PWS-Programmatic and Administrative Support Services.docx

RFI ATTACHMENT 1

DRAFT Performance Work Statement Programmatic and Administrative Support Services Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

PART 1

1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 This is a non-personal services contract to provide programmatic and administrative support services to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and the Defense Health Agency Research and Development (DHA R&D).

1.2 Description of services/introduction: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform programmatic and administrative support services as defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS) except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this PWS.

1.3 Background:

The CDMRP is an office within the DHA R&D that manages biomedical research programs in response to the expressed needs of Congress and its stakeholders. Congress adds funding for the CDMRP into the annual defense appropriations bill. The CDMRP is responsible for planning, coordinating, integrating, programming and budgeting program funding.

The CDMRP’s hallmarks include:

· investing in groundbreaking research

· targeting critical gaps

· reviewing applications using a two-tier formal review with no standing peer review panels and no “pay line”

· involving consumer advocates throughout the program cycle

· supporting both the next generation of researchers and established scientists

· funding the full pipeline of research development from basic to clinical research; and

· fostering collaboration and synergy

The CDMRP uses the two-tier review process to develop funding recommendations that balance the most meritorious science across many disciplines and offer the highest promise to fulfill programmatic goals.

The first tier of the two-tier review process is peer review. Peer review is a criteria-based process where individual applications are evaluated based on their scientific and technical merit. Applications are evaluated by scientific discipline, specialty area, or award mechanism by scientific, technical and consumer peer reviewers.

The second tier of review is programmatic review. Applications are programmatically reviewed by members of the programs’ Programmatic Panel. Programmatic review is a comparison-based process in which applications compete in a common pool and in some cases across multiple research areas. Programmatic review balances the potential outcomes and risks of scientifically meritorious applications to select those that have the highest potential to help achieve the vision and goals of the respective program. Support for the programmatic review is a major aspect of this contract.

The CDMRP strives to transform health care for Service Members, Veterans, their Families, and the American public through innovative and impactful research. While individual programs are unique in their focus, all the programs managed by the CDMRP share the common goal of advancing paradigm shifting research, solutions that will lead to cures or improvements in patient care, or breakthrough technologies and resources for clinical benefit.

For more information on the office of the CDMRP, go to https://cdmrp.health.mil and review materials provided on the website about the CDMRP program cycle. For more information on the two-tier review process, review the video overview on CDMRP’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULqi-5V5ZGM

1.4 Objectives:

1.4.1 Meeting Support

1.4.2 Other Business meeting Support

1.4.3 Provide a secure contractor-operated and hosted web-based electronic meeting facilitation, scoring, review, and voting system(s)

1.4.4 Provide Programmatic Support Services

1.4.5 Provide General Administrative Support Services

1.5 Scope: RESERVED

1.6 Period of Performance (PoP): TBD but typically 60 months.

1.6.1 Transition: Transition-in/transition-out period

1.6.1.1 Provide an incoming transition plan for 90 days from contract to contract. The plan shall initially be submitted with the Offeror’s proposal and updated after award. Coordinate with the government in planning and implementing a complete transition. The Government will designate a transition period for the incoming Contractor to coordinate and work with the existing contractor.

The Transition-In Plan shall describe in detail how the Offeror will transition in to the resultant contract to include being capable of providing full performance on the day after the end of the transition-in period. This includes the following tasks:

· Obtaining Ft. Detrick ID and Common Access Card (CAC) for appropriate personnel

· Scheduling and completing Government required training and certification in accordance with the training requirements listed in PWS Section 3.2

· Orientation phase and program to introduce Government personnel, programs, and users to the Contractor's team, tools, methodologies, and business processes

· Coordination with Government representatives, Review, evaluation, and transition of incumbent support services

· Transition of historic data to new Contractor system

· Transfer of hardware warranties and software licenses (if applicable)

· Transfer of all necessary business and/or technical documentation

· Distribution of Contractor purchased Government owned assets, including facilities, equipment, furniture, phone lines, computer equipment, etc.

· Transfer of Government Furnished Equipment and Government Furnished Information.

1.6.1.2 Transition-out period: Provide an outgoing transition plan for the 60-day period prior to contract end when work is being transitioned from this active contract to a follow-on contract/order or Government entity. A draft plan shall be submitted within 90 calendar days prior to the end of the contract. The final plan will be approved by the Government within 75 calendar days prior to the end of the contract.

In accordance with the Government-approved Transition-Out plan, the Contractor shall assist the Government in planning and implementing a complete transition from this contractor to the follow-on contract. The plan shall include formal coordination with Government staff and successor staff and management. The transition plan shall also include delivery of copies of existing policies and procedures, delivery of required metrics and statistics, ensuring continuity of services, transition of historic data to new Contractor system including a list of current incumbent Contractor personnel, return/transfer of GFP, and coordination with the Government to account for government keys, ID/access cards, and any security codes (if applicable).

1.7 Administrative specifications

1.7.1 Place of performance: The work shall be performed at the contractor’s location or remotely. In person meeting support will be required at Fort Detrick, Maryland and other meeting locations within the National Capitol Region.

1.7.2 Hours of operation: The contractor is responsible for conducting business Monday through Friday except Federal holidays, or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government-directed facility closings.

The contractor must maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. Overtime is not permitted.

CDMRP’s normal business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time). CDMRP core hours are from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (EST).

1.7.3 Emergency Services: On occasion, services may be required to support an activation or exercise of contingency plans outside the normal duty hours. The contractor shall designate an Emergency point of contact (POC) in the event of a Continuing Operations (COOP) drill or emergency event requiring 100% accountability of all contractor staff with a DoD ID number. Once initiated, responses are required within one hour of being contacted by the COR or Chief of Acquisition.

1.8 Contractor travel: The Contractor shall be required to travel within the Continental United States (CONUS) and within the National Capitol Region (NCR) to attend meetings, conferences, and training. The contractor may be required to travel off-site to these locations in support of this PWS. Contractor shall be authorized travel expenses consistent with the cost principles and procedures in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31.2, Travel Costs and the limitations of funds specified in this contract. All travel requires Government approval/authorization and notification to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

1.9 Other Direct Costs (ODC): RESERVED

1.10 Quality Control Plan

The Quality Control Plan (QCP) is developed by the Contractor to describe how the Contractor will meet the performance standards and acceptable quality levels outlined in the QASP. The QCP shall identify the Contractor’s methods of quality surveillance, performance standards, roles and responsibilities, and ways of identifying potential risks along with a plan to address them if/when they arise. The QCP will be finalized within 45 calendar days after the start date and updated as needed after changes are identified.

Subsequent QCP will be finalized within several calendar days of the change.

1.11 Contractor personnel

1.11.1 CAC requirements:

For appropriate Contractor and subcontractor personnel, a Common Access Card (CAC) will be issued before beginning work on the contract, which requires a favorable T1 security investigation. Before CAC issuance, the Contractor personnel requires, at a minimum, a favorably adjudicated National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI). The Contractor personnel will be issued a CAC only if duties involve one of the following: (1) Both physical access to a DoD facility and access, via logon, to DoD networks on-site or remotely; (2) Remote access, via logon, to a DoD network using DoD-approved remote access procedures; or (3) Physical access to multiple DoD facilities or multiple non-DoD federally controlled facilities on behalf of the DoD on a recurring basis for a period of 6 months or more. If Contractor personnel are unable to receive a favorable NACI, that individual may not provide support services to CDMRP under this requirement.

Each Contractor and subcontractor personnel shall be a United States citizen and able to obtain the appropriate level security investigation and clearance as needed. The CDMRP will initiate the process with the appropriate security personnel at Fort Detrick for the appropriate Contractor personnel.

All Contractor personnel, and associated subcontractor personnel with access to Government information, must agree to and sign an “Acceptable Use Policy” (AUP). The CDMRP Training Coordinator will upload a copy of the AUP to the Contractor personnel’s ATCTS account.

All Contractor and sub-Contractor personnel shall comply with applicable installation, facility, and area commander installation and facility access and local security policies and procedures. The Contractor shall also provide all information required for background checks to meet installation access requirements accomplished by the installation Security Office. The Contractor workforce must comply with all personnel identity verification requirements (FAR clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel) as directed by DOW and local policy. In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) at any individual facility or installation change, the Government may require changes in Contractor security matters or processes.

Contractor personnel shall be designated as “Automated Data Processing (ADP) Level III (non- sensitive positions) at a minimum as defined by 5200.02 Personnel Security Program (for reference, review https://www.cac.mil/Portals/53/Documents/52000.2R.pdf).

1.11.1.1 The contractor shall return all CACs to the COR upon the departure of the contractor(s).

1.11.2 Physical Security: The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government equipment, information and property provided for contractor use. At the close of each work period if performing work at a government facility, all government facilities, equipment, and materials shall be secured.

1.12 Key personnel (Contractor): TBD

1.13 Data rights: Not applicable.

1.14 Reporting

1.14.1 Contractor Manpower Reporting (CMR): RESERVED.

1.14.2 CDMRP Confidentiality Agreement: The Contractor shall sign the CDMRP Confidentiality Agreement within 5 business days of contract effective date and annually thereafter and ensure that all staff including all contractor and subcontractor personnel assigned to or performing under the contract execute, sign, and adhere to the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement. Assignment of key personnel who have not executed this agreement or failure to adhere to this agreement may constitute default on the part of the Contractor.

1.14.3 Government’s COR: The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract; perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance; maintain written and oral communications with the contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract; issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications; monitor contractor's performance and notifies both the CO and contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of government furnished property; and provide site entry of contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

1.14.4 Post award conference/periodic progress meetings: The contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.5. The CO, COR, and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance.

At these meetings the CO will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

1.14.5 Quarterly Task Status Report: The Contractor shall submit a Quarterly Report with sections for each task order issued under this contract within 15 business following the end of the quarter. The report shall be sorted by the task order number. The report shall include deliverables submitted, progress, status, training hours, and any problems/issues encountered as applicable to task order type. Additionally, the report shall include individual task order cost details to include funding applied at the task order level, total invoices that have been submitted and remaining funding available for disbursement. This report does not replace reporting on Fixed Fee as required by FAR 52.216-8. The Contractor shall require and incorporate input from sub-Contractors where there are critical or significant tasks related to the prime contract. Critical or significant tasks shall be defined by mutual agreement between the Government and the Contractor. The format for the report shall be agreed upon by the Government and Contractor. Additional reporting requirements will be identified at the task order level.

1.15 Contractor Identification

1.15.1 Contractor personnel performing services in a contractor capacity in a Government facility are required to possess and wear an identification badge that displays his or her name and the name of their company. All contractor personnel shall identify themselves as contractor support personnel in all forms of communication with all entities with whom DHA/Deputy Assistant Director for Acquisition (DAD-A)/Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) has business dealings. The contractor shall: Answer all telephone calls and have a personalized voice message with an introductory statement that includes the fact that the person is contractor support personnel. Ensure all those with whom the person interacts in any face-to-face dealings while supporting the DAD-A understands that the person is contractor support personnel. Include a title block in all emails that states the fact that the person is contractor support personnel. Ensure all those with whom the person interacts in any face-to-face dealings while supporting DHA/DAD-A/HCA understands that the person is contractor support personnel.

1.15.2 Contractor personnel will be required to attend meetings or otherwise communicate with Government and/or other contract representatives to meet the requirements of this order. Contractor personnel shall make their contractor status known during introductions.

1.15.3 Contractor personnel, while performing in a contractor capacity, are prohibited from using their retired or reserve component military rank or title in any written or verbal communications associated with the contracts in which they provide services.

1.16 Contractor Access to Health Affairs (HA)/DHA Network(s)

1.16.1 FSO/Company's Security POC shall notify the DHA Personnel Security Office after being awarded a contract that requires access to a DoD system (If applicable, if not delete 1.16.1 and 1.16.2 and replace to 1.16 Reserved). Contractor personnel requiring access to the HA/DHA networks for performance of their tasks require a background investigation and the security awareness training. The contractor shall be prepared for this process as it could take two (2) or more weeks. The FSO/Security POC shall submit a Standard Form (SF) 85/86 to DHA's Personnel Security Office for a background investigation.

1.16.2 Company's FSO/Security POC must notify the Personnel Security Office when the contractor has submitted the SF-85/86. The FSO/Security POC, or the COR must notify the DHA Personnel Security Office in writing of a contractor's termination from the contract, including the termination date.

1.17 Personnel Security

1.17.1 The contractor shall comply with DoD 8570.01-M, “Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program, CH4” November 10, 2015 as amended; 8500.01, “Cybersecurity”, dated March 14, 2014; DoD Manual (DoDM) 6025.18, “Implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule Compliance in DoD Health Care Programs” dated March 3, 2019, Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 6025.18 “HIPAA Privacy Rule Compliance in DoD Health Care Programs”, dated March 13, 2019; and DoDM 5200.02 “Procedures for the DoD Personnel Security Program (PSP),” incorporation change 3, effective September 24, 2020. Contractor responsibilities for ensuring personnel security include, but are not limited to, meeting the following requirements:

1.17.1.1 Follow the DHA Personnel Security Office guidelines for submittal of security clearances. Contact the DHA Personnel Security Office for guidance on the appropriate background investigation required for personnel on the contract. The DHA Personnel Security Office can be reached at (703) 275-6038.

1.17.1.2 Initiate, maintain, and document personnel security investigations appropriate to the individual’s responsibilities and required access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

1.17.1.3 DHA Personnel Security Office does not deny any access to any automated information system (AIS), network, or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). If a contractor receives an unfavorable background investigation, the request for access will be sent back to the FSO for further action. Any unfavorable adjudication will result in DHA Personnel Security Office not signing off on any access request.

PART 2

2.0 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND APPLICABLE

PUBLICATIONS/INSTRUCTIONS

2.1 Definitions:

2.1.1 Category R: Support (Professional/Administrative/Management) Services (called R- Services)

2.1.2 Contracting Officer (CO): A person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings.

2.1.3 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): An individual, including a contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR), designated and authorized in writing by the CO to perform specific technical or administrative functions. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4 Non-personal services contract: a contract under which the personnel rendering the services are not subject, either by the contract’s terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees.

2.1.5 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): The base COR shall inspect the services performed by the Contractor by reviewing work products on a random sampling basis and by obtaining regular customer feedback.

The Contractor shall contact the base COR to set up quarterly evaluation meetings to discuss the status of the contract, deliverables, contract performance and results of the QASP evaluation. Prior to meeting, the COR will coordinate schedules for Government staff (Contracting Officer, Contract Specialist, COR and CDMRP personnel) to receive input for the evaluation of the performance of the Contractor.

Specific QASP surveillance items shall be negotiated for the base contract and will be applicable to all task orders. Supplemental surveillance items may be added at the task order level. A QASP is provided with the minimum requirements and additional items shall be added per the task order performance work statement.

2.2 Acronyms:

PART 3

3.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

The Requiring Activity Authority has assessed the need for Government Furnished Property, Equipment, and Services and determined:

3.1 Services: The Government WILL NOT provide Government Furnished Services required in support of this contract/task orders.

3.2 Facilities: The Government WILL provide Facilities in support of this contract/task orders. The Government provided Facilities are limited to CDMRP Conference Rooms, based on availability, at Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702.

3.3 Utilities: The Government WILL provide all utilities in the facility will be available for the contractor’s use in performance of tasks outlined in this PWS.

3.4 Government Furnished Property

3.5 All Government Furnished Property (GFP) data/records will be uploaded and maintained in the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) GFP module at https://piee.eb.mil. (Additional information can be found at: https://dodprocurementtoolbox.com, click “Government Furnished Property”). The Government will issue personal laptop computers to Contractor personnel requiring network access and email. The GFP provided to the Contractor will be determined at the task order level. Any GFP issued on task orders will be administered at the base IDIQ level.

3.5.1 Procurement Integrated Enterprise (PIEE), GFP Module Application The contractor shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining access, training and successful operation of the PIEE/GFP Module application for the entirety of the contract/task order PoP. The PIEE GFP Module application is located at the following website: https://wawf.eb.mil/piee- landing/. Access to PIEE/GFP Module application training materials and in-depth information applicable to the contractor’s responsibilities regarding GFP can be found at the following website: https://dodprocurementtoolbox.com/.

3.6 Materials: The Government WILL NOT provide Materials in support of this contract/task order. As a result, this paragraph is Not Applicable.

PART 4

4.0 CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

4.1 Services: The Contractor: WILL provide Contractor Furnished Services required in support of this contract/task orders. These services are described below:

Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated System Provide and maintain a secure contractor-operated and hosted web-based electronic meeting facilitation, scoring, review, and voting system(s) with capabilities to capture live notes, ability to display and edit a working document in real time, accommodate partial or completely virtual meetings, enable document sharing, and conduct a minimum of five concurrent meetings and/or panels consisting of approximately 15-25 participants/reviewers each. The contractor will utilize best practices and state-of-the-art technology to execute each meeting modality as applicable. The contractor shall be responsible for the maintenance, operation, and hosting of the system. All applications that may be used to support meetings whether onsite, video/telephonic, or online must meet security standards to ensure protection of procurement sensitive and government data.

At minimum, the web-based review system(s) should be designed to facilitate the evaluation process while ensuring security, scalability, and usability and must incorporate the following capabilities:

4.1.1 User Management

· Ability to create, manage, and delete user accounts

· Role-based access control (e.g., Admin, Reviewer, Government Oversight, Observer, etc.)

· Support for user authentication (e.g., username/password)

· Password recovery and reset functionality

· User activity tracking and audit logs

· Instructions for technical support for all users

4.1.2 Meeting Management

· Create and configure meeting instances/panels

· Assignment of reviewers/applications to specific panel/review instances

· Ability to define review criteria (e.g., scoring rubrics, qualitative feedback)

· Provide the ability to manage multiple concurrent breakout groups at a single meeting for various modalities (in person and video/teleconference)

4.1.3 Evaluation, Review and Scoring

· Provide configurable and customizable scoring rubrics (e.g., numeric scales, weighted criteria)

· Provide configurable and customizable scoring rubrics/ranges, scoring capabilities and voting capabilities by panel and program for pre-application and full proposal scoring (to include numeric scales and adjectival scores) (e.g. invite/not invite, fund, alternate, not fund lists, 1-5, 1-3, 1-10)

· Ability to provide qualitative feedback (e.g., comments, recommendations)

· Real-time scoring updates and analytics

· Support for collaborative reviews (e.g., multiple reviewers per application)

· Conflict of interest (COI) management (e.g., flagging reviewers with conflicts). Capture COIs for each reviewer and block viewing of specific applications by reviewers who have a COI

· Capture reviewer demographics and panel makeup views (demographics may include but not limited to professional affiliations (Government, Foreign, etc.), panel member biosketch, as requested

· Automated scoring aggregation and ranking

4.1.4 Document and Record Management

· Securely store and display meeting documents (e.g. agenda, forms, briefings, booklets, graphs, documents, etc.) of varying file formats (e.g., PDF, Word, Excel).

· Securely store and display application review documents (e.g. application, summary statement, budget, abstracts, statement of work, etc.) with potential varying file formats (e.g., PDF, Word, Excel).

· Display application information (e.g. title, organization, PIs, Partnering PIs, budget, assigned reviewers)

· Real-time entry of scoring inputs

· Real time viewing (visible for in person and video/telephonic participants), sorting, and ordering of interim and final recommendations– invite/not invite, fund, alternate, not fund lists – including the ability to independently move individual applications within the lists.

· Real time viewing (visible for in person and video/telephonic participants) of active documents, spreadsheets, or other files used to facilitate the conduct of the meeting. (e.g. live notes, investment strategy table)

· Capture pre-meeting and in meeting reviewer comments (public, private and administrative) comments/votes/scores. Public meaning other reviewers, private meaning the assigned reviewer and administrative meaning review administrators and government staff.

· Capture meeting comments/votes/scores and final recommendations

· Share panel comments with other attendees

· Provide data protection and security of application information

4.1.5 Import, Export and Reporting

· Provide capability to import application data from Government systems such as the Electronic Grants System (EGS) via flat file or web services

· Provide access by CDMRP PM and other designated individuals to input notes and view progress, reports, and reviewer comments.

· Provide export capabilities in multiple formats (e.g., PDF, Excel, CSV).

4.1.6 Accessibility

· Compliance with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG, section 508).

· Support for screen readers and keyboard navigation.

4.1.7 Performance

· Scalability to handle large numbers of submissions and reviewers e.g. CDMRP received over 7,000 applications in FY24 with over 30% assigned for discussion at programmatic review across 35 program-specific panels.

· Support for concurrent users and reviews without performance degradation.

· High availability (e.g., 99.9% uptime).

4.1.8 The contractor will abide by an Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) for exchange of data/files between the contractor-owned system and Electronic Grants System (EGS) (or other Gov. application/resource as needed). Agreement will specify details to include security considerations, documentation, technical controls and standards, configuration control, communication plans, and roles and responsibilities. A template ISA and Data Use Agreement has been provided). Final language will be determined based on the contractor’s specific processes and systems within 30 days of contract award.

4.1.9 The contractor must agree to a Data Use Agreement which will define and limit how application/proposal data/files may be used and how long application/proposal data will be retained in the contractor-owned and contractor-operated system. A template ISA and Data Use Agreement has been provided). Final language will be determined based on the contractor’s specific processes and systems within 30 days of contract award.

4.1.10 The contractor shall establish quality control processes to ensure that data/files delivered to the government meet standards of accuracy, integrity and consistency. Issues found with data after delivery must be corrected and redelivered.

4.2 General: The contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities and services required to perform work listed under Section 5 of this PWS.

4.3 Secret Facility Clearance: N/A

4.4 Materials: The contractor shall furnish materials and supplies necessary to meet the requirements under this PWS.

4.5 Equipment: The contractor shall furnish personal computers, monitors, copying and scanning machine, printer, telephone, audio/visual, internet connectivity, and other equipment necessary to perform the work at the contractor site or contractor managed meetings. The government will provide a limited number of personal computers to maintain network account access.

4.6 Facilities: N/A

PART 5

5.0 SPECIFIC TASKS

5.1 Key Task 1 – Provide Meeting Support

The contractor shall provide in person, synchronous video/teleconference, and asynchronous online-only contractor-run meeting support, as requested by the Government.

5.1.1 General Program Meeting Support

Provide support for program meetings, including but not limited to Stakeholders, Vision Setting, Prescreening, Programmatic Review, and award-specific steering committees. Unless specified, the tasks are applicable to all meeting formats including in-person, video/telephonic and online-only meetings. The tasks listed below will not be required for every meeting. The specific meeting requirements will be identified at the task order level using a meeting assumptions page, but the Contractor shall be capable of supporting all the following tasks:

5.1.2 Coordinate with the CDMRP Program Manager (PM)/meeting POC on planning for all aspects of meeting requirements, including but not limited to: utilizing a commercially available video conferencing platform, scheduling, utilizing a commercially available meeting registration website, attendees, audio/visual (A/V), computer networking, internet connectivity, after action meetings, meeting invitations, seating arrangements, seating charts, equipment rental, presentation coordination and posting to meeting site.

5.1.3 Coordinate with the CDMRP PM/meeting POC to prepare, edit and distribute all pre-meeting and meeting materials.

5.1.3.1 For in-person meetings only, identify, reserve and configure meeting venues. Inform the respective CDMRP PM of the planned and finalized venue when making the meeting arrangements and within three business days of final venue selection. For meetings requiring meeting approval before task order award, the Government shall reserve the meeting venue and is responsible for establishing a contract with the venue directly.

5.1.3.2 For in-person meetings only, reserve appropriate number of meeting rooms in support of the meeting and supply any necessary audio/visual/IT support and equipment needed to conduct the meeting.

5.1.3.3 For in-person meetings only, coordinate with appropriate DHA R&D personnel to ensure meeting locations meet the current Force Protection Requirements.

5.1.3.4 For in-person meetings only, arrange travel reservations for all non-government participants.

5.1.3.5 For in-person meetings only, coordinate meals for all meeting attendees, including government representatives. Meeting attendees shall pay for all meals provided in accordance with the Joint Travel Regulations.

5.1.3.6 Provide comprehensive meeting notes/minutes or automated transcription. Edit (if requested), finalize and deliver notes/minutes to the appropriate meeting POC. Provide access to the Contractor’s unedited notes/minutes, files, and reviewer comments as requested by the meeting POC during the meeting and following the meeting conclusion.

5.1.3.6.1 Coordinate and provide a meeting facilitator (if requested).

5.1.3.6.2 Identify, coordinate and invite attendees, speakers, high-profile military and VIPs.

5.1.3.6.3 Coordinate presentations (if requested).

5.1.3.6.4 Coordinate and schedule pre- and post-meeting teleconferences (if requested).

5.1.3.7 Communicate and enforce conflict of interest (COI) and confidentiality rules for meeting participants. Establish robust process(es) to ensure participant’s understanding and agreement to adhere to the CDMRP’s policies on COI and to maintain the integrity of confidential and proprietary information. Such agreement includes disclosure of any COIs, whether real or apparent, and participation in foreign talent programs or other sponsorships. Provide a comprehensive COI mitigation plan and establish management approaches on enforcing policies, including reviewer confidentiality breaches.

5.1.3.8 Employ strategies and/or technologies in accordance with industry best practices in the prevention and unauthorized disclosure of confidential and proprietary information. Ensure destruction of, proprietary and/or procurement sensitive documentation provided in support of this contract.

5.1.3.9 Provide the task order COR with a Cost to Complete (CTC) within 10 calendar days after each meeting completion. This report shall include total number of attendees as well as the total estimated costs broken down by labor, travel, per diem (meals and hotel costs), conference facility, A/V, moving, supplies, shuttle and security costs.

5.1.3.10 Arrange and provide support for an after-action meeting (as requested).

5.1.4 Other Business Meeting Support

Plan other business meetings with no more than 1,000 attendees. The contractor shall provide support services in addition to those listed above, including but not limited to:

5.2 Key Task 2 – Provide Programmatic Support Services

Support shall be provided to the individual biomedical research programs within CDMRP and/or DHA and in collaboration with the respective Integrated Program/Project/Process Team’s (IPT) Leaders as specified in each individual task order. For CDMRP, this is the PM unless otherwise specified. Program cycle support shall be integrated with the following tasks:

5.2.1 General Programmatic Support

5.2.1.1 Provide funding opportunity announcement (FOA) (development support, including maintaining and updating funding opportunity announcement templates, General Application Instructions and associated forms in coordination with the government POC(s). Attend review board meetings as requested.

5.2.1.2 Provide support for responses to Requests for Information (RFI) or taskers, if requested.

5.2.1.3 Provide content review and editing support.

5.2.1.4 Assist in the creation of RFI. Coordinate, collate data, and analyze results. Prepare related summary materials.

5.2.1.5 Coordinate with the appropriate PM to identify, recruit, train and retain Programmatic Panel members and ad hoc Programmatic Panel members for each research program.

5.2.1.6 The contractor may recruit individuals serving as military or civilian federal employees with the requisite expertise to serve as programmatic panel members or ad hoc members in an official Government capacity or in an “outside employment” capacity.

In an official Government capacity, Federal employees must obtain approval by their organization to participate as part of their official duties. A consultant fee will not be allowed. Travel costs and per diem will be at the expense of CDMRP through official Government travel orders.

In an “outside employment” capacity, Federal employees are in an approved leave or other unofficial status and participate as a reviewer outside of their official Government capacity. A consultant fee will be allowed. Travel costs and per diem will be compensated through the contract task order. The contractor shall notify the individual of the following: 1) they are responsible to adhere to all Federal ethics laws and should coordinate with an appropriate Government Ethics Counselor about “outside employment;” and 2) they are required to be in a leave or other unofficial status in order to receive compensation for participating. The contractor shall document that these notifications were provided in the summary report.

5.2.1.7 Coordinate with the appropriate PM to conduct Programmatic Panel chair nominations and election, as requested

5.2.1.7.1 Participate in the research program’s IPT to support the program cycle and activities.

5.2.1.7.2 Provide presentation support (prepare draft content, edit, distribute, etc.)

5.2.1.8 Provide support to the research program IPT during site visits, teleconferences, or other meetings to include taking notes pertaining to the findings of the meeting. Edit, finalize, and deliver minutes/notes as appropriate. Use of AI or other automated technologies for notetaking and editing services may be used. Prevention of unauthorized disclosure of confidential and proprietary information must be considered. Provide access to raw notes as requested by the PM and/or research award Grants Officer’s Representative.

5.2.2 Program Cycle Support

5.2.2.1 Conduct Stakeholders Meetings, as requested. Coordinate with the PM to identify and invite scientists, clinicians, consumer advocates, and other stakeholders to a state-of-the science meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to provide input to determine the current state of the research and clinical care, if applicable, in a particular field as well as identify research gaps in that particular field.

5.2.2.1.1 Prepare stakeholders meeting materials, such as read-ahead documents and slides.

5.2.2.1.2 Prepare a post-stakeholders meeting summary.

5.2.2.2 Conduct Vision Setting

Coordinate with the PM to conduct a Vision Setting to develop a program strategic plan, identify program-specific goals and focus areas, and define an annual investment strategy for each research program with input from the respective, program-specific Programmatic Panel members

5.2.2.3 Conduct Pre-Application Screening, as requested.

Coordinate with the PM to conduct Pre-Application Screening for research program funding mechanisms requiring pre-proposal submission to determine which pre-applications will be invited to submit full applications (as applicable; note: not all research program funding opportunities require pre-application screening). This review process will involve soliciting recommendations from the research program’s Programmatic Panel members and may also involve ad hoc reviewers as requested by the PM.

5.2.2.3.1 Prepare pre-application review materials for the Programmatic Panel members.

5.2.2.3.2 Assign pre-applications to Programmatic Panel members for review.

5.2.2.3.3 Ensure Programmatic Panel members utilize specified pre-application screening criteria outlined in the FOA to evaluate each pre-application.

5.2.2.3.4 Collate votes and create invite and not-invite final lists of pre-applications in coordination with the PM.

5.2.2.3.5 Coordinate with PM and DHACA R&D to prepare notification letters for invitation to submit full applications.

5.2.3 Conduct Programmatic Review

Coordinate with the PMs to conduct Programmatic Review(s) for each research program as requested. Programmatic Panel members and any additional ad hoc members providing programmatic review support (as applicable) shall discuss and recommend which applications should be selected for research funding. The number of Programmatic Reviews for each program may vary each fiscal year and will be determined at the task order level.

5.2.3.1 Coordinate with the PM to identify, recruit, and train ad hoc reviewers as requested.

5.2.3.2 Prepare review materials for Programmatic Panel members.

5.2.3.3 Assign applications to Programmatic Panel members. Manage and mitigate Conflicts of Interest (COIs) as appropriate.

5.2.3.4 Ensure Programmatic Panel members utilize specified programmatic review criteria outlined in the FOA to evaluate each application.

5.2.3.5 Coordinate with the PM to complete and finalize a recommended for funding list (RFFL), alternate funding list (AFL), and not recommended for funding list (NRFFL) as appropriate.

5.2.3.6 As requested by the PM, provide a list of draft snippets for individual applications to include in notification letters based on major programmatic review discussion points. The PM shall determine the final draft snippets for approval by the Grants Officer.

5.2.3.6.1 Coordinate with DHACA R&D and the PM to prepare and provide fund/alternate/not-fund letters.

5.2.3.6.2 Provide funding decision memos and briefing preparation support, as requested.

5.2.3.7 Provide alphabetical listing of Programmatic Panel reviewers, including ad hoc reviewers, and their organizational affiliations as requested by the PM.

5.2.4 Conduct Other Program Meetings (as requested). Coordinate with the PM to identify and invite attendees and develop the agenda and materials for other program meetings such as Milestone, In-Progress Review, Government Steering Committee, and External Advisory Board meetings.

5.2.5 Reporting Requirements

Coordinate with the PM within 10 days of the start date of each task order to develop a Deliverables / Receivables Tracking Sheet (D/RTS) with dates of key program deliverables, milestones and receivables by research program and by FOA, to be updated as requested. The format of the D/RTS will be developed in collaboration with the Government to ensure consistency across programs. Any exceptions to the outline deliverable timelines are to be determined in consultation with the PM and COR.

At a minimum, each outline must include the following program deliverables:

5.2.5.1 Investment Strategy - Draft version at the conclusion of vision setting meeting; final version one (1) business day after vision setting meeting.

5.2.5.2 Vision Setting Meeting Summary Report - Draft version five (5) business days after vision setting meeting. Final version 10 business days after vision setting meeting.

5.2.5.3 FOA Initial Template Draft– Initial drafts of four (4) announcements within 10 business days of Vision Setting Meeting or request by the PM, with exceptions for complex announcements to be determined in consultation with the PM. All initial drafts for programs that require more than four (4) FOAs shall be delivered within 15 business days, with four (4) FOA’s delivered within 10 business days, and the remaining FOA’s within a total of 15 business days of the Vision Setting Meeting or request by the PM.

5.2.5.4 Edited FOA for Grants/Solicitation Review Board (Deliverable 6) – Edited versions of four (4) FOAs within five (5) business days of the request by the PM.

5.2.5.5 Final FOA– Delivery of final announcements will be dependent on review and approval by either the Grants Review Board (GRB), if scheduled, or the DHACA Grants Officer, if electronically routed. The PM will provide confirmation to the Contractor of the DHACA Grants Officer’s approval for announcements not requiring formal GRB review and approval. Final program funding opportunities will be delivered within one business day following notification of DHACA approval.

5.2.5.6 Pre-application invite/not invite lists– One (1) business day after completion of pre- application screening.

5.2.5.7 Pre-application invitation letters– Final draft versions after conclusion of pre-application screening due no later than two (2)…