101 693JJ926R000007 Q and A NHTSA Response 7.29.2026_.pdf

RFP 693JJ926R000007

Title: Developing a Smartphone Application to Enhance Older Driver Safety

Questions and NHTSA Response

1. Section A –

a. Question: Can the due date be extended?

NHTSA Response: No extension.

b. Please confirm the solicitation number?

NHTSA Response: 693JJ926R000007 is the correct solicitation number.

c. Please confirm the solicitation is full and open to competition?

NHTSA Response: Yes, the solicitation is a full and open competition, as there are no set-asides or other competition-limiting initiatives.

2. Section B.5 PRICE SCHEDULE

a. Question: What is the ceiling amount for this project?

NHTSA Response: The proposed ceiling amount can be calculated by populating the T&M pricing tables with all proposed costs and totaling the resulting values.

b. Question: The Price Schedule in Section B lists six fixed labor categories with specific estimated hours per year. Please confirm whether offerors may propose additional labor categories (e.g., a Security/Compliance Specialist) with their own fixed hourly rates and estimated hours beyond the six categories and hour estimates shown in Section B, or whether all proposed labor must be allocated within those six pre-defined categories and their listed level of effort.

NHTSA Response: Offerors should propose an appropriate labor mix to complete the requirements in Part 1, Sections C.4. through C.6 of the solicitation and was just a template. Section B.5 lists "Principal Investigator/Project Manager" as just one direct labor position, but this could be two (2) separate positions. Alternative direct labor positions and hours may differ from the those listed to support the technical approach. All tables in B.5 PRICE SCHEDULE shall be completed for each year with the potential starting in September 2026. See Section L.10 for additional details.

c. Question: B.5.1 Base Period (Year 1), 3 & 5 all seem to be off by one (1) each.

NHTSA Response: B.5.1 Base Period (Year 1) total estimated hours 4,174, (Year 3) 8,347 & (Year 5) 4,174 are hereby revised.

3. Section C.4, Page 10 Project Description / Technical Requirements

Question: Section C.4 specifies support for both iOS and Android platforms. Does NHTSA require distinct native codebases for each operating system (e.g., Swift and Kotlin), or are cross-platform development frameworks (e.g., Flutter, React Native) acceptable, provided they meet security, accessibility, and performance requirements?

NHTSA Response: NHTSA has not specified a required code base, but as outlined in Section C.4, it must support iOS and Android platforms.

4. Section C.5 – SCOPE OF WORK

Question: Has NHTSA already identified specific scenarios to target?

NHTSA Response: C.2 mentions that the app shall assist older drivers in avoiding risky traffic situations, such as unprotected left turns, and alert them to upcoming changes in the driving environment, like a change to the speed limit or sharp curves in the roadway;

however, this should not be interpreted as a complete list of scenarios.

5. Section C.6.3, Page 13 & C.6.5, Page 15 — APP Design & Pilot Testing

Question: The tasks specify testing with "nine or fewer drivers aged 65 or older". Could NHTSA clarify whether multiple, iterative testing rounds of 9 or fewer participants are permitted, or if 9 participants represents the absolute maximum cap across all pre-FOT testing activities?

NHTSA Response: Nine or fewer drivers aged 65 or older.

6. Section C.6.5, Independent Quality Assurance Reviewer:

Question: Please clarify the required degree of independence for the Independent Quality Assurance Reviewer. Specifically, may this role be filled by a subcontractor engaged by the prime contractor (provided they are organizationally separated from the development team), or must the reviewer have no contractual relationship whatsoever with the offeror or any teammate?

NHTSA Response: Must be independent of the development team.

7. Section C.6.5

Question: Please confirm that the Independent Quality Assurance Reviewer at the 39-month milestone must be independent of both the prime contractor and all subcontractors, and confirm whether the cost of that reviewer should be included in the offeror's cost proposal.

NHTSA Response: Must be independent of the development team; cost should be included.

8. Section C.6 -

a. Question: Is this work a follow-on to the prior evaluation study? Is a baseline platform provided or is a new app permitted?

NHTSA Response: Not a follow-on. New app.

b. Question: Will the contractor receive any access to test/eval existing software and prior study materials?

NHTSA Response: No existing software or prior study materials.

9. Sections C.6.6; C.4

Question: Will NHTSA or DOT serve as the Institutional Review Board of record for pilot testing and the FOT design, or must the contractor engage an external IRB? If external, will the Government provide preferred templates for the IRB, Privacy Threshold Assessment, and Information Collection Request submissions?

NHTSA Response: No; NHTSA/DOT do not serve as the Institutional Review Board. The contractor must use their own IRB or a certified IRB that is registered and covered by an approved assurance of compliance under the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections. Templates can be provided for PTA and ICR.

10. Section F.3 item 35; F.4.1 F.3.1 MILESTONES / DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

Question: The monthly progress report is due on the 10th of each month in Section F.3 and on the 15th in Section F.4.1. Please confirm the correct due date.

NHTSA Response: In table F.3.1 MILESTONES / DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE F.4.1 Item # 35 Submit Monthly Reports (D) Ongoing, is due on the 15th of each month. (DATE Due) column

11. Section F.4(b) reference to “TBD”

Question: Please provide the Contracting Officer's Representative name and the deliverable submission email addresses shown as TBD in Section F.4, or confirm they will be provided at award. How about all of the other references to “TBD”?

NHTSA Response: All references to “TBD” (to be determined) will be provided at the time of award.

12. Section G.1, Page 28 vs. Section L.2 (FAR 52.216-29), Page 60 — Subcontractor Labor Costs

Question: Section G.1 states subcontractor labor will be reimbursed at cost plus applicable indirect costs without fee or profit, whereas FAR 52.216-29 discusses loaded hourly rates for subcontractors. Could NHTSA clarify whether subcontractor labor in Attachment J.1 should be priced at prime-loaded T&M labor rates or billed strictly at actual cost-plus indirect burdens?

NHTSA Response: For Labor Costs incurred by Subcontractors the Contractor shall be reimbursed at cost for such labor including appropriate indirect costs. Indirect costs include only those costs clearly excluded from the Contractor’s Fixed Loaded Hourly Labor Rates and allocated in accordance with the Contractor's usual accounting practices consistent with FAR Part 31. The Contractor is not permitted to apply fee or profit to the cost of Subcontractor Labor.

13. Section G.8.1 Principal Investigator / Project Manager, entitled “The Contractor shall appoint a Principal Investigator/Project Manager who will be the Contractor’s authorized supervisor for technical and administrative work performed under the resultant Contract and shall be a behavioral scientist.”

a. Question: Could you please clarify how “behavioral scientist” is defined for this requirement? I am an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering whose research focuses on driving behavior modeling and traffic safety. Would this background qualify me as a behavioral scientist and allow me to serve as the Principal Investigator/Project Manager?

NHTSA Response: We are considering a social/behavioral scientist to hold a degree that is included in Code 5 (Psychology) or Code 6 (Social Sciences) of the NSF taxonomy. No;

that person would not qualify as a social/behavioral scientist based on the information provided.

https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25321/assets/technical-tables/tables/nsf25321-taba-001.pdf

b. Question: Are there minimum qualifications the Government expects for the Principal Investigator/Project Manager described as a behavioral scientist, including degree level, discipline (for example experimental, cognitive, or human-factors psychology), and years of relevant experience.

https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25321/assets/technical-tables/tables/nsf25321-taba-001.pdf

NHTSA Response: No minimum qualifications aside from a degree included in Code 5 (Psychology) or Code 6 (Social Sciences) of the NSF taxonomy.

https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25321/assets/technical-tables/tables/nsf25321-taba-001.pdf

14. Section H.1.3

Question: Section H.1.3 restricts public release and reuse of the deliverables. Please confirm whether this restriction prevents the contractor from citing this contract as past performance in future proposals to the Government.

NHTSA Response: Yes; this contract can be cited in past performance for future proposals.

15. Section H.1.4, Page 35 & Section M.3.2, Page 78 — Intellectual Property & Data Rights

Question: The solicitation emphasizes a preference for Unlimited Rights under FAR 52.227-

14. If an offeror utilizes pre-existing proprietary tools, frameworks, or libraries (Background IP) to support app development, will NHTSA permit the assertion of Limited/Restricted rights specifically for those pre-existing components via the Intellectual Property Assertion Table (IPAT)?

NHTSA Response: No; the government shall maintain Unlimited Rights.

16. Section L.3 - Key personnel shall include any person owning more than a twenty (20) percent interest in the offering firm, and the Offeror’s corporate officers, its senior managers and any employee who is responsible for making a decision or taking an action on this Contract where the decision or action can have an economic or other impact on the interests of a regulated or affected organization.

Question: Are Offerors required to include resumes for all corporate officers, senior managers and any other employee that meets the criteria in RFP L.3?

NHTSA Response: (Only key people who will be working on this project.)

17. Section L.7, Page 65 — Proposal Format

Question: Section L.7 establishes a 20-page limit for Volume I (Technical Proposal) and identifies specific exclusions (resumes, CPARS, cover page, table of contents, references).

Does the Security Compliance Roadmap, Data Portability Plan, Transition Plan, Intellectual Property Assertion Table (IPAT) and preliminary Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and Open-Source Disclosure required in Part IV count toward the 20-page limit, or may they be included as attachments/addendums?

NHTSA Response: Please note PART IV: OLDER DRIVER APP DATA RIGHTS AND

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25321/assets/technical-tables/tables/nsf25321-taba-001.pdf

(See M.4.2) - Technical proposals shall be limited to no more than twenty (20) standard pages comprising no more than thirteen (13) pages for the introduction and the description of the Offeror’s technical approach, five (5) pages addressing data rights and security requirements, one (1) page describing and justifying the staffing plan to include staff assignments for each task, and one (1) page describing the Offeror’s corporate experience…

18. Section L.9 Part V; M.3.3

Question: For the three required CPARS references and the three past-performance projects, will the Government accept and evaluate the relevant past performance of proposed subcontractors and teaming partners on the same basis as the prime's?

NHTSA Response: No; not evaluating subcontractor’s performance.

19. Section L.9- Part III; C.6.3

Question: Will the Government provide the Peterson et al. (under review) study, or a citation and summary of its relevant findings, to all offerors? It does not appear to be publicly available.

NHTSA Response: No.

20. Section L.9 (Part V)

Question: May key personnel, including the Principal Investigator/Project Manager who serves as the single point of contact to the Government, be employees of a subcontractor or consultant rather than the prime?

NHTSA Response: Yes, but contractor must detail how this subcontractor will not be a risk or conflict of interest, and how the PI/PM being a subcontract will benefit the prime (project).

21. Section L.9 (Part IV), Page 69 — Security Compliance

Question: Section L.9 requests identification of the FedRAMP-authorized environment where the backend will be hosted. Will NHTSA provide a Government-Furnished Cloud environment (e.g., DOT Cloud), or is the contractor expected to procure, host, and maintain the backend cloud infrastructure within its Other Direct Costs (ODCs) for the duration of the contract?

NHTSA Response: Contractor is expected to procure, host, and maintain backend cloud infrastructure at their own expense.

22. Section L.9

a. Question: Should the included resumes of key personnel that are limited to two (2) pages each and also include dates for any projects listed. Which of the LCATs identified in RFP B.5 are considered to be key personnel?

NHTSA Response: All:

Principal Investigator Project Manager Project Manager Research Associate Research Assistant(s) APP Designer APP Developer

b. Question: Are Offerors required to submit resumes for key personnel identified in RFP L.9?

NHTSA Response: Yes.

23. Section L.9 - VOLUME I TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

a. Question: Section L.9 states that APA style shall be used. Please clarify whether APA is to be used for citations or whether APA is to be used throughout the proposal documents or just the finished project documents.

NHTSA Response: APA style shall be used in both proposal and project documents; not required to be double spaced.

b. Question: Section L.9 requires the use of APA style, apparently requiring that the document is double-spaced. Does this also apply to resumes?

NHTSA Response: Resumes not required to be double spaced.

24. L.7 PROPOSAL REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS page #74

Question: There appears to be two (2) L.7 sections

NHTSA Response: L.7 PROPOSAL REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS on page #74 has been revised entirely:

L.11 PROPOSAL REQUIRED SUBMISSIONS

By no later than the due date for receipt of proposals (as stated in block 9 of this Solicitation Standard Form 33), the Offeror shall submit the following documents:

• Standard Form 33: One (1) completed copy unbound; with original signature;

• Section K - Representation, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors - must be completed and submitted as a part of the Offeror’s proposal;

• Waiver of Price Evaluation Adjustments/Preferences – If the Offeror has represented itself as a HUBZone Small Business Concern or a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR part 126 and the Offeror elects to waive either, or both evaluation adjustments provided by this Solicitation the Offeror must indicate so in its Business Management Proposal; and

• Conflict of Interest – One (1) disclosure of conflict of interest statement submitted in accordance with Section L.2.

PART III - OTHER FINANCIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

The Offeror shall provide the following information:

a. Indicate the company fiscal year period (provide month to month dates).

b. Indicate whether the proposed indirect cost rate(s) have been audited and accepted by any

Federal audit agency. Give name, location and telephone number of the agency, and the date of acceptance. If no Federal audit has taken place, data supporting the proposed rates over the past three (3) years must accompany the cost proposal. The data shall include a breakdown of the items comprising overhead and G&A, and the base upon which the burdens are computed.

c. Indicate whether the Offeror’s system of control of Government property has been approved by a Government agency. If so, provide the name, location and telephone number of the Government agency, and date of approval.

d. Indicate whether written purchasing procedures exist, and whether the company purchasing system has been approved by a Government agency. If so, provide the name, location and telephone number of the cognizant agency, and date of approval.

e. Indicate whether the company accounting system has been approved by any Government agency. If so, provide the name, location and telephone number of the cognizant agency, and date of approval.

f. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

g. If the Offeror takes exception to any of the terms/conditions of the solicitation, the Offeror shall note these exceptions and provide an explanation of each.

h. If an artificial intelligence (AI) model or tool is used in the drafting and/or editing of a written deliverable, the use of the AI shall be disclosed in the methods section (including how, when, and to what extent AI was used) and cited. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of information in their deliverables, and shall verify any information and citations provided to them by an AI tool.