RFQ - ITEP - Final.pdf

Request for Quotation (RFQ) Solicitation ID: RFQ-NIAID-23-2155667

NIAID Innovator to Entrepreneur Program (ITEP)

This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items using Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

This acquisition will be made in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart

12.6 “Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items,” as applicable, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation (a written solicitation will not be issued) and quotes are being requested. The Solicitation number is RFQ-NIAID-23-2155667 and the solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ).

This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP), FAR Subpart

13.5 – Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The solicitation documents and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2023-04 Effective June 2, 2023.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services with a small business size standard of $24.5 million. The Product or Service Code (PSC) is R499 – Support – Professional: Other. The requirement is being competed as full and open competition after exclusion of sources (total small business set-aside).

The government intends to award a firm-fixed-price purchase order to the responsible offeror as a result of this RFQ that will include the terms and conditions set forth herein. By submitting a quote, the offeror is accepting that all government terms and condition shall prevail over the award.

By submission of a quote, the Offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered and viewable in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment resulting from this solicitation (www.sam.gov).

STATEMENT OF NEED

The purpose of this acquisition is to establish a support program designed to assist participants in making the transition from innovator to entrepreneur. The desired outcome is to provide entrepreneurial and grantsmanship training to new and aspiring entrepreneurs with an emphasis on qualifying applicants from underrepresented groups, including both Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs). The Innovator to Entrepreneur Program (ITEP) will provide no-cost, cohort-based training to first-time entrepreneurs and applicants to the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program. These services will include SBIR/STTR grantsmanship workshops, entrepreneurial coaching, one on one consulting, and business plan development. The target audience for ITEP includes prospective SBIR/STTR applicants seeking funding support for innovations that align with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) mission/research priorities. The target audience will have no prior experience in SBIR/STR grantsmanship and little to no experience in entrepreneurship. While the ITEP program will be open to all new and aspiring entrepreneurs within the NIAID mission space, NIAID places a special emphasis on qualifying female, minority, and disadvantaged entrepreneurs. In collaboration with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the NIAID, the Contractor will engage marketing and outreach activities to engage relevant stakeholders. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will have developed a business plan and be equipped all the necessary knowledge, tools, and resources successfully to launch and run a company and apply for the NIAID SBIR/STTR program.

The ITEP shall include the program elements described below in the form of individual service areas.

http://www.sam.gov/

Service Area 1: Curriculum Development & Training Schedule Service Area 2: ITEP Tool Kit Development Service Area 3: ITEP Online Application, Promotional Webinars and Marketing Service Area 4: Application Review & Cohort Formation Service Area 5: Cohort Training Sessions Service Area 6: One on One Consultations for SBIR/STTR application preparation and Business Plan Development Service Area 7: Participant Final Presentations Service Area 8: Conduct Exit Surveys Service Area 9: Progress Reports, Cohort Reports, Final Program Summary Service Area 9: Contract Quality Control and Management

See Attachment 1: Statement of Work (SOW), for a full description of the requirement and each service area.

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Firm-Fixed-Price

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

One base year and two (2) option periods, totaling three (3) years. Estimated period of performance:

Base Period: September 22, 2023 – September 21, 2024 Option Period 1: September 22, 2024 – September 21, 2025 Option Period 2: September 22, 2025 – September 21, 2026

ACCESIBILITY REQUIREMENTS (SECTION 508)

This acquisition involves the production of audiovisual materials such as online webinars, templates, tools, and resources. The 508 Compliance includes adherence to HHS 508 standards, the revised 508 standards for 2023 and WCAG 2.0. At times the Federal Government, HHS, NIH or NIAID may change, modify, or clarify the tools and required fixes for 508 Compliance. Contractors are expected to stay informed and up to date with the evolution of 508 compliance requirements. 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."

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it must be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities. Vendors must identify whether a quoted Information and Communication Technology (ICT) product or service is compliant with the Section 508 accessibility standards at 36 CFR 1194. The quote must also identify where full details of compliance can be found (e.g., vendor's website or other exact location.) For more information on Section 508 standards visit https://www.section508.gov/.

INSTRUCTIONS

All interested offerors shall provide a quote for the requirement as outlined above and in the Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW). All quotes shall include point of contact: name, phone number & email; UEI#;

Cage Code; business size under NAICS 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services; and payment terms. The Government may evaluate only those quotes that fully meet the requirements as outlined in the SOW and respond to the instructions and requirements of this solicitation.

Offerors are required to submit a Technical Response (Volume 1) and Price Quote (Volume 2) to Government officials for the purposes of assuring that the prospective Contractor is fully cognizant of the scope of this order and has the capability to complete all the requirements. The Technical and Price volumes shall be separate and complete so that the evaluation of one may be accomplished independently of the other. Failure to furnish a full and complete package as instructed may result in the Contractor’s quote being considered non-responsive and will therefore be eliminated from further consideration and award. Quotes that merely offer to conduct a program in accordance with the requirements of the Government’s scope of work will not be eligible for evaluation.

Quotation Format: The total page limit of your Technical Response (Volume 1) and Price Quote (Volume 2), not inclusive of CVs/Resumes, other attachments, and appendix, is 10 pages. The submission format restrictions are as follows:

• Font & Font Size: Times New Roman, size 11 or 12

• Margins: Default Margins of 1” all around (1” Left, 1” Right, 1” Top, and 1” Bottom)

• Spacing: Either single spaced or double spaced.

The vendor must provide one quote with pricing only and one technical response. The technical response must not contain any pricing information.

Technical Response:

The technical response must:

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of and ability to efficiently accomplish the service areas, objectives, and requirements outlined in this SOW. Attachment – Statement of Work (SOW)

• Provide a detailed explanation of the technical approach, methods, and procedures that will be used to meet the requirements.

• Provide three relevant previous experience/examples of past work for similar roles within the last three years, and provide contact references for this work. Vendor shall also provide official Past Performance ratings and evaluations.

• Discuss potential problems to be encountered and proposed solutions and/or risk mitigation strategies.

• Include a project management plan that demonstrates the ability to meet or exceed the requirements and timeframes, to manage costs and stay within budget, and to be highly organized and proficient in project management for programs of this scale.

• Include a detailed quality assurance plan that demonstrates its ability to ensure the results will meet the objectives of this SOW. This includes end of cycle participants survey results analysis to ensure assistance provided is helpful for NIAID SBIR/STTR applicants.

• Provide a detailed human resources plan that includes management, logistics, staffing, training, and criteria for selecting staff. Vendor shall ensure that all staff assigned meet or exceed the minimum education, experience, and security requirements.

Price Quote: The price quote must be a separate volume from the technical quote. This will be a firm-fixed price award. The quote must contain sufficient information to allow the Government to perform an evaluation of the quoted price.

By submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation (www.sam.gov). [Note: Lack of registration in the SAM will make a vendor ineligible for award].

Quotes are due by 3:00 pm EST, September 5, 2023. Quotes must be emailed to Daveta H. Brown, Contract Specialist, at daveta.brown@nih.gov. Late quotes will not be considered. All responsible sources may submit an offer that will be considered by this Agency. Any questions or concerns regarding this combined synopsis/solicitation should be emailed to daveta.brown@nih.gov.

QUESTIONS: If you have questions regarding this requirement, please submit inquires by 5:00 pm, August 29, 2023, via email to Daveta H. Brown, Contract Specialist, at daveta.brown@nih.gov. The Government will issue an amendment to the RFQ responding to questions, if needed.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:daveta.brown@nih.gov mailto:daveta.brown@nih.gov mailto:daveta.brown@nih.gov

EVALUATION

NIAID will evaluate quotes to determine the best value to the government. NIAID will make that determination based on technical acceptability, price, and past performance. NIAID will evaluate past performance and price only for those quotes which are rated as technically acceptable. In the event quotes are evaluated as technically equal, price will become a major consideration in selecting the successful Offeror.

Quotes that do not meet the terms of this solicitation will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.

The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced.

Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

SPECIAL NOTICE TO OFFERORS

Offerors are advised that the Government may share your information with non-government personnel who are assisting with the evaluation of quotes. The exclusive responsibility for source selection will reside with the Government. By submitting your quote, you will be consenting to disclosure of your quote to non-government personnel for purposes of evaluation.

ELECTRONIC INVOICING

The successful offeror may submit an invoice in arrears.

NIH is using a phased transition approach from the NIH Office of Financial Management (OFM) Electronic Invoice Submission instructions to the Department of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). For contractors that have transitioned to IPP, the Contractor must submit invoices to the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) at https://www.ipp.gov. For contractors that have not transitioned to IPP, the Contractor shall submit invoices to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Office of Financial Management (OFM) via email at invoicing@nih.gov with a copy to the approving official until the Contractor has been notified of its transition to IPP.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within one (1) days of expiration.

(End of clause)

52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within seven

(7) days of expiration; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least fourteen (14) days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed Five (5) years.

(End of clause)

FAR 52.252-21 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998) https://www.ipp.gov/ https://ofm.od.nih.gov/Pages/Home.aspx https://ofm.od.nih.gov/Pages/Home.aspx https://ofm.od.nih.gov/Pages/Home.aspx mailto:invoicing@nih.gov mailto:invoicing@nih.gov

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, 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.

The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): https://www.acquistion.gov/

The following FAR provisions apply to this acquisition:

FAR 52.203-18 – Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements – Representations (Jan 2017) FAR 52.204-7 – System for Award Management (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-16 – Commercial for Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020) FAR 52.204-24 – Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) FAR 52.204-26 – Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) FAR 52.209-7 – Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Oct 2018) FAR 52.212-1 – Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Mar 2023) FAR 52.212-3 – Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Dec 2022) FAR 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (Jul 1990) FAR 52.252-2 – Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, 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. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): https://www.acquistion.gov/

FAR 52.204-13 – System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-18 – Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020) FAR 52.204-21 – Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems (Nov 2021) FAR 52.212-4 – Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Dec 2022) FAR 52.232-40 – Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Mar 2023)

The following additional clauses are applicable to this requirement and provided in full text as an Attachment:

FAR 52.212-5 – Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Jun 2023)

By reference the Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) provisions and clauses that are applicable to this requirement. Copies are available from http://www.hhs.gov/policies/hhsar/:

Provisions HHSAR 352.239-73 – Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (Dec 2015)

Clauses HHSAR 352.203-70 – Anti-lobbying (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.208-70 – Printing and Duplication (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.222-70 – Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations (Dec 2015) HHSAR 352.239-74 – Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (Dec 2015) https://www.acquistion.gov/ https://www.acquistion.gov/

By full text the Department of Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR):

HHSAR 352.232-71 - Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (February 2, 2022)

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment 2 – Invoice Instructions Attachment 3 – FAR 52.212-5 – Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Jun 2023)