Amendment 4-fv.pdf

Amendment Number 004 RFP Number 75N98026R00042

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

Amendment Issue Date: Friday, April 24, 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 8, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET (Changed).

The purpose of this amendment is to revise the proposal submission deadline from May 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM (ET) to May 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM (ET) and to address multiple questions regarding discrepancies between Labor Categories in Attachment 3 – Statement of Work and Attachment 10 – Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices. The Government has revised Attachment 10 to ensure alignment and to reflect all labor categories and associated labor category levels. Offerors are directed to reference the revised version of Attachment 10 when preparing and submitting their proposals. Please note that Attachment 10 includes detailed labor category level breakdowns, whereas the Statement of Work references the overarching labor categories (e.g., Animal Biologist I in Attachment 10 - Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices versus Animal Biologist in Attachment 3 - Statement of Work ). Please note that some questions are still under review, and corresponding responses will be provided and posted by the Government as soon as practicable. The Government will not be accepting any additional questions.

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

Question Answer

HSPD-12 must be addressed in a separate section entitled "Information Security". Can the government provide any further instructions on what needs to be included?

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."

Can the government provide a detailed estimate on the number of awards?

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."

Can the Government clarify whether a specific number or target percentage of awards will be reserved for small businesses? RFP states the anticipated minimum goals for Small Business this RFP is 33.25%.

Provides instructions for the business proposal to include a “Information Security” section to address HSPD-12 and FISMA requirements. Since IT requirements will be determined at the Task Order level and not the IDIQ can you please clarify if an Information Security Plan is required for the IDIQ Proposal Submission? If this is required, it will be determined at the Task Order Level.

If an Information Security Plan/SSP is required at the IDIQ level can you please provide the system requirements the government is requesting (type of data stored, amount of data, access requirements, etc.)? If this is required, it will be determined at the Task Order Level.

The table denotes that key personnel are “To be specified prior to award”. Can the government specify which positions, if any, are considered “key personnel” and/or “essential to work performance”?

The Project Director as the only designated Key position. All other Key Personnel may be identified at the discretion of the Offeror.

This section denotes that “Resumes for all key personnel are required.” Can the government clarify which positions are considered “key personnel” and warrant resumes within the proposal response?

The Project Director as the only designated Key position. All other Key Personnel may be identified at the discretion of the Offeror.

This section instructs offerors to include “a list of key personnel”. This seems to imply that key personnel are at the offeror’s discretion. Are there specific positions (and corresponding resumes) that must be included as “key personnel” for an offer to be rated as “technically acceptable”?

The Project Director as the only designated Key position. All other Key Personnel may be identified at the discretion of the Offeror.

This section references both a Project Director (PD) and a Project Manager. Other sections only reference the Project Director. Can the government clarify if these roles are the same, different, or if the distinction is up to the contractor?

For the purposes of this RFP, Project Director and Project Manager are one and the same.

This section appears to imply that the Project Director and Principal Investigator are considered Key Personnel and that any additional proposed key personnel are at the offeror’s discretion. Can the government confirm/correct which positions are considered Key Personnel?

The Project Director as the only designated Key position. All other Key Personnel may be identified at the discretion of the Offeror.

If the offeror has no lobbying activities and nothing to report, does the offeror still need to complete the disclosure of lobbying activities form? If there is no lobbying done and therefore nothing to report, please make note of that in your response, therefore explaining the lack of inclusion of this form.

Can the government clarify what qualifies as the necessary financial capacity, working capital, and other resources to perform the contract?

Per page 119 of the RFP, "To be considered for an award under this solicitation, the offeror shall include, in the Business Proposal, the following Certification:

"By submission of its signed offer, the Offeror certifies that its accounting system:

1. Complies with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

2. Provides for:

a. Proper segregation of direct costs from indirect costs.

b. Identification and accumulation of direct costs by contract.

c. A logical and consistent method for the allocation of indirect costs to intermediate and final cost objectives.

d. Accumulation of costs under general ledger control.

e. A timekeeping system that identifies employees' labor by intermediate or final cost objectives.

f. A labor distribution system that charges direct and indirect labor to the appropriate cost objectives.

g. Interim (at least monthly) determination of costs charged to a contract through routine posting of books of account.

h. Exclusion from costs charged to government contracts of amounts that are not allowable in terms of FAR 31, "Contract Cost Principles and Procedures," or other contract provisions.

i. Identification of costs by contract line item and by units (as if each unit or line item were a separate contract) if required by the proposed contract.

j. Segregation of preproduction costs from production costs, if applicable.

3. Accounting system provides financial information:

a. Required by contract clause concerning limitation of cost (FAR 52.232-20) or limitation on payments (FAR 52.216-16).

b. Required to support requests for progress payments.

4. Accounting system was designed, and records are maintained in such a manner that adequate, reliable data are developed for use in pricing follow-on acquisitions.

5. Accounting system is currently in full operation.

The Contracting Officer reserves the right to request, with the Final Proposal Revision (FPR), a current (within 18 months) CPA opinion confirming that the Offeror's accounting system is compliant as certified above.

Can the government specify which representations and documentation would adequately establish the offeror’s financial capability? Please refer to Attachment 6: Section K- Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors

Can the government confirm that Offerors SHOULD NOT include the cost of Work Visa sponsorship in the fully burdened base labor rates – that this will be considered as an Other Direct Cost at the task order level?

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."

This section references letters of commitment and resumes. Are such documents subject to the 50 page limit for the technical proposal?

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.

We kindly request that the government consider extending the due date of the response by 3 weeks from the time the Q&A’s are released to ensure offerors are given enough time to provide a compliant proposal.

Per amendment 3, the proposal due date has been changed to Monday, May 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET.

Please advise if the government is planning to provide an Excel format for pricing. The Government will not be providing an Excel sheet as a template. Offerors should create an Excel workbook containing all of the requested information.

Would the government please provide a description of the materials (including raw materials), purchased parts, and special equipment that might be required for this contract? If this is required, it will be determined at the Task Order Level.

Can NIH provide information on incumbent contracts/vendors performing similar work We cannot provide that information.

How will contractor performance under this IDIQ influence future task order award decisions? We cannot provide that information.

Will reporting requirements (e.g., technical progress reports) be standardized across all task orders, or defined individually per TORFP? Reporting requirements will be indicated on a Task Order basis.

Will task order competitions include oral presentations, down-select phases, or advisory notices? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

Will awards be structured across multiple technical pools or a single award pool? Single award pool Will task orders be aligned to specific NIH Institutes/Centers or competed centrally across NIH? This will be an NIH-wide IDIQ.

Will the Government evaluate key personnel and resumes at the IDIQ level, or primarily at the task order level? Please see Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award, beginning on Page 126 of the RFP Can NIH clarify the relative weighting of evaluation factors (technical, past performance, and cost/price) at the IDIQ level? Please see Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award, beginning on Page 126 of the RFP How will NIH evaluate price realism and/or price reasonableness for proposed labor rates? 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.

Are there any plans for on-ramping or off-ramping contractors during the period of performance? No

Can the government clarify how cost realism and price competitiveness will be weighted relative to technical factors at the task order level? Please see Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award, beginning on Page 126 of the RFP Will offeror’s proposed indirect rates be evaluated at the IDIQ level or applied at the TO level? If it is not at the TO level, what documentation is acceptable for pricing purposes for cost realism.

Please see Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award, beginning on Page 126 of the RFP

Would the government please provide a listing of what attachments are to be included in both the technical and business volumes? Please refer to Attachment 4: Additional Technical Proposal Instructions and Attachment 5: Additional Business Proposal Instructions The attachment titled “Technical Proposal Cost Summary” is missing from the Section J Attachments. Would the government please provide this attachment. Please disregard. This attachment is not included as part of the RFP.

On page 100 there is a requirement for Past Performance information (item m) but the instructions under Attachment 4, Technical Proposal Instructions- Corporate Experience, do not align with this requirement. Please confirm that the requested Past Performance information on page performance on page 100 is to be included as part of the business volume and indicate how it will be evaluated.

Please refer to SECTION M - Evaluation Factors for Award for evaluation factors. Per page 87 of the RFP, m. Past Performance Information

a. Offerors shall submit the following information as part of their Business proposal."

Item h on page 116 indicates the technical proposal should include a section called "technical discussions" requests offerors to address the Statement of Work Objectives, Approach, Methods and Schedule. These items do not seem to have a corresponding section under Section M and are not in alignment with Attachment 4. Given the limited page count, can the Government help to clarify what is REQUIRED within the technical proposal or if all elements (those listed on pages 116-118 plus Attachment 4) are to be adhered to.

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."

Page 119 at 3(a) and B (page 120) indicate that the cost/price information should include travel, materials (including raw materials), subcontracts, purchased parts, shipping, and special equipment. Further page 160 at Attachment 5 (page 2) in Section C indicates that profit on ODCs is limited to 10% of estimated costs. However, Attachment 10, Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices allows for only full billable rates to be populated along with the total price based on the hours provided. Please confirm that the government only wants labor rates for the proposal submission (Attachment 10) and the other items will be priced at the TO level as stated on page 161 at Attachment 5 (page 3), Section 4: Uniform Cost Assumptions.

Confirmed.

Please confirm the proposed costs should just be labor bill rates to include the direct labor, fringe, overhead, and G&A (indirect costs) and fee/profit for the prime and fully billable rates for any subcontractors consistent with Attachment 10.

Confirmed.

On page 121 item g. there is a requirement to provide "Qualifications of the Offeror" but in reviewing the Evaluation Factors for Award, the qualifications section is not discussed. Will this information be evaluated as part of the "experience and past performance factors'"? "Qualifications of the Offeror" are discussed on page 121 of the RFP.

Are there core capability areas that all IDIQ awardees are expected to support, or will niche/specialized capabilities be sufficient for award? Please see Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award, beginning on Page 126 of the RFP Are offerors required to strictly adhere to the labor categories provided in Attachment 18, or may they propose alternative/mapped categories? Providing additional or customized labor categories beyond those specified in the solicitaiton is not part of the proposal instructions.

Can the government provide a list of where each position will be located based on the SOW (i.e. Bethesda, MD, Rockville, MD, Hamilton, Montana, the DC Metro area)? If not, please indicate what percentage of the project will be performed at each site as well as the services to be performed at each location.

This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

Can NIH provide an estimate of anticipated task order volume and distribution across technical domains (e.g., laboratory research, bioinformatics, clinical support)? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

Can NIH provide guidance on the expected frequency, size, and complexity range of Task Order Requests for Proposals (TORFPs)? We cannot provide that information.

May an entity participate as both a prime contractor and subcontractor on separate teams? Please reference FAR Clause 52.207-6 as this clause applies to this RFP.

1. Are there security, hazard pay, or hardship differentials expected for travel to higher-risk regions? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

2. Which labor categories are likely to travel outside of the United States? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

3. Can the government provide an estimated frequency and duration for each destination? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

How many IDIQ awards does NIH anticipate making under this solicitation?

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."

This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

What type of consultant services does NIH estimate will be needed in this contract? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

I would like to ask a follow up question for solicitation 75N98026R00042. In the initial release of Q&As, the question was asked to please confirm that in accordance with contracting norms at NIH on multi-award IDIQs, an entity regardless of size can only be part of one PSTSS proposal team, and the answer confirmed this question. My follow up question is just to confirm this is a true statement, as we did not see any teaming restrictions in the solicitation and are unfamiliar with this contracting norm. Please reference FAR Clause 52.207-6 as this clause applies to this RFP.

Please confirm that offerors are required to submit an Excel file containing Attachment 10, Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices, in addition to the Businss Proposal PDF (i.e., 2 files total). Confirmed The quantity of hours indicated on Attachment 10 for the Biologist 5 labor category is 2,112,000 hours, which appears to significantly exceed the level of effort established for comparable labor categories across the requirement. We respectfully request the Government review and confirm whether this figure is correct as stated or reflects a typographical error. If the quantity is intended as written, we request clarification on how offerors should address the resulting total evaluated price, as this level of effort may cause total proposed costs to exceed the stated IDIQ ceiling value.

The estimated level of effort is for evaluation purposes only and does not represent a guarantee of work. The total evaluated price may exceed the IDIQ ceiling value, as the ceiling applies to the cumulative value of orders issued over the life of the contract.

To aid the Government in evaluating pricing Excel spreadsheets in the same format, we recommend that the Government provide an Excel spreadsheet for offerors to use.

Offerors are responsible for submitting pricing in a clear, complete, and well-organized Excel format that aligns with the cost proposal instructions outlined in the solicitation. The Government will evaluate proposals based on the requirements specified, regardless of format variations.

Could the Government please confirm that for the purposes of this RFP, the terms Project Director and Project Manager are used interchangeably? For the purposes of this RFP, Project Director and Project Manager can be used interchangeably.

Could the Government please confirm that companies cannot submit offers as members on multiple teams? Please reference FAR Clause 52.207-6 as this clause applies to this RFP.

Could the Government please confirm that only Attachment 10, Table of Labor Rates and Unit Prices needs to be completed rather than an additional time-phased breakdown? Offeror shall submit Attachment 10 as instructed in the RFP/Section L

Could the Government please confirm that only the prime contractor is required to submit a complete cost proposal, and that Subcontractors do not need to submit a complete cost proposal.

The Government confirms that only the prime contractor is required to submit a complete cost proposal. Subcontractors are not required to submit a complete cost proposal directly to the Government. However, the prime contractor is responsible for ensuring that all subcontractor cost information is included, supported, and sufficiently detailed within its overall cost proposal to allow for a comprehensive evaluation.

Could the Government please confirm that offerors are to provide Attachment 9 with their Business Proposal, and that submission through SBCX will be required at a later time? Please provide Attachment 9 with your Business Proposal. Submission through SBCX will be required at a later. Additional details will be provided at that time.

Could the government please confirm that the Attachment entitled TECHNICAL PROPOSAL COST SUMMARY is not included in the RFP nor required? Please disregard. This attachment is not included as part of the RFP.

Could the Government please confirm that only fully loaded labor rates are required for the proposal submission (Attachment 10), and that any other costs will be addressed at the Task Order level (such as travel, materials, etc.)? The Government is only requiring fully loaded labor rates for the proposal submission (Attachment 10). Any other costs would be addressed at the Task Order level.

Could the Government please confirm that resumes, Letters of Commitment, and Attachment 7 are excluded from page count?

The page limit is 50 pages single-sided/25 pages double-sided. The following do not count towards the page limit for the Technical Proposal: cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, literature cited, Title & Back Page, Table of Contents, and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than the Title of Section. Personnel as referenced on Page 96 refers to the resume and letter of commitment of Key Personnel. These do not count towards the page limits. A list of figures, tables, and/or acronyms are not requested inclusions. If included, they will count towards the total page count.

Could the Government please confirm that cost-related information is to be included in the Business Proposal and not in the Technical Proposal? Confirmed Should the rates provided in response to this be direct labor rates or the fully burdened labor rates from the price submission template? The Government is requiring fully loaded labor rates for the proposal submission.

Are these the same artifacts as the Financial Capacity input required by Section L.3, Business Proposal Instructions, para C. Financial Capacity? If yes, does NIH want this data provided in both volumes? The offeror should provide representations and documentation necessary to adequately establish its financial capability.

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 Attachment 9: HHS Subcontracting Plan Template form the same requirement as the Small Business Subcontracting Plan requested in Section H, Item 7.a. and in Section L.3. Business Proposal Instructions, Alternate I (October 2010) of FAR Clause 52.215-20, para (b)(1)b.? Confirmed Will the Government provide an exemption to the hyperlink restriction for the annual report in the Business Vol? The Government will not provide an exemption to the hyperlink restriction. Offerors shall comply with all proposal preparation instructions.

Will the Government please clarify if there is a defined amount of working capital needed at any given point in time to demonstrate complete financial capacity?

“The offeror shall indicate if it has the necessary financial capacity, working capital, and other resources to perform the contract without assistance from any outside source. If not, indicate the amount required and the anticipated source."

Page 83 states that the Technical Proposal 50-page limit “does not include the cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, personnel, facilities, equipment and resources, other considerations, schedule, other support, cost information, and literature cited.” Page 129 states that the 50-page limit “does not include: Title and Back Page; Table of Contents; and Section Dividers that do not contain information other than Title of Section.” Will the government please clarify what is not included in page limits? Will the government please also clarify if “personnel” refers to key personnel resumes?

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.

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

The Technical Proposal should be in as much detail as you consider necessary to fully explain your proposed technical approach or method. It should show a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken.

HHS Subcontracting Plan Template lists the HHS subcontracting goals for Fiscal Year 2022. Will the government please provide an updated template with the 2026 HHS subcontracting goals?

33.25% is the minimum goal for small business per the HHS Subcontracting Plan Template (Attachment 9)

The Objectives section on page 103 instructs Offerors to "State the overall objectives and the specific accomplishments you hope to achieve. Indicate the rationale for your plan, and relation to comparable work in progress elsewhere. Review pertinent work already published which is relevant to this project and your proposed approach. This should support the scope of the project as you perceive it." Can the Government please clarify what it means by "review pertinent work alreaady published?"

Offerors should consider and reference relevant publicly available literature, studies, standards, guidance documents, and other authoritative sources that relate to the subject matter of the requirement. This may include peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, industry best practices, applicable regulatory or policy documents, and other similar materials that inform or support the proposed technical approach.

This sections instructs Offerors to "Use as many subparagraphs, appropriately titled, as needed to clearly outline the general plan of work. Discuss phasing of research and, if appropriate, include experimental design and possible or probable outcome of approaches proposed." Since Offerors won't be phasing any research unless asked to on task orders, Can the Government please clarify what it means by "phasing of research" and "experimental design"?

The Government is seeking a high-level description of the offeror’s general approach and capabilities that could be applied if and when such activities are required under individual task orders.

On page 105, instructions say to include "Other factors you feel are important and support your proposed research." Since Offerors are not completing research for this submission, can the Government please clarify what it means by "your proposed research?"

Offerors should describe relevant factors that support their overall approach, capabilities, and understanding of how they would execute potential future requirements under the contract

Can the Government confirm that it wants the "direct cost and resources information, such as labor-hours and categories and applicable rates, materials, subcontracts, travel, etc., and associated costs" in the Technical Volume per the instructions on page 82? If not, can the Government please remove this instruction? Confirmed 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. Confirmed

Given that the IDIQ requires submission of fixed hourly labor rates across contract years, but task orders will be competed independently, can NIH clarify whether: Offerors will be restricted to the awarded IDIQ labor categories and ceiling rates at the task order level.

Offerors will be restricted to the awarded IDIQ labor categories and shall not exceed the corresponding ceiling labor rates when proposing at the task order level. However, task order competitions may allow for proposing labor rates at or below the established ceiling rates, as well as tailoring labor mixes to meet specific task order requirements.

The solicitation states, “Resumes of all key personnel are required. Each must indicate educational background, recent experience, specific or technical accomplishments, and a listing of relevant publications.” Additionally, on page 28 under 9. HHSAR 352.237-75 (December 2015) KEY PERSONNEL, HHSAR 352.237-75 (December 2015), the solicitation indicates that key personnel are to be specified prior to award. Could NIH please clarify whether the solicitation identifies specific key personnel positions that must be proposed and included with the submission, or whether the Offeror may determine and propose the number and titles of key personnel based on the labor categories included in the solicitation? The offeror may determine.

Section L – Past Performance Information, p. 87: If Proposed Key Personnel have relevant experience, how should they present their example of past performance as the required information provided in the RFP (see below) may not align with how they can present their experience and past performance? Offerors should align the information was closely as practicable to the RFP instructions and applicable work.

The RFP on page 111, the RFP states: An offeror is to submit their respective subcontracting plan electronically using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Small Business Customer Experience (SBCX) system. Please confirm offerors are not required to submit the plan asn an appendix to their business proposal. Confirmed Please confirm that offerors are to include Attachment 7 in the Technical Volume. Confirmed Are offerors required to propose a single fully loaded labor rate per category covering all geographic locations including Washington DC Metro, Hamilton Montana, remote, and international, or may offerors propose location-differentiated rates? Offerors shall propose a single fully loaded labor rate per labor category that applies across all geographic locations.

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?

The prime contractor remains fully responsible for the performance of all work, including that performed by subcontractors and consultants, and shall ensure that all proposed labor categories are adequately supported and available to meet contract requirements. Offerors should clearly describe their team composition and how the full range of labor categories will be provided.

Will NIH provide awardees with formal past performance ratings or feedback reports after each task order completion. Evaluations will be done in CPARS Will the Government provide additional guidance on how relevance, recency, and size/scope will be weighted in the evaluation of past performance? This information is not available.

Will NIH favor: Incumbent capture strategies or innovative recruiting approaches for new talent? The proposals will be evaluated by the criteria set forth in the RFP.

Are graphics, tables, and figures included in page limits? Yes.

The ceiling for this vehicle has increased significantly to $3B compared to prior PSTSS contracts. Can the Government clarify the drivers for this increase (e.g., expanded scope, consolidation of requirements, increased number of primes)? Please note as referenced in the SOW, this is a NIH-Wide vehicle

Is this vehicle intended to support requirements across multiple NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), or will it remain primarily focused on NIAID as in prior PSTSS iterations? This vehicle is NIH-Wide as indicated in Attachment 3-Statement of Work.

This vehicle is NIH-Wide as indicated in Attachment 3-Statement of Work.

This is a NIH-Wide recompete of the current PSTSS contract.

Is this vehicle intended to consolidate or replace existing NIH support service vehicles (e.g., SOAR, HOPSS, BPSS IV), or will those vehicles continue to operate independently? This is a NIH-Wide recompete of the current PSTSS contract.

Can the Government summarize how task orders are expected to differ from the current PSTSS vehicle in terms of size, scope, and complexity? This will be addressed at the Task Order level.

Will task orders continue to be primarily staff augmentation-based (e.g., individual labor categories), or is the Government anticipating more project-based or integrated service task orders? For a detailed description of work, please reference Attachment 3 – Statement of Work.

Does the Government anticipate a shift in average task order value compared to the incumbent PSTSS contracts? This will be determined on a Task Order basis.

Will task orders be competed across all awardees for each requirement, or will there be any pools, on-ramps, or set-aside groupings that segment competition? It will be competed across all awardees.

Given the expanded scope of this vehicle, is the Government seeking a different mix of capabilities or types of primes compared to prior PSTSS awards? Please refer to Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award Will past performance and experience from subcontractors be evaluated equally to prime contractor experience, particularly for scientific and technical capabilities? Please refer to Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award Can the Government provide an updated labor category structure for this vehicle, and indicate whether it aligns with or differs from the current PSTSS labor categories? Please refer to Attachment 18 - PSTSS Labor Category Catalog

Can the Government clarify the anticipated customer base for this IDIQ (e.g., specific NIH ICs, OLAO enterprise services, or broader HHS customers)?

Labor Category

Specialized Professional, Scientific, and Technical Support Services

Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price

Animal Biologist 1 13,440 Hours 86,016 Hours 86,016 Hours 86,016 Hours 86,016 Hours 43,008 Hours Animal Biologist 2 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Animal Biologist 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Animal Biologist 4 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Animal Biologist 5 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Behavioral Geneticist 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Bioinformatics Scientist 1 13,440 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Bioinformatics Scientist 2 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Bioinformatics Scientist 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Bioinformatics Scientist 4 0 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Bioinformatics Scientist 5 20,960 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Bioinformatics Scientist 6 13,440 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Biologist 1 48,000 Hours 48,000 Hours 48,000 Hours 48,000 Hours 48,000 Hours 24,000 Hours Biologist 2 215,040 Hours 215,040 Hours 215,040 Hours 215,040 Hours 215,040 Hours 107,520 Hours Biologist 3 28,800 Hours 28,800 Hours 28,800 Hours 28,800 Hours 28,800 Hours 14,400 Hours Biologist 4 134,400 Hours 134,400 Hours 134,400 Hours 134,400 Hours 134,400 Hours 67,200 Hours Biologist 5 2,112,000 Hours 2,112,000 Hours 2,112,000 Hours 2,112,000 Hours 2,112,000 Hours 1,056,000 Hours Bioprocess Engineer 1 26,560 Hours 26,560 Hours 26,560 Hours 26,560 Hours 26,560 Hours 13,280 Hours Bioprocess Engineer 2 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Bioprocess Engineer 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Bioprocess Engineer 4 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Bioprocess Engineer 5 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Bioprocess Engineer 6 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Budget Analyst 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Budget Analyst 2 0 Hours 0 Hours 13,440 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Budget Analyst 3 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Budget Analyst 4 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Budget Analyst 5 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemical Engineer 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemical Engineer 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemical Engineer 3 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 9,980 Hours Chemical Engineer 4 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemical Engineer 5 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Chemical Engineer 6 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemical Engineer 7 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 9,980 Hours Chemical Engineer 8 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 9,980 Hours Cheminformatics Scientist 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemist 1 13,440 Hours 1,910 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemist 2 1,920 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Chemist 3 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Chemist 4 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemist 5 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 19,960 Hours 9,980 Hours Chemist, Senior 1 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Chemist, Senior 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemist, Senior 3 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Chemist, Senior 4 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Chemist, Senior 5 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Chemist, Senior 6 12,440 Hours 12,440 Hours 12,440 Hours 12,440 Hours 12,440 Hours 6,220 Hours Chemist, Senior 7 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Advisor 1 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Clinical Advisor 2 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 3,830 Hours 3,830 Hours 1,915 Hours Clinical Advisor 3 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Advisor, Senior 1 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Advisor, Senior 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Biostatistician 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Biostatistician 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Biostatistician 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Biostatistician 4 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Operations Manager 1 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Operations Manager 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Operations Manager 3 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Clinical Operations Manager 4 11,440 Hours 11,440 Hours 11,440 Hours 11,440 Hours 11,440 Hours 5,720 Hours Clinical Operations Manager 5 10,440 Hours 10,440 Hours 10,440 Hours 10,440 Hours 10,440 Hours 5,220 Hours Clinical Psychologist 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Psychologist 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Psychologist 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Psychologist 4 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Program Manager 1 13,440 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours 0 Hours Clinical Program Manager 2 15,960 Hours 15,960 Hours 15,960 Hours 15,960 Hours 15,960 Hours 7,980 Hours Clinical Program Manager 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Program Manager 4 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Program Manager 5 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Protocol Coordinator 1 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Protocol Coordinator 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Protocol Coordinator 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Protocol Coordinator 4 7,680 Hours 7,680 Hours 7,680 Hours 7,680 Hours 7,680 Hours 3,840 Hours Clinical Protocol Coordinator 5 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Protocol Coordinator 6 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 17,280 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator 4 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator 5 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator 6 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator, Senior 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Coordinator, Senior 2 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 12,480 Hours Clinical Research Pharmacist 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Pharmacist 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Pharmacist 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Research Pharmacist 4 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 24,960 Hours 3,820 Hours 1,910 Hours Clinical Research Pharmacist 5 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 17,280 Hours Clinical Social Worker 1 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Clinical Social Worker 2 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Cognitive Neuroscientist 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Computer Scientist 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Cytogenetic Technologist 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 6,720 Hours Data Manager 1 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 17,280 Hours Data Manager 2 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 34,560 Hours 17,280 Hours Data Manager 3 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440 Hours 13,440…