Amendment 2 - BAA-75N93022R00021.pdf

Amendment No. 2 to BAA-75N93022R00021 “Development of Radiation/Nuclear Medical Countermeasures (MCMs) or Biodosimetry Devices”

Amendment to Solicitation No.: BAA-75N93022R00021

Amendment No.: 2

Issue Date: February 10, 2023

Effective Date:

Proposal Due Date:

February 10, 2023

February 27, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (EST)

Issued By: Emily Bannister Contracting Officer

NIH/NIAID

Office of Acquisitions 5601 Fishers Lane, MSC 9821 Rockville, MD 20892-9821

Point of Contact: Albert Nguyen, Contracting Officer nguyenal@niaid.nih.gov

Name and Address of Offeror: To All Potential Offerors

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth below. The hour and date specified for receipt of proposals remain unchanged. Offerors must acknowledge receipt of this amendment. Failure to provide your acknowledgement of this amendment may result in the rejection of your offer.

SECTION 1 – QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES

This section of the amendment provides questions submitted by potential applicants/offerors and the responses provided by NIAID. The responses are offered for information only and do not modify or become part of this solicitation. This Amendment will be updated as needed to add further questions and their related responses. All potential offerors are advised to refer back to the solicitation and its amendments for additional Questions & Answers.

Question 1: In attachment 7, additional technical proposal instructions, it is specified that the Offeror should follow the instruction of section L of the BAA (description in Attachment 1) including the information specific to this Attachment 7. If so, does it mean that the number of pages as per Attachment 1 & 7 will be 150 pages maximum for the entire Technical Volume including a Section 1 technical proposal overview, Section 3 Technical Statement of Work, Section 4- technical requirements, Section 5 Scientific & Technical Personnel, Section 6 Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources, Section 7 Other Considerations. Does it mean that we can include background and preliminary data in the section 7, as long as we would not go over the maximum of 150 pages for the technical proposal?

Response 1: Background and preliminary data should be included in Section 4 Technical Requirements and the Technical Proposal should not exceed 150 pages in total.

mailto:nguyenal@niaid.nih.gov

Question 2: In attachment 5, page 6 of 6, exclusion # 6 (Development of more than one lead biodosimetry signature/test per proposal). Would a device which is a single integrated biomarker assay composed of multiple biomarkers satisfy the BAA requirement of “one signature”?

Response 2: Yes, a single integrated biomarker assay composed of multiple biomarkers will be considered “one signature.” Exclusion #6 excludes more than one signature in order to avoid #4 Screening activities to identify novel biodosimetry biomarkers and/or assays.

Question 3: On page 95 of the BAA, paragraph 5 Evaluation of Options, there is reference to the basic requirements cost and all options. Does it mean the option should be proposed within the 3 years period or could it be starting within the 3 years of performance but for example extend for 2 years or the like? Could you clarify if the options will have to be proposed within the same period of 3 years of the base agreement or could they be independent modules with their own timeline and cost to be proposed to start either within the first 3 years or beyond?

Response 3: Attachment 2 Page 102 of the BAA states: “It is anticipated that 1-2 cost reimbursement, completion type contracts will be awarded for a 3-year period of performance beginning on or about March/April 2024. NIAID estimates that the annual total cost (direct and indirect costs combined) for a non-severable base period and each subsequent, non-severable option period will average $2 million, for a total award of $6 million over three years. However, it is anticipated that the total cost for any award may vary depending upon the scope of the project and the technical objectives of the award. The length of time for which funding is requested should be consistent with the nature and complexity of the proposed research. The period of performance proposed by an offeror shall not exceed 3 years.”

The total contract performance includes one base period (or year 1) plus two (2) one-year option periods.

Budget for each option year is estimated at $2 million for a total of up to $6 million for a 3-year period for 1 to 2 contracts, depending on the offeror’s technical approach and proposed milestones. The total performance period comprised of the base and any options proposed by an Offeror should not exceed three

(3) years or average $2 million per option period.