Amendment_0001_to_Solicitation_H98210-16-R-0021.pdf

HQ071560710001000

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30-105-04EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

STANDARD FORM 30 (Rev. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

The purpose of this amendment is to:

a) Post answ ers to vendor questions against this solicitation;

b) Revise the follow ing areas of this solicitation:

(1) The due date has been extended from 11:00 a.m. Eastern, August 18, 2016 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern, August 23, 2016;

(2) PWS Sections 4.0 and 12.0 have been revised to correct numbering sequence;

(3) Section 3B of the Instructions to Offerors has been revised to reflect Elements A, B, and C of the Evaluation Criteria.

Please see the summary of changes for additional information.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

S 1 29

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

BY 11-Aug-2016

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA15C. DATE SIGNED15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of Contracting Officer)(Signature of person authorized to sign)

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State and Zip Code) X H98210-16-R-0021

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

29-Jul-2016

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offer X is extended, is not extended.

Offer must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN

REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(B).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

10A. MOD. OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO.(If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

11-Aug-2016

CODE

DEFENSE HUMAN RESOURCES ACTIVITY

4800 MARK CENTER DRIVE,

SUITE 06J25-01

ALEXANDRIA VA 22350-4000

H98210 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6)

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

See Item 6

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL:TEL:

H98210-16-R-0021

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SECTION SF 30 - BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

The following have been added by full text:

DEFENSE SUICIDE PREVENTION OFFICE (DSPO) Research and Data

Analytic Support Services—Solicitation H98210-16-R-0021

Questions and Answers

Q1. What is the anticipated award date?

A1: September 30, 2016

Q2. Is this a new offering/service?

A2: No, a similar requirement was in FY14. The previous requirement has been reduced, decreasing the level of effort.

Q3. Is there an incumbent for this service?

A3: Goldbelt Glacier Health Services.

Q4. If there is an incumbent, who are they?

A4: See A3.

Q5. If there is an incumbent, when does the contract expires?

A5: September 29, 2016

Q6. If there is an incumbent for the service, what is the annual contract value?

A6: $12,220,744.37, base + one option period (the current PWS does not contain the same requirements as the incumbent performed).

Q7. What is the latest expected date when a signed contract needs to be in place?

A7: September 2016.

Q8. The response time is extremely short for small/micro size businesses to prepare a proper and comprehensive response, would the Government consider extending the due date?

A8: The due date has been extended to Tuesday, August 23, 2016.

Q9. Who is the incumbent contract?

A9: See A3.

Q10. Are any of these positions covered under SCA contract? If so, how many?

A10: No positions are covered under SCA.

Q11. Can we submit the proposal electronically?

A11: Please see Page 19, Paragraph 3 of the Instructions to Offerors. No electronic submissions will be accepted.

Q12. Is this a new contract or an existing contract that is up for renewal? If this is an existing contract who was the vendor that was awarded this contract before?

A12: See A2 and A3.

Q13. What budget do you have in mind for this contract?

A13: Please prepare a budget based upon the requirements set forth in the PWS.

Q14. Since this is a federal government business do we need Security clearance or any type of clearance?

A14: Yes, see 8.1.2.1 of the PWS.

Q15. What is an estimated population that this research study will be conducted on? Is this all over United States? or specific area of the country?

A15: U.S. Military (Active Duty, Reserves, National Guard), and DEERS eligible dependents.

Q16. Will the vendor be paying for the travel upfront or the government will be in charge of the travel and associated costs?

A16: The vendor will be reimbursed for all travel related expenses.

Q17. Offerors are cautioned that "parroting" of the PWS with a statement of intent to perform does not reflect understanding of the requirement or capability to perform.

Would you please clarify this paragraph?

A17: Offerors are to demonstrate their ability to perform the PWS requirements. Simply parroting back the requirement is not an adequate response.

Q18. 1.4. Pass/Fail Pass/Fail Factor(s) ___ will _X__ will not be used 1.4.2. Offers that meet all of the established criteria will receive a "Pass" rating and will receive further consideration for award. 1.4.3. Offers that do not meet part or all of the established criteria will receive a "Fail" rating and will be ineligible for award and will not be further evaluated. Looking at the above paragraphs will Pass/Fail be used or not?

A18: Pass/Fail criteria will NOT be used.

Q19. I went through Solicitation #H98210-16-R-0021 posted on July 29, 2016 and did not see any Level of Effort or Workload Estimate to help determine the staffing. I will appreciate it if you can email back to me this information or where to find it so my company can put something together.

A19: It is up to the Offeror to determine the level of effort based upon the PWS.

Q20. Would you kindly confirm if this is an entirely new effort or is there an incumbent currently providing the services? If so, can you please provide the incumbent contract details?

A20: See A2 and A3.

Q21. Page 15, Section 10.0 Place of Performance – Can the contractor also use its offsite resources in addition to the eight onsite staff?

A21: Yes, the contractor may use offsite resources.

Q22. Page 57, Attachment A, 1.4 Pass/Fail – Will each individual item 1.4.1.1, 1.4.1.2, 1.4.1.3, and 1.4.1.4 be rated as Pass or Fail?

A22: See A18.

Q23. Regarding Volume II – Technical Proposal, there is two areas to be addressed: the technical approach and staffing plan are discussed in the INSTRUCTIONS; however, in the EVAL CRITERIA –three items are requested to include a Project Management Plan with a QC Plan (Element B). Please clarify.

A23: Noted. The Instructions to Offerors has been revised to include Elements A, B, and C in

Volume II, Technical

Q24. There are two different sections for 4.5/4.5.1 in the PWS. Please provide revised section numbering so we can be sure to address the second 4.5.1 (under “contractor personnel”) appropriately.

A24: The PWS is modified as follows:

“4.5 Contractor Personnel” is changed to read “4.8 Contractor Personnel”

“4.5.1 Provide expertise in biostatistics, program evaluation, psychometrics and…” is changed to read “4.8.1 Provide expertise in biostatistics, program evaluation, psychometrics and…”

Q25. Page length is listed as 35 pages regardless of Table of Contents, etc. Please confirm there are no exceptions for appendices (i.e. resumes).

A25: The page count is inclusive of all items (i-iii) in Volume II – Technical. This volume as a whole shall not exceed the 35 page count.

Q26. Do all contractor staff need to work on government site in the DC Metro area or can some labor categories work remotely on contractor site?

A26: Contractor personnel should be onsite however support may also be off-site. Contractor should be accessible and responsive to requirements of the PWS.

Q27. The National Death Index (NDI) is referenced? Will the Government provide access to this or if not, will those costs be reimbursable under the contract?

A27: Access to NDI data will be provided as needed.

Q28. How many time per year will the Suicide Death Reviews be performed?

A28: Annually.

Q29. For the Suicide Death Reviews, will the subject matter experts for this Work Group be DoD personnel or contractor personnel or a combination?

A29: The subject matter experts for the Work Group will not include contractor personnel.

Q30. Would your office reconsider the past performance evaluation restriction on subcontractors and lift the evaluation restriction and criteria?

A30: Past performance will be evaluated based on past performance information as a prime contractor only.

Q31. Will you extend the original response date if the past performance evaluation restriction on subcontractors is lifted?

A31: See A8.

Q32. Who is the incumbent contractor for this project and are they eligible to bid for this work again?

A32: See A3.

Q33. The RFP does not have any requirements for key personnel. Should we propose our own thoughts on key and non-key positions that in turn will be the basis for calculating our

Firm Fixed Price?

A33: Offerors should submit the information they deem appropriate in response to the solicitation.

Q34. The RFP does not mention resume requirements. If we propose Key-personnel positions, should we include resumes for those proposed resources?

A34: See A33.

Q35. The RFP instructions state that the 35 page limit is inclusive of appendices and attachments. If we are able to include resumes, will the resumes also count towards the 35 page limit?

A35: See A25.

Q36. As this is a competitive 8a project, many small businesses utilize a network of partners to round out the vast amount of personnel requirements. Will the government consider allowing at least one of the three past performance summaries to come from a subcontractor firm on our team?

A36: See A30.

Q37. Section 10.0 of the RFP states that the government will provide office space for 8 onsite contractors. What portions of the work can be performed off-site (i.e., at the contractor's office) and what portions of the work must be performed on-site in the government space?

A37: Contractor personnel should be onsite however support may also be off-site. The Gov’t expects a minimum of eight people to be onsite at all times. Contractor should be accessible and responsive to requirements of the PWS.

Q38. In attachment A, section 1.4 Pass/Fail says that Pass/Fail Factor(s) will not be used.

Does that mean that the criteria in section 1.4 are irrelevant? Should the response focus on addressing the Evaluation Factors only?

A38: See A18.

Q39. The links for the following resource documents were invalid and we were unable to find them via an internet search. Please provide updated links to the following:

o Secretary of Defense memo, dated May 10, 2012, subject: Suicide Prevention for

Department of Defense Personnel o DoD Task Force on Suicide Prevention Report, dated August 2010, o Army Reports: Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention Report

A39: Secretary of Defense memo, dated May 10, 2012, subject: Suicide Prevention for

Department of Defense Personnel – This reference is no longer available.

DoD Task Force on Suicide Prevention Report, dated August 2010, -https://archive.org/stream/551723-suicide-prevention-task-force-final-report/551723-suicide-prevention-task-force-final-report_djvu.txt

Army Reports: Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention Report -https://books.google.com/books/about/Army_Health_Promotion_Risk_Reduction_Sui.html?id=

GhOsyR4nC4sC

Q40. On page 7 of the solicitation, section 4.1.1 states, “Provide program support services by daily facilitating multiple, concurrent research studies, briefing requests, and short-fuse information requests from Department of Defense leadership”. Please provide the anticipated number (or range) of concurrent studies, the number of briefing requests, and the number of short-fuse requests on an annual basis.

A40: 25 concurrent research studies, 91 briefing requests and 80 short fuse requests

Q41. On p. 10, subtask 4.4.1 indicates the offeror should support operation of the SDR in preparation for BOG meetings. Please clarify the following— o Are these meetings in person? If so, where are they held? Does the offeror need to plan for staff to attend in person?

o Does the offeror provide logistical support for the meeting (e.g., secure meeting location, arrange for travel accommodations)? What costs for the meetings should the offeror include in their business proposal?

o How many meetings are held each year? How many non-federal attendees are expected?

A41: The SDR BOG meetings are in person with support for remote teleconference for out of are BOG members.

The Offeror is required to provide logistical support for BoG meetings including preparation of materials such as slides. No cost information is available for this.

https://archive.org/stream/551723-suicide-prevention-task-force-final-report/551723-suicide-prevention-task-force-final-report_djvu.txt https://archive.org/stream/551723-suicide-prevention-task-force-final-report/551723-suicide-prevention-task-force-final-report_djvu.txt https://books.google.com/books/about/Army_Health_Promotion_Risk_Reduction_Sui.html?id=GhOsyR4nC4sC https://books.google.com/books/about/Army_Health_Promotion_Risk_Reduction_Sui.html?id=GhOsyR4nC4sC

The meetings are held Quarterly with a pre-brief for each meeting and ad hoc sessions for a total of 8 or more meetings a year. The BOG members are all Federal employees and two non-federal support people are needed for capturing minutes and supporting the presentation.

Q42. On p. 9 of the RFP, subtask 4.1.14 indicates that the offeror will assist with hosting the biannual SDR Working Group. Please clarify what costs the offeror should be prepared to cover— o Securing meeting location o Arranging for travel and other logistics

A42: The intent is for the contractor to provide all aspects of hosting a working group including logistics. Government will reimburse for participant travel and honorariums.

Q43. On p. 7 of the RFP (section 4.1.1), it states that the support services contractor provide expertise on suicide prevention research-related issues. On p. 11 (section 4.5), this requirement for ‘contractor personnel’ is not listed. Please clarify whether the contractor should plan to provide the suicide prevention expertise in the bid.

A43: The contractor should plan to provide expertise on suicide prevention research-related issues.

Q44. On p. 15, it is noted that eight (8) on-site contractors will be provided space. Please clarify the level of effort and roles for these staff— o Is this 8 full time equivalents (FTEs) or what proportion of time does the government expect the on-site contractors to work?

o What is the mix of skills required for the on-site contractors (e.g., half should be programmers, half should be statisticians/survey methodologists)? Is an expert in

Information Technology for obtaining, linking, and securing the data required on-site?

A44: See A19. The Government expects eight persons on site at all times. IT doesn’t need to be emphasized but is needed for aspects of data analysis inherent in the use of automated analytical tools.

Q45. Can the government provide more specific information about the requirements of the offeror in providing secure networking? What level of NIST certification is the offeror required to provide for data (i.e., we assume the data will be stored and maintained on government facilities and contractor staff would be prohibited from housing data on their government issued laptops)?

A45: The data must be maintained on GFE only.

Q46. Can the government provide information for pricing purposes about what the general levels of the staff are expected to be in terms of GS equivalence?

A46: See A19.

Q47. P. 15. Is there a sense of how many white papers, fact sheets, data requests etc. are anticipated, and updating of the data (and other data management tasks) so that we can better estimate the skills mix need for potential staff?

A47: See A40.

Q48. Paragraph 4.1.1, Page 7: The PWS states “Support services provide expertise on suicide prevention research-related issues, data management, analysis and interpretation, briefing creation and delivery, and consultation on policy and management of projects performed by and for DSPO.”

Question – Would the Government please confirm that an Offeror must provide support services as it relates to research, i.e., provide expertise on suicide prevention research-related issues, research data management, analysis and interpretation of research, briefing creation and delivery related to research efforts, and consultation on research policy and management of research projects performed by and for DSPO?

A48: Yes, the offeror must provide support services as it relates to research.

Q49. Paragraph 4.1.2, Page 7: The PWS states “Provide technical/literature reviews and editing of reports, presentations and other documents."

Question – Would the Government please confirm such reports, presentation, and other documents refer to products of the DSPO government staff and work performed by external researchers submitted for review and editing?

A49: The reports, presentations, and other documents refer to products of the DSPO government staff.

Q50. Paragraph 4.1.2.2, Page 7: The PWS states an offeror shall “Provide technical assistance to assist the Services in implementation of identified practices.”

Question – Would the Government please clarify this statement? Does it mean that an offeror shall provide Service-level prevention intervention support?

A50: The offeror will not provide Service-level prevention intervention support.

Q51. Paragraph 4.1.6, Page 8: The PWS states “Develop concise white paper or articles for dissemination via the internet.”

Question - Would the Government please confirm the quantity of white papers or articles is the same quantity disseminated this past fiscal year.

A51: See A40.

Q52. Paragraph 4.1.11, Page 8: The PWS states “utilize expert knowledge in suicide prevention and associated fields to assist in the development of research and study proposals.”

Question - Would the Government please confirm the quantity of the research and study proposals are the same quantity anticipated this past fiscal year.

A52: Four research proposals were prepared for FY17.

Q53. Paragraph 4.2.1, Page 9: The PWS states that an offeror shall “Assist with the management of the DSPO Research Repository to ensure surveillance data and research finds are leveraged to ensure the proper identification/confirmation of high risk groups and accompanying evidence-based interventions.”

Question – Would the Government please expound on the requirement? How does

“management” of the DSPO Research Repository relate to “surveillance data” – as this term has no other reference in sub-bullets?

A53: The government requires assistance with the Research Repository, that is, a database that houses published research. Recent research findings need to be tracked and analyzed, in order to identify research gaps, and/or to assist in the translation of these findings to military services.

Surveillance data is used to identify areas in need of intervention that recent research can address. The offeror shall manage the repository by obtaining recent research.

Q54. Paragraph 4.2.2, Page 9: The PWS states that an offeror shall “Develop foundations of evidence to support DSPO approach and to answer leadership questions.”

Question – Would the Government please clarify what “develop foundations of evidence” refers to (e.g. to support DSPO’s approach to research, approach to outreach, etc.)?

A54: It refers to DSPO’s overall approach to suicide prevention, including research and outreach.

Q55. The RFP states “The offeror shall submit no more than three (3) relevant past performance references….” “For each reference being submitted, complete and include a

Past Performance Reference Questionaire (PPR) found at Attachment B. Complete and submit one (1) PPRQ for each reference.” Question: Do the PPRQs have to be sent to the customer to submit to the Government or will the offeror submit them as part of the proposal submission?

A55: The Offeror will submit them as part of the proposal submission.

Q56. Does the Government view this work as individual tasks with distinct dedicated staff aligned to each task order or are all tasks viewed as one overall project with staff that can support multiple tasks?

A56: All tasks are viewed as one overall project with staff that can support multiple tasks.

Q57. Is there an incumbent currently performing this work? Will the Government identify that contractor?

A57: See A2 and A3.

Q58. Deliverable 4.1.10: Is this deliverable in the form of a literature review and will the report also include interview/working group expert feedback?

A58: Yes.

Q59. Deliverable 4.2.4: There is no section corresponding to this deliverable (although 4.3.6 may be). Is this a review and edit or writing or DoDSER Annual Report? What is the responsibility?

A59: The responsibility is reviewing and editing.

Q60. Deliverable 4.3.8: Does this deliverable include gap analyses of research? Is this deliverable a research agenda report?

A60: Yes to both questions.

Q61. Deliverable 4.3.9: What level of detail is required in the report of publicly available datasets? Is the government aiming to capture data dictionaries for each data set or an overview?

A61: This is intended to be the capture of data related to suicide from publicly available datasets. It can include granular data as well as overview.

Q62. Deliverable 4.5.3: Does the government currently have a death review protocol in place? Does this deliverable intend to be the development of a new protocol approach?

A62: The government does not currently have a death review protocol in place. This deliverable intends to include the development of a new protocol approach.

Q63. Section 4.5.4: Does this requirement include the development of a database and will the data include PII/PHI? Does the government have an estimated number of data sources that will be coordinated?

A63: Offeror will hold meeting(s) with SMEs to identify all relevant data sources for each branch of service. Offeror will then develop database and data dictionary for suicide death reviews. Data will include PII/PHI.

Q64. Deliverable 4.5.5: Will the contractor be required to conduct qualitative and/or quantitative analyses?

A64: The contractor will be expected to conduct qualitative and/or quantitative analyses in order to prepare a report of death review themes, findings and actionable recommendations.

Q65. Under Attachment A: Evaluation Factors, Criteria, and Rating Methods, please clarify by indicating if the Pass/Fail criteria in section 1.4 will be used at all as an evaluation criteria by the government.

A65: See A18.

Q66. Under section 9.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED

PROPERTY/EQUIPMENT/INFORMATION (GFP/GFE/GFI) are there any software packages other than MS Office software currently used by the DSPO or that will be required to be used in performance of the Contract? If so, what are those software packages? Will all software required for performance of the Contract be provided as

GFE? Are there a sufficient number of user licenses to the permit the eight contractor staff to use the required software?

A66: The software packages SPSS is currently used by DSPO and will be required to be used in performance of the Contract. The software is provided as GFE. There are a sufficient number of user licenses to the permit the eight contractor staff to use the required software.

Q67. Deliverables Table, page 12 of 63, Section 5.0 of the Solicitation, DoDSER Annual

Report references “PWS Ref. Section 4.2.4”. There is no Section “4.2.4” in the Solicitation, please clarify.

A67: This refers to section 4.3.6.

Q68. Section 10.0 “Place Of Performance” does not state the actual place of performance.

Please provide the location, government building, street address, city and state.

A68: 4800 Mark Center Dr, Suite 05J25, Alexandria VA 22350.

Q69. Section 10.0 “Place Of Performance” does not state the actual place of performance.

For the proposed 8 on site staff, please provide the location, government building, street address, city and state.

A69: See A68.

Q70. Solicitation -Page 55 (f) (1) Document type – Invoice/Receiving Report (Combo) This type of invoicing report indicates that there will be goods to be received. Question: Please explain what information will need to be provided on the Receiving Report. Or can the method of invoicing be changed to 2-in-1?

A70: Further invoicing instructions will be provided to the successful Offeror if requested.

Q71. What is the projected start date?

A71: September 30, 2016.

Q72. Are there incumbent personnel in these positions?

A72: See A2 and A3.

Q73. Can you provide Workload Statistics (# of events, historic man hours involved)?

A73: See A19. Man hours involved include full-time coverage for the noted staff.

Q74. Proposal Submissions. An 11:00 due time places unfair hardship for bidders located outside the DC Beltway. We must mail two days early to ensure overnight deliery before the suspense date or potentially drive all night to hand deliver the response. Question:

Could the time proposals are due be shifted to 3:00 PM ET or later?

A74: The response due date is 11:00 a.m. Eastern, Tuesday, August 23, 2016.

Q75. ITO 3..A.i Offeror Information. Question: Do you want this information for the prime only or do your want corporate data for subcontractors?

A75: Prime Only.

Q76. ITO 3..A. iii For each reference being submitted, complete and include a Past

Performance Relevancy Questionnaire (PPRQ) found at Attachment B. Complete and submit one PPRQ per reference.The Government will utilize the references submitted to obtain additional performance information on the Offeror.

Question: Are the bidders to send the PPQ to the customer then submit it completed or submit ithe PPQ with reference information only?

A76: See A55.

Q77. ITO 3.A.iii Please Confirm: Only Prime contractor Past performance may submitted?

A77: See A75.

Q78. Does the cover sheet count as one page?

A78: See A25.

Q79. Atch. A 1.1. Per FAR 15.1.1, Best Value Continuum approach can include Tradeoff

Process, LPTA and/or Oral Presentation. Question: Can you provide more clarity on the evaluation approach?

A79: Please refer back to sections 4.1 and 4.2 of Attachment A, Evaluation Factors, Criteria, and Rating Methods. Technical and Past Performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.

Q80. Atch. A Paragraph 2.2.1. The Past Performance Evaluation results in an assessment of the offeror’s probability of meeting the solicitation requirements, based on past performance information as a prime contractor. Question: Can the Prime Contractor submit past performance for contracts where they were a subcontractor?

A80: No.

Q81. Atch. A 3.2 ELEMENT C Staffing Plan. The proposal shall demonstrate how the offeror’s staffing plan supports their technical approach by providing labor categories, experience and skill level of proposed personnel, labor hours, and a crosswalk to the PWS requirements. Question: Are resumes required?

A81: No.

Q82. PWS 4.1.14. Assist with the hosting of a biannual Suicide Prevention Research

Working Group consisting of DoD suicide prevention research subject matter experts.

Question: Is the intent for the contractor to provide all aspects of hosting a working group including logistics any honorariums? Will government reimburse for participant travel?

A82: The intent is for the contractor to provide all aspects of hosting a working group including logistics. Contractor travel will be paid.

Q83. PWS 4.5 Paragraph number is used twice:

4.5 Annual Suicide Death Case Review,

4.5 Contractor Personnel

A83: Noted. See A24.

Q84. PWS 10.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: 10.0 The government will provide adequate office space for eight (8) on site contractors. PWS 10.0 PLACE OF

PERFORMANCE Question: Must all work be conducted onsite?

Q84: See A21.

Q85. PWS, Paragraph 12.0. Subparagraphs are misnumbered as 11.#

A85: Noted. PWS has been revised.

Q86. Is there an incumbent currently providing these services? If so, can you identify. If not, were these services being undertaken by the government internally?

A86: See A3.

Q87. Item 10.0 of the PWS (page 15) specifies that the “government will provide adequate office space for 8 on site contractors”. Should we read this as meaning the government is requiring on-site contractors? Can we submit an application that provides all the services off-site while satisfying all data/confidentiality requirements.

A87: The government is requiring on-site contractors.

Q88. On page 8 of the solicitation, section 4.1.6 states, “Develop concise white papers or articles . . . “. Please provide the number (or range) of white papers or articles expected on an annual basis.

A88: See A40.

Q89. On page 8 of the solicitation, section 4.1.8 states, “Provide experience-based recommendations and research direction as requested on other studies being conducted by, or on the behalf of, DSPO”. Please provide the number (or range) of studies currently being or anticipated to be conducted by, or on the behalf of DSPO.

A89: See A40.

Q90. On page 8 of the solicitation, section 4.1.12.4 states, “Prepare results for distribution to participating organizations post review”. Please provide the number (or range) of anticipated proposal on an annual basis.

A90: Last year we had approximately 30 proposals. We expect this to be about average per year.

Q91. On page 9 of the solicitation, section 4.3.2 states, “Provide assistance with collection, transmission and storage of proprietary data in a secure manner in compliance with federal requirements”. Please clarify if the government expects the contractor to collect data using the contractor’s information systems, such as surveys using web or CATI systems?

A91: The government does not expect the contractor to collect data using the contractor’s information systems, such as surveys using web or CATI systems. The government would expect the contractor to collect and store proprietary information, such as published articles from journals that require a subscription.

Q92. On page 9 of the solicitation, section 4.3.3, states, “Provide support in program evaluation, including survey development, pilot study evaluations and implementation evaluations”. Please clarify how many (or range) of the evaluations and studies are to be conducted annually.

A92: See A40.

Q93. On page 10 of the solicitation, section 4.3.5 states, “Gather and perform analysis on weekly and quarterly suicide data and publish findings”. Please clarify how often the findings are to be published.

A93: The findings are to be published weekly and quarterly.

Q94. On page 10 of the solicitation, section 4.3.5.1 states, “Requests are routinely received and may require consolidating inputs from multiple data sources”. Please clarify routine, that is how many requests are expected on a monthly basis.

A94: Often there are multiple reports a day from different sources, requiring as many as forty discrete cases per month to be consolidated.

Q95. On page 12 of the solicitation, section 5.0 DELIVERABLES identifies a deliverable of

“Quarterly/Weekly Suicide Report, PWS Ref. 4.2.3 . . . “. However on page 9 Section 4.2.3 states, “Continually assess for and develop broader capability of suicide prevention research”. Please clarify the discrepancy and point to the section within the solicitation that identifies this report.

A95: See section 4.3.5 for clarification of the Weekly/Quarterly suicide reporting. This is a surveillance requirement and is distinct from the 4.2.3 requirement related to research.

Q96. On page 20 of the RFP, it states that “for each reference being submitted, complete and include a Past Performance Relevancy Questionnaire (PPRQ)…”. Please clarify whether the offeror should complete the PPRQ for each reference or references should be asked to complete the PPRQ and return to the DHRA PSO directly.

A96: See A55.

Q97. Is there an incumbent already performing the tasks described in the RFP? If so, who is the incumbent? If so, how long has the incumbent been performing these tasks?

A97: See A2, and A3.

Q98. The Place of Performance section states that the government will provide space for 8 personnel. Where exactly is that space?

A98: See A68.

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The required response date/time has changed from 18-Aug-2016 11:00 AM to 23-Aug-2016 11:00 AM.

The following have been modified:

ADDENDUM TO 52.212-1:

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

OFFERORS SHOULD NOTE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT INFORMATION

REGARDING PROPOSAL SUBMISSION:

1. SAM: Any Offeror that submits a proposal in response to this solicitation must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), in accordance with FAR Clause 52.232-33 and

DFARS Clause 252.204-7004 Alt A prior to award. Registration information can be found at:

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.

2. Communication: Solicitation information and amendments will be posted to the Federal

Business Opportunities website at www.fbo.gov. Offerors may email written questions requesting clarification of the Request for Proposal (RFP) to the Contract Specialist, Robert

Freeman, at: Robert.C.Freeman42.civ@mail.mil. No information concerning this solicitation or requests for clarification will be provided in response to telephone calls. Questions will be received up to 11:00 a.m. Eastern on Friday, August 5, 2016. Questions received after this time and date may not be answered.

3. Proposal Submissions: All proposal submissions in response to this solicitation must be received no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern on August 23, 2016. No electronic submissions will be accepted. Submit proposals to the address below:

DHRA PSO

Attn: Robert Freeman

4800 Mark Center Drive West Tower, Suite 06J25-01

Alexandria, VA 22350-4000

NOTE: If hand delivering a proposal, contact the Contract Specialist, Robert Freeman, at robert.c.freeman42.civ@mail.mil, via email at least five business days prior to the due date for delivery instructions.

Proposal: Proposals shall be submitted in two separate volumes as follows:

A. VOLUME I – Business, Pricing and Past Performance: Offerors shall submit one hard copy of Volume I. This volume shall include:

i. Offeror Information: Company Name, Address, Point of Contact Information and

Phone Number, CAGE code, DUNS Number, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and Business Size.

ii. Completed Representations and Certifications of Offeror (FAR Clause 52.212-3

Alt I).

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ http://www.fbo.gov/ mailto:robert.c.freeman42.civ@mail.mil

iii. Past Performance References: Offerors shall submit no more than 3 relevant

Past Performance references. All references shall address current projects or those completed within the last five years by the Offeror as a prime contractor.

For each reference being submitted, complete and include a Past Performance

Relevancy Questionnaire (PPRQ) found at Attachment B. Complete and submit one PPRQ per reference.

The Government will utilize the references submitted to obtain additional performance information on the Offeror. Subcontractors Past Performance will not be reviewed. Should the Offeror possess no relevant past performance, a written statement shall be provided by the Offeror so indicating. In this case, the

Offeror will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance and will be assigned a rating of Unknown Confidence.

iv. Price Proposal: Offerors shall use the pricing template at Attachment C of this solicitation. This section shall include:

Pricing shall be Firm-Fixed Price, per unit, by CLIN.

*Note: Travel CLINs – Offerors shall not propose a price for these

CLINs. These are cost-reimbursable CLINs. A Not-to-Exceed (NTE) amount will be entered at time of contract award.

The proposed labor categories, hours and fully burdened labor rates for the

Base and all Option periods.

A brief description of each proposed labor category.

B. VOLUME II – Technical: Offerors shall submit one original, three hardcopies, and one electronic copy (on CD) of this volume which shall include, and address items B (i-

iii) below. The total page count for this volume shall not exceed 35 single-sided pages, inclusive of any table of contents, appendices, attachments etc. The Government will only review up to the 35 th page of this volume, therefore, any pages beyond will not be evaluated. Margins shall not be less than ½ inch. Font may be Times New Roman or

Arial with not less than eleven pitch.

i. Technical Proposal: This section shall address the Offeror’s technical capability of meeting the requirements the PWS and Evaluation Factors (See Attachment A)

ii. Project Management Plan: Offerors shall provide a Plan in accordance with the

Evaluation Factors

iii. Staffing Plan: Offerors shall provide a Plan in accordance with the Evaluation

Factors

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Research and Data Analytic Support Services

1.0 INTRODUCTION The Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) requires research and data analytic support services to executing their mission and supporting the capability of the

Department of Defense (DoD) to enhance its suicide prevention efforts. The work requires support for Research oversight support, analysis of quantitative and qualitative suicide data, and report generation.

2.0 BACKGROUND

DSPO was established as a response to the recommendations contained in the DoD Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces. DSPO requirements were derived from the 76 recommendations contained in the Task Force Report to include the requirement to create a unified, strategic, and comprehensive DoD plan for research in military suicide prevention, and the standardization of suicide death investigations.

More recently, the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 567, calls for improved consistency in data collection and reporting in DoD suicide prevention efforts for members of the

Reserve Component and for military family members. DSPO also recently published the

Defense Strategy for Suicide Prevention (DSSP) and the requirements contained in this PWS will assist in meeting the goals and objectives of the DSSP.

3.0 SCOPE

3.1 The contractor shall provide all personnel, management and materials necessary to assist with research and data analysis that supports DSPO’s suicide prevention efforts and general analytic support to support the diverse and varying data request DSPO supports.

4.0 REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall:

4.1 Research Support

4.1.1 Provide program support services by daily facilitating multiple, concurrent research studies, briefing requests, and short-fuse information requests from Department of Defense leadership. Support services provide expertise on suicide prevention research-related issues, data management, analysis and interpretation, briefing creation and delivery, and consultation on policy and management of projects performed by and for DSPO.

4.1.2 Provide technical/literature reviews and editing of reports, presentations, and other documents.

4.1.2.1 Translate suicide prevention research into actionable practices to contribute to the reduction of suicides.

4.1.2.2 Provide technical assistance to assist the Services in implementation of identified practices.

4.1.2.3 Provide measures of effectiveness in the development of suicide prevention practices.

4.1.3 Develop research hypotheses grounded in theory, theoretical and statistical models, as well as reporting standards to understand factors that influence the decision to die by suicide.

4.1.4 Provide continuing assessment of the validity and appropriateness of evidence based suicide prevention research.

4.1.5 Work with DSPO to maintain and improve coordination with the Services so that research redundancies are eliminated where possible.

4.1.6 Develop concise white papers or articles for dissemination via the Internet. The white papers shall synthesize DSPO research on specific topics to provide relevant and readable information. Specifically, these papers are expected to be concise, polished, contain easy to interpret graphics, and be written for key DoD constituents who may not possess a scientific background.

4.1.7 Provide project management, including annual research recommendations, participating in meetings, and, where applicable, obtaining Institutional Review Boards (IRB) and Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) approvals of research.

4.1.8 Provide experience-based recommendations and research direction as requested on other studies being conducted by, or on the behalf of, DSPO.

4.1.9 Conduct longitudinal and trend analysis of quantitative private sector, government, and other data to obtain comparable estimates across demographic and other categories.

4.1.10 Perform research on emerging technology trends that are being used by Service members to determine how to incorporate into suicide prevention outreach strategies (e.g., social media, smartphone apps).

4.1.11 Utilize expert knowledge in suicide prevention and associated fields to assist in the development of research and study proposals.

4.1.12 Develop a standardized process to collect, review and provide recommendations for DoD non-clinical suicide prevention research, studies and initiatives for government approval.

4.1.12.1 Prepare data call request to Services and Defense agencies for non-clinical suicide prevention research, studies and initiatives.

4.1.12.2 Collaborate with submitting organizations to ensure request are reviewed in a standard manner.

4.1.12.3 Provide a consistent scoring/grading system for submitted proposals.

4.1.12.4 Prepare results for distribution to participating organizations post review.

4.1.13 Continually monitor for newly published research.

4.1.14 Assist with the hosting of a biannual Suicide Prevention Research Working Group consisting of DoD suicide prevention research subject matter experts.

4.1.14.1 Prepare agenda and presentation materials and distribute read ahead information.

4.1.14.2 Prepare meeting minutes and provide for approval.

4.1.14.3 Utilize expert knowledge of suicide prevention and social science to assist in the development and execution of working groups.

4.2 Defense Suicide Prevention Research Analysis

4.2.1 Assist with the management of the DSPO Research Repository to ensure surveillance data and research findings are leveraged to ensure the proper identification/confirmation of high risk groups and accompanying evidence-based interventions.

4.2.1.1 Provide full text of identified research/articles, review, summarize, and extrapolate relevant outcomes of published research.

4.2.1.2 Collaborate with stakeholders to include study information.

4.2.1.3 Manage and refine data dictionaries and categories information to allow efficient retrieval of information.

4.2.1.4 Collect research funding information

4.2.1.5 Identify gaps and redundancy among non-clinical suicide prevention research efforts.

4.2.1.6 Input data into the Defense Suicide Prevention Research Analysis database.

4.2.2 Develop foundations of evidence to support DSPO approach and to answer leadership questions

4.2.3 Continually assess for and develop broader capability of suicide prevention research.

4.3 Data Management Support

4.3.1 Provide personnel with subject matter expertise and working knowledge of DoD and

Federal laws and policies affecting personnel and health related data collections to ensure that its data acquisition efforts are in compliance with all regulatory guidance.

4.3.2 Provide assistance with collection, transmission and storage of proprietary data in a secure manner in compliance with federal requirements.

4.3.3 Provide support in program evaluation, including survey development, pilot study evaluations and implementation evaluations.

4.3.4 Provide support in data analysis to identify trends and make recommendations for implementation of targeted interventions and further research.

4.3.5 Gather and perform analysis on weekly and quarterly suicide data and publish findings.

4.3.5.1 Requests are routinely received and may require consolidating inputs from multiple data sources.

4.3.6 Provide recommendations and assist with the annual Department of Defense Suicide Event

Report (DoDSER) for publication.

4.3.7 Assist with the fulfillment of suicide data inquiries utilizing existing DSPO data resources.

4.3.8 Provide data-based findings and recommendations to assist DSPO in the development and implementation of the suicide prevention research strategy.

4.3.9 Provide recommendations to the Government based on expert knowledge and experience regarding the use of various publicly available datasets (e.g., Decennial Census, American

Community Survey, Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CDC NHANES) for research and reporting metrics at various levels of geography (e.g., ZIP code, county, state, nation).

4.3.10 Provide expertise and advice on the Department’s efforts to improve understanding of suicide and suicide prevention and other resilience issues.

4.4 Provide Suicide Data Repository (SDR) Support

4.4.1 Support the operation of the SDR by ensuring data request are tracked verified and presented to the SDR Board of Governance (BOG) in compliance with the BOG Charter.

Develop business process work flow to automate business process to handle SDR data requests which includes user request application, BOG review and approval processes.

4.4.1.1 Provide an annual schedule for BOG meetings for approval.

4.4.1.2 Prepare agenda and distribute read ahead information.

4.4.1.3 Prepare meeting minutes and provide for approval.

4.4.2 Recommend enhancements to the SDR tracking, metrics and data mining capabilities to assist in more efficiently managing SDR data.

4.4.3 Develop tools for reporting metrics on user data requests and track the status of those data requests and metrics on the utilization of DSPO analytical environment.

4.4.4 Develop data quality checking tools to evaluate data integrity, completeness and validity for data analysis and data systems compliance activities. Develop data sanitizing tools to enhance data based on the results from data quality checking tool.

4.4.5 Develop search or data mining functionality for the SDR in conjunction with newly incorporated databases and data fields.

4.4.6 Develop an annual report that summarizes the activities of the BOG and findings

4.5 Annual Suicide Death Case Review

4.5.1 Develop a system to randomly select suicide deaths from each of the Services and Reserve components.

4.5.2 Assist in the execution of a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts to perform a suicide death case review.

4.5.3 Review existing, service specific death review protocols and procedures and create a comprehensive approach to reviewing suicide deaths utilizing knowledge and experience with suicide case reviews.

4.5.4. Identify, coordinate, and compile necessary data to perform a comprehensive suicide deep-dive.

4.5.5. Prepare a report of death review themes, findings and actionable recommendations.

4.6 Monthly Status Report

4.6.1 A summary of work performed for reporting period.

4.6.2 Progress towards open efforts.

4.6.3 Planned actions towards new efforts.

4.6.4 The final report should be a rolled-up summary of completed activities.

4.7 Participate in a Post-Award Conference. This meeting shall provide an introduction between the Contractor personnel and Government personnel who will be involved with the contract. The meeting shall provide the opportunity to discuss technical, management and security issues. The Post Award Conference will aid both the Government and Contractor in achieving a clear and mutual understanding of all requirements, and identify and resolve any potential issues. The Contractor shall be prepared to discuss any items requiring clarification and gather information as necessary to support each deliverable. The Contractor shall provide a written summary of the Post-Award Conference.

4.8 Contractor Personnel

4.8.1 Provide expertise in biostatistics, program evaluation, psychometrics and research methods, organizational and career decision making, and communications theory expertise to support data and research efforts and working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative theory-based research design.

5.0 DELIVERABLES

Deliverable PWS Ref. Delivery Date

Emerging Technology Trends 4.1.10 180 days after award date

Research/Study Proposals 4.1.11 Bi-Annually: 1 Feb and 1 Aug

Research Review…