BAA_DTFH6114R00019_Amend_02_FINAL_04.09.14.pdf

BAA No. DTFH6114R00019 Amendment No. 2

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) No. DTFH6114R00019, Amendment No. 2

IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS TO THE BAA:

1. This Amendment revises the proposal submission email addresses found in Sections

1.2, 4.1 and 7.1, as follows:

• Delete: jennifer.johnson@dot.gov

• Insert: FHWA2014PlanningBAA@dot.gov

NOTE: Please do not submit any pre- or full-proposals directly to Ms. Jennifer Johnson;

please submit all proposals and inquiries regarding this BAA to FHWA2014PlanningBAA@dot.gov directly. All inquiries and confirmation for receipt of proposals will be sent from the revised proposal submission email box noted above.

2. Add the following note to the end of Section 3.1 – General Information of the BAA:

NOTE: Offerors should clearly state the type of award they are proposing based on the preceding “NOTES” in this section by indicating in the cost sections of their proposals the type of award anticipated – ie, purchase order, grant/cooperative agreement, or contract. Additionally, as noted in Section 10.1 – Contract Vehicle, offerors should clearly indicate the contract type they are proposing – ie, firm fixed price, cost reimbursable, time and materials, etc. The type of contract shall be subject to negotiation.

Responses to Questions Received Through March 24, 2014

1) Question: In the evaluation of proposals, how much weight is given to the amount of cost sharing?

FHWA Response: Per Section 3.1 – General Information, p. 13 of the BAA, FHWA strongly encourages proposals that offer a significant portion of non-federal matching funds or in-kind resources (e.g, cost sharing). While cost sharing is not required, it is strongly encouraged due to budgetary constraints and availability of FHWA-only funding. There is no numerical or percentage value or weight assigned to whether an offeror proposes a cost sharing arrangement or one where the full funding is being provided by FHWA.

mailto:jennifer.johnson@dot.gov mailto:FHWA2014PlanningBAA@dot.gov mailto:FHWA2014PlanningBAA@dot.gov

2) Question: Section 3.1 – General Information, p. 13 of the BAA refers to a limit of $150,000 for a project to be eligible to be contracted as a "purchase order". Do matching funds contribute to this limit of $150,000?

FHWA Response: The $150,000 limit is applied to the total value of the award (ie, any cost share + Government-provided funding). As such, if the total proposed amount of the proposal exceeds $150,000 (including any cost share/matching funds), it will be awarded as a contract, assistance agreement (to include both cooperative agreements and grants).

3) Question: With regards to the pre-proposal budget, Section 5.1 – Content of Pre-Proposals, p.

17 of the BAA states that offerors should, “briefly describe the expected high-level tasks, total time and total anticipated cost/price". Is a ballpark total budget figure sufficient for the pre-proposal, or does FHWA require a more detailed cost proposal at the pre-proposal stage of the BAA process?

FHWA Response: A rough order of magnitude that outlines the anticipated cost to support the effort in comparison to the planned tasks is acceptable for submission during the pre-proposal phase.

4) Question: Section 5.1 – Content of Pre-Proposals, p. 17 of the BAA, notes four bullet points regarding the pre-proposal content; is there a specific format for the pre-proposal?

FHWA Response: In addition to the bullet points included in the above referenced section of the BAA, FHWA would find it helpful/useful if the pre-proposal includes the prime contractor’s name (and planned subcontractors/teammates), the primary focus area category, an estimated total cost, the proposed period of performance, key staff that will support the proposed work effort, and any other relevant/necessary information to sufficiently address the four bullet points noted in Section 5.1 of the BAA. Beyond the guidance provided in Section 5.1 of the BAA and the information provided in response to this question, there is no specific or required format for the pre-proposal submissions.

5) Question: Does FHWA have a predetermined percentage for indirect costs (ie, overhead, fringe, etc.) that should be considered for this BAA for proposals?

FHWA Response: Any proposed indirect costs should be based on the contractor’s audited indirect rates; approved by a Cognizant Government Agency, or at minimum, reviewed by an independent auditor; and should be proposed in accordance with the contractor’s cost accounting system.

6) Question: Do funded projects typically include FHWA as a partner in the research, along with other partners that may work at the local, regional, or state level?

FHWA Response: Yes, in the event that FHWA approves the research and awards a contract or assistance agreement, FHWA anticipates having a role in the effort providing feedback, advice, and support to the planned scope and tasks. An identified Contracting Officer’s Representative will link in other partners and subject matter experts, as appropriate, depending on the level of effort/work required under each resulting award.

7) Question: With respect to the nature of the research, are funded projects expected to be similar to National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) projects in that the innovations addressed in the research are applied and focused on solutions to problems identified by

FHWA?

FHWA Response: In some respects, yes; however, FHWA anticipates receiving proposals that will help advance the identified focus areas in a shorter timeframe for quicker implementation.

8) Question: How should matching funds be expressed in terms of the total proposed cost/price?

FHWA Response: It should be clear in the offeror’s proposal what/how much funding is being requested of FHWA, the total amount being contributed by the offeror (and its partners/subcontractors), and total amount of the entire effort with both the FHWA contribution and the offeror’s share.

9) Question: Can one offeror submit for two different research ideas and how is that perceived?

FHWA Response: Per Section 3.7 - Pre-Proposal and Full Proposal Information, p. 15 of the BAA, “Organizations also may submit more than one proposal when the proposed effort includes multiple disparate objectives and tasks, covers multiple or disparate technologies areas, or would have a more supportable budget if provided in parts;

however, each proposal will be considered independently.”

Based on the above, FHWA will perceive multiple proposals from one organization/firm in neither a negative nor positive manner; each proposal will be evaluated independently as stated in the BAA.

10) Question: Is data acquisition an eligible use of grant funds?

FHWA Response: Yes, in the event that data is needed to support the focus areas, planned scope, proposed tasks, and the cost of the data is reasonable, then the purchase of data sets would be eligible for funding under this BAA.

11) Question: Can the proposed work include use of proprietary software?

FHWA Response: Yes, in the event that proprietary software is needed to support the focus areas, planned scope, proposed tasks, and the cost of the software is reasonable, then use of the proprietary software would be eligible so long as the Government’s rights to the use of data developed under a resultant contract are not restricted in accordance with FAR 52.227-14 (see below).

NOTE: As noted in section 3.10, FAR 52.227-14 – Rights in Data (and the appropriate Alternate Clause, as applicable) will be incorporated into resultant contracts issued under this BAA.