Attachment_13_-_Additional_Technical_Proposal_Instructions.pdf

Attachment 13 – Additional Technical Proposal Instructions RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2017091 1 of 5

ATTACHMENT 13: ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS,

FORMAT FOR TECHNICAL PROPOSAL, and TABLE OF CONTENTS

In Vitro Assessments of Antimicrobial Activity

RFP-NIAID-DMID- NIHAI2017091

It is strongly recommended that offerors use the following template as the Table of Contents for the Technical Proposal. All information presented in the Technical Proposal should be presented in the order specified below.

These additional Technical Proposal instructions reflect the requirements of the solicitation and provide specific instructions and formatting for the Technical Proposal. While Section L of the solicitation provides a generic set of Technical Proposal instructions applicable to all National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research and Development (R&D) solicitations, these instructions are tailored to the specific requirements of the Request for Proposal (RFP). The information requested in these instructions should be used to format and prepare the Technical Proposal, and should be used as a Table of Contents for your Technical Proposal. Offerors should follow the instructions in Section L of the solicitation, and include the information requested here.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) anticipates awarding multiple Indefinite- Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to organizations that best meet the overall qualifications needed to fulfill the technical requirements of the Task Areas of this solicitation. The Government anticipates awards to those organizations with the best qualifications whether in one, or more task areas. Organizations will be considered for contracts only in the Task Area(s) for which they submit a proposal. Sample Task Orders are provided in the RFP solely to evaluate Offeror responses and capabilities. Successful Offerors will have qualified to compete for eventual task order awards in one or more of the following areas:

Task Area A – Bacteria, Fungi, and Toxins Task Area B -Viruses Task Area C –Parasites and Vectors Task Area D –In Vitro Models that Mimic in vivo Administration of Candidate Compounds Task Area E –Development of New Techniques to Culture Difficult to Grow Pathogens

Offerors are advised to give careful consideration to the Statement of Work (SOW), all reference materials, and attachments, the Technical Evaluation Criteria in Section M, and the solicitation as a whole in the development of their Technical Proposals.

Offerors proposing subcontracts to perform portions of the Statement of Work should clearly identify the specific tasks for which they plan to utilize subcontractors, as well as the method and level of integration/coordination between the prime Contractor and all proposed subcontractors, and the expected advantages of such an approach.

Offerors must refer to the solicitation Attachment entitled “Packaging and Delivery of the Proposal,” which details strict guidelines, including page limitations, formatting and layout of proposals, and prohibits the offerors use of links to internet web site addresses (URLs) to direct readers to alternate sources of information.

RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2017091 2 of 5

GENERAL NOTES

A. Offerors may submit proposals for one or more Task Areas A, B, C, D or E. Offerors may not submit more than one proposal per Task Area A, B, C, D or E.

B. For offerors submitting proposals for more than one Task Area, separate Technical and Business Proposals are required for each Task Area. Multiple proposals from the same offeror will be reviewed and evaluated independently. The separate Technical and Business Proposals must indicate in the title of the proposal the Task Area to which the proposal is being submitted.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – TABLE OF CONTENTS

Offerors are not required to propose to all Task Areas, but may respond to one or more Task Areas.

Separate technical proposals are required for each Task Area response. Offerors should submit to Task Areas where they are capable to best meet the overall qualifications needed to fulfill the technical requirements of that Task Area. The Technical Proposal(s) shall address all elements of the proposed Task Area(s) and detailed plans in response to the Sample Task Order(s) matching the proposed Task Area(s).

The choice to propose to more than one task area will not weigh in favor of or against an Offeror' s proposal(s). Should an Offeror choose to propose to a Task Area with multiple sample task orders, each sample task order will be evaluated equally. For this reason, Offerors are encouraged to respond only to the Task Areas in which they have demonstrable qualifications.

SECTION 1:

1) PROPOSAL TITLE PAGE. Include RFP title and number, name of organization, DUNS number, the

Task Area the offeror is proposing to, and identify if the proposal is an original or a copy. Offerors that include in their proposals data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes, shall also include the legend regarding Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data prescribed by FAR 52.215-1 (e)]

2) TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 2: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL OVERVIEW (15-page maximum)

Provide an overview of the Technical Proposal, including:

1) A description of the capabilities proposed by the Offeror and all proposed subcontractors, including identification of pathogens, vectors and toxins (except human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its surrogate species) with which the Offeror and proposed subcontractors have experience and capability.

2) Identification of key personnel for the Offeror and any proposed subcontractor with degrees, titles, and role in the project, and by area of expertise, the total number of staff available to be assigned to the contract for the Offeror and all proposed subcontractors, and total number of additional staff to be hired and trained.

3) A concise description of the facilities and equipment to be made available by the Offeror and all proposed subcontractors. If capability with infectious agents requiring high containment is proposed, https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/current/far/html/52_215.html

RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2017091 3 of 5 also include descriptions of containment areas, in particular Biosafety Level (BSL-3) and BSL-4 capacity. If select agent use is proposed, provide documentation of current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and/or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection and certification.

SECTION 3: TECHNICAL PLAN/APPROACH FOR EACH TASK AREA

(10-page maximum for Task Areas A through D / 15-page maximum for task Area E)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL SAMPLE TASK ORDERS

The Offeror should describe, in detail for each Task Area they propose, their overall technical capabilities, approaches, methodologies, plans and procedures for providing services for the in vitro experiments described in the SOW. Offerors should clearly specify their planned source for described technical capabilities. If technical capabilities are to be obtained from a subcontractor, identify the subcontractor, if already known.

Additionally, responses to the Sample Task Order(s) matching the Task Areas proposed should describe in detail the proposed approaches, methodologies, plans and procedures for completion of activities in their respective SOWs. Offerors should propose a timeline to complete the activities described in the Sample Task Order in the response and include a Gantt chart if possible. Offerors should include in their discussion relevant organizational experience, problems or obstacles encountered and approaches implemented to resolve or correct potential or identified problems.

In responses to each of the sample task orders provide background and justification for in vitro approach taken to achieving the goal of the SOW.

Describe the methods used to collect and manage data. Describe the methods to be used to analyze and communicate the data from the proposed study. Describe the approach to ensuring the quality, integrity, and reproducibility of data.

A. Task Area A: Bacteria, Fungi and Toxins:

Provide information demonstrating the Offeror' s current capability in determining Minimum Inhibitory Concentration values for candidate anti-bacterial or anti-fungal compounds, and conducting toxin neutralization testing.

B. Task Area B: Viruses:

Provide information demonstrating the Offeror’s current capability in determining Selective Index values for candidate anti-viral compounds.

C. Task Area C: Parasites and Vectors:

Provide information demonstrating the Offeror’s current capability in determining MIC values for candidate anti-parasite compounds.

D. Task Area D: In Vitro Models that Mimic In Vivo Administration of Candidate Compounds

RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2017091 4 of 5

Provide information demonstrating the Offeror’s current capability in performing “hollow fiber assays” to determine the efficacy of candidate compounds in in vitro models that mimic in vivo administration of candidate compounds.

E. Task Area E: Development of New Techniques to Culture Difficult to Grow Pathogens:

Provide information demonstrating the Offeror’s currently capability in the development of new in vitro culture conditions that support growth of currently difficult to grow pathogens.

This capability can be demonstrated by previous experience growing hard to culture pathogens or hard to culture non-pathogen organisms which are related to pathogenic organisms.

SECTION 4: SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL PERSONNEL

Provide information relevant to document individual training, experience, qualifications and expertise necessary for the successful completion of all Task Order requirements. Limit curricula vitae (CV) to 3 pages and provide selected references for publications relevant to the scope of the Task Order.

1) Principal Investigator (PI): Describe the experience, training, expertise, and qualifications, and level of effort of the proposed Principal Investigator to lead and direct the activities to be carried out under this Task Order. In particular, address scientific and technical expertise with the performance and development of in vitro assays to study pathogens, vectors and toxins. As relevant, provide documentation of training related to select agent use, including training in BSL-3 or BSL-4 laboratory procedures.

2) Other Key Scientific and Technical Personnel: Describe the experience, training, expertise and qualifications, as well as the level of effort, for all proposed key scientific and technical personnel. In particular, address scientific and technical expertise with the performance and development of in vitro assays to study pathogens, vectors and toxins. As relevant, provide documentation of training related to select agent use, including training in BSL-3 or BSL-4 laboratory procedures.

SECTION 5: FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND OTHER RESOURCES

The Technical Proposal should document availability and adequacy of facilities, equipment, space and other resources necessary to carry out the Statement of Work, including:

1) Location and features of facilities including a floor plan and a list of equipment and resources dedicated to the project for the prime contractor and any proposed subcontractors (lease or ownership information should be provided).

2) Identification and description of ALL support resources (including Information Technology systems) that will be required to effectively complete the SOW.

SECTION 6: PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1) Provide a Project Management Plan for the overall organization that addresses the planning, initiation, implementation, conduct, monitoring and completion of tasks identified in the Statement of

RFP-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2017091 5 of 5

Work. If consultants and/or subcontractors are proposed, include a plan to manage, coordinate, and oversee the work performed by consultants and/or subcontractor(s).

2) Provide a Staffing Plan that describes roles, responsibilities, and level of effort for all scientific and technical personnel, including all proposed subcontractors and consultants. Provide an administrative and technical framework indicating clear lines of authority and responsibility for all proposed personnel. Include a chart of the proposed organizational/management structure for the project.

3) Describe the project management systems that will be used to track activities and to keep multiple activities on time and budget. The plan must include a description of the quality control methods that will be used to ensure the effective and efficient initiation, implementation, management, and oversight of contract requirements.

4) Outline how the PI (or Project Manager) will communicate with the Contracting Officer’s

Representative and Contracting Officer and how the PI (or Project Manager) will communicate, monitor, and manage the project both internally and externally (at subcontractor facilities).