Q A-2015Clusters-SBAHQ-15-R-0015.docx

Questions and Answers

SBAHQ-15-R-0015

SBA – Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative Services – 2015

Please note that questions may have been paraphrased for clarity, and similar questions may have been combined. Duplicate or closely similar questions have not necessarily been repeated.

With this Solicitation, the SBA is looking to enhance the Agency’s work with regional innovation clusters. The SOW states on page 5 that a “Proposal will be ranked more highly that focuses on a regional cluster not being currently supported through active SBA contracts. SBA is looking for proposals that either embody a different sector or a different region than those initiatives currently being supported.”

For the purpose of this Solicitation, grants related to The Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge and related to The Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge are not considered to be cluster initiatives currently being supported by the SBA.

3 - How much funding is available for the coal cluster? Is there $500,000 available for this grant, or is the coal cluster a subpart of the $500,000 that would be split with the two other clusters (i.e. the $500,000 is the total amount available to support all three clusters)?

3 – There will be three awards for contracts (not grants) – each with a base year price of $500,000.00. Of those three, one is expected to be allocated to a coal community, whereas the other two cluster contracts will be open to broader competition. Each cluster contract of the anticipated three to be awarded will include an award of $500,000.00 for the base year. The total amount of $1,500,000.00 is available for three awards – to be split evenly among the base years of the three awards. The exercise of subsequent option years – and the amount awarded for those option years – is at the discretion of the agency.

The ten 2010 awards, each with the contractor’s name and designation, are as follows:

*SBAHQ-10-C-0020 – Illinois Institute of Technology – other than small business – focus on Smart Grid;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0024 – San Diego State University Foundation – other than small business – focus on Advanced Defense Technologies / Autonomous Systems and Cyber Security;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0025 – Minnesota Wire & Cable Company – other than small business – focus on Advanced Defense Technologies / Advanced Power and Energy;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0027 - Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, Incorporated – other than small business – focus on Advanced Defense Technologies / Aerospace Technology;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0028 - Six County Employement Alliance, other than small business – focus on Green Aviation;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0029 – Magnolia Business Alliance, other than small business – focus on Geospatial Technology;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0030 – Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition, other than small business – focus on Flexible Electronics;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0031 – Barich Business Services, small business – focus on Agriculture Innovation;

*SBAHQ-10-C-0032 – South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, other than small business – focus on Nuclear Energy Technology and Components; and *SBAHQ-10-C-0033 – Connecticut Center for Advance Technology, Inc., other than small business – focus on Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Fueling Systems.

The seven 2012 awards, each with the contractor’s name and designation, are as follows:

*SBAHQ-12-C-0014 – Minnesota Wire & Cable Company, small business – focus on Defense;

*SBAHQ-12-C-0015 – Magnolia Business Alliance, other than small business – focus on Geospatial;

*SBAHQ-12-C-0016 – Women’s Business Center of North Alabama, Inc. – other than small business – focus on Defense;

*SBAHQ-12-C-0017 – Illinois Institute of Technology – other than small business – focus on Smart Grid;

*SBAHQ-12-C-0018 – Connecticut Center for Advance Technology, Inc. – other than small business – focus on Fuel Cells and Energy Storage;

*SBAHQ-12-C-0019 – San Diego State University Research Foundation – other than small – focus on Defense; and *SBAHQ-12-C-0020 – Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition, other than small – focus on Flexible Electronics.

The four 2014 awards, each with the contractor’s name and designation, are as follows:

*SBAHQ-14-C-0009 – Startup Junkie Consulting, LLC - small business – focus on food processing, supply chain, and logistics;

*SBAHQ-14-C-0010 – Emerging Technology Ventures, Inc. – small business – focus on Autonomous and Unmanned Systems;

*SBAHQ-14-C-0011 – Milwaukee Water Council, Inc. – other than small business – focus on Water Issues; and *SBAHQ-14-C-0012 – University of Southern Mississippi – other than small business – focus on marine sciences.

Please note that this acquisition is for a contract, not a grant. An awardee must honor the terms of the contract. Please see the Performance-Based Statement of Work and the contract clauses. The successful Awardee’s Technical Proposal and Pricing Schedule will be attached to and incorporated into the resulting contract, as will the SOW and contract clauses.

SBA has one-year funds for the cluster contracts. The current funding for these three acquisitions (contracts) is FY 2015 funding. The SBA Program Office does not know what amount of funding it will receive for cluster work in FY 2016. See answer 4.

A contract is a legally binding document. The awardee legally commits to performing certain services, and delivering certain tasks and deliverables. Funds are not being granted to a party in the reasonable hope of services being performed and tasks being accomplished. Rather, each contract will be competed and awarded in accordance with the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation). Also, each contract will be administered according to its clauses, statement of work, contractor’s technical proposal, and contractor’s pricing schedule.

Only offerors willing to take on this legal obligation should submit a technical proposal. If a successful awardee fails to perform under a contract, there may be legal consequences.

Secondly, if a trade association / non-profit organization is registered in SAM for the NAICS code that identifies this cluster contract work (541690 – Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services), it can submit a proposal in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation.

Secondly, a successful cluster proposal could be a single project that supports the growth of a regional cluster. A successful cluster proposal could also be dedicated to research and development of a singular technology that ultimately supports a cluster. The quality of the proposal will be evaluated in accordance with the SOW requirements and the factors described in the Contract Provisions. The Performance-Based Statement of Work (SOW) describes the various details the SBA evaluation committee will be looking for in a successful technical proposal.

This acquisition is being competed. Only three awards will be made. Three awards will be made to offerors whose offers “conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.” See pages 10 - 12 of the Clauses and Provisions document for this statement and for information as to the factors that will be used to evaluate proposals.

On page 7 of the SOW it states: “**SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS for Cluster Initiatives located and providing services to communities affected by changes in the coal economy: Offerors who intend to submit a proposal to serve a community affected by the coal economy shall cross reference the POWER Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO). Specifically, Offerors who put forth proposals predicated on enhancing clusters in communities affected by the coal economy shall also include in its proposal the Core Project Narrative as indicated in Section IV, Subpart D (pgs. 14-15) of the POWER FFO.

· Link to all contents of the POWER FFO on grants.gov:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=276458 “

If the offeror is submitting a Technical Proposal to provide cluster initiative services to a community affected by changes in the coal economy, the offeror should look at the instructions for the POWER Federal Funding Opportunity (POWER FFO) and follow the POWER FFO instructions as well as the SOW when preparing its cluster technical proposal. A proposal for providing services to a region affected by changes in the coal economy will be ranked more highly, provided that it also conforms to the POWER instructions - and provided that the other parts of the proposal are of at least equal quality to the other proposals against which it is being competed. In other words, the POWER connection in a proposal will be a positive detail in the overall evaluation.

The offeror with a POWER-related technical proposal is not also required to also apply for a POWER grant, but neither is such an offeror precluded from applying for such a grant.

Please review the answer to Question 15 – to note that this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation is for the awarding of contracts, not grants.

Second, the IMCP (Investing in Manufacturing and Communities Partnership) designation is not required. However, as the SBA evaluation committee evaluates competing proposals, a proposal with the IMCP designation will benefit from having that designation, and that proposal will be evaluated more favorably that that same proposal would have been had it lacked that designation. In other words, the IMCP connection in a proposal will be a positive detail in the overall evaluation.

The SBA’s commitment to recognizing the IMCP designation is part of its larger commitment to fostering inclusive economic growth. The SBA does not currently have an IMCP-designated cluster research contract. By taking IMCP-designation and other considerations of inclusivity into consideration, SBA continues its commitment to diversifying its portfolio of research innovation clusters.

Second, with respect to Promise Zone designation, there is no requirement that the contract be awarded to an applicants with that designation. However, although the Promise Zone designation is not at all mandatory, it would be looked upon favorably in the evaluation process. The SBA is committed to fostering inclusive economic growth, with special attention to the needs of underrepresented and underserved communities; the Promise Zone designation is a significant and recognized way that an offeror can indicate commitment to this priority, but not the only way.

The SBA does not currently have a cluster research contract with an offeror who applied with the Promise Zone designation. In other words, the Promise Zone connection in a proposal will be a positive detail in the overall evaluation.

For reference, examples of traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities include, but are by no means limited to, the economically-disadvantaged, veteran, rural populations, and racial/ethnic minority populations, including American Indian tribes. In other words, the connection in a proposal to an underrepresented and underserved commuity will be a positive detail in the overall evaluation.

Page four of the SOW indicates the importance of private sector partners where it says, “Offerors will vary in size and maturity, but Offerors' past performance, experience, and demonstrated success will be important evaluation factors. Specifically, SBA will evaluate each Offeror’s existing partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to universities, community colleges, local community leaders, businesses, business leaders, workforce development boards, and strategic investors. Demonstration of successful collaborative efforts in the past is a critical element. “

As indicated on page 5 of the SOW, a “Proposal will be ranked more highly that focuses on a regional cluster not being currently supported through active SBA contracts. SBA is looking for proposals that either embody a different sector or a different region than those initiatives currently being supported.”

In other words, a connection to a different sector or region in a proposal will be a positive detail in the overall evaluation.

Note that, for these purposes, the “coal economy” includes a number of coal-related industries, including, but not limited to, coal-fired power generation, mining, and related supply chains.

With regard to this year’s cluster solicitation, SBA is not engaged in a comparable, parallel inter-agency effort with respect to regions affected by a specific industry undergoing transitions, such as photonics.

However, three awards will be made, and SBA is always seeking to expand its portfolio into new areas. Only one of these anticipated awards is intended from the outset for allocation to a community affected by disruptions in the coal economy.

“A Proposal will be ranked more highly that focuses on a regional cluster not being currently supported through active SBA contracts. SBA is looking for proposals that either embody a different sector or a different region than those initiatives currently being supported. “

While the SBA seeks to broaden its portfolio as it expands with the three anticipated cluster contracts now being competed, a proposal to serve a cluster with the same region and sector serviced by SBA contracts will not be excluded or disqualified from evaluation – but, assuming the quality of the proposal with the same cluster elements and a proposal with different cluster elements are equal in overall quality, the proposal with the same region and sector will not be ranked as highly as the proposal with a differing region and sector.

Secondly, proposals for communities without demonstrated ties to the coal community are welcome, as multiple awards will be made. It is anticipated from the outset that one contract will be awarded to an offeror serving a coal community; however, that is only one of the three anticipated contracts.

A successful awardee proposal and pricing schedule will be attached to the contract award. The awardee is contractually obligated to perform the services stated in its proposal and to invoice in accordance with its pricing schedule. The SOW describes the framework of what a cluster contract can be utilized to accomplish.

A proposal will be ranked more highly that has the information and documentation requested. SBA is looking for offerors that have experience in leading or co-leading existing regional clusters. However, the proposal can be for new activities. In any case, the proposal should clearly state how the SBA funding will be used, what tasks will be performed, what deliverables will be produced – and should not indicate that the SBA funding will just be added to an existing pot of funds.

As a reminder, an offeror need not be a “company” to submit a proposal and be awarded a cluster contract.

The SBA does not have a template for the plan.

The offeror’s proposal will be fully evaluated, including the required and recommended documents and information. Offerors with more complete documentation and better information will be ranked more highly than those with poorer documents and information – assuming the proposals are of otherwise equal quality.

Offeror should identify key personnel who will perform cluster services under the subject Technical Proposal.

This basic data is used to determine the value of cluster work.

The subcontracting plan need not be unduly elaborate – for instance, does the organization intend to subcontract with a small business for any of its services or supplies – and, if so, what amount does the organization estimate it will spend with small business annually. If the answer is zero, the subcontracting plan should state so clearly.

Letters of support from key cluster partners and stakeholders can be used to demonstrate recognized leadership with a cluster. Awards and informational articles can also be used. The SBA evaluation committee will review any information provided in response to the SOW that demonstrates cluster leadership by an offeror.

Please note that letters of support submitted with a proposal are easier to review, than letters submitted independently to the Contracting Officer (CO), which must then be paired up with the proper Technical Proposal. Administratively, it is preferred that letters of support be attached to a Technical Proposals. These letters will not count toward a page limitation. The Clauses and Provisions document has been revised to indicate this preference. All letters of support will be reviewed by the evaluation committee, regardless of how submitted.

END OF Q & A TABLE

Questions & Answers – SBAHQ-15-R-0015 – 2015 Clusters Page 16 of 16