Amendment_1_NIHES2015048.pdf

RFP Number : NIHES2015048 Amendment 1

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OFFICE OF ACQUISITIONS

NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NUMBER: NIHES2015048

Amendment No.: 1

Date of Issuance: April 15, 2016

The above numbered Request For Proposal (RFP) is amended as set forth below. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offerors remains unchanged at 3:30 p.m. E.S.T. on May 2, 2016.

Offerors MUST acknowledge receipt of the amendment prior to the hour and the date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by separate Electronic Mail which includes a reference to the RFP and Amendment number(s). For your convenience, the Proposal Intent Response Form is provided in SECTION J - List of Attachments of this RFP, for this purpose. This acknowledgement must also be included on NIH Form 2043 if a proposal is submitted.

FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERORS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER.

This Amendment revises the RFP as stated below:

1. Attachment 6-Additional Technical Proposal has been revised to update page limits, appendix requirements and sample assignment instructions. The updated instructions are attached to this amendment. The revisions are highlighted in the document.

2. Page 48-Section L-Item 2.a.2.III.-Business Proposal is revised as follows: "For the business proposal: Inclued ONE

(1) ORIGINAL AND FOUR (4) COPIES PLUS 2 CD copies".

The rest of the language for this item remains unchanged.

3. Page 64-Section L-Item 2.b.-Technical Proposal Instructions (table) The table is revised to be consistent with the table provided at Attachment 6-Additional Technical Proposal Instructions. A biographical sketch is required for all personnel with a Master's or Doctorate degree, or the equivalent in experience and/or responsibility.

4. Page 66-Section L-Item 2.b.1, Technical Discussion-subparagraph b.1. for Personnel/Biographical sketch is revised to be consistent with the table provided at Attachment 6-Additional Technical Proposal Instructions. A biographical sketch is required for all personnel with a Master's or Doctorate degree, or the equivalent in experience and/or responsibility.

5. Page 82-Section M-Item 5. Technical Evaluation Factors-Evaluation Factor 3-Sample Assignments, subparagraph

(a) is revised as follows:

(200 points) Appropriateness of the technical approach included in the response to the four Sample Assignments which are provided at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/biodatasets. This shall include all aspects of the work performed by contractor staff and any proposed subcontractors/consultants.

Additional Questions and Responses The Government's response to questions submitted regarding this solicitation are provided as follows:

(1) The solicitation currently provides no specific description for scope of the Data Management Plan (Appendices).

Will additional details be forthcoming, or should bidders assume they have flexibility to provide a Data Management Plan that best addresses their interpretation of the project's needs?

RESPONSE-Offerors have the flexibility to provide a Data Management Plan that best addresses the project needs as they are outlined in the Statement of Work.

(2) Attachment 6 Additional Technical Instructions, page 2, provides a 25-page limit for Sample Assignments. Does the 25-page limit apply to each dataset analysis?

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RESPONSE-There are four datasets that make up the sample assignments. Each dataset has a 25-page limit.

Offerors are reminded that the total technical proposal cannot exceed 25MB.

(3) In Attachment 6 Additional Technical Instructions, the section Technical Evaluation Criteria #3 requests analyses of four provided datasets, but later in the paragraph requests analysis and documentation on three datasets. Please confirm the Offeror should conduct analysis on the four provided datasets.

RESPONSE-There are four datasets. Offerors are to conduct analysis on all four datasets.

(4) Please confirm that documentation on the dataset analysis 1) is not included in the 25-page limit) and, 2) can provided as a separate appendix or electronic file? Documentation can extend to hundreds of pages.

RESPONSE-The documentation on the dataset analysis IS included in the 25-page limit and cannot be included as a separate appendix or electronic file. Offerors are encouraged to provide a thorough but sufficiently succinct response to each Sample Assignment without providing additional backup documentation. NOTE-the technical proposal shall not exceed 25MB.

(5) The RFP makes several references to different security categories and levels. Please confirm that the overall level is Moderate.

RESPONSE-The overall level is moderate.

(6) Please confirm the 508 Product Assessment Template can be provided as an appendix and is not included in the 15-page limit.

RESPONSE-The 508 Product Assessment Template cannot be included as an appendix and IS included in the page limit for mandatory criteria #2. However, the page limit is REVISED to 20 pages so that offerors may provide additional supporting documentation.

(7) Please confirm the number of copies needed for the business proposal. Page 48 of the RFP requests an original and 3 copies, and Attachment 1 Packaging and Delivery of Proposal requests an original and 4 copies.

RESPONSE-For BOTH the technical and business proposals, please submit 1 original and 4 hard copies of each.

(8) Please clarify the requirement for CDs as part of the technical proposal submission. Page 48 of the RFP requests 2 CDs, and page 1 of Attachment 6 Additional Technical Proposal Instructions requests five CDs.

RESPONSE- For BOTH the technical and business proposals, please submit 2 CDs of each.

(9) In the RFP, section L.2.c Business Proposal Instructions requests submission of "data other than cost or pricing data" (L.2.c.3) and "certified cost or pricing data" or an exemption (L.2.c.4). In light of FAR 15.403-1, Prohibition on Obtaining Cost or Pricing Data, will the Government consider removing any requirement on the submission of certified cost or pricing data?

RESPONSE-For this solicitation, offerors should submit data other than certified cost or pricing data. . Offerors shall provide information in accordance with the instructions included in the RFP.

(10) Does the incumbent have access to the databases and tools, such as literature analysis tools, currently subscribed to or owned by NIEHS other than CEBS and TDMSE?

RESPONSE-The bioinformatics procurement is a new requirement. As such, there is no incumbent. Although, the previous statistical support contract did include some bioinformatics tasks, the contractor completing those tasks supplied their own software licenses. These software or tools are not subsidized by the government. The software that might be relevant for bioinformatic analysis from the statistical support contract are: Ingenuity IPA, Partek Genomics Suite, Leadscope, Spotfire, Cytoscape and SAS' JMP Genomics. There are no packages for literature analysis.

(11) Please clarify whether the Government requires a biographical sketch only for key personnel, as indicated in the RFP on pages 64 and 66, or for all staff with a masters or doctorate degree, as indicated on page 3 of Attachment 6 Additional Technical Proposal Instructions.

RESPONSE-Offerors are to submit a biographical sketch for key personnel and for all staff with a master's or doctorate degree.

(12) Do the Lead Bioinformatician and Lead Biostatistician positions require staff who are local to RTP?

RESPONSE-Please see the response provided in question 13 below.

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(13) Mandatory Qualifying Criteria #1 Operating Office requires the offeror provide a maximum response time of one hour. Please confirm this requirement applies to the Contractor's operating office and not specifically to individual personnel.

RESPONSE-There shall be frequent personal interaction between the contractor and the COR and other NIEHS researchers to resolve timely issues on experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of data analysis that require in depth discussion. All personnel providing bioinformatics support must adhere to the maximum response time of one hour. Therefore, Mandatory Qualification Criteria #1 applies to the contractor's operating office and to contract personnel.