A19. NIOSH BAA 75D30125R00072.pdf

NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D301-25-R-00072

Development and Demonstration of Mine Safety and Health Technology

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

AND PREVENTION (CDC)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE

FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY

AND HEALTH (NIOSH)

BROAD AGENCY

ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)

RFP# 75D301-25-R-00072

DEVELOPMENT AND

DEMONSTRATION OF MINE SAFETY

AND HEALTH TECHNOLOGY

ISSUANCE DATE: 12/20/2024

CONCEPT PAPER Q&A DEADLINE: 01/03/2025 - 12:00 PM EASTERN

CONCEPT PAPER DUE DATE/TIME: 01/20/2025 - 3:00 PM EASTERN

FULL PROPOSAL Q&A DEADLINE: 03/03/2025 - 12:00 PM EASTERN

FULL PROPOSAL DUE DATE/TIME: 03/20/2025 - 3:00 PM EASTERN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D30125R00072

Issued 12/20/2024

Section Section Title Page No.

A Introduction 3 B NIOSH Research Interests 6 C Concept Paper Preparation, Submission, and Evaluation 7 D Proposal Preparation and Submission 10 E Proposal Evaluation and Award 15 F BAA Solicitation Forms and Attachments 18

SECTION A - INTRODUCTION

Authority

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is issued on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) pursuant to the authority of FAR 35.016 and FAR 6.102(d)(2) which provide for the competitive selection of research proposals.

Contracts awarded based on responses to this BAA are considered the result of full and open competition and are therefore in full compliance with the requirements of PL 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984."

The CDC may award contracts with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, not for profit organizations, state and local government, and private industry for research and development (R&D) in those areas covered in Section B of this BAA.

Within the meaning of FAR 6.102 and 35.016, this announcement constitutes the Government’s only solicitation and the Government will not issue any other formal solicitation for the requirement(s) outlined herein. Offerors are advised that solicitation amendments may be issued via www.sam.gov and that concept paper and/or proposal submissions shall comply with the most current amended solicitation documents and/or attachments.

Background and Research Opportunity Description

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act) permanently established the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research under the direction of an Associate Director, within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. One purpose of this office is to enhance the development of new technology and technological applications, and to expedite the commercial availability and implementation of such technology in mining environments. The MINER Act grants the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research the authority to (1) award competitive contracts and grants to institutions and private entities to encourage the development and manufacture of mine safety equipment and (2) award contracts to education institutions or private laboratories for the performance of product testing or related work with respect to new mine technology or equipment. This announcement is an opportunity for the award of contracts for enhancing safety in mines.

The primary goal of the MINER Act technology mandate is to improve/increase the use of technology in mines to improve mineworker safety and health, and the intent of this broad agency announcement is to support enabling activities such as technology identification, validation, demonstration, adaptation, and/or commercialization. The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research of NIOSH is soliciting concept papers to conduct research, exploratory development, testing, or evaluations of new technologies to improve mine safety, or to adapt technologies from other industries for application in mining environments. The primary interest of this broad agency announcement is to promote the modification or final development of practical technologies or systems that can be adopted by the mining community in a short period of time. Under this specific solicitation, proposals to conduct theoretical or basic research will not be considered. NIOSH strongly encourages proposals that include collaboration with mining industry partners who understand the reality of the mining environment and can provide insight into unique mining-related design requirements and potential commercialization of the technology.

The following examples are presented to further illustrate appropriate submissions under this solicitation beyond the more general guidance listed previously:

1. A safety and/or health technology that is currently in a prototype stage, which will require funding for final development and adaptation to the mining environment. This could include modification of prototypes to account for operation in the challenging underground coal environment, modification to meet permissibility requirements, and/or demonstration of the technology at actual mine sites;

2. A safety and/or health technology that is currently being used in another industry and requires modification to be adapted for mining applications. This could include system redesign, modification to meet permissibility requirements, in-mine testing to establish the efficacy of the technology, and/or demonstration of the technology at mine sites;

3. Analysis of candidate technologies to establish their potential to improve safety and/or health, and/or analyses of barriers to technology application or means of overcoming such barriers;

4. A safety and/or health technology that is fully developed and available for use but is not being adopted by the industry for reasons that require further analysis. This could include developing an initial operational capability by installing the technology in one or more mines for evaluation and/or market analysis to determine the reasons the technology is not being adopted and the changes that would be necessary to make it acceptable to the industry;

5. Analysis of safety and health information in the surveillance area or other work that involves the extraction useful data for identifying the future technology needs of the mining industry.

Since 2007, 160 contracts have been issued in response to these solicitations.

Fatality and injury data continue to highlight the need to develop new or improve existing technologies or adapt technologies from other industries to address safety and health issues in surface, and underground mines related to the coal, metal, non-metal, and stone, sand, and gravel mining sectors. NIOSH has typically provided a number of topical areas of importance to guide responders in addressing its highest priorities;

this solicitation continues that practice as described below. However, NIOSH strongly encourages responders to propose solutions to other health and safety issues that are responsive to our guidelines;

these proposals are evaluated under the same criteria as submittals under the focus area and receive equal consideration for funding. Overall, twenty-six percent of the contracts funded under this program have come from this category of submittals and, in several fiscal years, have made up all of the funded proposals.

The Government will make awards that represent the best value to the Government in accordance with the evaluation criteria. The Government is seeking participants for this program that are capable of developing and demonstrating the technologies required to achieve the goals described in this announcement.

1. Total Available Funding (All Awards): Approximately $2,000,000.00 - $5,000,000.00.

2. Anticipated Number of Awards: Approximately 6-10 awards.

3. Anticipated Funding (Per Award): Awards under this solicitation are estimated at $200,000.00 to $300,000.00. Proposals may not exceed $650,000.00. Proposals exceeding this ceiling will be rejected as non-responsive and will not be evaluated by the Government.

4. Contract Award Types: The Government intends to award contracts on a Firm-Fixed Price basis. However, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to negotiate a Fixed Price Other Transaction (OT) Agreement in the event a proposal falls within the authority of 42 U.S.C 242c and doing so is in the best interest of the Government. The Government will not issue grants or cooperative agreements under this solicitation.

5. Period of Performance: Work that will be completed in 36 months or less is desired under this solicitation, but this is not a firm requirement. Projects requiring up to 48 months will be considered. The Period of Performance must be attainable. Past contracts with a Period of Performance of 12, 18, and 24 months have required modifications to add additional time.

Such contract modifications are costly to the Government and will require concessions on the part of the contractor. In the event additional time is requested to complete the contract, the Government will not be able to increase the overall price of the contract to cover any additional costs. Please ensure the proposed level of effort is realistic and appropriate for the work to be performed.

6. Eligible Offerors: Public, private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, non-governmental organizations, and government organizations in the U.S. are eligible under this BAA. Eligibility includes:

a. Private, for-profit, companies developing or manufacturing products for industry;

b. Non-profit professional societies or trade associations operating on behalf of their members;

c. Accredited U.S. schools and programs of public health;

d. Other accredited U.S. institutions of higher education and academic departments;

e. Private or public research institutes and centers based in the U.S.;

f. For-profit and non-profit scientific, consulting, and advisory organizations in the U.S.;

g. State or local government agencies within the U.S.

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and U.S. Government entities (e.g., Government/National laboratories; military educational institutions, etc.) may be subject to applicable direct competition limitations. The burden to prove eligibility shall rest solely with the proposer. FFRDCs and Government entities must provide a letter on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations. FFRDCs or Government entities that receive awards pursuant to this solicitation may receive those awards via either contract or an interagency agreement (IAA).

General Information and Process

The process outlined herein is established for offerors contemplating submission of a concept paper or a proposal under this BAA. This sequence allows for an early determination of the potential for interest based on technical merit, applicability to CDC and projected funding. This process is designed to limit offeror and Government expenditure of effort to prepare and review formal proposals for research that may have little chance of being funded.

Government obligation Offerors submitting concept papers and/or proposals in response to this BAA are advised that only a Contracting Officer may obligate the Government to any contract involving expenditure of Government funds. The Government is under no obligation to pay for the cost of the development of concept papers or proposals. Furthermore, there is no commitment on behalf of the Government to fund any proposal. Offerors are advised that concept papers and/or proposals are submitted strictly on a voluntary basis.

SECTION B – NIOSH RESEARCH INTERESTS

For this announcement, the Government requests concept papers and proposals which address the specific research interest area(s) described in detail below. In addition, the Government strongly encourages offerors to propose solutions to other health and safety issues that are responsive to the aims of this solicitation, which are to conduct research, exploratory development, testing, or evaluations of new technologies to improve mine safety, or to adapt technologies from other industries for application in mining environments; this is included as a specific focus area (No. 2) to encourage these submittals.

1. Non-Regulatory Personal Measurement of Coal Dust and/or Silica:

Prior BAA solicitations included focus areas relating to a smaller, lighter, more ergonomic, and more economical version of the current continuous personal dust monitor for respirable coal dust and a similar real-time dust monitoring unit to detect respirable crystalline silica dust applicable to all industry segments. While regulatory compliance currently requires mass-based measurement, NIOSH believes there is a market for units measuring coal dust, silica, or both, that are low enough in cost that they can either be issued to every miner to provide near real-time results and allow miners to identify elevated dust/silica levels and take immediate corrective action to prevent overexposure or be routinely used to evaluate the efficacy of engineering controls to protect the workforce. In addition, the new silica rule by MSHA (Federal Register 28218, Vol. 89, No. 76, April 18, 2024 “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection”) may further increase the market for units that measure respirable silica dust, especially in real-time.

This continuing BAA focus area is included to stimulate potential research and development opportunities in this critical area. As background, the Continuous Personal Dust Monitor currently in use in underground coal mining (Thermo Scientific PDM3700) has significantly improved respirable coal dust monitoring capabilities and compliance with MSHA coal mine dust exposure regulations and demonstrated the value in providing near-real time exposure information directly to the miner and operator. By limiting solutions to a mass-based unit to meet regulatory requirements however, many promising alternatives are eliminated. As a result, NIOSH has opened this solicitation to other measurements techniques with the aim of driving technology to the level where every miner, irrespective of job categorization, could be provided a personal wearable unit.

Currently, there is no viable instrument to measure respirable crystalline silica dust in real-time.

Measurement of respirable crystalline silica dust in real time would provide miners the ability to learn their potential exposure hazards and allow them to remove themselves from those hazardous areas. Developing a respirable crystalline silica monitor has unique challenges to overcome in order to be accepted in industry, capable of distinguishing silica from other dust types, ability to present exposure data in common units of concentration encountered in mining (mg/m3), miniaturized to be a wearable unit, durable to withstand a mining environment, permissibility requirements for use in explosive atmospheres for the coal market, low cost to be affordable such that every miner could have their own wearable device, etc. to name just a few.

Therefore, while non-regulatory coal and silica dust measurement is a focus area, emphasis should be placed on low-cost units to measure respirable crystalline silica dust in real time.

2. Offeror proposed research, exploratory development, testing, or evaluations of new technologies to improve mine safety, or to adapt technologies from other industries for application in mining environments.

SECTION C – CONCEPT PAPER PREPARATION, SUBMISSION, AND EVALUATION

Offerors shall submit a Concept Paper prior to submitting a Full Proposal in accordance with the instructions below.

CONCEPT PAPER Q&A PERIOD

Offerors are instructed to contact ONLY the Contracting Officer (CO) releasing the solicitation in connection with any aspect of the requirement prior to contract award. Questions shall be submitted via email to xve9@cdc.gov using the provided template, Attachment F-1. The Government will answer questions prior to the deadline for concept paper submission provided those questions are received by the date/time specified on Page 1 of this document. Questions received after this date but before the deadline for concept paper submission may or may not be answered at the discretion of the CO. Questions that are not submitted using the correct template may or may not be answered at the discretion of the CO.

CONCEPT PAPER SUBMISSION

Offerors shall submit concept papers via email to the Contracting Officer at xve9@cdc.gov no later than the date/time specified on Page 1 of this document in order to be considered for further evaluation. Late concept paper submissions will not be considered by the Government. The subject line for concept paper email submission shall be formatted as follows:

“[Offeror Name] Concept Paper Submission for NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D30125R00072”

CONCEPT PAPER FORMAT AND CONTENT

Concept papers shall adhere to all of the following requirements and shall be no more than ten (10) pages in length, cover page excepted. The Government reserves the right to reject any concept paper that does not include all requested information as nonresponsive.

Concept Paper Formatting Requirements:

Offerors shall submit concept papers in Microsoft Word format with the exception of the cover page, which may be submitted as a PDF document.

1. Page Size: 8.5" x 11”;

2. Margins: No less than 1” on all sides;

3. Spacing: No less than 1.15 point;

4. Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Text within charts and tables may deviate from specified font and spacing guidelines, if necessary, but shall be clearly legible.

Concept Paper Content Requirements:

1. Cover Page: Offerors shall prepare a separate cover page labeled "CONCEPT PAPER," that includes the following information at a minimum:

a. Offeror Name;

b. Offeror www.sam.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI);

c. Solicitation Number;

d. Solicitation Title;

e. Proposal Title;

f. Offeror’s Administrative and Technical Points of Contact;

g. Contact information for Administrative and Technical Points of Contact (Telephone, mailing addresses, and email addresses);

h. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) or High-Level Pricing Estimate;

i. Estimated Period(s) of Performance, inclusive of a base period and any proposed option period(s);

j. Offeror Representative Name, Title, and Signature.

2. Abbreviated Statement of Work:

The abbreviated Statement of Work (SOW) must clearly describe the objectives, general scope, and anticipated technical approach.

The abbreviated SOW shall include the following sections:

a. Title of Project: Provide descriptive title that reflects the proposed effort.

b. Synopsis of the Technical Approach: This section shall include the Problem Statement or Focus Area and identify specifically what mine safety issue or focus area this proposed technology development is attempting to address.

i. Background (no more than one page): The background section should provide a clear and brief description of the relevance of the proposed effort and discuss the technology that will be proposed in general, non-technical terms. The background section should address four specific areas: (1) provide an assessment of the current body of knowledge, (2) the status of related industry product developments, and

(3) the remaining steps that are needed to facilitate a commercially viable and available solution for the safety and health issue identified in the proposal; this should include (4) supporting evidence that the proposed work represents the next logical step in arriving at a solution.

ii. Briefly describe the enabling technology that is being proposed and how this technology will be used to solve the issue designated in the problem statement.

iii. Define the state of readiness of the enabling technology and what is needed to bring the proposed technology to the level of development necessary to solve the designated problem.

iv. Identify any known or perceived barriers to the implementation of this technology due to the uniqueness of the mining environment or statutory regulations.

c. Objective: A brief and succinct statement of what will be done relevant to the problem statement and the expected outcome.

d. Scope of Work (no more than five pages): The scope of work should provide a brief and clear description in non-technical terms as much as possible and should identify the major steps that will be undertaken to achieve the proposed outcome. The scope of work should address the following areas:

i. Briefly describe the current state of the technology.

ii. Address the issues expressed in the background section and how the proposed technology will be developed to solve the problem.

iii. Briefly describe the specific tasks and phases of the work.

iv. Specify the period of performance for the total effort and each task or phase.

v. Timelines, schedule and decision points regarding the development of the technology including rough estimates of cost for each year, task and phase of the effort and total cost.

vi. Briefly identify the required steps to overcome the perceived barriers to the implantation of this technology.

e. Deliverables (no more than two pages): Provide a summary of the deliverables including:

i. Monthly or quarterly technical reports.

ii. Monthly or quarterly financial progress reports.

iii. Schedule reports.

iv. Draft Final and Final report. (Note: Time must be included in the schedule for the

Government to review the Draft Final report, typically 30 days)

v. All data collection and analysis protocols as applicable.

f. Key Personnel (no more than two pages): A brief summary of the key personnel including:

a listing of key personnel with a short summary of qualifications and the approximate percentage of effort to be expended by each person to perform the task (s). All personnel necessary for performance of the work need in place within 1-2 months of contract award.

CONCEPT PAPER EVALUATION

The Government will review each offeror’s concept paper and will determine whether it is likely that an offeror will be able to successfully perform all contract requirements. The Government will assign a rating of either “Favorable” or “Unfavorable” based on the evaluation criteria listed below.

Concept papers will be reviewed to determine whether the proposed effort supports the specified research interest. White papers will be evaluated by a technical review team using the following criteria:

1. Scientific and Technical Merit (Novelty, Impact, Scientific Rigor);

2. Program Applicability (Priority, Gap);

3. Timeframe and Pricing Feasibility (Risk, Experience, Resource).

Offerors receiving a “Favorable” rating for their concept paper may receive a request to submit a formal proposal. Offerors receiving an “Unfavorable” rating for their concept paper will not receive a request to submit a formal proposal. Offerors that do not submit a concept paper may not submit a full proposal and will not be considered for award.

Upon completion of concept paper evaluations, offerors will receive written notice regarding the favorability determinations for their concept paper submission(s). A Favorable rating of a concept paper does not constitute selection of the proposed effort for contract award and will not establish a binding commitment for the Government to fund the effort in whole or in part.

The Government will not offer debriefs to offerors whose concept papers are rated unfavorable.

SECTION D - PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Offerors that both receive a “Favorable” rating for their concept paper and receive a request from the Contracting Officer to submit a formal proposal shall prepare and submit a full proposal that contains all technical, administrative, pricing, and other supporting information as described below.

This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to reimburse any proposal preparation cost for responding. Any request for concept paper or submission of a full proposal does not guarantee award. The Government reserves the right to cancel this requirement at any time and shall not be liable for any cost of proposal preparation or submission.

PROPOSAL Q&A PERIOD

Offerors are instructed to contact ONLY the Contracting Officer (CO) releasing the solicitation in connection with any aspect of the requirement prior to contract award. Questions shall be submitted via email to xve9@cdc.gov using the provided template, Attachment F-1. The Government will answer questions prior to the deadline for proposal submission provided those questions are received by the date/time specified on Page 1 of this document. Questions received after this date but before the deadline for proposal submission may or may not be answered at the discretion of the CO. Questions that are not submitted using the correct template may or may not be answered at the discretion of the CO.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

To be considered for award, an offeror must have submitted a concept paper which was favorably reviewed by CDC. Offeror will then be formally notified in writing by the CDC to submit a formal proposal. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will identify a due date for submitting the proposal. The offeror must follow the proposal submission guideline as identified in this section and the Request for Proposal (RFP) letter.

Offerors shall submit proposals via email to the Contracting Officer at xve9@cdc.gov no later than the date/time specified on Page 1 of this document (or by a revised date provided by the Government in the invitation to submit a formal proposal) in order to be considered for award. Late proposal submissions will not be considered by the Government. The subject line for proposal submission shall be formatted as follows:

“[Offeror Name] Full Proposal Submission for NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D30125R00072”

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

Proposals shall adhere to all of the content/formatting requirements outlined below. The Government reserves the right to reject any proposal that does not include all requested information as nonresponsive.

Proposal Volume Volume Title Page Limit Format Volume I Technical Proposal 25 Pages

(Cover Page and Table of Contents Excepted)

PDF/

Microsoft

Word Volume II-1 Pricing Proposal N/A – Use Attachment F-4 Excel Volume II-2 Price Proposal Supporting

Documentation No Page Limit PDF/

Microsoft Word

Volume III Administrative Proposal No Page Limit PDF/Excel

Volume I - Technical Proposal:

Technical proposals shall adhere to all of the following requirements and shall be no more than twenty-five (25) pages in length, cover page and pricing proposal excepted. The Government reserves the right to reject any proposal that does not include all requested information as nonresponsive.

Technical Proposal Formatting Requirements:

Offerors shall submit technical proposals in Microsoft Word format with the exception of the cover page, which may be submitted as a PDF document.

1. Page Size: 8.5" x 11”;

2. Margins: No less than 1” on all sides;

3. Spacing: No less than 1.15 point;

4. Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Text within charts and tables may deviate from specified font and spacing guidelines, if necessary, but shall be clearly legible.

Each section of the Technical Proposal must start on a new page. DO NOT PROVIDE COMMERCIAL

PRODUCT ADVERTISING BROCHURES.

Technical Proposal Content Requirements:

1. Cover Page (Excepted from Page Limitation): Offerors shall prepare a separate cover page labeled "TECHNICAL PROPOSAL," that includes the following information at a minimum:

a. Offeror Name;

b. Offeror www.sam.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI);

c. Solicitation Number;

d. Solicitation Title;

e. Proposal Title;

f. Offeror’s Administrative and Technical Points of Contact;

g. Contact information for Administrative and Technical Points of Contact (Telephone, mailing addresses, and email addresses);

h. Total Proposed Price;

i. Proposed Period(s) of Performance, inclusive of a base period and any proposed option period(s);

j. Offeror Representative Name, Title, and Signature.

2. Table of Contents (Excepted from Page Limitation)

3. Statement of Work (not to exceed 15 pages): Offerors shall prepare a Statement of Work (SOW) in accordance with the information and instructions within Attachment F-2. The SOW shall be unclassified, and shall not include any proprietary restrictions, as the SOW will be incorporated into any resultant award.

DO NOT INCLUDE ANY PROPRIETARY DATA OR MARKINGS IN THE

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW). If necessary to support the Full Proposal, this data may be included in an Appendix (not excepted from the SOW page limitation) as a supplement to the SOW, with each page containing proprietary drawings, information or data appropriately marked.

The Government reserves the right to modify the proposed SOW based on clarification sessions with the Offer prior to the agreement award.

4. Assertion of Data Rights (not to exceed 1 page): Include here a summary of any proprietary rights to preexisting results, prototypes, or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, and/or prototype. Any rights made in other parts of the proposal that would impact the rights in this section must be cross-referenced. If there are proprietary rights, the Offeror must explain how these affect its ability to deliver subsystems and toolkits for integration. Additionally, Offerors must explain how the program goals are achievable in light of these proprietary and/or restrictive limitations. If there are no claims of proprietary rights in preexisting data, this section shall consist of a statement to that effect.

5. Contractor Qualifications (not to exceed 5 pages): A discussion of previous accomplishments and work in this, or closely related areas, and the qualifications of the investigators. Key personnel resumes shall be attached to the proposal and will not count toward the page limitations. All personnel necessary for performance of the work shall be available and in place within 1-2 months of contract award.

6. Management Approach (not to exceed 2 pages): A discussion of the overall approach to the management of this effort, including brief discussions of the total organization, use of personnel, project/function/subcontractor relationships, government research interfaces, and planning, scheduling and control practice. Identify which personnel, collaborators, and subcontractors (if any) will be involved. Include a description of the facilities that are required for the proposed effort with a description of any government furnished equipment, hardware, software, or information required, by version and/or configuration. Identify any planned collaborations with mining industry partners, including the nature of the collaboration.

Volume II-1 - Pricing Proposal:

The Pricing Proposal shall be separate from the Technical Proposal and shall be provided in Attachment F-4 – Price Proposal Template. Submitted files shall contain all formulas, calculations, and worksheet/workbook links used to compute the proposed amounts.

Formulas, calculations, and links shall not be hidden. Print image files or those Excel files/Excel worksheets containing only “values” are not acceptable. Dollar values shall be submitted with no more than 2 decimal places.

All other numerical values shall be natural numbers that do not contain decimals.

If optional tasks or phases are proposed, the core/base proposal must be a standalone effort representing value to the Government even if optional tasks or phases are not exercised/funded. Optional phases or tasks, if proposed, shall be separately priced.

The Pricing Proposal shall be comprised of the elements listed below (as shown in Attachment F-4)

1. Direct Labor: The offeror shall provide anticipated labor categories, fully burdened hourly rates, and levels of effort (hours) necessary to support the requirements of this solicitation and the offeror’s quoted technical solution and shall provide pricing totals for each line item in addition to a grand total for the entire contract period.

2. Contractor Acquired Equipment: Proposed contractor-acquired equipment, such as computer hardware, shall be specifically itemized. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, shall be provided via Volume II-2. Please include a brief description of the Offeror’s procurement method to be used.

3. Direct Materials/Supplies: Materials shall be specifically itemized with estimated pricing. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, shall be provided via Volume II-2.

4. Subcontractor Labor: The offeror shall provide anticipated labor categories, fully burdened hourly rates and subcontractor level of effort to meet the requirements of the solicitation and the offeror’s quoted solution and shall provide pricing totals for each line item in addition to a grand total for the entire contract period. The offeror shall provide their subcontractor proposal evaluation via Volume II-2.

Volume II-2 – Price Proposal Supporting Documentation

The Price Proposal Supporting Documentation shall contain relevant information to support prices proposed for Equipment, and Direct Materials/Supplies. Examples of relevant information include but are not limited to: invoices, screenshots of internet prices, direct quote from supplier, etc. Additionally, the offeror shall provide the rationale for evaluating the subcontractor price proposal to determine price reasonableness. Examples of rationale include but are not limited to: historical prices paid, price analysis, comparison to prices paid for similar requirements, etc.

Volume III – Administrative Proposal Submissions:

The administrative proposal shall contain the following information:

1. Accounting System Point of Contact: The name and telephone number of person to contact regarding your proposed accounting system;

2. Existing Government Commitments: Any current commitments with the Government relating to the work or services and whether these commitments will or will not interfere with the completion of work and services as contemplated under this Proposal;

3. Use of Current/Former HHS Personnel: Whether any current or former HHS employee(s) will be utilized on this project. Provide the individual’s name when employed by HHS, where employed, and the capacity in which employed.

4. Offeror Resources: A confirmation that the offeror 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.)

5. DCAA/DCMA Points of Contact: Information for the offeror’s cognizant DCAA and DCMA point of contact, address, phone/fax/ and email, if applicable.

6. Environmental Considerations: Discuss all applicable environmental and energy conservation objectives associated with the acquisition (see FAR Part 23), the applicability of an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement (see 40 CFR 1502), the proposed resolution of environmental issues, and any environmentally-related requirements to be included in the resultant contract.

7. Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors: An affirmative statement that the offeror’s Representations and Certifications are current at www.sam.gov. Each offeror is required to complete the Online Representations and Certifications at www.sam.gov prior to submission of proposal and verification/validation is a prerequisite to award under this BAA.

8. Additional Required Disclosure: Using the template attached to this solicitation at Attachment F-

3, each offeror shall state specifically whether, as part of preparing a response to this solicitation or performing work under any resulting contract, the offeror has previously utilized, is currently utilizing, or intends to utilize any partners, subcontractors, and/or consultants. If so, offerors shall provide the names and addresses of any and all individuals and/or companies acting in the capacity of partners, subcontractors, and/or consultants, and the specific nature of the engagement.

SECTION E - PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD

INITIAL REVIEW

Upon receipt of a proposal, the Government will perform an initial review of the proposal’s scientific/technical merit and potential contribution to CDC’s mission. The Government will also determine if funds are expected to be available based on the proposed cost for the effort. Proposals not considered having sufficient scientific/technical merit or relevance to the CDC’s mission or those in areas for which funds are not expected to be available, may be declined without being subject to the detailed evaluation described below.

The Government will review and evaluate all administrative submissions for overall acceptability/completeness. Proposals that are determined to be unacceptable and/or incomplete based on a review of administrative submissions may be rejected without being subject to the detailed evaluation described below.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

The Government will evaluate each offeror’s proposal submissions and will assign an overall “High Confidence,” “Moderate Confidence,” or “Low Confidence” rating in accordance with the factors listed below.

Evaluation Factors are listed in descending order of importance. Subfactors within each evaluation factor are of equal importance. Subfactors within Evaluation Criterion 1 are individually more important than Evaluation Criterion 2 (inclusive of all subfactors).

Technical evaluation criteria and past performance criteria, when combined, are considered more important than pricing.

The Confidence Rating assigned by the Government based on each offeror’s proposal submissions will reflect the Government’s determination of each offeror’s ability to successfully perform all contract requirements and the likelihood of successful contract performance.

Proposal Evaluation Factors and Subfactors:

1. Factor 1, Scientific Merit and Offeror Qualifications:

a. Subfactor 1a, Scientific Merit: The proposed work directly addresses (1) a significant health and safety issue in the industry with (2) potential contribution and relevance to the NIOSH Mining Program mission.

b. Subfactor 1b, Risk Management: The overall scientific and technical merit of the proposed work outweighs potential risks and/or the offeror has outlined a suitable plan to monitor and mitigate/manage risks.

c. Subfactor 1c, Offeror Qualifications: The qualifications of the project team, the Offeror's capabilities, and collaboration with the mining industry are adequate for achieving the proposed work.

2. Factor 2, Innovation and Commercialization Potential:

a. Subfactor 2a, Innovation and Feasibility: The proposed work that will be used to address the identified issue is appropriate, innovative, feasible, achievable, and adequate.

For proposals that involve generation or collection of public health data, this will include the Data Management Plan (DMP).

b. Subfactor 2b, Commercialization Potential: The proposed work represents a logical, incremental step forward towards developing a commercial product or identifying the need for specific commercial products.

3. Factor 3, Past Performance: The Government will evaluate each offeror’s CPARS Records, FAPIIS Records, and any additional past performance information that is available to the Government as part of its past performance evaluation. Lack of CPARS records is neither a benefit nor a detriment, and will result in neither a positive nor negative Past Performance evaluation.

4. Pricing Evaluation: The Government will evaluate each offeror’s pricing proposal to determine whether overall pricing and individual pricing elements are complete, fair and reasonable, consistent with the Offeror's technical approach, reflect a clear understanding of the solicitation requirements, and whether unit pricing is balanced.

A price realism analysis of the proposal may be conducted for such purposes as determining an offeror’s understanding of the solicitation’s requirements or assessing the risk of successful performance in accordance with the proposed technical approach.

The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

DISCUSSIONS, PROPOSAL REVISIONS, AND PARTIAL AWARD(S)

The Government reserves the right and intends to award without discussions. Each Offeror should submit its best proposal as the opportunity to submit a revised proposal is not assured. If, during the evaluation period, it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government to hold discussions with individual offerors, these discussions may be held with individual offerors or a limited number of offerors at the discretion of the Contracting Officer.

Normally an entire proposed effort is funded. However, the Government may be interested in awarding only part(s) of a proposal or adding/removing optional phases, tasks, or option periods. If optional tasks or phases are proposed, the core/base proposal must be a standalone effort representing value to the Government even if optional tasks or phases are not exercised/funded. The Government reserves the right to award all or part of an offeror’s proposed effort and therefore requests that the proposed Statement of Work clearly delineate proposed tasks/phases.

BASIS OF AWARD

Awards will be made to the responsible Offeror(s) submitting the proposal(s) determined to be the most advantageous and the best value to the Government as evaluated under the criteria described in this section. Each proposal will be evaluated based on the merit and relevance of the specific research proposed as it relates to the overall CDC mission rather than against other proposals for research in the same general area.

APPLICABLE CLAUSES, PROVISIONS, AND LOCAL TERMS

The Government has provided Attachment F-5, a listing of potential contract clauses and CDC-specific terms. Actual contract clauses, provisions, and CDC-specific terms may vary based on an offeror’s proposal and may differ per offeror and award.

SECTION F- BAA SOLICITATION FORMS & ATTACHMENTS

Provided concurrently with this BAA Solicitation:

1. Attachment F-1 - Q&A Template

2. Attachment F-2 - Statement of Work Template

3. Attachment F-3 - Partner, Subcontractor, and/or Consultant Disclosure Template

4. Attachment F-4 – Price Proposal Template

5. Attachment F-5 - Sample Clauses and CDC-Specific Terms