COVID-19 BAA Q and A Round 2.pdf

IARPA-BAA-20-01

COVID-19 Seedling Research Topics

BAA Questions 7 through 12 - Round 2

Q7: As a follow up to your Question 5, are foreign entities allowed to compete?

A7: BAA Section 4.1.2 states:

“4.1.2 Foreign Entities

Foreign entities and/or individuals may participate but only as part of a U.S. based team. The prime contractor must be a U.S. company. Foreign entities and individuals may participate as subcontractors or employees of a U.S. company; however, all foreign participation must comply with any necessary Non-Disclosure Agreements, Security Regulations, Export Control Laws and other governing statutes applicable under the circumstances. Offerors are expected to ensure that the efforts of foreign participants do not either directly or indirectly compromise the laws of the United States, nor its security interests. As such, domestic Offerors should carefully consider the roles and responsibilities of foreign participants as they pursue teaming arrangements.”

Q8: We would like to inquire if IARPA is amenable to a brief pre-solicitation response discussion to see if a proposed research topic would be an appropriate direction for the IARPA- BAA-20-01 open solicitation prior to crafting a full response.

A8: Since the BAA has been released, and there is no stage for abstracts, Offerors will not be able to discuss their proposed research topic with PMs in advance. All questions regarding the BAA must be submitted in writing. The Government will publish its answers to questions, so all potential Offerors have access to the same information. We may be able to answer your questions regarding responsiveness of a particular technology if you are careful to word your question to protect proprietary ideas or concepts.

Q9: Within 6.2 Funding Availability Factor A. Budget Constraints: might you please offer more details on “[i]f the Offeror has submitted the proposal to other federal, state or local agencies or other parties that may fund the proposed effort, it may impact IARPA’s decision to fund the effort”? Might you please describe how submission to other USG funding organizations impact IARPA’s decisions?

A9: IARPA may choose not to fund research proposals that are already being funded by other organizations. The Government is prohibited from paying the same entity for the same work more than once. As such it is important to know whether proposals have been submitted to and/or funded by other US Government agencies. (See BAA Section 5.1.1(a), page 11 and Section 6.2 (page 17).

Q10: Are items proposed to other USG funding organizations welcome? prohibited? penalized?

If welcome, how best to convey this to IARPA? If not, how shall IARPA distinguish its criteria from others, when is so much overlap in USG funding opportunities?

A10: Concurrent submission of the proposal to other organizations (federal, state, local or other parties) will not prejudice its review but may impact IARPA’s decision to fund the effort. If an Offeror has submitted a substantially similar research proposal to another organization or has had a substantially similar proposal selected/funded/awarded by another organization, please provide the name of that organization (federal, state, local or other parties), the proposal title or number, the BAA, RFP, Contract or Grant number, and the other organization’s point of contact. The BAA will be amended to clarify this additional information related to submission of the proposal to other organizations. IARPA will assess each proposal in accordance with the stated criteria and requirements in IARPA-BAA-20-01.

Q11: May we presume IARPA is privy to items proposed to other government funding organizations such as DHHS/BARDA or DoD’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND)?

A11: No, do not assume that IARPA is privy to information related to proposals submitted to other parties, including the federal Government entities that you have listed.

Q12: Does IARPA anticipate awards before naming a CO, COTR and PM? Will there be amendments to the BAA when those personnel are named?

A12: Yes. The PM, COTR and CO will be set forth in the resultant contract if selected for award. We do not anticipate an amendment to the BAA naming the PM, CO, COTR.