Part II - BAA Announcement.docx

PART II - Broad Agency Announcement -

Underground Mine Evacuation Technologies and Human Factors Research

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Agency Name:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Office of Mine Safety and Health Research 626 Cochrans Mill Road Pittsburgh PA 15236-3611

B. Research Opportunity Title: Underground Mine Evacuation Technologies and Human Factors Research

C. Program Name: Office of Mine Safety and Health Research

D. Research Opportunity Number: BAA 75D301-20-R-67922

E. Response Date: This announcement will remain open until 05:00 pm Eastern time on April 29, 2020, with full proposals being received prior to this end date/time. FULL PROPOSALS SUBMITTED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

F. Inquiries and Additional Information: Information and specific questions of a technical business nature only will be accepted via e-mail sent to Liubov Kriel, Contract Specialist at the following address: LKriel@cdc.gov and must be submitted by 5pm EST, April 10, 2020. Reference Solicitation Number: BAA 75D301-20-R-67922, include your name and e-mail address on the message. Responses to the e-mail questions will be handled on a first-come basis and, generally, will be answered within 10 business days but could take longer.

PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND ALL COMMUNICATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS WILL BE HANDLED ONLY BY EMAIL.

G. Research Opportunity Description

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act) permanently established the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research under the direction of an Associate Director, within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. One purpose of this office is to enhance the development of new technology and technological applications and to ensure adequate capacity in engineering and science disciplines important to mine safety and health. The MINER Act grants the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research the authority to award competitive contracts and grants to institutions and private entities to improve mine safety and health in general, and specifically to encourage the development and manufacture of mine safety equipment and to award contracts to education institutions or private laboratories for the performance of product testing or related work with respect to new mine technology or equipment. This announcement is an opportunity for the award of contracts for Underground Mine Evacuation Technologies and Human Factors Research.

Background and Need: NIOSH has regularly issued technology and capacity build solicitations using the Broad Agency Announcement format in subject areas critical to health and safety within the mining industry. NIOSH would now like to expand this program to encompass broader topics related to underground mine evacuation technologies and human factors research.

The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR), NIOSH, is soliciting proposals from universities specifically focused on aspects of underground mine evacuation technologies and human factors research related to mine emergencies, to build on NIOSH's work to address mandates in the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-236). A key factor of this solicitation is that responses are limited to U.S.-based programs that have an ABET-accredited degree program in mining or mineral engineering and offer graduate programs in both mining and explosives engineering – that is a restriction placed on the funding by Congress.

Objective: The objective of this BAA is to address research related to mine emergencies, including communications; the facilitation of miner self-escape; and improvements in the design of refuge alternatives. NIOSH also encourages responders to propose research that addresses other health and safety issues in related areas, particularly those related to mine emergencies caused by mine fires and explosions. Offerors are encouraged to consider those aspects of their graduate program in mining and explosives engineering, including unique facilities, that could best support their proposed research related to mine emergencies.

Contract awardees are expected to present and publish results on a periodic basis to promote dissemination of knowledge gained from the work. As a public health organization, NIOSH is required to provide evidence of such dissemination and extending the knowledge gained to the mining industry is an important part of the contract objectives.

H. Instrument Type(s) and Period of Performance: Awards will take the form of contracts. The contract can be proposed for a 12 to 48-month duration.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

The Government intends to negotiate individual contact awards representing the best value to the Government in accordance with the evaluation criteria. NIOSH is seeking participants for this program that are capable of performing work within the scope and that have an ABET-accredited degree program in mining or mineral engineering and offer graduate programs in both mining and explosives engineering.

1. Total amount of funding the program office expects to award through the announcement:

Up to $1,000,000.

2. Anticipated number and estimated amount of awards:

Contracts will be limited to a 12 to 48-month term. It is estimated that one (1) to three (3) awards will be made with the total available funds of $1,000,000.00. If one contract is made it may be for the full amount – if either two or three contracts are issued, the funds will be allocated to the contracts based on the merits of the respective proposals such that the aggregate total of the awards equals the available funds ($1 million). Consequently, proposals as presented must show flexibility in scope and cost, such that NIOSH can match the scope with available funding. Proposals submitted in excess of the $1 million ceiling will not be evaluated nor considered for funding.

3. Anticipated award types:

The contracts will be Firm Fixed Price. NIOSH will not issue grants, cooperative agreements, or other transaction agreements under this BAA.

4. Funding restrictions:

Funding may be used for the following:

• Graduate-student tuition and stipends

• Equipment necessary for the proposed research

• Equipment for building laboratory or experimental mine infrastructure related to the focus areas, if a $1-for-$1 match is obtained from other sources

• Special supplies that are not normally considered as part of overhead

• Domestic travel required for conducting research

• Domestic travel for students and PI to a national conference, annually, if a paper is presented on research results.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

• The Principal Investigator (PI) must hold a full-time academic position at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher at an academic institution within the U.S.

• The PI must be employed by an academic department that offers (1) an ABET-accredited undergraduate degree in mining or minerals engineering and (2) graduate programs in both mining and explosives engineering. Enough detail must be provided in the proposal to clearly demonstrate the department meets all of these criteria.

IV. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERS

A. Application and Submission Process Offerors must submit a full proposal that provides detailed technical and cost information as outlined herein to support the scope of the proposed effort. Full proposals will be evaluated and a determination made for contract awards based solely on the information provided in the full proposal.

B. Content and Format of Proposals The proposal submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 15.207, applicable law, and regulations. Offerors are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information.

Proposal Format: Volume 1 - Technical and Volume 2 - Cost Proposal

• Paper Size - 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins - 1 inch, all

• Spacing - single

• Font - Times New Roman, 12 point

• Number of Pages - Volume 1 and Volume 2 are both unlimited as to the number of pages.

Limitations within sections of the proposal are indicated in the individual descriptions shown below. Proposals exceeding the page limit may not be evaluated.

• Copies – an electronic version in PDF and Microsoft Word formats

Proposal Content:

1. Volume 1: Technical Proposal

Each section of the Technical Proposal must start on a new page.

Cover Page: The words "TECHNICAL PROPOSAL" must appear on the cover page in addition to the following information:

• BAA number;

• Title of Proposal;

• Identity of Offeror;

• Technical contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address);

• Administrative/business contact (name, address, phone/fax, electronic mail address), and;

• Duration of research tasks

Table of Contents

Statement of Work: (35 pages maximum): A Statement of Work (SOW) clearly detailing the scope and objectives of the effort and the technical approach. Include a detailed listing of the technical tasks/subtasks organized by year. See a sample of SOW attached to this announcement.

Project Schedule and Milestones: (4 pages max) A graphical summary of the work schedule of tasks/subtasks and milestones.

Deliverables and Reporting Schedule:

• A detailed quarterly and annual Contract Status Reports for each year of the project.

• A detailed Final Report that summarizes the work and results for the entire project, including a comprehensive reference list and appendices listing all theses, presentations, papers and publications based on the project funding as noted below. This report must be compliant with the current Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The report submission must include a digital copy of the main report, excluding the appendices relating to these, publications, and presentations. At a minimum, a final technical report is required and is to be delivered in an electronic (Word or PDF) format. If the final report contains proprietary information, the electronic version of the report must be prepared and submitted in such a format that is suitable for public release.

• The contractor shall submit a completed HHS Section 508 Checklist to assist the Government in determining that the Final Report is Section 508 compliant. In addition the contractor shall submit the result of running the accessibility self-check in either Word or PDF format. Additional information is available on the HHS Section 508 website https://www.hhs.gov/web/section508/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/index.html .

• Note: Specific deliverables (which may include software and hardware deliverables) may be proposed by each offeror and finalized during negotiations.

• The following must be included as appendices in the final report:

1) Appendix A - Presentations and Publications: A comprehensive list and copies of all publications and presentations partially or fully funded under the Contract

2) Appendix B – Disclosures - A comprehensive list of all proprietary software, proprietary equipment or patentable inventions developed and partially or fully funded under the Contract Work referenced within the Final Report but not listed in this Appendix would be considered non-proprietary.

• Special Considerations: Information that does not fit neatly or logically into one of the other sections.

• Assertion of Data Rights: (not to exceed 2 pages): Include here a summary of any proprietary rights to pre-existing results, prototypes, software or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research and/or results. Any rights made in other parts of the proposal that would impact the rights in this section must be cross-referenced. If there are proprietary rights, the Offeror must explain how these affect its ability to complete the scope of work. Additionally, Offerors must explain how the program goals are achievable in light of these proprietary and/or restrictive limitations. If there are no claims of proprietary rights in pre-existing data, this section shall consist of a statement to that effect.

• Resource Sharing Plan(s):

HHS/CDC policy requires that recipients of contract awards make research resources and data readily available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific community after publication.

CDC requires awardees for projects and programs that involve the collection or generation of data with federal funds to develop, submit and comply with a Data Management Plan (DMP) for each collection or generation of public health data undertaken as part of the award and, to the extent appropriate, provide access to and archiving/long-term preservation of collected or generated data.

Public Health Data

Definition: Public Health data means digitally recorded factual material commonly accepted in the scientific community as a basis for public health findings, conclusions, and implementation

When CDC is funding, in whole or in part, via a contract as defined in FAR 2.101, with respect to public health data, a CDC-approved Data Management Plan (DMP) - a plan for digital data management, sharing, and preservation is required prior to commencing any related services or work. For contracts where public health data collection or generation activities may become necessary during the period of performance (e.g. via contract modification), a DMP will be required to be submitted and evaluated during the period of performance. The DMP is a deliverable and a living document that should be updated throughout the life cycle of data. A final DMP is required at the end of the contract performance that shows where the data are deposited and how they are being made accessible or justification provided for not doing so.

Data Management Plan

A DMP for each collection and/or generation of public health data should include the following information:

• A description of the public health data to be collected or generated in the contract period of performance;

• Standards to be used for the collected or generated public health data;

• Mechanisms for or limitations to providing access to and sharing of the data (include a description of provisions for the protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights) or justification for why data cannot be made accessible. This section should address access to identifiable and de-identified data (see below for additional information about access);

• Statement of the use of data standards that ensure all released data have appropriate documentation that describes the method of collection, what the data represent, and potential limitations for use; and

• Plans for archiving and long-term preservation of the data, or explanation of why long-term preservation and access are not justified. This section should address archiving and preservation of identifiable and de-identified data (see below for additional information regarding archiving).

Examples of Data Management Plan Templates and Tools:

University of California: https://www.cdlib.org/services/uc3/dmpt.html

Access to and Archiving of the Data

To the extent that is feasible, contractors should make public health data accessible. Rights in Data clauses (FAR 52.227-14 Rights in Data - General, 52.227-16, Additional Data Requirements, FAR 52.227-17 Rights in Data - Special Works, or FAR 52.227-18 Rights in Data-Existing Works), may be applicable and incorporated into contracts, depending on the Statement of Work involved. The data rights clauses give the government "unlimited rights" in data first produced (when funded by government solely) in the performance of a contract. "Unlimited rights" is an unlimited license to use, disclose or reproduce the data; it does not give the government ownership of the data. Unlimited rights in data would allow the government to archive and make public non-proprietary data first produced in contract performance.

Contracts that do not include terms for submittal of public health data to CDC, are expected to plan and prepare for providing access to, and archiving/long-term preservation of, collected and/or generated data within the contract period of performance, as set forth below. The final version of a collected and/or generated data set intended for release or sharing should be made available within thirty (30) months after the end of the data collection or generation, except surveillance data, which should be made accessible within a year of the end of a collection cycle. For public use de-identified (removal of sensitive identifiable or potentially identifiable information) datasets, an accompanying data dictionary, and other documentation relevant to use of the data set should be deposited in a sustainable repository to provide access to the data. Data that cannot be de-identified can be provided as restricted data upon request under a data-use agreement or onsite controlled use.

For data underlying a scientific publication, the contractor shall make the data available coincident with publication of the paper, at a minimum a machine-readable version of the data tables shown in the paper, unless the data set is already available via a release or sharing mechanism. In addition, contractors should ensure the quality of data they make accessible and seek to provide the data in a machine readable and nonproprietary format. Contractors who fail to release public health data in a timely fashion may be subject to procedures normally used to address failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the contract and may be grounds for the Contracting Officer to terminate the contract for default. Irrespective of whether the data are made accessible or not, Public health data of value should be preserved long-term.

A final DMP is required at the end of the contract performance. The final DMP will indicate the location of the deposited data and the manner of access granted to the data. There needs to be an adequate justification for not making data accessible and this justification must be documented in the DMP and approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative.

Additional information is available at https://www.hhs.gov/open/publicaccess/index.html .

Offerors should include a detailed DMP in their technical proposal, as applicable.

The DMP should be developed during the project planning phase prior to the initiation of collecting or generating public health data and will be submitted with the technical proposal. The submitted DMP will be evaluated for completeness and quality at the time of submission.

Full proposals submitted without the required DMP, as applicable, may be deemed ineligible for award unless submission of DMP is deferred to a later period depending on the project planning phase, in which case, funding restrictions may be imposed pending submission and evaluation.

HHSAR Provision, 352.239-73: Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice

(a) Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194), require that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.

(b) Accordingly, any offeror responding to this solicitation must comply with established HHS EIT accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508. The complete text of the Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm.

(c) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract are: 1194.

205 WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA Success Criteria 302 Functional Performance Criteria 502 Inoperability with Assistive Technology 504 Authoring Tools 602 Support Documentation 603 Support Services

In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed EIT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, in accordance with its completion instructions. The purpose of the template is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed EIT supplies conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards. The template allows offerors or developers to self-evaluate their supplies and documentation detail - whether they conform to a specific Section 508 accessibility standard, and any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues. Instructions for preparing the HHS Section 508 Evaluation Template are available under Section 508 policy on the HHS Web site http://hhs.gov/web/508.

In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed EIT services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must provide enough information to assist the Government in determining that the EIT services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards, including any underway remediation efforts addressing conformance issues.

(d) Respondents to this solicitation must identify any exception to Section 508 requirements. If a offeror claims its supplies or services meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and it is later determined by the Government, i.e., after award of a contract or order, that supplies or services delivered do not conform to the accessibility standards, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its expense.

(e) Electronic content must be accessible to HHS acceptance criteria. Checklist for various formats are available at http://508.hhs.gov/, or from the Section 508 Coordinator listed at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/additional-resources/section-508-contacts/index.html. Materials that are final items for delivery should be accompanied by the appropriate checklist, except upon approval of the Contracting Officer or Representative.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

• Qualifications: (15 pages maximum): A discussion of previous accomplishments and work in this, or closely related areas, and the qualifications of the investigator(s). Key personnel résumés shall be attached to the proposal and will not count toward the page limitation. The resumes will not count toward the 15-page limitation for this section.

• Management Approach (10 pages maximum): Include a description of the facilities that are required for the proposed effort. If applicable, include a description of any government furnished equipment, hardware, software, facilities or information required (refer to Section VII).

Identify any planned collaborations with mining industry partners, including the nature of the collaboration.

2. Volume 2: Cost Proposal:

The Cost Proposal shall consist of a cover page and two parts. Part 1 will provide a detailed cost breakdown of all costs by cost category and cost for base and each option period, and Part 2 will provide a cost breakdown by task/subtask using the same task numbers in the Statement of Work. The SOW should be prepared following the SOW outline, included as an attachmen to this announcement.

Cover Page: The use of the SF 1411 is optional. The words "Cost Proposal" should appear on the cover page in addition to the following information:

• BAA number;

• Title of Proposal;

• Identity of prime Offeror;

• Technical contact (name, address, phone/fax, and electronic mail address);

• Administrative/business contact (name, address, phone/fax, and electronic mail address);

• Duration of research and demonstration tasks, and;

• Summary statement of proposed costs.

• Part 1: For proposal pricing purposes, Offerors should assume a contract start date of 09/01/2020. Detailed breakdown of all costs by cost category and cost for base and each option period:

• Direct Labor - Individual labor category or person, with associated labor hours or percentage of time and unburdened direct labor rates;

• Indirect Costs - Fringe Benefits, Overhead (must show base amount and rate);

• Proposed contractor acquired equipment for proposed research projects should be specifically itemized with costs or estimated costs. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, shall be provided.

• Travel - Number of trips, number of days per trip, departure and arrival destinations, number of people, etc. Include costs associated with attending the annual NIOSH contract review;

• Materials should be specifically itemized with costs or estimated costs. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, shall be provided. Please include a brief description of the Offeror's procurement method to be used;

• Other Directs Costs, including laboratory facilities as outlined elsewhere in this solicitation.

• Part 2: Cost breakdown by task/subtask using the same task numbers in the Statement of Work.

C. Significant Dates and Times This announcement will remain open until April 29, 2020. Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, and any modification, or revisions, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation.

1. Submission of Proposals: Full proposals must be received prior to 05:00 pm Eastern time on April 29, 2020.

2. Method of Submission: Full proposals shall be submitted electronically by email to vyh1@cdc.gov. Proposals sent via email must be time stamped by the time indicated above (Note: the email date and time becomes the official "time stamp" for electronic submissions.). Electronic files must be submitted as a MS Word document with the exception of the cover page.

3. Submission of Late Proposals: Any proposal, modification, or revision received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is "late" and will not be considered unless there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of offers and was under the Government's control prior to the time set for receipt of offers, or it was the only proposal received.

4. Information for Electronic Mail (Email) Proposals

a. Definition. "email proposal," as used in this provision, means a proposal, revision or modification of a proposal, or withdrawal of a proposal that is transmitted to and received by the Government via computers utilizing electronic mail. This does not include facsimile concept papers or proposals which are prohibited for this solicitation.

b. Offerors must submit email proposals as responses to this solicitation. Email proposals are subject to the same rules as paper proposals.

c. If any portion of an email proposal received by the Contracting Officer is unreadable to the degree that conformance to the essential requirements of the solicitation cannot be ascertained from the document-

i. The Contracting Officer shall notify the offeror and permit the offeror to resubmit the proposal;

ii. The method and time for resubmission shall be prescribed by the Contracting Officer after consultation with the offeror; and

iii. The resubmission shall be considered as if it were received at the date and time of the original unreadable submission for the purpose of determining timeliness, provided the offeror complies with the time and format requirements for resubmission prescribed by the Contracting Officer.

5. Address for the Submission of Proposals -

Full proposals shall be submitted electronically by email to LKriel@cdc.gov.

V. EVALUATION INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria. The Government will use the five (5) factors listed below in descending order to make a “best value” determination. Criterion 1-2 are of equal value but individually greater than criterion 3, Criterion 3-4 are of equal value but individually greater than criterion 5. Criterion 5 is of less value individually than criterions 1-4.

Past Performance - As required by FAR 15.305, past performance will be evaluated as part of the contract award process. The Government intends to perform a past performance evaluation only on those Offerors who have been recommended for award. This evaluation may require some additional relevant performance information from the Offeror if it is not readily available from submissions.

B. Evaluation Panel

Technical and cost proposals submitted under this BAA will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 3.104-5 and 15.207. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and other Government scientific experts will perform the evaluation of technical proposals.

Contracting Officer will evaluate cost proposals. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors may be utilized as subject-matter-expert technical consultants.

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Reporting

• A detailed quarterly and annual Contract Status Report for each year of the project.

• A detailed final report that summarizes the work and results for the entire project. At a minimum, a final technical report is required, suitable for public release, and is to be delivered in both hard copy and electronic format. The final report must be 508 compliant.

However, please note that specific additional deliverables (which may include software and hardware deliverables) may be proposed by each offeror and finalized during negotiations.

VII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. Contractor Acquired Property (CAP)

Each proposer must provide a very specific description of any equipment/hardware that it needs to acquire to perform the work. This description should indicate whether or not each particular piece of equipment/hardware will be included as part of a deliverable item under the resulting award. Also, this description should identify the component, nomenclature, and configuration of the equipment/hardware that it proposes to purchase for this effort. It is the government's desire to have the contractor purchase the equipment/hardware for deliverable items under their contract. The purchase on a direct reimbursement basis of special test equipment or other equipment that is not included in a deliverable item will be evaluated for allowability on a case-by-case basis.

B. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and Facilities

Government research facilities may be available and could potentially be considered government furnished equipment/facilities. These facilities and resources are of high value and some are in constant demand by multiple programs. The use of these facilities and resources will be negotiated as the program unfolds. Offerors should not assume that government owned facilities, including the Safety Research Coal Mine, or the Experimental Mine, are available for research ideas submitted under this announcement. If these facilities are essential to the research proposal, the Offeror needs to clearly identify the reasons for using these facilities. If the facilities are not available during the proposed time frame for the research described in the Proposal and there are no other field site options listed, the Proposal will be rejected.