Clarification_Questions_and_Responses.pdf

United States Department of Education

Request for Proposals (RFP) ED-IES-16-R-0005

Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) 2016 Phase II

Clarification Questions and Responses

Please note that all Phase II Proposals must be submitted by 2:00 P.M., Eastern

Standard Time, on February 8, 2016. Untimely proposal will not be accepted.

1. Offeror question: How many pages are recommended for each of these sections:

(1) Significance, (2) Phase I Synopsis, (3) Phase II R&D Plan, (4)

Commercialization Plan, and (5) Project Team, Company/Resources, and Budget?

Is there one section that should receive the most attention and be the longest?

Department Response: It is the responsibility of the offeror to determine how to structure a proposal.

2. Offeror question: Do reviewers prefer to see more personnel but working part-time or fewer personnel but working full-time? (Assuming being able to deliver the same results)

Department Response: It is the responsibility of the offeror to determine how to assign personnel for the project.

3. Offeror question: What is “a reasonable profit/fee” in terms of percentage of the award? Is it percentage of the Direct+indirect cost? Or percentage of the entire award?

Department Response: It is the responsibility of the offeror to determine the amount of profit to be proposed, while also considering the cost of the R&D of the product.

4. Offeror question: In two places of the RFP (p. 21, item #10; p. 36), it mentions that the "Similar or Closely Related Awards or Proposals" section belongs in

Appendix C. However, on page 47, the RFP indicates that the Closely Related

Awards section belongs in Appendix D. Is this correct?

Appendix C should contain the Biographical Summary Certification and

Resume Pages

Appendix D should contain the Similar or Closely Related Awards or

Proposals pages

Department Response: The solicitation contains a typo. It is correct that

Appendix C should contain the Biographical Summary Certification and

Resume Pages, and that Appendix D should contain the Similar or Closely

Related Awards or Proposals.