Open BAA FAQs 31 MAR 2023.pdf

March 31, 2023

ARPA-H Open-Office BAA Frequently Asked Questions

Questions related to institution type, eligibility, etc.

1. Question: Under section III.A.3, Limitation on Number of Awards, the BAA states that “Entities with more than three ongoing concurrent awards with ARPA-H will not be eligible for award.” As clarification, for organizations such as universities or research institutions, will the limitation on an entity holding concurrent awards apply at the level of the organization or to an individual PI? If it applies at the organizational level, does this apply to participation as both a lead and subawardee?

Answer: The three ongoing concurrent awards with ARPA-H limit only applies to prime FAR procurement contracts an entity has with ARPA-H. An "entity" is the legally responsible party for an award. That entity could be a for-profit business, a non-profit organization, a university, a sole proprietor, etc. Entity, in terms of award limitations, is defined by its Unique Entity ID (UEI).

2. Question: Does ARPA-H define institutions by Unique Entity ID (UEI) or if an institution and its affiliated medical school, school of public health, etc. would be considered one single institution despite having separate UEIs?

Answer: Entity, in terms of award limitations, is defined by the UEI.

3. Question: Does the three ongoing concurrent awards limitation exclude – or does not apply to – awards issued as either cooperative agreements or OTs? For example, would an entity be eligible to hold more than three awards, if those awards are made as cooperative agreements?

ANSWER: The three ongoing concurrent awards with ARPA-H limit does not apply to awards issued as cooperative agreements and/or OTs, there are no limits to the number of cooperative agreements or OTs an entity is allowed

4. Question: Under section III.A.2, the BAA includes a category for “Other Applicants.” How should this category be interpreted? What entities are included in it? Are commercial entities eligible to apply for ARPA-H funding?

Answer: This category encompasses several common types of entities including, but not limited to:

1. Universities

2. Businesses

3. Non-profits

4. Individuals

5. Non-US entities (subject to the requirements included in the BAA, including in section III.A.2)

5. Question: Does ARPA-H have a preference with respect to entity type (e.g., applying as an individual vs as a business, etc.)?

Answer: ARPA-H does not have a preference with respect to entity type. Proposers are encouraged to submit abstracts that best address health gaps while clearly defining those technical criteria, with no preference for entity or type of institution. Instead, ARPA-H is looking for teams that have the expertise to perform the proposed work and propose a team size that aligns with the scope of the proposed effort.

6. Question: Does ARPA-H have a preference with respect to team size?

Answer: ARPA-H does not have a preference with respect to team size. Proposers are encouraged to submit abstracts that best address health gaps while clearly defining those technical criteria, with no preference for team size or type of institution. Instead, ARPA-H is looking for teams that have the expertise to perform the proposed work and that propose a team size that aligns with the scope of the proposed effort.

7. Question: Will ARPA-H consider Interagency Agreements (or 7600s) as a federal award mechanism in the Open BAA?

ANSWER: No, ARPA-H is limiting BAA awards to cooperative agreements, other transactions, and procurement contracts.

Questions related to award limits (period of performance, budget)

1. Question: Is there a limit and/or range for an individual award amount?

Answer: The Open BAA does not include a funding limit for individual awards. Abstracts will be evaluated based on the criteria laid out in the solicitation, one of which is cost realism. Proposers are encouraged to propose a budget that aligns with the scope of the proposed effort. ARPA-H is interested in funding holistic medium and larger scale proposals which could result in transformational impact rather than funding smaller exploratory studies. The proposed budget should align with the technical scope.

2. Question: Is there a limit and/or range for the proposed period of performance (i.e., project duration)?

Answer: The Open BAA does not include a limit or range for the period of performance for individual awards. Proposers are encouraged to propose a period of performance that aligns with the scope of the proposed effort.

Questions about submission documents/templates

1. Question: Will a copy of the MS Excel ARPA-H Standard Cost Proposal Spreadsheet be added as one of the attachments to the BAA? Or will the Cost Proposal Spreadsheet only be provided to applicants from whom a full proposal was requested?

Answer: The Cost Proposal Spreadsheet will only be provided to entities when a full proposal is requested.

2. Question: Is it accurate that, regarding Biosketch and Current/Pending Support, based on pages 22- 23, the fields outlined in the BAA should be used for these two documents rather than the NIH Biosketch and other support templates?

Answer: Yes, the fields outlined in the BAA should be used for those two documents and not NIH or other support templates. For example, as outlined on page 22, proposers requesting a cooperative agreement must submit forms 1-3. In particular, the proposer must attach a Biosketch and a Pending Support document as an attachment to form 2. The attached Biosketch and Pending Support documents must address the information requested in the respective bullets on p.23. This information must be gathered in the manner outlined in the BAA and not as part of eRA commons.

Questions about responses from ARPA-H

1. Question: From date of submission, when will an applicant get an acceptance or rejection? I see that the BAA is open for a year - do you evaluate on a rolling basis? If so, how long might it take from the abstract submission to request for full proposal to a decision/contract?

Answer: Per section III.D.4 of the BAA, “Abstracts must be received electronically by 3:00 PM EST by March 14, 2024, in order to be considered for further evaluation.” Abstracts can be submitted, and will be evaluated, on a rolling basis, with abstract feedback anticipated within approximately 4-6 weeks of receipt. Depending on the volume of submissions received, ARPA-H reserves the right to adjust the expected evaluation timelines to ensure the integrity of the review process. If the timelines need to be adjusted, updates will be posted on SAM.gov to provide transparency. Timelines for full proposal to decision/contract will be communicated during the full proposal stage and will depend upon the nature of the proposal.

2. Question: Would it be possible for us to schedule a call/meeting so we can discuss our questions related to the Open BAA?

Answer: ARPA-H is unable to accommodate individual requests for calls or meetings to discuss questions related to the Open BAA. Please direct all general questions related to the Open BAA to baaquestions@arpa-h.gov. To learn more about ARPA-H and its mission and research process, please explore www.arpa-h.gov or attend the Proposer’s day webinar (Webinar Registration - Zoom (zoomgov.com) for more information.

Questions about scope of proposed concept

1. Question: Are funds from the Open BAA eligible to support a clinical trial?

Answer: In general, a clinical trial is eligible to be funded as part of a project awarded through the Open BAA. However, ARPA-H will not fund projects that exclusively involve clinical trials of otherwise developed products. Instead, it is expected that the clinical trial would be proposed as part of a broader R&D effort that first includes development of a high-impact technology.

mailto:baaquestions@arpa-h.gov http://www.arpa-h.gov/ https://nih.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_9msgJZVnT8eDJKvLxzC-kA https://nih.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_9msgJZVnT8eDJKvLxzC-kA