cover Page referenced on page 82 is separate form or the same as the Proposal Title Page. The Cover Page is the same as the Proposal Title Page.

Please use NIH 2043 as your Cover Page per Attachment 5 (Page 146).

Please verify that all pre-employment occupational health testing and immunization costs will be addressed on a task order basis and are not to be included in the IDIQ level loaded labor rates.

Travel, Occupational Health Requirements and/or Visa-Related costs will be determined during Task Order award.. Per the RFP on page 138 "Travel shall be approved in accordance with the HHS Efficient Spending Policy andexpenses (including required visas) shall be approved in accordance with the JointTravel Regulation for all travel under this contract."

Please confirm whether Attachment 7 should be provided in the Technical Proposal or 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.

Q.1: Please advise which attachment has the correct labor categories needed to be priced. Attachment 10 – Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices has numerous labor categories missing that are included in Attachment 18 - PSTSS Labor Category Catalog.

Attachment 10 is a a sample document for reference. Please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

Q.2: If Attachment 18 is the correct set of labor categories, will you be providing the pre-set hours/quantities on Attachment 10, required for evaluation purposes?

The Quantity/Number of Hours listed on Attachment 10 is for evaluation purposes only. Offerors should be capable of providing all labor categories and levels at any time during the Period of Performance.

Please confirm if Attachment 12 is required. Please submit Attachment 12 as an Attachment to your Business Proposal.

Attachment 10 - Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices does not have all the Labor Categories and Levels included. Can the Government provide a revised Attachment 10 with all requested Labor Category hours included?

Attachment 10 is a a sample document for reference. Please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

Based on discrepancies in the labor categories listed in various attachments to the RFP (for example Cheminformatics Scientist and others do not appear to be listed in Attachment 10 for pricing/business submission), will the NIH update so that there is alignment of all required labor categories across Attachments 3, 10, and 18?

Attachment 10 is a a sample document for reference. Please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

Can the NIH confirm that while offerors should address as instructed in the Business Proposal as instructed, applicable information and IT procurement would occur at the task order level in the future given that there isn't a requirement to develop any information or IT system at the IDIQ contract level.

No IT procurements would occur.

Can the government confirm that this RFP will provide for expansion of PSTSS usage for the entire NIH community as opposed to a single Institute such as NIAID?

Confirmed, this is NIH Wide RFP due to organization restructure.

Aside from the previously awarded NIAID PSTSS IDIQ awards, are there other NIH awarded contracts that are planned for migration to the new NIH PSTSS IDIQ once awarded?

No, however new labor categories are include in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

In addition to the required Project Director key personnel role, will the NIH confirm that the additional key personnel are to be identified and submitted at the discretion of the offeror and consistent with their overall proposed approach.

Yes, additional key personnel are to be identified and submitted at the discretion of the offeror and consistent with their overall proposed approach.

Does the NIH anticipate that this IDIQ will be made available for expanded usage to procure services for all Institutes and Centers, to include the NIH OD and ARPA-H, as opposed to a single Institute?

This RFP is for NIH Wide Scientific Professional and Technical Services.

What is the expected average annual TO value per contractor? This information is not available.

Does NIH expect each IDIQ awardee to demonstrate capability across: BSL-4, Veterinary, Bioinformatics, Programmatic support, OR can offerors specialize and rely on teaming/subcontractors?

Any specific certifications will be specified on a Task Order basis.

Will proposals be evaluated on: Breadth (full coverage) or depth in specific domains? Recruiting Requirement (14-Day Fill) What constitutes an “acceptable replacement” (fully cleared vs. pending)?

Please refer to page 126, Section M "Evaluation Factors for Award."

Are there penalties or performance metrics (PRS/QASP) tied to fill time? Reporting requirements will be indicated on a Task Order basis.

The Government previously released a PSTSS solicitation, which does not appear to have been formally cancelled or updated prior to the release of the March 2026 solicitation.

1) Yes, please see Amendment 1 & 2.

Are past performance references submitted in the Technical Proposal, Business Proposal, or both? Please include Past Performance references in your Business Proposal. Per the instructions in Attachment 4, the information requested in these instructions should be used as a guide for the development and formatting of your Business Proposal.

Can the Government clarify how the 4-page Technical Approach limit should be applied across sub-elements? Per page 103 of the RFP, "A detailed work plan must be submitted indicating how each aspect of the statement of work is to be accomplished. Your technical approach should be in as much detail as you consider necessary to fully explain your proposed technical approach or method. 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."

Are offerors required to address every SOW element explicitly, or is a capabilities-based approach acceptable?

Per Page 103 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.

How will the Government weigh technical approach vs. management approach at the IDIQ level? Please refer to page 126, Section M "Evaluation Factors for Award."

Can graphics, tables, and figures use 8-point font? Font size must be 10 to 12 points for all text, including graphics and tables.

Will cost realism analysis be performed on proposed labor rates at the IDIQ level, at the task order level, or both?

A cost realism analysis be performed on proposed labor rates at the IDIQ level and a Source Selection Determination will be provided at the Task Order level.

How will cost be evaluated relative to technical merit? Please refer to page 126, Section M "Evaluation Factors for Award."

Are there file size or format restrictions for eCPS? Please refer to the eCPS website and page 128 of the RFP for eCPS submission.

For small business offerors, is a subcontracting plan required at any threshold? The RFP appears to exempt small businesses, please confirm.

Per page 30 of the RFP, " 1. In accordance with FAR 19.704 and FAR Clause 52.219-9, the submission of a subcontracting plan by other than small business offeror(s) is a requirement as a part of the proposal submission process and is to be submitted separately from the technical and cost proposals. An offeror's subcontracting plan must be determined to be acceptable, by the Contracting Officer, prior to the contract award."

Will the government provide access to NIH's occupational medicine infrastructure, or is the contractor responsible for establishing an independent medical surveillance program

The contractor responsible for establishing a medical surveillance program.

The previous RFP had an XLS file for pricing Attachment 10 Labor Rates but this new RFP has attachment 10 in PDF format. Will the government provide an Attachment 10 Labor Rates in Excel format for bidder pricing?

Attachment 10 is a a sample document for reference. Please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

When calculating the Total Price for Evaluation Purposes, are Offerors to include the pricing for the potential 52.217-8 6-month extension?

Yes

Does NIH have a preference in regards how rights to publications and patents developed via the contract are handled?

Per page 141 of the RFP, "Unless a different arrangement is established by an individual task order for work under that task order, all tangible and intangible/intellectual property purchased or created under this contract (excepting Contractor-internal business records) shall become the sole property of the NIH (including but not limited to work products, reports and other writings, inventions, copyrightable representations, source or object code, scripts, applications, customizations, materials, tools, machines, and/or configurations of devices/systems/services), and the Contractor/subcontractor/ consultant (or any Contractor employee or individual consultant or subcontractor at any tier working for the prime Contractor company) shall retain no usage rights to any of it following the completion of task order performance."

How many IDIQ awards are anticipated (range or estimate)? Per the RFP on Page 6 and Page 146, "This is a Multiple Award Indefinite Quantity contract as contemplated by FAR 16.504. The minimum guaranteed order will be $2,000 per IDIQ contract, and the maximum total portfolio ceiling (all contracts combined) value will be $3,000,000,000. It is anticipated that multiple awards will be made from this solicitation and that the awards from this solicitation will be multiple-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contracts with a five (5) year ordering period. The minimum guaranteed order will be $2,000 per IDIQ contract and the maximum total portfolio ceiling (all contracts combined) value will be $3,000,000,000. It is anticipated that task orders issued against these contracts will be cost reimbursement, time and materials/labor hour, and fixed price type Task Orders."

What is the expected average annual TO value per contractor? This information is not available.

The Government previously released a PSTSS solicitation, which does not appear to have been formally cancelled or updated prior to the release of the March 2026 solicitation.

1) Yes, please see Amendment 1 & 2.

The RFP states the 50-page limit applies to the "Technical Plan (objectives, approach, methods and procedures)" but Attachment 1 states the total Technical Proposal page count shall not exceed 50 pages.

Which page limit definition governs?

Per the RFP on page 83, "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. Pages in excess of the limitation will be deleted and will be neither read nor evaluated. Each page of the technical proposal must be numbered sequentially. Offerors are encouraged to limit the overall size of the technical proposal, inclusive of appendices, attachments, etc. Although no page limit has been placed on the business proposal, offerors are encouraged to limit its content to only those documents necessary to provide adequate support for the proposed costs. Type density and size must be 10 to 12 points. If constant spacing is used, 15 cpi (characters per inch) or fewer shall be used, whereas proportional spacing should provide an average of no more than 15 cpi. There must be no more than six lines of text within a vertical inch. Margins must be no less than 1/2 inch around, exclusive of headers and footers."

Are résumés for proposed key personnel included within the 50-page technical limit or excluded? Per the RFP on page 83, "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. Pages in excess of the limitation will be deleted and will be neither read nor evaluated. Each page of the technical proposal must be numbered sequentially. Offerors are encouraged to limit the overall size of the technical proposal, inclusive of appendices, attachments, etc. Although no page limit has been placed on the business proposal, offerors are encouraged to limit its content to only those documents necessary to provide adequate support for the proposed costs.

Type density and size must be 10 to 12 points. If constant spacing is used, 15 cpi (characters per inch) or fewer shall be used, whereas proportional spacing should provide an average of no more than 15 cpi. There must be no more than six lines of text within a vertical inch. Margins must be no less than 1/2 inch around, exclusive of headers and footers."

Are letters of commitment from subcontractors included within the 50-page technical limit or excluded? Per the RFP on page 83, "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. Pages in excess of the limitation will be deleted and will be neither read nor evaluated. Each page of the technical proposal must be numbered sequentially. Offerors are encouraged to limit the overall size of the technical proposal, inclusive of appendices, attachments, etc. Although no page limit has been placed on the business proposal, offerors are encouraged to limit its content to only those documents necessary to provide adequate support for the proposed costs. Type density and size must be 10 to 12 points. If constant spacing is used, 15 cpi (characters per inch) or fewer shall be used, whereas proportional spacing should provide an average of no more than 15 cpi. There must be no more than six lines of text within a vertical inch. Margins must be no less than 1/2 inch around, exclusive of headers and footers."

Are past performance references submitted in the Technical Proposal, Business Proposal, or both? Please include Past Performance references in your Business Proposal. Per the instructions in Attachment 4, the information requested in these instructions should be used as a guide for the development and formatting of your Business Proposal.

Should past performance references be submitted only in the Business Proposal, or should a summary also appear in the Technical Proposal?

Please include Past Performance references in your Business Proposal. Per the instructions in Attachment 4, the information requested in these instructions should be used as a guide for the development and formatting of your Business Proposal.

Are offerors expected to propose a single set of rates applicable to all geographic locations, or are location-specific rates permitted?

The proposed fully loaded hourly rate should be valid for any possible location as described in the Statement of Work.

Can offerors propose different rate structures for Cost-Reimbursement, T&M, and Fixed Price task orders, or must a single rate apply across all contract types?

Business proposals should indicate fully loaded hourly rates for each Labor Category and skill level at what the offeror believes to be a fair market rate.

How will cost be evaluated relative to technical merit? Please refer to page 126, Section M "Evaluation Factors for Award."

Section M, Criterion 4 references experience managing a medical surveillance program. Can NIH describe the scope and nature of the medical surveillance program required under this contract (e.g., occupational health screenings, BSL-3/4 exposure monitoring, vaccination requirements)?

Additional details on medical surveillance are described on the RFP pages 127, 140, 145 and 148

The previous RFP had an XLS file for pricing Attachment 10 Labor Rates but this new RFP has attachment 10 in PDF format. Will the government provide an Attachment 10 Labor Rates in Excel format for bidder pricing?

No

Please provide the referenced Technical Proposal Cost Summary attachment or remove these instructions. Please disregard. This attachment is not included as part of the RFP.

Attachment 10, the pricing model, does not have 27 of the labor categories included in Attachment 18. Please clarify. If Attachment 18 contains LCATs we not expected to price in Attachment if Attachment 10 will be updated.

Attachment 10 is a a sample document for reference. Please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

Please clarify if subcontractors are required to submit a separate cost proposal. The Government does not need a separate cost proposal from the subcontractor. During negotiations, if additional information is needed, subcontractors may send proprietary information directly to the Government. A copy of the proposed subcontractor agreement with the prime is required at the time of proposal.

Please clarify if we are are to only submit Attachment 10 in the business proposal are we also asked to provide the full up in excel format to show how we arrived at the rates proposed in Attachment 10.

Attachment 10 is a a sample document for reference. Please include all labor categories list in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work.

What workforce challenges are most impacting your ability to meet program goals this year? This information is not available.

Which roles or skill sets are considered mission-critical for your agency? This information is not available.

How does your team measure success for staffing partners supporting scientific, clinical, or adminsitrative programs?

Reporting requirements will be indicated on a Task Order basis.

Are there upcoming initiatives, grants, or expansions that will require additional workforce support? This information is not available.

What security clearances, background checks, or credentialing standards are required for your contractors? Any specific certifications will be specified on a Task Order basis.

Are there NIH- or DHHS-specific onboarding protocols we should integrate into our workflow? This information is not available.

How do you prefer staffing partners to manage compliance documentation, audits, and record retention This information is not available.

Are there specific labor categories or classifications we must align with under federal guidelines?

This information is not available.

Do you experience seasonal or grant-cycle hiring spikes? This information is not available.

Which departments or institutes have the highest turnover or hardest-to-fill roles? This information is not available.

How far in advance do you forecast staffing needs? This information is not available.

How are staffing requests currently submitted, tracked, and approved? This information is not available.

What systems (ATS, VMS, HRIS) do you use today, and how should a staffing partner integrate with them This information is not available.

Where do you see inefficiencies or bottlenecks in your current hiring workflow? This information is not available.

Would you benefit from automated credentialing, scheduling, or compliance tracking? This information is not available.

Are there established rate cards or labor categories we should align with? Please refer to Attachment 19 - PSTSS Labor Category Catalog beginning on page 162 of the RFP.

How do you evaluate cost competitiveness beyond hourly bill rates? This information is not available.

What procurement or contracting vehicles do you prefer staffing partners to use? This information is not available.

Are there opportunities for cost savings through consolidated staffing, direct sourcing, or MSP oversight? This information is not available.

How do you evaluate vendor performance—speed, quality, retention, compliance, or something else? Post Award Evaluation of Contract Performance is discussed on page 27 of the RFP.

What communication cadence works best for your team (weekly, monthly, quarterly reviews)? This information is not available.

Are there pain points with current vendors that you’d like us to solve? This information is not available.

Which scientific or research disciplines are hardest for you to source? This information is not available.

Do you require specialized roles such as bioinformatics, epidemiology, lab technicians, or clinical research staff?

Please refer to Attachment 19 - PSTSS Labor Category Catalog beginning on page 162 of the RFP.

How important is prior federal or research-environment experience for your contractors? This information is not available.

Are there emerging skill sets you anticipate needing (AI, data science, genomics, cybersecurity)? This information is not available.

How many staffing suppliers are you currently managing, and what challengs come with that? This information is not available.

Would centralized reporting, consolidated invoicing, or standardized compliance help your team? This information is not available.

Are hiring managers receiving consistent quality across all vendors? This information is not available.

Would you benefit from a single point of contact to manage suppliers, performance and workforce analytics? This information is not available.

The solicitation states, “When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.”

Could NIH please confirm if the “firm commitment” requirement is satisfied by including a letter of commitment/other evidence of availability for the proposed personnel in the Offerors proposal…