DTNH2216R00042-_Answers_to_Vendors'_RFP_Questions.pdf

National Survey of Drowsy Driving Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviors Solicitation Number: DTNH2216R00042

Answers to Vendors’ Questions

Question 1: What is the meaning of “total small business set aside?” Does this mean only small businesses can apply – and so – universities are not eligible?

Answer: Yes, only small businesses may apply. To qualify as a small business, the business must meet the SBA’s definition of a “business concern,” and also meet the size standards for a small business.

SBA defines a business concern as one that is organized for profit; has a place of business in the U.S.; operates primarily within the U.S. or makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; is independently owned and operated; and is not dominant in its field on a national basis. The business may be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or any other legal form.

Non-small businesses and universities are welcome to be subcontractors, as long as they do less than 50% of the work.

Question 2: Where will the physical work be completed?

Answer: The Contractor will work at their location. This is not an on-site (at U.S. DOT

HQ) work contract.

Question 3: The Statement of Work (SOW) variously suggests that the 4,000 participant samples in New Jersey and Arkansas are part of the base study or are, in fact, Optional Tasks 2 and 3. Does NHTSA expect both a nationally representative sample of 7,000 and samples of 4,000 each in NJ and AR as part of the basic contract? If NJ and AR are, in fact, the optional tasks, does NHTSA wish the respondents from NJ and AR in the nationally representative sample to be asked questions about their drowsy driving laws as mentioned in C.5.5?

Answer: NHTSA expects a nationally representative sample of 7000 (or another Offeror proposed number) as well 4000 samples (or another Offeror proposed number) for both NJ and AR. The optional tasks are to re-collect data in two additional States (either NJ, AR, or other States).

Question 4: Can optional tasks be executed in any year or just in the option years?

Answer: NHTSA can exercise the Optional task any time during the period of performance.

Question 5: How does the government anticipate the SOW will vary from year to year?

Answer: The Government does not anticipate the SOW varying from year to year. The SOW will follow the expected milestone timeline provided in section F.

Question 6: For the purposes of budgeting, how many recipients is the contractor being asked to reach via the paper-based survey that is to be mailed through the US mail?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 7: Should the contractor budget for prepaid postage to all allow for paper-based surveys to be returned to the contractor via the US mail?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 8: Should the contractor include in the budget paper based surveys to NON-CONUS states or will paper based surveys only be sent to CONUS?

Answer: This survey is a Nationally Representative Survey and will include all U.S. States.

Question 9: Will the briefing meeting reference on page six; that is to occur prior to the kickoff meeting and anticipated to be 6 hours in duration, to be held in person or via conference call?

Answer: The kick-off meeting (C.5.1) will be at NHTSA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Any meetings prior to C.5.1 can be expected to occur by telephone or web-conference.

Question 10: Is the contract goal to collect 4000 completed surveys Arkansas and New Jersey collectively or separately?

Answer: NHTSA expects a nationally representative sample of 7000 (or another Offeror proposed number) as well 4000 samples (or another Offeror proposed number) for both NJ and AR.

Question 11: Do paper-based surveys need to be available in Spanish or any other languages?

Answer: All surveys should be available in Spanish

Question 12: Are there any demographic requirements for the sample (e.g. age range, gender, income, race/ethnicity, etc.) that the contractor needs to impose in developing the sample to be surveyed?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 13: The RFP states that the questionnaire review will be iterative. How many rounds of review does the office anticipate will be required before providing final approval?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for. However, a typical range for review is 2-8 rounds of review/editing.

Question 14: Does the government have a preferred internet based survey platform that the contractor should use?

Answer: The front-end survey webpage and back-end database should be either

Government Off-the-shelf or Commercial Off-the-shelf software unless the Contractor can sufficiently justify the use of either Modified Off-the-shelf software or a completely custom solution. Additional details are specified in C.5.6.1

Question 15: Does the government have a preferred database platform that the contractor should use?

Answer: The front-end survey webpage and back-end database should be either

Government Off-the-shelf or Commercial Off-the-shelf software unless the Contractor can sufficiently justify the use of either Modified Off-the-shelf software or a completely custom solution. Additional details are specified in C.5.6.1

Question 16: How many individuals need to be surveyed during the “mini-pilot”?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for. However, OMB requirements shall be followed.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/inforeg/PRAPrimer_04 072010.pdf

Question 17: On Pages 17-18 under sections C.5.15-17, it states that, “Based upon the

Dissemination Plan prepared in C.5.14, the Contractor shall prepare a detailed cost proposal to include all related costs and fixed fees.” Does this mean that the contract shall NOT include a budget or LOE for any optional task in its initial proposal that is due 8.24.2016?

Answer: In accordance with L.11.1(a), offerors shall include optional task costs in their proposals. Sections C.5.15 through C.5.17 have been revised in Amendment 0001 to the RFP

Question 18: Does the government have an estimated budget range or LOE for this solicitation?

Answer: No, the government is not providing the estimated cost for this project so as to promote competition, creativity and resourcefulness among the offerors.

Question 19: Can the government provide more clarification on what it means in section L.11.1 when it asks the contractor to define “direct productive hours”? Is there something specific that the government is seeking in a definition of this terminology?

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/inforeg/PRAPrimer_04072010.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/inforeg/PRAPrimer_04072010.pdf

Answer: We are looking for the offeror’s methodology behind the hours it proposes.

According to 48 CFR 1352.216-71, Direct Productive Hours is defined as “actual work hours exclusive of vacation, holidays, sick leave, and other absences.” We want the offeror to clearly represent the hours that it proposes will be directly and exclusively applied to the contract. If any hours proposed by the offeror include time other than direct hours for this contract, then that time must likewise be clearly represented.

Question 20: Section L.11.1 item (a) (4) (g) indicates that a cost/price analysis report is required for each subcontractors and consultants listed. Does this include Subject Matter Experts, who typically listed as independent consultants on the Prime contractor’s team?

Answer: Yes, a cost/price analysis report will be required for SMEs that are listed as independent consultants.

Question 21: Does the government require that subcontractors submit any supporting cost documentation directly to the CO or in a sealed package?

Answer: Subcontractors should not submit any cost documentation to NHTSA. The offeror should provide all necessary subcontractor cost information, as required in the Subcontractor Checklist and FAR 15.404-3.

Question 22: Should the Subcontractor Checklist be sent directly to the NHTSA by the subcontractor or included as part of the Offeror’s cost proposal?

Answer: It should be included as part of the offeror’s cost proposal.

Question 23: What is the length of the contract?

Answer: The Period of Performance for this contract shall begin on the date of award and be completed within twenty-two (22) months. The total Period of Performance if both Optional Tasks are exercised is forty-eight (48) months.

Question 24: Is the contract a follow-up or new requirement? If it is a follow-up to a previously completed or currently active project, please provide the name and contract number?

Answer: This is a new requirement

Question 25: Is there an incumbent?

Answer: No

Page 6-18, C.5. Specific Requirements C.5.2. Submit Sampling Plan and Data Collection Plan

Question 26: Are the 4,000 surveys to be equally distributed between Arkansas (2,000) and

New Jersey (2,000) or are we to conduct 4,000 surveys in each state?

Answer: NHTSA expects a nationally representative sample of 7000 (or another Offeror proposed number) as well 4000 samples (or another Offeror proposed number) for both NJ and AR. The optional tasks are to re-collect data in two additional States (either NJ, AR, or other States).

Question 27: Will the state specific questions be on a separate questionnaire or intermingled with the primary questionnaire?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest and justify

Question 28: Please confirm that the total data collection including the oversample is 11,000.

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 29: Does the sampling states in Alaska and Hawaii or just the continental United

States?

Answer: This survey is a Nationally Representative Survey and will include all U.S. States.

Question 30: Is NHTSA interested in linking the survey data with other nationally-representative datasets?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for if the Offeror believes this would be of utility.

Question 31: Would NHTSA consider amending their design to also include appended telephone numbers and a telephone follow-up of the survey to boost response rate?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for if this can boost response rates.

C.5.3 Institutional Review Board Approval

Question 32: It is stated “Special attention should be paid to any ethical issues surrounding the collection of data from drivers under the age of 18 years old.” Do you want surveys to be conducted among persons under 18 years of age?

Answer: If possible, yes.

C.5.4. Support Preparation of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Applications:

Question 33: Please clarify if you are referring to the January 2006 document entitled

“Guidance on Agency Survey and Statistical Information Collections” or the September 2006 document entitled “Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys” or another document? Please post the PDF version of the document.

Answer: Both of those documents are relevant to understanding the OMB requirements for surveys.

C.5.5. Questionnaire Development:

Question 34: Could you please provide us with a current version of the questionnaire?

Answer: There is no current version, as this is a new requirement.

Question 35: If this is a new questionnaire, are there any current or past surveys that questions from this survey will be compared to? If so, please provide links to those surveys.

Answer: This is a new requirement.

Question 36: Are there particular stakeholder or credentials that NHTSA would like the stakeholder organizations to possess?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 37: Is NHTSA interested in determining the relationship between alcohol or drug use and drowsy driving? (i.e. should there be questions on alcohol or drug use?)

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 38: Does NHTSA propose a time limit for the survey or a limit on the number of questions?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

C.5.14 Dissemination Plan and C.5.15 Optional Task 1: Dissemination

Question 39: How does the envisioned dissemination plan differ from a traditional communications/outreach plan?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

Question 40: Dissemination, for instance, implies distribution, but does not necessarily speak of advocacy for use of the material, as might be the case with a traditional communications/outreach plan. The six points offered do not include communications tools development: is that envisioned?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for.

C.5.16 and 5.17 Optional Tasks 1 and 2

Question 41: What are the required sample sizes for the optional state surveys? What is the confidence level and margin of error required?

Answer: This is up to the Offeror to suggest, justify, and budget for. However, the current estimate is 4000 samples per State.

Page 57-59, Section L.9 Proposal Format.

Technical Proposal (Page 58)

Question 42: Since references are excluded from the limit of 30 pages and past performance is included in the 30 page limit, please clarify what is the difference between references and past performance.

Answer: The past performance questionnaires do not count against the 30 page limit, but any additional narrative the offeror provides, as requested in paragraphs 1 and 2 of L.10, Part III, will count against the 30 page limit.

Question 43: Are you using addendums and appendices interchangeable or differently?

Answer: The terms “addendums” and “appendices” are being used interchangeably.

Cost Proposal (Page 58)

Question 44: Does NHTSA want the cost proposal in PDF or Excel? Please clarify what is meant by interactive?

Answer: The cost proposal shall be submitted in Excel (See attachment J.5).

Page 59-61, Section L.10 Technical Proposal Instructions PART III Corporate Experience and Past Performance (Page 61) “Offers shall use the Past Performance Questionnaire (Solicitation Section J, Attachment J.2) for submission of past performance information to NHTSA.”

Question 45: Does NHTSA want the past performance submitted by the Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer Technical Representative, or do they want the contractor to submit the partially filled out forms to NHTSA for distribution? Does this count against the 30 page limit?

Answer: The offeror shall submit the partially filled out past performance questionnaire forms with their proposal. These forms do not count against the 30 page limit.