2103664 - Responses to Questions from vendors v.3.18.22 v.2.pdf

1. Regarding Service Area 1: AAP Website (pg. 2 of SOW)‐ Will it be expected that the Contractor create a new website domain, or can the webpages and content be hosted on the Contractor’s website? Is the Government looking for a standalone NIAID AAP website on a custom domain? Or is the website just a landing page as the incumbent seems to be utilizing?

The government is currently not planning to host the NIAID AAP website on the official NIAID website. A standalone NIAID website is preferred if there are no additional costs incurred and no delay to the program launch. If additional costs and time are needed for a standalone website, a landing page such as the previous AAP program is acceptable. The webinars, online resources, and templates can be hosted on the Contractor’s website using a password protected link. This link must be shared with all eligible AAP participants, including eligible NIAID applicants on the AAP waitlist, while the AAP program is active.

2. Will the vendor utilize the existing NIAID GovDelivery platform for sending list email?

The program announcement and informational webinar promotion emails will be distributed through NIAID GovDelivery by NIAID. Additionally, eligible NIAID applicants and awardees will be notified through email by NIAID’s Small Business Program staff through official nih.gov email addresses. The Contractor will be responsible for finalizing the content of these announcement/promotion emails.

3. Will NIAID be doing all of the promotion to fill the pipeline or will the vendor be responsible for that outreach? If the vendor is responsible, will NIAD provide access to your successful and unsuccessful Phase I applicants’ contact information, and your promotional email list to the vendor? Will NIAID be conducting marketing/outreach efforts to promote AAP awareness? How many people are currently on the waiting list?

NIAID will be sending announcement/promotion emails to NIAID’s relevant list servs and applicants/awardees email address listed in government databases. NIAID will not share the successful and unsuccessful Phase I applicants’ contact information with the Contractor. NIAID staff and the Contractor will present a joint informational webinar approximately 2 weeks prior the launch of each AAP cycle to promote the program and increase applicant participation.

There is current no waiting list for the AAP program.

4. In what format does NIAID prefer to receive AAP applications for review and approval (csv, pdf, other?)

A master CSV file with all the applicants/participants information is required. Individual AAP applications including project abstracts as PDF or Word files are required for review, approval, and NIAID program record keeping.

5. Section 14 specifies ownership. Do tools and materials (vs webinars) developed by the vendor remain property of the vendor, or do they become property of NIAID as well?

The tools and materials developed by the vendor will remain property of the Contractor.

However, it must be available for all NIAID AAP participants (including eligible AAP applicants that are placed on waitlist) to use while the contract is active.

6. What type of information and reports from the legacy program will be available to the vendor? (i.e.

metrics, lessons learned, and other data collected).

The participants metrics from previous AAP program in the form of written report and presentation, lessons learned in the form of presentation slides, participants survey results from all 3 previous cycles, program announcement draft, application form draft, eligibility criteria draft, informational webinar draft, and other relevant documents will be available to the Contractor.

7. Will AAP acceptance preference be given to individuals in underserved populations if capacities are reached in a cycle (i.e. they receive first priority)? If not, by what means do you envision providing "..emphasis on engaging and assisting groups underrepresented in extramural biomedical small business programs"? Will NIAID provide contact information for outreach to these groups?

No preference will be given to underserved populations for this program. The NIAID AAP program enrollment is on first come first served basis. To enhance engagement for underserved populations, the Contractor is required to add language in program announcement and informational webinars to encourage the participation of these specific groups of applicants.

8. Please explain the rationale for the dates on the base year and options. (i.e. Base year concludes March 31, 2023, but there is an SBIR deadline for NIH April 5, July 31 is too early for September, November 30 is too early for January, etc.)

The AAP cycle end dates are not SBIR/STTR grant submission deadlines. For each AAP cycle, the ideal end date is approximately 2 weeks before the NIH SBIR/STTR grant submission deadlines to leave adequate time for applicants to incorporate all consultants’ comments/revisions in their application and complete the online submission process. The start date for the award can be delayed by 1-2 weeks if requested by the Contractor to align better with NIH SBIR/STTR grant submission deadlines. However, the assistance period should end 1-2 weeks prior to the submission deadline to leave some time for applicants to finalize their application package.

9. What are the criteria for NIAID to exercise options?

Options are exercised solely at the discretion of the Government and are not based on any pre-specified criteria. There are many factors that determine whether an option will be exercised, including availability of funding, continuing need for services, and performance concerns but these are not the only reasons. Sufficient notice will be given ahead of time but there is no guarantee than any option will be exercised. The standard advanced notice is between thirty (30) to sixty (60) days before the end of the active period of performance. If Contractors have a need for a specific amount of advanced notice, please include that information in your response to the solicitation.

10. Will potential contracting delays with NIH cause gaps between the option periods?

Option periods will need to be executed successively. If an option is not exercised before the active performance period ends, then the contract will end and no further options will be exercised.

11. What are the ramifications if accepted applicants do not use their allocated time in the cycle in which they are accepted? Can they “roll over” to get assistance for the next cycle or must they reapply to the AAP program?

The accepted applicants must reapply to the next cycle of the program to be enrolled again. Roll over of the allocated time will not be allowed. The vendor must work with the applicants to make plans to utilize the allocated consulting hours efficiently to maximize the benefits for the participants.

12. Based on experience, Direct to Phase II, FastTrack and Phase II applications will require significantly more 1:1 time than Phase I applications. Are Phase I applicants required to receive 25 hours of 1:1 assistance as well as Phase IIs?

The total assistance hour is fixed for the base year and for each option cycle. The 25 estimated labor hours for each applicant is an estimate based on the previous experience. The vendor can propose slight adjustments for Phase I and Phase II applications assistance hours based on the vendor’s experience. NIAID may allow reasonable slight adjustments for allocated hours for Phase I and Phase II applications after the federal COR reviews the Contractor’s Project Work Plan post award. This award is a Firm Fixed Price award, and the vendor is expected to balance the budget and time for the life of the project instead of relying on adjustments every cycle.

13. In Service Area 4, part d. it states “Self‐reporting of grants review results will be required for all AAP participants and the Contractor must contact the applicants to collect grants review results once available….The applicants’ grant review outcome metrics are required within 30 days of the release of the review results as a secondary measurement for AAP program performance.” How will NIAID and the vendor be able to enforce this reporting requirement when applicants do not comply with requests for information? Is a written acknowledgement of applicant responsibilities for the program required as a condition for acceptance?

A written acknowledgement of applicant responsibilities for the program as a condition for acceptance is acceptable.

14. Are full CVs required to be included or are staff biographies sufficient?

Staff biographies highlighting relevant past experiences are sufficient.

15. Is there a preferred format for the Price Quote?

Please details such as price breakdown and categories (labor hrs, deliverables, etc). The price should include numbers for the base year, option periods, total potential price (if all options are exercised).

An important aspect is to provide the total cost for the base + each option term and enough details that we can make a fair and reasonable determination on the costs. See attached cost template as an example.

16. Concerning Notice ID# 2103664, for the primary place of employment, is the expectation to be in

Maryland full‐time?

No. This contract will be conducted virtually. Primary place of employment will only need to be an US based Small Business.

17. How many submissions does NIAID review annually? How many proposals does NIAID award annually?

For fiscal year 2021, NIAID received approximately 1300 SBIR/STTR grant applications and made approximately 270 awards.

18. What is the process of the AAP waiting list? Is there an existing NIAID AAP?

The enrollment of the program is first come first served. Additional eligible applicants will be placed on waiting list. If there is a drop out, applicants on top of the waiting list will be enrolled in the program.

The previous NIAID AAP program was active from October 2020 to September 2021 with 3 AAP cycles.

19. Is this a new or existing opportunity? If yes and there is an incumbent, what is the contract number and value?

The current incumbent is Foresight Science and Technology. The contract number is 75N93020P01416. You can find more details on FPDS.gov. However, please note that the currently required scope of work has expanded compared to this pre-existing work.