RFP NIH-NIMHD-OSPLSP-2021-6 Estimates of the Economic Burden of Health Disparities.pdf

SOLICITATION

SECTION A - SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

1.Requisition or other Purchase Authority:

2. Request for Proposal (RFP) Number:

NIH-NIMHD-OSPLSP-2021-6

3. Issue Date:

January 8, 2021

4. Set Aside:

[ ] No [ X ] Yes See Part IV Section L

5. Title: Estimates of the Economic Burden of Health Disparities

6. ISSUED BY:

Office of Acquisitions Acquisitions Services Branch National Institutes of Health 6710B Rockledge Drive

Bethesda, MD 20892

7. SUBMIT OFFERS TO:

See Part IV, Section L, "Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors”

8. Proposals for furnishing the supplies and/or services in THE SCHEDULE will be received at the place specified in, and in the number of copies specified in Section L, "Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors," until 11:00 AM local time on February 9, 2021. Offers will be valid for 120 days unless a different period is specified by the offeror.

9. This solicitation requires delivery of proposals as stated in SECTION L, "INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS." If proposals are required to be delivered to two different locations, the OFFICIAL POINT OF RECEIPT for determining TIMELY DELIVERY is the address provided for the OFFICE OF ACQUISITIONS.

IF YOUR PROPOSAL IS NOT RECEIVED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER OR HIS DESIGNEE

AT THE PLACE AND TIME SPECIFIED FOR THE OFFICE OF ACQUISITIONS, THEN IT WILL

BE CONSIDERED LATE AND HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH [subparagraph (c)(3) of FAR Clause 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors--Competitive Acquisition,"/HHSAR Clause 352.215-70, "Late Proposals and Revisions"] LOCATED IN SECTION L.5. OF THIS SOLICITATION.

10. Offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to award of a contract. Offerors must access the CCR through The System for Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov

11. FOR INFORMATION CALL: Deb Blackshear

PHONE:

e-MAIL: blacdebo@mail.nih.gov

All questions pertaining to this acquisition shall be submitted no later than 11:00 AM (local prevailing time) on January 14, 2021. To the extent practical, all responses to questions will be issued within one (1) week of receipt. Questions received after 11:00 AM on January 14, 2021 may or may not receive a response.

Deb Blackshear Contracting Officer Office of Acquisitions Acquisitions Services Branch http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:blacdebo@mail.nih.gov

RFP TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I – THE SCHEDULE……………………………..…………………………………………………...…3

SECTION A – SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM…………………………………………………….3

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS……………………………………..…4

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/WORK STATEMENT………………………..…

SECTION D – PACKAGING, MARKING AND SHIPPING………………………………………….….10

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE………………………………………………………11

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE………………………………………

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA………………………………………….…

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS.………………………………………….…..18

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES……………………………………………

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES………………………………………………………………….….21

PART III – LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS…

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS……………….………………………………………………...24

PART IV – REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS………………..…………………………….…25

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS……………………

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS………………...…26

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD…………………..…………………………...31

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

THE INFORMATION SET FORTH IN SECTION A – SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM, HEREIN CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ANY OFFEROR/VENDOR INTERESTED IN RESPONDING TO THIS SOLICITATION.

ANY CONTRACT RESULTING FROM THIS SOLICITATION WILL INCLUDE IN ITS SECTION A-

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM ACCOUNTING, APPROPRIATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION APPLICABLE TO

THE CONTRACT AWARD.

THE CONTRACT SCHEDULE SET FORTH IN SECTION B THROUGH H, HEREIN, CONTAINS CONTRACTUAL INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THIS SOLICITION. IT IS NOT AN EXACT REPRESENTATION OF THE CONTRACT DOCUMENT THAT WILL BE AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THIS SOLICITATION. THE CONTRACT COST OR PRICE AND OTHER CONTRACTUAL PROVISIONS PERTINENT TO THE OFFEROR WILL BE DISCUSSED IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RESULTANT CONTRACT. THE ENCLOSED CONTRACT SCHEDULE IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE OFFEROR WITH THE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND THE TERMS AND

CONDITIONS OF THE RESULTANT CONTRACT.

CHAPTER B – CONTINUATION OF SOLICITATION

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

ARTICLE B.1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

The purpose of the resultant contract is to provide national and state estimates of the economic burden of health disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) for 2017 – 2018 or using the most recent data available and compute estimates of the economic burden of health disparities by race/ethnicity and SES (where possible) for 2017 and 2018 (or most recent data available) in geographic areas more granular than state levels.

The Contractor shall work independently, and not as an agent of the Government to furnish services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government as described in Section C of the solicitation.

ARTICLE B.2. PRICES/COSTS

a. The resultant contract will be a Time and Materials with Labor Hours Contract as contemplated by FAR 16.601. The Contractor will be reimbursed by the Government in an amount not less than a total of $ (minimum) not more than a total (not-to-exceed) amount of $ (maximum) for successful performance of this contract.

b. Upon delivery and acceptance of the item(s) described in SECTION C of the resultant Contract and identified in the schedule of charges below, the Government will pay to the Contractor the unit price(s) set forth below:

SCHEDULE OF CHARGES FOR BASE PERIOD April 5, 2021 – April 4, 2022

DESCRIPTION OF TECHNICAL AREA HOURS (TIME) PRICE/COST

Technical Area 1: Contract Management and Administration Technical Area 2: Estimates of Economic Burden of Health Disparities Technical Area 3: Transition Total Labor Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

TOTAL

c. The contractor will not exceed the Base Period amount of $ without the Government’s prior review and execution of a subsequent modification, in doing so without consent will be at the risk of the contractor. It is understood that this amount will cover the base period of performance April 5, 2021 through April 4, 2022.

d. The Contractor will not unilaterally reallocate hours and funds between Technical Areas without submitting a written request for a Contracting Officer’s Authorization (COA). Upon receipt of the Contracting Officer’s consent, the Contractor shall reallocate accordingly. In the event additional funding is required, the Contractor shall submit a written request to the CO/CS for modification to the contract.

ARTICLE B.3. OPTION YEAR PRICES

a. Unless the Government exercises its option pursuant to the option clause referenced in SECTION I, CONTRACT CLAUSES, the resultant contract will consist only of the Base Period specified in the SOW as defined in SECTIONS C and F, for the price set forth in ARTICLE B.2. of the resultant contract.

b. Pursuant to FAR Clause 52.217-6/Option for Increased Quantity/FAR Clause 52.217-7/Option for Increased Quantity- Separately Priced Line Item/FAR Clause 52.217-8/Option to Extend Services/FAR Clause 52.217-9/Option to Extend set forth in SECTION I. CONTRACT CLAUSES of this contract, the Government may, by unilateral contract modification, require the Contractor to perform the Option Period(s) specified in the Statement of Work as defined in SECTIONS C and F of this contract. If the Government exercises this/these option(s), notice must be given before the expiration date of the contract. Specific information regarding the time frame for this notice is set forth in the OPTION PROVISION Article in SECTION H of this contract. The fixed price of this contract will be increased as set forth in paragraph c., below.

c. Upon the delivery and acceptance of the Option Item/Option Items/Option Service/Option Services of the contract and identified in the schedule of charges below, the Government will pay the Contractor the unit price(s) set forth below:

Below is a breakdown of the Option Period to Increase Quantities and to Extend Services:

OPTION FOR INCREASE QUANTITIES FOR BASE PERIOD

DESCRIPTION OF TECHNICAL AREA HOURS (TIME) PRICE/COST

Technical Area 1: Contract Management and Administration Technical Area 2: Estimates of Economic Burden of Health Disparities Support

Technical Area 3: Transition

SCHEDULE OF QUANTITIES AND CHARGES FOR FUTURE OPTION PERIODS

OPTION PERIOD PERIOD OF

PERFORMANCE

MINIMUM OPTION TO

INCREASE

QUANTITIES

MAXIMUM

Option Period #1 Option Period #2

d. In the execution and exercising of the Option Period, the Schedule will be updated to include the Time (level of Effort/Hours) and the Materials (ODCs) by the respective Technical Area for that period.

ARTICLE B.4. ADVANCE UNDERSTANDINGS

Other provisions of the resultant contract notwithstanding, approval of the following items within the limits set forth is hereby granted without further authorization from the Contracting Officer.

• Non-Personal Services and Inherently Government Functions Pursuant to FAR 37.1, no personal services will be performed under the resultant contract. All work requirements will flow only from the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to the Contractor's Project Manager. No Contractor employee will be directly supervised by the Government. All individual employee assignments, and daily work direction, will be given by the applicable employee supervisor. If the Contractor believes any Government action or communication has been given that would create a personal services relationship between the Government and any Contractor employee, the Contractor will promptly notify the Contracting Officer of this communication or action.

Pursuant to FAR 7.5, the Contractor will not perform any inherently Governmental actions under the resultant contract. No Contractor employee will hold him or herself out to be a Government employee, agent, or representative.

No Contractor employee will state orally or in writing at any time that he or she is acting on behalf of the Government.

In all communications with third parties in connection with this contract, Contractor employees will identify themselves as Contractor employees and specify the name of the company for which they work. In all communications with other Government contractors in connection with this contract, the Contractor employee will state that they have no authority to in any way change the contract and that if the other contractor believes this communication to be a direction to change their contract, they should notify the Contracting Officer for that contract and not carry out the direction until a clarification has been issued by the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor will ensure that all of its employees working on the resultant contract are informed of the substance of this article. Nothing in this article will limit the Government's rights in any way under the other provisions of the contract, including those related to the Government's right to inspect and accept the services to be performed under this contract. The substance of this article will be included in all subcontracts at any tier.

• Confidential Treatment of Sensitive Information The Contractor will guarantee strict confidentiality of the information/data that it is provided by the Government during the performance of the resultant contract. The Government has determined that the information/data that the Contractor will be provided during the performance of the resultant contract is of a sensitive nature.

Disclosure of the information/data, in whole or in part, by the Contractor can only be made after the Contractor receives prior written approval from the Contracting Officer. Whenever the Contractor is uncertain with regard to the proper handling of information/data under the resultant contract, the Contractor will obtain a written determination from the Contracting Officer.

• Invoices The Government reserves the right not to pay any invoice submitted more than six (6) months after performance ends.

(End of Part I, Section B)

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT

ARTICLE C.1. STATEMENT OF WORK

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Statement of Work, dated June 1, 2020 set forth in SECTION J - List of Attachments attached hereto and made a part of the resultant contract.

ARTICLE C.2. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

In fulfillment of this effort, the Contractor shall complete the following deliverables. All reports required herein shall be submitted in electronic format, via the NICHD Contracts Portal. All electronic contract deliverables shall be submitted via the NICHD Contracts Portal available at the following website: https://contracts.nichd.nih.gov. All electronic reports submitted shall be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Additional information about testing documents for Section 508 compliance, including guidance and specific checklists, by application, can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/index.html under "Making Files Accessible." The Contractor must provide to the Contracting Officer/Contract Specialist the name of the person(s) submitting electronic reports via the NICHD Contracts Portal in order to initiate access to the Portal.

If the Contractor is unable to deliver the reports specified within the period of performance, the Contractor shall give the CO, written notice at least 10 business days prior to the due date of anticipated delays with the reasons therefore. The CO and COR must approve the extension in writing and a new delivery date must be established.

The Deliverables Schedule will be used by the NIMHD COR and contractor to monitor timely progress under the resultant Contract.

Item Project Management Deliverables Due Date Submit To 1 Meeting minutes for Contract Kick-off/Initial

Teleconference to be held within 10 business days after contract award

Within two business days after the meeting

NICHD Contracts Portal

2 Pre-Meeting Agenda and Roster for all meetings Two business days prior to the teleconference

NICHD Contracts Portal

3 Roadmap/workplan with timeline, deliverables and dates for Base Year

Within one month of the effective date of contract award

NICHD Contracts Portal

4 Roadmap/workplan with timeline, deliverables and dates for subsequent deliverables

One month prior to the end of each contract year

NICHD Contracts Portal

5 Summary of Meeting Minutes & Action Items of teleconferences/meetings

Within two business days after the meeting

NICHD Contracts Portal

6 Monthly Status Report On or before 10th day of each month

NICHD Contracts Portal

7 Annual Report 10 days of the last business day of each performance period

NICHD Contracts Portal https://contracts.nichd.nih.gov/ http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/index.html

Base Year - Milestones and Schedule for Deliverables

Task Number

Date Deliverable

1 06/30/2021 Completed calibrated models and table shells that will be used for comparison of national and state estimates

2 06/30/2021 Written document describing the strengths and limitations of the proposed models and methodologies generated in Task 1

3 07/31/2021 Presentation of the methods, models, and their strengths and limitations (based on Tasks 1 &

2) to NIMHD and the Technical Expert Panel to derive consensus on the final approach.

4 08/31/2021 Draft of final prototype and proof of concept for calculating estimates of the economic burden of health disparities for the nation and US states for scientific assessment by NIMHD, incorporating feedback from Task 3

5 10/31/2021 Estimates of economic burden of health disparities at national and state levels, for 2017 – 2018, based on prototype from Task 4

6 10/31/2021 Written document describing contextual information/conditions for proper use of final models from Task 5

7 12/31/2021 Presentation (written and PowerPoint) of preliminary results of Task 5 - 6 for Scientific Assessment by NIMHD and Technical Expert Panel

8 02/28/2022 1) Executive summary and methods monograph ready for publication; 2) Manuscript ready for submission to a peer-reviewed journal

9 Prior to 04/04/2022

Presentation of results at key NIMHD/NIH venues and professional meetings/conferences

Option Year 1 - Milestones and Schedule for Deliverables

Date Deliverable

10 06/30/2022 Selection criteria for identifying high priority sub-state or regional areas needing health disparity interventions

11 08/31/2022 Report of data sources that could be used to estimate economic burden due to a) Medical Expenditures; b) Productivity Loss; and c) Premature Deaths, in the sub-state or regional locations identified in Task 10

12 09/30/2022 Written report, including examples and maps when possible, of all the proposed sub-state or regional areas that will be calculated under Option Year 2

13 11/30/2022 Proposed methods for estimates of sub-state or regional areas that will be consistent with estimates from the Base Year of this contract

14 11/30/2022 Written document that describes the strengths and limitations of the proposed methods/models

15 02/15/2023 Written document and PowerPoint Presentation to NIMHD and Technical Expert Panel of draft approach and scope for estimating the economic burden of health disparities in sub-state or regional areas that will be calculated during Option Year 2 of this contract.

16 Prior to 04/04/2023

Final report, based on feedback from Task 15, providing the final approach and scope for estimating the economic burden of health disparities in sub-state or regional areas that will be calculated during Option Year 2 of this contract

Option Year 2 - Milestones and Schedule for Deliverables

Date Deliverable

17 06/30/2023 Completed models and table shells that will be used for comparison of below state level granularity

18 06/30/2023 Written document describing contextual information/conditions for proper use of the models 19 10/31/2023 Presentation of preliminary results of Tasks 17 - 18 for Scientific Assessment by NIMHD and Technical Expert Panel 20 02/28/2024 1) Executive summary and methods monograph ready for publication; 2) Manuscript ready for submission to a peer-reviewed journal 21 Prior to

04/04/2024 Presentation of results at key NIMHD/NIH venues and professional meetings/conferences

1. Monthly Status Report

The contractor shall document the efforts performed in the completion of each task in a detailed Monthly Status Report due on or before the 10th of each Month. The status report shall include, at a minimum:

• a list of all task assignments performed in the previous month.

• plans for the next reporting period.

• a summary of labor hours and cost worked by contractor employee by task assignment, costs associated with the current period, cumulative costs and projected cost for the period of performance.

• Problems encountered: identification of any problems, issues or delays and recommendations as to their resolution, and any corrective action that was taken to correct identified problems.

• Strategy revisions: recommended changes to include any lessons learned.

2. Annual Report

The Contractor shall document the efforts performed in the completion of the requirements at the end of each period of performance.

(End of Part I, Section C)

SECTION D – PACKING, PACKAGING, AND MARKING

ARTICLE D.1. PACKING, PACKAGING, AND MARKING

All deliverables required under the resultant contract shall be packaged, marked and shipped in accordance with Government specifications. At a minimum, all deliverables shall be marked with the contract number and Contractor name. The Contractor shall guarantee that all required materials shall be delivered in immediate usable and acceptable condition.

(End Part I, Section D)

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The Contracting Officer or the duly authorized representative will perform inspection and acceptance of materials and services to be provided.

a. For the purpose of this SECTION, TBD is the authorized representative of the Contracting Officer.

b. Inspection and acceptance will be performed at:

TBD

c. This contract incorporates the following clause by reference, with the same force and effect as if it were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make its full text available.

FAR Clause 52.246-6, Inspection Time-and-Material and Labor Hour (May 2001).

Alternate I (April 1984) is not applicable to this contract.

(End of Part I, Section E)

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

ARTICLE F.1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of the resultant contract shall be from ________________ to

If the Government exercises its option(s) pursuant to the OPTION PROVISION Article in Article B.2. and Section H Special Contract Requirements, the period of performance will be extended as listed below:

OPTION PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Option Period #1 Option Period #2

ARTICLE F.2. CONTRACT PERFORMANCE PERIOD AND PRICING

The performance period will be specified in the Contract and may include option periods which extend the Contract up to twelve (12) months beyond the expiration date of this contract. The Contract shall be priced using the rates provided in Section B, Supplies or Services and Price/Costs, and Attachments, that will be applicable to the Contract anticipated period of performance.

ARTICLE F.3. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Services may be provided off-site, on-site, or a combination of, depending on program requirements.

However, the work for this project shall be performed at the Contractor site.

ARTICLE F.4. NOTICE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF DELAYS

In the event the Contractor encounters difficulty in meeting performance requirements, or when it anticipates difficulty in complying with the contract delivery schedule or completion date, or as soon as the Contractor has knowledge that any actual or potential situation is delaying or threatens to delay the timely performance of the resultant contract, the Contractor shall immediately notify the CO and the COR, in writing. This notification shall give pertinent details and this data shall be informational only in character;

this provision shall not be construed as a waiver by the Government of any delivery schedule or date, or any rights or remedies provided by law or under the resultant contract.

ARTICLE F.5. CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

This solicitation incorporates the following clause(s) by reference, with the same force and effect as if it were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make its full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address: http://www.acquisition.gov.

FAR Clause No. Title and Date 52.242-15 Stop Work Order (AUG 1989) 52.242-17 Government Delay of Work (APR 1984) http://www.acquisition.gov/

(End of Part I, Section F)

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

ARTICLE G.1. CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

The following Contracting Officer’s Representative(s) will represent the Government for the purpose of the resultant contract:

TBD

The COR is responsible for: (1) monitoring the Contractor’s technical progress, including the surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending to the Contracting Officer changes in requirements; (2) interpreting the statement of work and any other technical performance requirements; (3) performing technical evaluation as required; (4) performing technical inspections and acceptances required by this contract; and (5) assisting in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance.

The Contracting Officer is the only person with authority to act as agent of the Government under this contract. Only the Contracting Officer has authority to: (1) direct or negotiate any changes in the statement of work; (2) modify or extend the period of performance; (3) change the delivery schedule; (4) authorize reimbursement to the Contractor for any costs incurred during the performance of this contract; (5) otherwise change any terms and conditions of this contract; or (6) sign written licensing agreements. Any signed agreement shall be incorporated by reference in Section K of the contract.

The Government may unilaterally change its COR designation.

ARTICLE G.2. KEY PERSONNEL, HHSAR 352.237-75 (DECEMBER 2015)

The key personnel specified in the resultant contract are considered to be essential to work performance.

At least 30 days prior to the contractor voluntarily diverting any of the specified individuals to other programs or contracts, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and shall submit a justification for the diversion or replacement and a request to replace the individual. The request must identify the proposed replacement and provide an explanation of how the replacement’s skills, experience, and credentials meet or exceed the requirements of the contract. If the employee of the contractor is terminated for cause or separates from the contractor voluntarily with less than thirty days’ notice, the Contractor shall provide the maximum notice practicable under the circumstances. The Contractor shall not divert, replace, or announce any such change to key personnel without the written consent of the Contracting Officer. The contract will be modified to add or delete key personnel to reflect the agreement of the parties.

(End of Clause)

The following individual(s) is/are considered to be essential to the work being performed hereunder:

NAME Title

TBD

ARTICLE G.3. INVOICE SUBMISSION

1. [Invoice Submission/Contract Financing Request, NIH(RC)-2/Invoice Submission/Contract

Financing Request and Contract Financial Reporting, NIH(RC)-2] for NIH FIXED-PRICE Type Contracts are attached and made part of this contract. The Contractor must follow the attached document: Instructions for Submitting Electronic Invoices via Email to the NIH Office of Financial Management (OFM) Effective April 23, 2020 to meet the requirements of a "proper invoice" pursuant to FAR Subpart 32.9, Prompt Payment.

2. Invoices shall be submitted to the NIH centralized invoice email box: invoicing@NIH.gov.

3. Ensure that the body of the email and attached invoice must both include the contractor/vendor’s correspondence email address in the below format (bolded information must be present to identify information):

Correspondence email address: xyz@abc.com

4. Follow the system size limits that apply to the email and each invoice: individual email attachments cannot exceed 5 megabytes each and the email plus all attachments cannot exceed a total of 30 megabytes.

5. Clearly identify a valid and complete contract number on each invoice.

6. Clearly identify a valid and complete contract number on each invoice.

7. Clearly identify an accurate DUNS number on each invoice.

8. Do not include confidential information such as SS# (do not include TIN if it is a SS#).

9. Send one (1) invoice per email.

The date/time that a valid invoice is submitted electronically to the email box invoicing@NIH.gov will be the same date/time logged as that of the invoice received by NIH.

Please do not hand deliver invoices to any NIH office. Please follow the above and attached electronic submission instructions until further notice. Failure to follow the above electronic submission instructions may result in invoice processing delays.

For Questions? Direct inquiries regarding the status of invoices such as receipt of invoices, due date, or payment of invoices to the OFM Commercial Accounts Branch, Customer Service Office. The OFM Customer Service contact information and of methods to contact are available at the following OFM website https://ofm.od.nih.gov/Pages/Customer-Service.aspx and below.

The Customer Service Office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) and is closed daily between 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time). The Customer Service Office phone number is 301-496-6088.

mailto:invoicing@NIH.gov mailto:xyz@abc.com mailto:invoicing@NIH.gov https://ofm.od.nih.gov/Pages/Customer-Service.aspx

The Contractor shall send a courtesy copy of the OFM-submitted invoice to the following approving official:

a. Contracting Officer/Contract Specialist:

b. COR:

10. In addition to the requirement specified in FAR 32.905 for a proper invoice, the Contractor shall include the following information on the face page of all payment requests:

a. Name of the Office of Acquisitions. The Office of Acquisitions for this contract is National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

b. Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). If the Contractor does not have a valid TIN, it shall identify the Vendor Identification Number (VIN) on the payment request. The VIN is the number that appears after the Contractor’s name on the face page of the contract. {Note: A VIN is assigned to new contracts awarded on or after June 4, 2007, and any existing contract modified to include the VIN number}. If the Contractor has neither a TIN, DUNS, nor VIN, contact the Contracting Officer.

c. DUNS or DUNS+4 Number. The DUNS number must identify the Contractor’s name and address exactly as stated in the contract and as registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. If the Contractor does not have a valid DUNS number, it shall identify the Vendor Identification Number (VIN) on the payment request. The VIN is the number that appears after the Contractor’s name on the face page of the contract. {Note: A VIN is assigned to new contracts awarded on or after June 4, 2007, and any existing contract modified to include the VIN number}.

If the Contractor has neither a TIN, DUNS, nor VIN, contact the Contracting Officer.

d. Invoice Matching Option. This contract requires a two-way match.

e. Unique Invoice Number. Each payment request must be identified by a unique invoice number, which can only be used one time regardless of the number of contracts or orders held by an organization.

G.4. PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENT TO SMALL BUSINESS

SUBCONTRACTORS, FAR 52.232-40 (DECEMBER 2013)

1. Upon receipt of accelerated payments from the Government, the Contractor shall make accelerated payments to its small business subcontractors under the resultant contract, to the maximum extent practicable and prior to when such payment is otherwise required under the applicable contract or subcontract, after receipt of a proper invoice and all other required documentation from the small business subcontractor.

2. The acceleration of payments under this clause does not provide any new rights under the prompt Payment Act.

3. Include the substance of this clause, include this paragraph c, in all subcontracts with small business concerns, including subcontracts with small business concerns for the acquisition of commercial items.

(End of Clause)

ARTICLE G.5. ON-SITE CONTRACTOR ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT PROPERTY

The Contractor shall be held responsible for Government Property, regardless of dollar value, when:

• The contract requires contractor personnel to be located on a Government site or installation.

• The property utilized by contractor personnel is incidental to the place of performance.

• The property used by the contractor remains accountable to the Government.

Responsibility includes physical presence, proper use and handling, normal maintenance, and reporting loss, damage or destruction.

Responsibility for government property shared by two or more contractors or located in space shared by two or more contractors, shall be determined and documented by the contractors involved. In cases where the parties cannot reach agreement on shared responsibility, the matter will be referred to the NIH Property Officer for resolution.

ARTICLE G.6. POST AWARD EVALUATION OF CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE

a. Contractor Performance Evaluations: Interim and Final Evaluations of Contractor performance will be prepared on the resultant contract in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.15. The final performance evaluation will be prepared at the time of completion of work.

Interim and Final evaluations will be provided to the Contractor as soon as practicable after completion of the evaluation. The Contractor will be permitted thirty days to review the document and to submit additional information or a rebutting statement. If agreement cannot be reached between the parties, the matter will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting Officer, whose decision will be final.

Copies of the evaluations, Contractor responses, and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used to support future award decisions.

b. Electronic Access to Contractor Performance Evaluations: Contractors may access evaluations through a secure Web site for review and comment at the following address: http://www.cpars.gov.

(End of Part I, Section G) http://www.cpars.gov/

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

ARTICLE H.1. DISSEMINATION OF FALSE OR DELIBERATELY

MISLEADING INFORMATION

The Contractor shall not use contract funds to disseminate information that is deliberately false or misleading.

ARTICLE H.2. RESTRICTION OF PORNOGRAPHY ON COMPUTER

NETWORKS

The Contractor shall not use contract funds to maintain or establish a computer network unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and exchanging of pornography.

ARTICLE H.3. GUN CONTROL

The Contractor shall not use contract funds in whole or in part, to advocate or promote gun control.

ARTICLE H.4. OPTION PROVISION

Unless the Government exercises its option pursuant to the Option Clause set forth in SECTION I., the resultant contract will consist only of the Base Period of the Statement of Work as defined in Sections C and F of the contract. Pursuant to [FAR Clause 52.217-6, Option for Increased Quantity/FAR Clause 52.217-7, Option for Increased Quantity-Separately Priced Line Item/FAR Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services/FAR Clause 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract] set forth in SECTION I. of the resultant contract, the Government may, by unilateral contract modification, require the Contractor to perform additional options set forth in the Statement of Work and also defined in Sections C and F of the resultant contract. If the Government exercises this option, notice must be given at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the resultant contract, and the price of the resultant contract will be increased as set forth in the OPTION PRICES Article in SECTION B of this contract.

ARTICLE H.5. REPORTING MATTERS INVOLVING FRAUD, WASTE

AND ABUSE

Anyone who becomes aware of the existence or apparent existence of fraud, waste and abuse in NIH funded programs is encouraged to report such matters to the HHS Inspector General's Office in writing or on the Inspector General's Hotline. The toll-free number is 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). All telephone calls will be handled confidentially. The website to file a complaint on-line is:

http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/hotline/ and the mailing address is:

US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General

ATTN: OIG HOTLINE OPERATIONS

P.O. Box 23489 Washington, D.C. 20026 http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/hotline/ http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/hotline/

ARTICLE H.6. CONTRACTOR INTERFACES

The Contractor and/or its subcontractors may be required as part of the performance of this effort to work with other Contractors working for the Government. Such other Contractors shall not direct this Contractor and/or their subcontractors in any manner. Also, this Contractor and/or its subcontractors shall not direct the work of other Contractors in any manner.

The Government shall establish an initial contact between the Contractor and other Contractors and participate in an initial meeting at which the conventions for the scheduling and conduct of future meetings/contacts shall be established. Any CORs of other efforts shall be included in any establishment of conventions.

ARTICLE H.7. DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

The Contractor and its subcontractors performing under this SOW shall not release, publish, or disclose non-public Departmental information to unauthorized personnel, and shall protect such information in accordance with provisions of the following laws and any other pertinent laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of such information.

Each contractor/subcontractor employee who may have access to non-public Department information under the resultant contract shall complete the Commitment to Protect Non-Public Information – Contractor Agreement. A copy of each signed and witnessed Non-Disclosure agreement shall be submitted to the COR prior to performing any work under the resultant contract.

ARTICLE H.8. CONTRACTOR DATA REQUIREMENTS

Data, including, but not limited to reports, manuals, operating/maintenance instructions, coding, are expected to be developed under this contract. The government requires unlimited data rights in all data produced in the performance of the resultant contract. The Contractor shall not embed its company name or logos or claim copyright for any deliverables submitted under this SOW.

ARTICLE H.9. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

The Contractor shall be responsible for managing and overseeing the activities of all Contractor personnel, as well as subcontractor efforts used in performance of this effort. The Contractor's management responsibilities shall include all activities necessary to ensure the accomplishment of timely and effective support, performed in accordance with the requirements contained in the statement of work. Resumes submitted for employees assigned to perform under this statement of work shall contain documented experience directly applicable to the functions to be performed. Further, these prior work experiences shall be specific and of sufficient variety and duration that the employee is able to effectively and efficiently perform the functions assigned.

1.1. Project Manager

The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager to facilitate Government-Contractor communications. The Project Manager shall be the primary technical and managerial interface between the Contractor and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) located at ____________________.

The name of this person, and an alternate or alternates, who shall act for the contractor when the Manager is absent, shall be designated in writing to the Contracting Officer. The Manager or alternate will have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operations.

The Project Manager or alternate must be available during normal duty hours, as specified herein and to meet with government personnel within 24 hours to discuss problems.

ARTICLE H.10. EMERGENCY OR SPECIAL EVENT SERVICES

Occasionally, the Contractor may be required to perform and/or provide services outside the normal hours of duty. These occasions shall be infrequent and require services be performed after normal working hours in the evening and/or weekends (Saturday and Sunday). The COR and the Contractor shall mutually agree upon any/all deviations to this schedule. Work conducted outside these hours shall have to be conducted at the contractor’s site or may be negotiated by the CO with the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

ARTICLE H.11. AUTHORIZED OFFICIAL

All proposals must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization and must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFP. The proposal shall be certified as valid for a minimum of 120 days from the due date.

(End of Part I, Section H)

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE I.1. GENERAL CLAUSE LISTING(S) WILL BE APPLICABLE TO MOST

CONTRACTS RESULTING FROM THIS RFP. HOWEVER, THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE

SUCCESSFUL OFFEROR(S) WILL DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC GENERAL CLAUSE LISTING TO BE

CONTAINED IN THE CONTRACT(S) AWARDED FROM THIS RFP:

The complete listing of these clauses may be accessed at: http://oamp.od.nih.gov/dgs/general-clauses

ARTICLE I.1. GENERAL CLAUSES

The resultant contract shall incorporate the following additional Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer shall make the full text available. In addition, the full text of a FAR clause may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

• FAR 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (Jan 2011)

• FAR 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements

• FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment

• FAR 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment

• FAR 52.207-4, System for Award Management

• FAR 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations

• FAR 52.209-11, Representation by Corporations, Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law

• FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (Oct 2008), Alt I

• FAR 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options (July 1990)

• FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data-General (Dec 2007)

• FAR 52.232-18, Availability of Funds (April 1984)

• FAR 52.237-3, Continuity of Services (Jan 1991)

• FAR 52.243-3, Changes – Time & Materials and Labor-Hour

• FAR 52.246-4, Inspection – Time & Materials and Labor-Hour (May 2001)

The resultant contract will also incorporate the following Department of Health and Human Services Regulation (HHSAR) Clause by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text.

Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make the respective clauses full text available. In addition, the full text of a HHSAR clause may be accessed electronically at:

https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html.

ARTICLE I.2. AUTHORIZED SUBSTITUTIONS OF CLAUSES

Any authorized substitutions and/or modifications other than the General Clauses which will be based on the type of contract/Contractor will be determined during negotiations.

It is expected that the following substitution(s) will be made part of the resultant contract:

http://oamp.od.nih.gov/dgs/general-clauses http://www.acquisition.gov/ https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html

a. The Government acquires unlimited rights in the following data except for copyrighted works as provided in 27.404-3.

a) Data first produced in the performance of a contract (except to the extent the data constitute minor modifications to data that are limited rights data or restricted computer software).

b) Form, fit, and function data delivered under contract.

c) Data (except as may be included with restricted computer software) that constitute manuals or instructional and training material for installation, operation, or routine maintenance and repair of items, components, or processes delivered or furnished for use under a contract.

d) All other data delivered under the contract other than limited rights data or restricted computer software (see 27.404-2).

b. Alternate I (February 2002), of FAR Clause 52.232-25, Prompt Pay (Jan 2017)

ARTICLE I.3. ADDITIONAL CONTRACT CLAUSES

Additional clauses other than those listed below which are based on the type of contract/Contractor shall be determined during negotiations. Any contract awarded from this solicitation will contain the following:

This contract incorporates the following clauses by reference, (unless otherwise noted), with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available.

a. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) (48 CFR CHAPTER 1) CLAUSES

1. FAR Clause 52.217-6, Option for Increased Quantity (March 1989).

The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within _________________________.

2. FAR Clause 52.217-7, Option for Increased Quantity - Separately

Priced Line Item (March 1989).

The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within _________________________.

3. FAR Clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services (November 1999).

“...The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within _______________________.

4. FAR Clause 52.237-3, Continuity of Services (January 1991).

5. FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items (Oct 2008), Alt I.

b. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACQUISITION REGULATION (HHSAR) (48

CHAPTER 3) CLAUSES:

• HHSAR 352.224-70, Confidentiality of Information (January 2006)

• HHSAR 352.270-5, Key Personnel (January 2006)

(End of Part II, Section I)

PART III – LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

SOLICITATION ATTACHMENTS

(End of Part III, Section J)

Attachment No. Title 1 Proposal Intent Form 2 Statement of Work, dated 06/01/2020 3 Invoice Instructions for NIH Fixed Price Type Contracts NIH(RC)-2

PART IV – REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

IF YOU INTEND TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL, YOU MUST:

1. Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) when submitting an offer and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation.

2. INCLUDE as part of your BUSINESS PROPOSAL:

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS

OF OFFERORS. Offerors may print a PDF of their www.beta.sam.gov representations and certifications and include in the Business volume.

3. FAR Clause 52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications

(December 2014).

The Contractor's representations and certifications, including those completed electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM), will be incorporated by reference into the contract.

(End of Part IV, Section K) http://www.beta.sam.gov/

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO

OFFERORS

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Submit proposals by email to Ms. Deb Blackshear at blacdebo@mail.nih.gov.

2. NAICS CODE AND SIZE STANDARD

Note: The following information is to be used by the offeror in preparing its Representations and Certifications (See Section K of this RFP), specifically in completing the provision entitled, SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REPRESENTATION, FAR Clause 52.219-1.

1. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541690.

2. The small business size standard is $16.5 Million.

THIS REQUIREMENT IS SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESS.

3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The following instructions will establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and contents of the proposal. Special attention is directed to the requirements for technical and business proposals to be submitted in accordance with these instructions.

Creating and Naming Files:

1. Create one PDF file of your Technical Proposal, including all attachments. Forms and/or documents requiring signature(s) may be scanned but must be merged into the Technical Proposal PDF file.

2. Create one PDF file of your Business Proposal, including all attachments. Forms and/or documents requiring signature(s) may be scanned but must be merged into the Business Proposal PDF file.

3. Both the Technical and Business Proposals shall be prepared and submitted electronically in two volumes: “Volume I -Technical”, “Volume II - Business”. Each of these volumes shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of, and concurrently with, evaluation of the other.

4. It is required that the filename for both your Technical Proposal and Business Proposal include the name of the offeror, the solicitation number, and the type of proposal (i.e. Technical or Business).

Examples:

Technical Proposal: XYZ Company_NIHAI2012001_Technical.pdf Business Proposal: XYZ Company_NIHAI2012001_Business.pdf

To expedite the proposal evaluation, all documents required for responding to the solicitation should be placed in the following order:

1. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

It is recommended that the technical proposal consist of a cover page and a table of contents.

The cover page should include SOLICITATION title, number, name of organization, DUNS No., identification of the proposal part, and indicate whether the proposal is an original or a copy.

2. BUSINESS PROPOSAL

It is recommended that the business proposal consist of a cover page and a table of contents.

The cover page should include SOLICITATION title, number, name of organization, DUNS No., identification of the proposal part, and indicate whether the proposal is an original or a copy.

4. QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES TO THE RFP

All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted electronically (via email) to Ms. Deb Blackshear at blacdebo@mail.nih.gov no later than 11:00 AM, January 14, 2021. Questions submitted after the due date and time will not be answered. Please reference the specific area of the RFP item or attachment when asking a question.

Responses to all relevant questions of clarifications and/or ambiguities shall be addressed and forwarded electronically by an Amendment to the solicitation no later than January 21, 2021. If this solicitation is amended, all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged.

5. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals shall be submitted electronically, to the email address blacdebo@mail.nih.gov no later than 11:00 AM February 9, 2021.

Proposals must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization and must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this solicitation.

Offerors are responsible for submitting proposals, and any modifications or revisions, so as to reach the Government office designated in…