Amendment__1_RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2016059.pdf

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AMENDMENT #1 (Q&A)

RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2016059

“PRE-CLINICAL MODELS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES”

AMENDMENT No. 1

This Amendment lists questions submitted by interested parties and the responses provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The responses are offered for information only and do not modify or become part of this solicitation.

Amendment Number: One (1)

Amendment Issue Date: May 26, 2016

Proposal Due Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2016 5:00 PM EST

(UNCHANGED)

Issued By:

Brian A. Madgey

Contracting Officer Office of Acquisitions, DEA National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health 5601 Fishers Lane, Room 3D47

MSC 9821

Rockville, Maryland 20852-9821

Point of Contact:

Brian Madgey., Contracting Officer

Email: madgeyba@mail.nih.gov.

Offerors must acknowledge receipt of the final posting of Amendment #1, on each copy of the proposal submitted. Failure to receive your acknowledgment of this Amendment may result in the rejection of your proposal.

The hour and date specified for receipt of proposals HAS NOT been extended.

A CUTOFF DATE FOR QUESTIONS IS SET AT JULY 08, 2016.

THE FOLLOWING PAGES PROVIDE ANSWERS CONCERNING A NUMBER OF INQUIRIES WE HAVE

RECEIVED FOR THE ABOVE NUMBERED SOLICITATION:

mailto:madgeyba@mail.nih.gov.

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Question No.

Reference Question / Response

1 Part I – Section J – Attachment 1: Packaging and Delivery of Proposal

Question: Proposal submission instructions provided in Attachment 1 “Packaging and Delivery of Proposal” specify Disk and Online submission options without any reference to hard copy submission.

Yet, instructions provided in Section L 2.a.2. “Authorized Official and Submission of Proposal” on page 58 of the solicitation states that “proposals will be typewritten, paginated, reproduced on letter size paper, printed/copied”, etc. Can you please clarify whether the hard copy submission of the proposal is required, and if so, what are the delivery instructions?

Response: As described in Attachment 1, NIAID currently requires proposals to be submitted via two methods: 1.) Disc (CD or DVD) and, 2.) Online (electronic Contract Proposal Submission system).

Hard copies will not be accepted. Please review the instructions for the two required methods in Attachment 1.

2 Part III – Section J – Attachment 3:

Statement of Work

Question: “Fungal diseases, including invasive aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis, mucormycosis, pneumocystis pneumonia.” Coccidioides is not listed here. Would a proposal for animal models involving coccidioidomycosis be responsive?

Response: Yes, Coccidioides is located in Attachment 3 with the NIAID Emerging Infectious Diseases / Pathogens List.

3 Part III - Section J – Attachment 7: Additional Business Proposal Instructions and Uniform Cost Assumptions

Question: The sample Task Order B01 indicates the Task Order time frame is 18 months with 40 animals required. Are 40 animals required per experiment? Or are the forty animals listed in Task Order B01 to also include product evaluation assuming no more than 2 products to be evaluated as stated in Task Order C02? It will make a big difference in structuring our budget. Am I budgeting for 40 animals or 80 animals? Or is it the intent of the RFP that 40 animals are purchased and supported for the seven year duration of the contract?

Response: Offerors should budget for 40 animals for the duration of the sample Task Order only.

4 Part III – Section J – Attachment 7: Additional Business Proposal Instructions and Uniform Cost Assumptions

Question: Please clarify whether Travel is an allowable cost so that we propose a budget that is responsive to the RFP.

Response: Travel is not applicable to the sample Task Orders that the Government has provided. Your response should not include Travel, in accordance with the uniform cost assumptions. The language in the RFP, in particular page 59 and 73, is standard language to guide Offerors if travel was applicable. The base Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract will not have any travel. Task Orders issued from the base IDIQ, if selected and after award of the base IDIQ, may include travel. This will be addressed in the Task Order solicitations, competed amongst the pool of Offerors, after award of the base IDIQ.

5 Question: The time frame of the contract period is noted as June 30, 2017 – June 29, 2024. Does this mean I should propose a CORE

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Part IV –Section L.2.c.

Business Proposal Instructions budget of Personnel for that seven year window of time so that the lab could successfully respond to Task Order requests at any time offered over that duration of time?

Response: The budget shall include the necessary costs to complete the work identified in the Statement of Work (SOW) for the sample Task Order(s) you are applying for and not the entire contract period.

6 Part IV – Section L.2.a.15.

Past Performance Information

Question: Section 15 “Past Performance Information” on p. 62 of the solicitation requests the Offerors to submit information on the “last 3 contracts completed during the past three years and currently being performed that are similar in nature to the solicitation workscope.” Does this requirement call for listing only “major subcontracts” as defined under 15.a. (“any subcontract valued at $650,000 or above) or does it include listing of smaller contracts/subcontracts that are similar in nature to the solicitation workscope? Do subcontracts with academic institutions fit the category of contracts/subcontracts in question?

Response: The solicitation states that the Offeror is to submit a list of the last 3 contracts completed during the past 3 years and currently being performed that are similar in nature to the solicitation work scope. Contracts listed may include those entered into by the Federal Government, agencies of state and local government and commercial concerns. Subcontracts with academic institutions fit the category of contracts in question. The $650,000 and above threshold for subcontracts applies to the information below.

The solicitation also states that the Offeror may also submit past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition. A major subcontract is defined as any subcontract valued at $650,000 or above.

7 Other: Subcontractor Inquiry

Question: Can an academic institution located outside of the US (e.g.

Canada) be included in the proposal as a subcontractor on a certain project? If so, are there any limitations in regards to the time commitment/project contribution by such an institution?

Response: Yes, an academic institution located outside of the US can be included in the proposal as a subcontractor. The Government takes into consideration the time commitment/project contribution from a subcontractor in accordance with FAR 52.215-23, Limitations on Pass-Through Charges.

8 Other: Investigator Request Inquiry

Question: Are intramural NIAID investigators able to request task orders from your contractors or can requests only come from extramural sources?

Response: Intramural investigators may request services, however, it is not done often. The vast majority of requests are extramural.