Primates q a 4 fbo post.doc

PRIMATES

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 4

QUESTION

The RFP asks for breakdown of staff to be assigned to this project, etc. How critical is that as that appears to have been pulled from contracts for production/breeding primates or other animals when there is a contract in place that ensures daily work for the contactor. This is an IDIQ contract and in fact there is assurance any orders will be awarded to an individual contract holder yet they are expected to identify staff that will be assigned to a project that in reality could generate no orders. I see this trend throughout this RFP. It is similar to what I see in contacts for management of breeding colonies and property owned by the Government. This is not that situation. The Government is merely ordering primates.

ANSWER

The information on staffing is requested so the government can access the ability and depth of the contractor to support various aspects of the contract including but not limited to the magnitude and scope of some individual orders as well as the holding portion of the contract.

QUESTION

Given the possibility of multiple awards. The number of storage days and costs per storage day by Primate will vary.

For example, Rhesus monkey storage will be higher than Squirrel monkey storage. The storage and number of storage days per primate is not broken out. In order to bid, we would have to do a weighted average.

If we are only awarded one primate group, that average would not capture the costs and we would face either charging more than a reasonable rate or inversely we would be charging a lower rate.

Since multiple awards are going to be made, is it possible to get the number of storage days per species per day?

Also, the travel charges will vary, if we bid the entire project, the primates come from different location and we will have to do a weighted average on the travel miles, the same problem is present, given the location of the primates. I have the same request; it is more economically feasible to break the individual charges out by primate and dates versus a weighted average across the board. This is self-evident since some of the primates are only available from one source at this time.

Given the number of species we buy, we are able to get a price break on quantity purchases and may come in at a lower rate than some other competitors and then the primates we have available for sell can be given at a greater discount. We want to be able to provide the most competitive proposal possible, but have to take into consideration the aforementioned factors. We are concerned about the risk of the Firm Fixed Price proposal given the uncertainty.

I would ask that we reconsider the cost schedule so that the limits on risk can be mitigated as much as possible. Understanding fully that we (the contractor) assume a majority stake in the risk on a FFP contract.

I look forward to your response and welcome any guidance you can provide.

ANSWER

The quantities provided are our best estimate. Holding days are typically used when researchers request the buy and board type arrangements for difficult to acquire species and or sizes or when quarantine space at NIH is not available when animals are prepped and ready to ship.

The Fixed priced contract is in the best interest of the government to minimize risk to the government.