CSS 75N95022Q00027.v2.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION COMPETITIVE

75N95022Q00027

TITLE: BPN EOC Pharmacology Consultation Services

Introductory Statement

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

The Government reserves the right to make one award, multiple awards, or no awards at all as a result of this solicitation.

Solicitation Number and Authority

The solicitation number is 75N95022Q00027 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ).

This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the FAR Part 13—Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12—Acquisition of Commercial Items and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

Applicable Federal Acquisition Circular

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-03, dated January 1, 2022.

NAICS Code and Small Business Standard

The associated NAICS code is 541990 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services) and the small business size standard is $16.5 million.

This acquisition is a total small business set-aside.

Anticipated Contract Type

The Government intends to award up to five (5) Labor-Hour Purchase Orders with a base period of performance of or about January 14, 2022 to January 13, 2023, with one base year and two option years.

Description of Requirement

Statement of Need and Purpose: The purpose of this requirement is to procure pharmacology consulting services in support of NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network drug discovery and development programs and the associated BPN External Oversight Committee. The NIH is seeking to procure a highly experienced executive-level, drug discovery and development subject matter expert with experience in the area of Pharmacology to provide feedback to the NIH program leadership and technical guidance on drug discovery and development projects within the BPN portfolio. The Contractor will serve as a member of the BPN External Oversight Committee, which provides strategic guidance on BPN projects and on occasion other NIH drug discovery and development programs.

Background Information: The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, a consortium of 15 NIH Institutes and Centers that support neuroscience research, established the BPN as a pipeline between the typical endpoint of NIH-funded research and the beginning of industry drug development. The BPN provides neuroscience researchers with funding and access to a full range of industry-style drug development services and expertise.

The program is intended for projects requiring medicinal chemistry optimization and contract research organization (CRO) support through Phase I clinical testing. Each project is directed by a Lead Development Team (LDT) composed of the principal investigator (PI), industry consultants hired by NIH, and NIH staff. This team maps out a research strategy, including milestones, and oversees implementation by CROs. Bioactivity and efficacy studies are typically funded through an award to the PI; other research services can be provided without cost to the PI through NIH contracts.

The BPN External Oversight Committee (EOC) was instituted in late 2011 and will continue through, at least 2027. The NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) oversees the EOC. The EOC typically convenes monthly via web-enabled virtual meetings and teleconference calls. Additionally, the EOC meets once per year at NIH for a day long face to face meeting and on an ad hoc basis to evaluate BPN project specific issues. These additional meetings of the EOC are scheduled around EOC member availability and full participation in such scheduled events is expected.

Project Requirements: Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Quoter shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government needed to perform the requirements outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW).

Please refer to Attachment #1 - Statement of Work (SOW) for complete details and specifications.

Period and Place of Performance

Period of Performance: The anticipated period of performance is a one-year base period from the effective date of award and two (2) subsequent one-year option periods as follows:

Base Period: January 14, 2022 – January 13, 2023 Option Period One: January 14, 2023 – January 13, 2024 Option Period Two: January 14, 2024 – January 13, 2025

Place of Performance: The primary place of performance shall be the Quoter’s site. Conference calls and email shall be the primary mode of communication; however, the Quoter may be required to work at Government facilities in the continental United States, primarily Bethesda, MD, on an as-needed basis.

Applicability of FAR clause 52.212-1

The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following instructions are included as an addendum.

All quotations from responsible quoters will be evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Panel according to the technical evaluation factors outlined below.

The NIH may elect to discuss or obtain additional information and/or request revisions from only one quoter or any number of quoters in accordance with Part 13 Procedures. Quoters may be invited to give an Oral Presentation to present information to clarify or augment written information submitted. The Government reserves the right to evaluate quotations and award a contract/order without discussions with quoters. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to make no award at all.

The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation on the basis of best value, technical factors, price, and past performance considered. Technical factors together shall be considered significantly more important than price and past performance. The Government may consider best value tradeoffs in final award determination. The technical evaluation factors will be evaluated using adjective ratings and no numeric point system will be used. Price will be considered in the evaluation and selection, but price will not be point scored.

It is the NIH's intent to evaluate each written quote under the below Technical Evaluation Factors in descending order of importance.

Options. 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).

A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

Technical Requirements:

Technical Factor 1: Personnel Qualifications

These responses shall include resumes of proposed key personnel, consultants, and any subcontractors. These responses should also clearly identify whether proposed personnel will be or are an employee of the Quoter. If the proposed key personnel is not an employee of the Quoter, a letter of commitment is also required. Finally, Quoter must address how it will ensure compliance with FAR clause 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting if the proposed key personnel is not an employee of the Quoter.

Please note, however, that while resumes of all proposed key personnel are required, they are NOT, by themselves, sufficient. Quoter MUST also submit a separate narrative demonstrating how proposed Key Personnel satisfy the Personnel Qualifications

Evaluation Criteria evaluation criteria. Please carefully examine the evaluation criteria prior to writing this narrative.

Technical Factor 2: Understanding the Project and Technical Approach

Quoters’ technical approach will be evaluated for soundness, practicality, and feasibility to accomplish the requirements of the Statement of Work. Also, NIH will evaluate your technical response on how well it shows your comprehensive understanding of the project’s goals, objectives, and tasks as called for in the Statement of Work (SOW). This includes an evaluation of the thoroughness of your background discussion of the work contemplated under this project.

We will evaluate your understanding of the tasks to be performed, their interrelation and complexity. We will evaluate your discussion of anticipated problems and constraints likely to be encountered in performing the work, and your plans, solutions, and approaches to resolving them.

Offerors technical approach will be evaluated for soundness, practicality, and feasibility to accomplish the tasks and requirements of the Statement of Work. More specifically, we will evaluate for efficacy: (a) ability to accomplish and meet all SOW requirements.

Cost/Price Evaluation:

Offeror(s) Business Proposal will be evaluated for cost/price reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. The Offerors are expected to establish a reasonable price relationship between all cost/price elements. An evaluation of the Offerors’ price proposals will be made to determine if they reflect a clear understanding of the requirements and are consistent with the Technical Proposal.

Cost/Price Risk: Risk refers to any aspect of the Offerors’ proposals that could have significant negative cost consequences for the Government. Proposals will be assessed to identify potential risks.

Quoter shall complete Attachment #4 – Price Template. The pricing template shall not be combined or embedded with other materials.

Quoter will note that the Government anticipates annual funding in the estimated amount of 50 hours for consultant support and that it has included an annual not to exceed amount of 60 optional hours (for a total annual ceiling of up to 110 hours). It should also be noted that the Government will reimburse the successful Quoter for up to $1,500.00 in travel-related expenses that are necessary for performance of this requirement. These funds shall be provided only after it is determined there is a need for travel. Furthermore, all travel requests require advance approval by the Government.

If the Quoter proposes the involvement of any additional staff besides the Key Personnel, it must clearly articulate how their role will be fulfilled and why it believes additional personnel are necessary. The Quoter must also specify how this time will be charged (e.g. direct hourly rate or included within overhead). Finally, the Quoter is required to document its rationale for any proposed Other Direct Costs (ODCs) besides travel as well as the total amount. If any of these conditions are applicable, the Quoter shall complete the appropriate cells in the Price Template and include a Price Narrative in its response.

Salary Rate Limitation:

Quoter is advised that no NIH funds may be used to pay the direct annual salary of an individual through any contract awarded as a result of this solicitation at a rate in excess of the Executive Schedule, Level II* (direct salary is exclusive of Overhead, Fringe Benefits and General and Administrative expenses, also referred to as "indirect cost" or "facilities and administrative (F&A)costs"). Direct salary has the same meaning as the term "institutional base salary." An individual's direct salary (or institutional base salary) is the annual compensation that the Quoter pays for an individual's appointment whether that individual's time is spent on research, teaching, patient care or other activities. Direct salary (or institutional base salary) excludes any income that an individual may be permitted to earn outside of duties to the Quoter.

This does not preclude the Quoter from absorbing that portion of an employee's annual salary (plus the dollar amount for fringe benefits and associated indirect costs) that exceeds a rate of the Executive Schedule, Level II*. The Executive Schedule, Level II* annual salary rate limitation also applies to individuals proposed under subcontracts as well as consultants.

LINK TO EXECUTIVE SCHEDULE RATES OF PAY:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ (For current year rates, click on Salaries and Wages/Executive Schedule/Rates of Pay for the Executive Schedule. For prior year rates, click on Salaries and Wages/select Another Year at the top of the page/Executive Schedule/Rates of Pay for the Executive Schedule. Rates are effective January 1 of each calendar year unless otherwise noted.)

*Note to Quoters: Quoter must adhere to the current Fiscal Year Executive Level II Salary Rate when preparing its response. All costs associated with any resultant contract award shall fully comply with the current Fiscal Year Executive Level II Salary rates.

Quoter is instructed to certify that its quoted labor rates comply with the Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) Clause 352.231-70 Salary Rate Limitation through completing Attachment #3 – Representations and Certifications.

Past Performance:

Quoter shall identify 1-2 awards with the Federal Government and/or commercial customers that demonstrate recent and relevant past performance. Relevant is defined as work similar in complexity and magnitude to the work described in the SOW.

Quoter shall include the following information in their past performance examples:

• Project title

• Description of the project

• Contract number

• Contract amount

• Government Agency/Organization

• Point of contact name, address, and phone number

• Contract and, if applicable, task order number

• Current status, e.g., completed and/or if in progress, start and estimated completion dates

• SOW paragraphs that the reference applies to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

• Key personnel (please highlight those individuals who worked on the relevant project(s) and are also being proposed for this effort.)

• A brief narrative of why you deem the reference to be relevant to this effort

Response:

Quoter’s response shall be no more than ten (10) single-sided pages in length. This page limit includes the following:

(i) Cover Page, if applicable

(ii) Executive Summary, if applicable

(iii) Table of Contents, if applicable

(iv) Key Personnel Narrative (no more than two pages)

(v) Price Narrative, if applicable

(vi) Past Performance Examples

This page limit does NOT include:

(i) Key Personnel Resume(s)

(ii) Letter(s) of Commitment

(iii) Representations and Certifications

(iv) Completed Price Template

Additional Required Information:

In addition to the previously discussed requirements, Quoter must include the following in its response:

1) Company’s Full Name and Address

2) Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) Number, Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code, and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

3) Name, Telephone Number, and Email Address of Person Authorized to Provide Quote

Please note that, to be considered for award, Quoter must also be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), accessible at www.sam.gov, at the time of quote submission.

QUOTES DUE: To be considered for evaluation, Quoter must submit all required materials by 02:00 PM Eastern Time on January 11, 2022 and reference solicitation number 75N95022Q00027. Responses must be submitted electronically to Samson Shifaraw, Contract Specialist, at Samson.Shifaraw@nih.gov. Fax responses will NOT be accepted.

All timely and responsive quotes that fully comply with the solicitation instructions and are submitted by responsible Quoters will be evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP).

Depending on the quality of the quotes received, these Quoters may also be required to give an oral presentation to the Contracting Officer, Contract Specialist, and members of the requiring office. The Government reserves the right to determine whether oral presentations are necessary. If it determines that they are, presenting Quoters must follow the format described in the following section.

Applicability of FAR provision 52.212-2

The provision at FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items (NOV 2021), applies to this acquisition.

http://www.sam.gov/ file://nidawfsprd01.nida.nih.gov/SHARED/OM/CMB/RED/NINDS_Section/Contracts/SamsonShifaraw/22-000659_EOC/1._Neg_Acq_Presol-Award/D-Solicitation/Samson.Shifaraw@nih.gov

Applicability of FAR provision 52.212-3

The provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items NOV 2021), applies to this acquisition.

The provision and representations and certifications is included in full text at Attachment #3 – Representations and Certifications. Quoter must submit a completed and signed version of this form with its response.

Applicability of FAR clause 52.212-4

The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items, Alternate I (NOV 2021) applies to this acquisition and is incorporated by reference.

Applicability of FAR clause 52.212-5

The clause at 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (NOV 2021) applies to this acquisition.

FAR 52.212-5 is included in full text at Attachment #2 - Additional Terms and Conditions.

Applicability of Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS)

The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement.

Any questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist, Samson Shifaraw, at samson.shifaraw@nih.gov by 02:00 PM Eastern Time on January 10, 2022. Fax responses will NOT be accepted.

Attachment #1 – Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment #2 – Additional Terms and Conditions Attachment #3 – Representations and Certifications Attachment #4 – Price Template Attachment #5 – Invoice Submission Instructions Attachment #6 – Information/Physical Access Security Requirements

Questions Regarding Solicitation

RFQ Attachments mailto:samson.shifaraw@nih.gov