Amendment_No_2_201800006.pdf

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 1

Amendment No.

NIAID-AMOB-NIHAO20180006

“NIAID Professional, Scientific and Technical Support Services” Solicitation Number:

Amendment Number:

Amendment Issue Date:

NIHAO201800006

One (1)

June 22, 2018

Proposal Due Date/Time: Monday, July 9, 2018 at 3 pm, Local Time (Unchanged)

Issued By: Callie Prassinos Contracting Officer

OA/DEA/NIAID/NIH/DHHS

Point of Contact PRIMARY:

wilsonpm@mail.nih.gov Patrick Wilson, Contract Specialist Phone: 240-669-5121

SECONDARY:

prassinosca@niaid.nih.gov Callie Prassinos, Contracting Officer Phone: 240-669-5155

Please note that we do NOT intend to extend the due date for submission of proposals as a result of this amendment. The date specified for receipt of proposals remains unchanged.

The purpose of this Amendment is to:

1) Answer questions from potential offerors regarding the solicitation;

Offerors must acknowledge receipt of this Amendment by identifying this amendment number and date of the amendment on each copy of the proposal submitted. Failure to receive your acknowledgement may result in the rejection of your proposal. Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

mailto:wilsonpm@mail.nih.gov mailto:prassinosca@niaid.nih.gov

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 2

Responses to Questions from Potential Offerors:

1. Please confirm that Attachment 4 supersedes Section L and that offerors shall follow the guidelines of Attachment 4?

Attachment 4: Technical Proposal Instruction provides guidance on what Offerors should submit for evaluation purposes. Section L provides all information about what the Government may need to make award.

2. If the offeror shall follow the guidelines of Attachment 4, does that mean that resumes shall not be included?

Please provide the resume for the individual to be name Key Personnel on the Base award in your Technical Proposal. All other resumes will be evaluated with Task Order requests.

3. In Attachment 4, may the offeror provide three pages maximum for each numbered bullet under Section 2 or must the offeror provide three pages maximum for the entire Section 2?

The suggested 3-page maximum is for Section 2 only.

4. How many awards are anticipated to be made under this solicitation?

We anticipate to award more than one award under this IDIQ.

5. How many task orders are anticipated to be issued each year?

As this is a new requirement, the anticipated Task Orders per year are unknown.

6. What is the estimated value of each task order?

As this is a new requirement, the anticipated Task Order values are unknown, but as stated in the RFP, Task Orders should not be less than $10,000 each.

7. What is the estimated Period of Performance of each task order?

Most of the Task Order will be severable, term task orders for one year of performance with options to extend on an annual basis. There might be some task orders for shorter than one year. This will be dependent on the need of each year.

8. What is the estimated response time (business days) that will be allotted for TORFPs from issuance to due date?

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 3

This will vary based upon the task order but is likely to be estimate at about 14 days.

9. Page 13, Section C, of the RFP states that all contractors within a technical area will receive e-mail notification regarding proposed task order requirements. How will the Government determine which contractors (from all contract awardees) are within a technical area?

All Contractor awarded the Base Award will be within all three task areas. Therefore, all communication about ordering Task Orders will be sent to all Contractor’s with Base Awards. Contractors with a Base Award will have the opportunity to propose to all task orders.

10. Is this an existing contract? If so, what has been the overall spend to date?

This is a new requirement.

11. Are there any historical spends on the additional items like property, materials, subcontracts, etc?

This is a new requirement. Please use the cost assumption found in the RFP, Attachment 5.

12. Page 14, Section e.1.iii; How many TORFPs each year are expected to be issued that are a logical follow-on to an order already issued?

This will depend on the need at the time. But the Government will ensure that Fair Opportunity is given to all Contractors with a Base Award.

13. Page 64, Section 10.a.1. of the RFP refers offeror to reference section “Government

Furnished Property” for a listing of such property. Please clarify where the listing of “Government Furnished Property” is provided within the RFP. Also, will the Government provide GFP to contractors?

There is no Government Furnished Property under this RFP or will any be provided to the Contractors. Please disregard this section.

14. Please provide the work locations/places of performance for each of the labor categories listed in Attachment 18, Listing of Labor Categories.

This is unknown at this time and will vary depending on the Program’s Need. The work location/ place of performance will be listed in the Task Order when requesting the specific Labor Category.

15. Attachment 10 includes the labor categories for: Clinical Advisor 7, Clinical

Operations Manager 7 thru 8, Clinical Operations Manager 8, Scientific Program Manager 12, Scientific Program Manager 13, Scientific Program Manager 14, Sr.

Clinical Advisor 1 thru 6, Clinical Program Manager 1 thru 6, Sr. Scientific Program

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 4

Manager 1 thru 11, Laboratory Technician 12 thru 16, Quality Assurance Specialist 1 thru 4, Animal Biologist 9 thru 11 and Animal Technician 1 thru 11. However, these labor categories are not included within Attachment 18, Listing of Labor Categories.

Please provide the Minimum General Experience, Minimum Education, and Functional Responsibility for each of these labor categories.

Please see Amendment 1.

16. Attachment 10, Please confirm that column C - Estimated number of

Hours/Quantity/Cost reflects hours/quantity/cost on a per year basis, for purposes of calculating Total Price/Cost within the spreadsheet.

This is an estimate on a per year basis.

17. Attachment 5, Page 2.b. states “the awardee will not be able to propose cost adjustments or profit mark-up on top of its labor rates when it later proposes in response to each task order.” Are the proposed rates in Attachment 10 considered ceiling rates when responding to task orders, and therefore may be adjusted accordingly in response to each task order?

Please enter fully loaded rate into Attachment 10. If an award is made, this document will become part of the Base Award Contract. The subsequent task orders will be using these rates, for the prime and any subcontractors.

18. Can additional technical Key Personnel also serve on task orders?

Yes, additional Key Personnel can be proposed on Task Order.

19. On page 12, the Government discusses the requirements for the subcontractors as it relates to the price volume. If the subcontractors agree to the rates proposed by the prime contractor, do the subcontractors still need to provide a complete cost proposal or may the subcontractors make a statement agreeing to that of the prime contractor's rate structure? In addition, if a complete cost proposal is to be submitted, are they emailed as a sealed package or uploaded with the prime bid?

Even though the Government doesn’t intend a full cost proposal for each subcontractor proposed, please enter fully loaded rates for each position in Attachment 10 and enough information in your business proposal to determine reasonableness of the subcontractor cost. Subcontractor cost can be email directly to the Contracting Officer during negotiations of Offerors found to be in the Competitive Range.

20. Pages 92-94 attachment 5 and Attachment 10; The table is currently not set-up to calculate price by contract period but is set up to calculate overall price, was this intended or can offerors revise the spreadsheet so annual totals may be calculated?

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 5

Please do not alter Attachment 10, it is as the Government intended.

21. Attachment 5, Section 4, Page 3; Travel, Occupational Health Testing and

Immunizations, Cost of Sponsoring Visas and Consultants are all noted with not to exceed amounts; however, section C of the solicitation, i. and j., for Travel and Other costs, it states that offerors must essentially provide details behind travel as well as other costs (consultant services, etc). Please confirm that offerors may acknowledge the amounts for travel, testing, visa and consultancies and to also describe how those costs will be treated.

For purpose of evaluation, please propose cost as directed in the assumptions. In your Business Proposal, please provided information about these items to help the Government determine how they will treated and reasonableness.

22. Attachment 5, Section 4, Page 3, are those amounts inclusive of indirect rates (i.e.

general & administrative (G&A))?

For evaluation proposes on this solicitation, the Cost Assumption are loaded with indirect rates.

23. Attachment 5, Section 4, paragraph D. Consultants; Does this line item include support by subcontractors?

Consultant cost assumptions are separate from the loaded labor rates. If Subcontractors are needed to fill certain labor rates, please include enough information to determine reasonableness.

24. Do the offerors need to provide sample resumes for the labor categories in Attachment 18?

Please see question 2.

25. Attachment 5; The RFP references non-labor cost/price elements including materials, purchased parts and shipping. Where should such items be reflected within the Attachment 10 template? Can offeror make adjustments to the template to add additional ODC line items as needed?

Please do not alter Attachment 10. For evaluation purpose, please include only cost assumptions listed in Attachment 5, Section 4. Any additional items that will be need in Task Order will be requested to be proposed at the time of Request Task Order Proposals.

26. Section L.b.1.b; Do offerors need to provide resumes for all technical key personnel in each of the task areas?

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 6

27. Section L.b.1.b; Could the Government define the job descriptions for the technical key personnel in each of the task areas?

28. Section L. 2.a.2 Authorized Official Submission of Proposal, states “Proposals will be typewritten, paginated, reproduced on letter sized paper, printed/copies double-side, on at least 30 percent post consumer fiber paper, as required by FAR 4.302(b), and will be legible in all required copies.” However in Attachment 1 Packaging and Delivery of Proposal it appears to be a proposal submission via eCPS. Will the Government please clarify if this is a hard copy submission or electronic submission?

Please disregard Section L.2.a.2. Submission will be electronic submitted via eCPS.

a. If hard copy, how many copies will be required for the Technical Proposal and Business Proposal? N/A

29. How does the Government intend to evaluate the TECH Approach (as requested in Sections 1.a.1 through 1.a.4) of the solicitation? The Structure of Section 4, of the Attachment 4 template, while providing very specific additional proposal instructions for the MANAGEMENT Approach, does not accommodate the detailed instructions for the Technical Approach provided on page 55 of the main solicitation.

Items listed in Technical Approach on page 55 can be include in Section 2:

Technical Proposal Overview, in your Technical Proposal. Section M – Evaluation Factors for Award, starting on page 70 of the RFP, outline the Technical Evaluation Factors and how they will be evaluated. Please reference Criterion 1-3 on what will be evaluation. Attachment 4, Technical Proposal Instructions, will provide the information that should be provided in your technical proposal for evaluation.

30. Two key sentences at the end of the first paragraph (page 1, Attachment #4) read:

“the information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. “Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested herein.” Our concern relates to Section 4, Attachment #4 which provides 4 paragraphs of very specific instructions for preparing the management approach), but does not align with, or accommodate the detailed Section L instructions (i.e., Objectives, Approach, Methods, and Schedule for Accomplishing the Statement of Work) that are articulated on page 55 of the solicitation.

Section L is a suggested outline, but Attachment 4 is the detailed information that is needed for evaluation of your technical proposal, as referenced in Section M.

AMENDMENT #2, RFP NIHAO201800006 7

31. On page 70 of the Solicitation (Section M factors for TECH Volume), there are only 3 factors identified for the TECH approach (They are 1) Recruiting Capability (30%), 2) Management Approach (40%), and 3) Corporate Experience (30%) There is no place in the Section M criteria where the specific TECH Approach requested on page 55 (i.e., Objectives, Approach, Methods, and Schedule for Accomplishing the Statement of Work), receives any points.

Please see responses for question 29 and 30. The three (3) technical criterion will be scored and evaluation as stated in Section M.

32. I am hoping to inquire if you may be able to clarify if the Solicitation #

NIHAO201800006 (Professional, Scientific, and Technical Support Services) are the same services as the Presolicitation # NIAID-OD-NIHAO2017057 and being re-released? Or are these for different services? I noticed the listed descriptions are extremely similar.

There were many changes to NIAID-OD-NIHAO2017057, therefore it was revised and released as NIHAO201800006. There will not be another RFP coming out for

NIAID-OD-NIHAO2017057

33. Also, I am hoping to inquire if Solicitation # NIHAO201800006 is currently being fulfilled by Contract # HHSN272201500015I. Is this accurate or is this contract related? If not, could you kindly provide the correct incumbent contract or is this an entirely new requirement?

This is a new requirement.