Academic Drug Discovery Center Management Consulting Services
NIHDA201800251
COMBINED SYNOPSIS / SOLICITATION
COMPETITIVE
Title: Academic Drug Discovery Center Management Consulting Services
(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.
(ii) The solicitation number is NIHDA201800251 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).
This acquisition is for a commercial item or service and is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13-Simplified Acquisition Procedures; FAR Subpart 13.5-Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items; and FAR Part 12-Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.
(iii) The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) intends to procure executive level small molecule drug discovery and development consultant services and expertise in Academic Drug Discovery center management to support the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN) and associated BPN External Oversight Committee. NINDS intends to make one award as a result of this solicitation. This award is planned to be a firm fixed price contract.
(iv) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-98, dated May 31, 2018.
(v) The associated NAICS code 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services and the small business size standard $15 million. This requirement is full and open with no set-aside restrictions.
(vi) Description:
The Contractor shall provide academic drug discovery center management consulting support services to the BPN EOC and NIH Leadership in relation to drug discovery and development programs as follows:
• Apply executive level experience in small molecule drug discovery to provide recommendations regarding suitability and relevance of proposed BPN program milestones, recommend revised academic drug discovery milestones for BPN programs as needed, and evaluate project progress relative to established milestones.
• Analyze opportunities and concerns for future BPN program and projects under consideration and provide expert insight into academic drug discovery center management.
• Make executive level recommendations on potential solutions and assist in implementation of selected strategies to resolve programmatic challenges related to academic drug discovery and development as they arise.
• Assist NIH BPN executive team and project leaders in scientific entrepreneurship, including but not limited to providing expert input on preclinical enablement of clinical first-in-human studies, and proof-of-concept, identifying and addressing recruitment challenges, and global regulatory regulations and guidelines, for continued development and improvement of the BPN programs
• Provide feedback to assist in successful work towards scientific and business goals and aspirations of program projects
• Participate in web-enabled virtual meetings and teleconference calls with BPN staff on both a monthly and an ad-hoc-as-required basis.
(vii) Period of Performance:
The required period of performance is a one-year base period from date of award and four (4) subsequent one-year option periods.
(viii) Place of Performance:
The primary place of performance shall be Contractor site. Conference calls and email shall be the primary mode of communication; however, the Contractor may be required to work at Government facilities in the continental United States, primarily Bethesda, MD, on an as needed basis.
(ix) Contract Clauses/Provisions
FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference
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 these addresses: http://www.acquisition.gov/far/ and http://www.hhs.gov/policies/hhsar/.
Clause Title
FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items
FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items
FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications
FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items*
FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items*
HHSAR 352.203-70 Anti-Lobbying
HHSAR 352.208-70 Printing and Duplication
HHSAR 352.222-70 Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations
*clauses are included as an attachment
(x) Contract Deliverables:
a. Annual and Final Reports - The Contractor shall provide the COR and CO an annual report and final report of all tasks and subtasks completed, outcomes of each, timelines within which they were accomplished, any challenges encountered and how they were resolved, lessons learned, and, a summary of customer feedback, where applicable. Monthly invoices should include details of work done during the month. The annual report may be a compilation or summary of those details.
The Contractor shall submit a draft report four (4) weeks prior to the end of the year in a format approved by COR. The COR will have ten (10) business days to provide the comments to the contractor. The Contractor shall revise and resubmit the final document within three (3) business days. Additionally, the Contractor shall prepare and submit a final report that includes all tasks/activities for the duration of the Contract. The Contractor shall submit a draft final report within four (4) weeks prior to the contract end period, in a format approved by the COR. The COR will have ten (10) business days to provide the Contractor any comments/edits. The contractor shall revise and submit final document within three (3) business days of receipt of comments.
b. Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)- Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee having access to non-public government information under this contract shall complete the NIH non-disclosure agreement https://ocio.nih.gov/aboutus/publicinfosecurity/acquisition/Documents/Nondisclosure.pdf, as applicable. A copy of each signed and witnessed NDA shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) and/or CO Representative (COR) prior to performing any work under this acquisition.
c. Vulnerability Scanning Reports
The Contractor shall report the results of the required monthly special vulnerability scans no later than 10 days following the end of each reporting period. If required monthly, this report may be included as part of the Technical Progress Report. Otherwise, this report shall be submitted under a separate cover on monthly basis.
d. Service Contract Reporting
Per FAR Clause 52.204-14 Contractors shall submit via SAM an annual report on October 31st encompassing the previous year from 1 October through 30 September. (See paragraph XI for complete FAR Clause. In the past, they have submitted details of work done with every invoice. It is hard to figure out what else they can report on. Also, if they are tasked to look at a particular problem, they do send in written reports. So, is this needed?
(xi) Government Furnished Information/Property
No Government furnished property shall be provided. Project related data will be provided to the Contractor for performance of work efforts. All data provided to the Contractor must be treated as confidential and not be disclosed to any third party.
Project data will be collected and stored by NINDS. NINDS will provide data as needed to the consultant each time it requests service. The consultant may store data up to 12 months after initially receiving it, after that time the consultant should either delete the data files and sanitize the computer using NIST SP 800-88 (current revision) or if information is still needed contact the COR for permission to store data longer.
(xii) Evaluation
See Evaluation Criteria attachment for details.
(xiii) Information Systems Security
The Contractor must ensure that any computer system used in the course of this contract shall include the following features:
1. Any computer used in relation to this contract must be patched with most updated IT Security Patches.
2. Any Contractor computer used in relation this contract must have virus protection loaded and running with definition files that are updated on at least a daily basis.
3. Hard drives and portable media used for this contract must be encrypted using the FIPS 140-2 standard.
4. Contractors are required to take NIH Security and Privacy Training annually http://irtsectraining.nih.gov/
5. Contractor are required to sign the NIH non-disclosure agreement http://irtsectraining.nih.gov/NIH_Non-Disclosure_Agreement.pdf
6. Contractors are required to report any lost or stolen NIH data to the NINDS ISSO within one hour of knowing of the lost or theft even if the data is on a Contractor furnished computer.
7. Contractors are required to adhere to the NIH IT rules of behavior which can be found at https://ocio.nih.gov/InfoSecurity/training/Pages/nihitrob.aspx
8. Any computers used in reference to this contract must be assessed for vulnerabilities.
9. Any computers used in reference to this contract must be backed up on an external hard drive which is password protected.
10. Any computers used in reference to this contract must have auditing enabled such that if an incident occurred then that event could be reconstructed.
11. Any computers that are used in reference to this contract must employ at a minimum user name and password authentication or if possible two factor authentication.
12. Any computer used in relation to this contract must be password protected. All Password must meet the NIH standard such that users must choose passwords that have at least eight characters and at least three of the following types of characters:
a. capital letters
b. lower case letters
c. numeric characters
d. special characters (!@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:";'<>?,./)
Data Rights: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke shall have unlimited rights to and ownership of all deliverables provided under this procurement including reports, analyses, recommendations and all other deliverables. In addition, it includes any additional deliverables required by contract change. The definition of "unlimited rights" is contained in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 27.401, "Definitions." FAR clause 52.227-14, "Rights in Data-General," shall be incorporated into any resulting award by reference.
Intellectual property: As an exception to the data rights clause above, should a consultant contribute to the creation of new intellectual property, he or she may be named as an inventor according to U.S. or prevailing patent law. In such cases, the consultant must complete negotiations with the pertinent principal investigator's institution regarding assignment of rights and royalties distribution prior to advising on nay activities. The consultant must provide copies of any and all intellectual property agreements made related to this effort for this requirement to NINDS COR.
Section 508 Compliance:
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CRF part 1194), require that Federal agencies electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)Final Rule for Section 508 (EIT Accessibility) can be found at www.section508.gov and at the Access Board's Web site at https://www.access-board.gov/508.htm . The contractor must state that they will comply with the requirements of Section 508 or cite a justifiable reason for an exception.
Non-Personal Service Statement: Contract employee performing services will be controlled, directed and supervised at all times by management personnel of the contractor. Actions of contractor employees may not be interpreted or implemented in any manner that results in any contractor employee creating or modifying Federal policy, obligating the appropriated funds of the U.S. Government, overseeing the work of Federal employees, providing direct personal services to any Federal employee or otherwise violating the prohibitions set forth in Parts 7.5 and 37.1 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
Collaboration Requirements: It is required that all contractors involved with the NIH community work collaboratively with federal staff and other contractors towards the NIH mission and other affected organizations and follow the direction of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and/or the designated Federal Project Manager(s)/Lead(s). This collaboration includes day-to-day activities, support, development, knowledge transfer and creating and sharing documentation when required.
Confidentiality of Information: Confidential Information means information or data of a personal nature about an individual, or proprietary information or data submitted by or pertaining to an institution or organization. Confidential Information or records shall not be disclosed by the Contractor without written authorization from the Contracting Officer. Whenever the Contractor is uncertain with regard to the confidentiality of or a property interest in information under this contract, the Contractor should consult with the Contracting Officer prior to any release, disclosure, dissemination, or publication.
(xiv) Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price Contract(s) with Options to Extend the Term of the Contract as well as Options to Increase the Quantity is contemplated. Invoicing shall be on a NET30 basis and payment shall be made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
(xv) Response Format: Responses to this solicitation must include clear and convincing evidence of the offeror's capability of fulfilling the requirement as it relates to the technical evaluation criteria. The offeror must submit 1) a technical response and 2) a separate price quotation.
The technical response should be prepared in reference to the evaluation criteria identified in this solicitation.
A. Technical response
Respondents must provide clear and convincing documentation of their capability of providing the services specified in this notice. In addition to a detailed CV, respondents are requested to provide document discussing at a minimum, the following (please see Evaluation Criteria for further guidance):
• Key personnel professional experience in drug discovery and development
• Key personnel education and certification
• Key personnel collaborative team experience
• Past performance details for at least two (2) references with knowledge of the respondent's relevant skills and experience in the areas outlined in the Statement of Work:
-Name of organization
-Brief description of offeror's responsibilities
-Point of contact name, title, telephone number and email address.
• The respondent must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements.
• Finally, respondents are also encouraged to provide a general overview of the respondent's opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any other information regarding innovative ideas or concepts that may be applicable.
B. Price quotation
The price quotation must include an hourly rate as well as extended pricing for the full level of effort of each contract period. Options for increased quantity must also be detailed, as in the example below. A travel amount not-to-exceed $1,500 should be included for each year of the contract. A summary of the whole contract price should all options be exercised must also be included.
Example for Base Period Pricing:
Base Period:
Hourly Rate $XX/hour x 30 Hours $XXX
Travel - NTE $1,500.
Base Period Options for Increased Quantity:
Hourly Rate $XX/hour for Options
Total Minimum - $XXX Total Maximum - $XXX
Contractors must provide their Company Name, Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), Business Size, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information in their responses. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov."
(xvi) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties' bona-fide capabilities of providing the product or service. The price quote shall include: unit price, list price, shipping and handling costs, delivery days after contract award, delivery terms, prompt payment discount terms, F.O.B. Point (Destination or Origin), product or catalog number(s); product description; and any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. Such factors may include: past performance; special features required for effective program performance; trade-in considerations; probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item; warranty considerations; maintenance availability; and environmental and energy efficiency considerations.
Respondents proposing the brand-name product specified in this announcement must provide, as part of their response: (a) product, catalog, model, and/or part number(s); (b) product description; (c) all relevant information and documentation that the item(s) offered meets the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics as specified in the purchase description; quantity; estimated price or cost; shipping, handling, and/or installation charges; and delivery date after receipt of order.
In addition, the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the certification of business size must be included in the response. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov."
All responses must be received by 9:00 AM EST on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 and reference number NIHDA201800251. Responses may be submitted electronically to Sneha Singh at sneha.singh@nih.gov.
Fax responses will not be accepted.
(xvii) The name and telephone number of the individual to contact for information regarding the solicitation.
Sneha Singh
301.480.2443
sneha.singh@nih.gov
Sneha V Singh, Phone 3014802443, Email sneha.singh@nih.gov
