Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Distance Learning Contract

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Distance Learning Contract

SECTION A – Streamlined Solicitation for Commercial Items

A.1 This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for the acquisition of commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this announcement. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

A.2 Solicitation Number: RFQ-26-IHS1526441
This solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).

A.3 This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2026-01, Effective 3/13/2026.

A.4 Contracting Officer's Business Size Selection:  IEE/ISBEE set-aside.
NAICS Code:  611699 – All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction.
Small Business Size Standard:  $16.5M

A.5 CLIN 1 – Base Period: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Distance Learning Contract
A.6 CLIN 2 – Option Period 1: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Distance Learning Contract
A.7 CLIN 3 – Option to Extend Services 52.217-8; six (6) months.

1. Description of item(s) to be acquired:

The Indian Health Service Emergency Medical Services systems provide comprehensive, culturally appropriate care for IHS, Tribal, and urban programs. Under this contract, the contractor is responsible for providing culturally appropriate web-based interactive distance learning management system that allows courses to be taught with students and instructors in different locations and requires no travel; validating student skills competencies; and providing courses that meet national certification and recertification requirements and standards of national, state, and accrediting/certifying organizations (including but not limited to Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS), American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI), American Hospital Association (AHA), National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), etc. The target training population includes: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. Through this approach, IHS will align the training efforts with the IHS Strategic Plan, while promoting the core IHS priorities of people, partnerships, and quality of healthcare services.

2. Place of Performance:

Accomplishment of the results contained in this SOW requires work at various contractor, subcontractor, and Government facilities (mainly in the continental United States). Normal workdays are Monday through Friday except US Federal Holidays. Workers typically work eight (8) hours per day, 40 hours per week. Flextime workers start not earlier than 0600 and not later than 0900. Core hours of work are from 0900 to 1500 daily. All employees are expected to be available during core hours.

The Contractor will be responsible for coordinating the logistics of the trainings to include but not be limited to securing a site (with priority given to Federal facilities) for the trainings, payment of non-federal sites, and on-site and web-based registration services.

3. The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial, applies to this acquisition with no addenda.

4. 52.212-2: Evaluation -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is contained in Section I.

5. Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, with its offer.

6. The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition with no addenda.

7. The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and is contained in Section I.

8. Additional Contract Requirement or Terms and Conditions: as contained in Sections B through I.

9. Proposal Submission Information:

Reference Section L.2: offers are due no later than September 11, 2026 at 12:00 pm EST and shall be sent via email to reyes.rodriguezsalinas@.hhs.gov. In addition, quoters must provide an IEE/ISBEE Self Certification form to be considered for an award. The Government reserves the right to accept or reject a quote if no evidence is provided that the quoter meets the socio-economic category.

Notice to Offerors:

The Government intends to award a single Firm Fixed Price contract for this requirement. The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this solicitation, the Government has no obligation to reimburse an offeror for any costs incurred in the preparation of their quote.

Section B – Products or Services and Prices/Costs

B.1       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The Indian Health Service Emergency Medical Services systems provide comprehensive, culturally appropriate care for IHS, Tribal, and urban programs. Under this contract, the contractor is responsible for providing culturally appropriate web-based interactive distance learning management system that allows courses to be taught with students and instructors in different locations and requires no travel; validating student skills competencies; and providing courses that meet national certification and recertification requirements and standards of national, state, and accrediting/certifying organizations (including but not limited to Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS), American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI), American Hospital Association (AHA), National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), etc. The target training population includes: Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. Through this approach, IHS will align the training efforts with the IHS Strategic Plan, while promoting the core IHS priorities of people, partnerships, and quality of healthcare services.

1.1 General Requirements

This section describes the general requirements for this effort. The following sub-sections provide details of various considerations on this effort. The following schedule of tasks and deliverables outlines the requirements necessary to organize, develop, facilitate, manage, and evaluate comprehensive, system-wide training for EMS personnel. 

The expectation is that the contractor shall engage in a range of activities that shall initiate and solidify all the core training courses that meet national certification and recertification requirements and standards of national, state, and accrediting/certifying organizations.

2.1 Non-Personal Services

The Government shall neither supervise contractor employees nor control the method by which the contractor performs the required tasks. Under no circumstances shall the Government assign tasks to or prepare work schedules for individual contractor employees. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to manage its employees and to guard against any actions that are of the nature of personal services or give the perception of personal services. If the contractor believes that any actions constitute or are perceived to constitute personal services, it shall be the contractor's responsibility to notify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) immediately.

2.2 Business Relations

The contractor shall successfully integrate and coordinate all activities needed to execute the requirement. The contractor shall manage the timeliness, completeness, and quality of problem identification. The contractor shall provide corrective action plans, proposal submittals, timely identification of issues, and effective management of subcontractors (if applicable). The contractor shall seek to ensure customer satisfaction and the professional and ethical behavior of all contractor personnel.

2.3 Contract Administration and Management

The following subsections specify requirements for contract, management, and personnel administration.

2.4 Contract Management

The contractor shall establish clear organizational lines of authority and responsibility to ensure effective management of the resources assigned to the requirement. The contractor must maintain continuity between the support operations between the contractor's corporate offices and Indian Health Service Division of Clinical and Community Services.

2.5 Contract Administration

The contractor shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer the requirement. The contractor shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions in a timely fashion. The contractor shall have a single point of contact between the Government and Contractor personnel assigned to support contracts or task orders. The contractor shall assign work effort and maintain proper and accurate time keeping records of personnel assigned to work on the requirement.

The contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and IHS officials within 30 days of the contract award to become acquainted with the DCCS staff, review the Scope of Work (SOW), discuss timelines and deliverables, and to begin initial planning.  The contractor and COR shall hold a kick-off meeting at the beginning of the base and option year(s) of the contract to revisit and make adjustments (if necessary) to the comprehensive action plan, quality assurance plan, communications plan, evaluation plan, and project plan, to discuss ongoing tasks in the SOW, and new deliverables for the option year(s).

The comprehensive action plan (which includes proposed activities for each deliverable, a description of each product, and an estimated timeline with milestones) will be provided within 2 weeks of the contract kick-off meeting and must be approved prior to the initiation of services and activities under this agreement.

2.6 Personnel Administration

The contractor shall provide the following management and support as required. The contractor shall maintain the currency of their employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the SOW requirements. The contractor shall make necessary travel arrangements for employees. The contractor shall provide the necessary infrastructure to support contract tasks.

The contractor shall provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (timekeeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs).

2.7 Subcontract Management

The contractor shall be responsible for any subcontract management necessary to integrate work performed on this requirement and shall be responsible and accountable for subcontractor performance on this requirement. The prime contractor shall manage work distribution to ensure there are no Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) considerations. Contractors may add subcontractors to their team after notification to the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Cross-teaming may or may not be permitted.

2.8 Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties

The contractor shall accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with appropriate combinations of education, training, and experience. All trainers must be approved by the COR. The contractor shall match personnel skills to the work or task with a minimum of under/over employment of resources. The contractor shall ensure the labor categories as defined in the Labor Categories document (see attachment), labor rates, and man-hours utilized in the performance of each Task (SOW line item) issued hereunder will be the minimum necessary to accomplish the task.

The Contractor shall provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to manage, perform, and administer the contract.

B.2       TYPE OF CONTRACT

The contract type will be a Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order.

In accordance with Section F.1, the period of performance for this individual contract can extend beyond the expiration date up to 6 months.

Section C:  Description/Specifications/Statement of Work 

Reference Attachment 1 SOW.

SECTION D - Packaging and Marking

D.1 PACKAGING AND MARKING

All deliverables shall be delivered to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) identified in Section G and shall be marked as follows:

1.         Name and address of the Contractor;

2.         Contract Number;

3.         Description of item contained therein; and

4.         Consignee's name and address.

D.2 PAYMENT OF POSTAGE AND FEES

All postage and fees related to submitting information including forms, reports, etc. to the Contracting Officer or COR shall be paid by the Contractor.

SECTION E - Inspection and Acceptance

E.1 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Pursuant to FAR clause 52.212-4, all work described in Section C to be delivered under this contract is subject to final inspection and acceptance by an authorized representative of the Government. The authorized representative of the Government is the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), who is responsible for inspection and acceptance of all services, materials, or supplies to be provided by the Contractor.

E.1.1    Inspection and Acceptance Criteria

Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and other deliverables will be performed at the place of delivery by the COR.

E.1.2    General Acceptance Criteria

General quality measures, as set forth below, will be applied to each work product received from the Contractor under this Statement of Work.

• Accuracy ‑ Work Products shall be accurate in presentation, technical content, and adherence to accepted elements of style.
• Clarity ‑ Work Products shall be clear and concise.  Any/all diagrams shall be easy to understand and be relevant to the supporting narrative.
• Consistency to Requirements ‑ All work products must satisfy the requirements of this Statement of Work.
• File Editing ‑ All text and diagrammatic files shall be editable by the Government.
• Format - Work Products shall be submitted in hard copy and electronic copy.  The electronic copy must be in a format as indicated in the Deliverables Section.

E.2 Approvals by the COR

All services delivered to the COR will be deemed to have been accepted 30 calendar days after date of delivery, except as otherwise specified in this contract, if written approval or disapproval has not been given within such period.

Section F – Deliveries or Performance

F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance will be twelve (12) months based + 1 Option Period, and 1 Option to Extend Services for Six (6) months from:

Based:  9/21/2026 – 9/20/2027.

Option Period 1: 9/21/2027 – 9/20/2028.

(6) Month Extension: 9/21/2028 – 3/20/2029.

F.2 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS/DELIVERABLES

The contractor shall submit all required deliverables in accordance with the SOW.  The contractor shall submit deliverables that are clear, concise, and complete, and that conform in format and structure to standards that shall be agreed to in advance between the Contractor and the COR.  Certain types of deliverables shall be submitted in draft form initially, allowing the COR to review and provide additional information and/or clarification comments for possible inclusion in the final version.

F.3 DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall meet with the Contract Officer Representative (COR) and Program Manager (PM) by teleconference (meeting frequency will be determined by the COR) and will submit a written report at least monthly to provide an update of progress toward meeting deliverables, challenges encountered, and proposed solutions to the challenges.

• Monthly Reports
• Course Schedule Report
• Course Evaluation
• Cultural Competency
• Qualified Instructors/Training
• Training Management System
• Eligibility
• Technical Assistance

See a full list of deliverables in Section 3.1 and table 6.7 in the SOW.

Section G – Contract Administration Data

G.1 AUTHORITIES OF GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL

Notwithstanding the Contractor's responsibility for total management during the performance of this contract, the administration of this contract will require maximum coordination between the Government and the Contractor. The following individuals will be the Government's points of contact during the performance of this contract:

Contracting Officer

Name:  Reyes Rodriguez Salinas

Address:

Phone: 

Email:  reyes.rodriguezsalinas@hhs.gov

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)

Name: TBD

Address: TBD

Phone: TBD

Email: TBD

Note: The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to modify the contract.

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) AUTHORITY

(a) Performance of work under this contract must be subject to the technical direction of the Contracting Officer's Representative identified above, or a representative designated in writing. The term "technical direction" includes, without limitation, direction to the contractor that directs or redirects the labor effort, shifts the work between work areas or locations, fills in details and otherwise serves to ensure that tasks outlined in the work statement are accomplished satisfactorily.

(b) Technical direction must be within the scope of the specification(s)/work statement.

The Contracting Officer's Representative does not have authority to issue technical direction that:

(1) Constitutes a change of assignment or additional work outside the specification(s)/statement    of work;

(2) Constitutes a change as defined in the clause entitled "Changes";

(3) In any manner causes an increase or decrease in the contract price, or the time required for contract performance;

(4) Changes any of the terms, conditions, or specification(s)/work statement of the contract;

(5) Interferes with the contractor's right to perform under the terms and conditions of the contract; or

(6) Directs, supervises or otherwise controls the actions of the contractor's employees.

(c) Technical direction may be oral or in writing. The Contracting Officer's Representative shall confirm oral direction in writing within five workdays, with a copy to the Contracting Officer.

(d) The contractor shall proceed promptly with performance resulting from the technical direction issued by the Contracting Officers, Representative.  If, in the opinion of the contractor, any direction of the Contracting Officers, Representative, or his/her designee, falls within the limitations in (b), above, the contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer no later than the beginning of the next Government workday.

(e) Failure of the contractor and the Contracting Officer to agree that technical direction is within the scope of the contract shall be subject to the terms of the clause entitled "Disputes."

G.3 INVOICES - COMMERCIAL

The Contractor must submit invoices in IPP per the Invoicing Instructions. 

(1) Invoice Submission

The Contractor shall submit invoices monthly or quarterly based on the setup of the purchase order.

A proper invoice, with all required back-up documentation shall be sent electronically, via email, to the COR mailbox:

            Contracting Officer's Representative (COR): TBD

A proper invoice, not including non-invoice related documents (i.e. deliverables, reports, balance statements) shall be sent electronically, via email, to:

1. Contracting Officers Representative (COR) via email.

2. Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) via link: https://www.ipp.gov

The contractor shall submit invoices under this contract once per month. For indefinite delivery vehicles, separate invoices must be submitted for each order.

• Invoices must break-out price/cost by contract line item number (CLIN) as specified in the pricing section of the contract.
• Invoices that include time and materials or labor hours CLINS must include supporting documentation to (1) substantiate the number of labor hours invoiced for each labor category, and (2) substantiate material costs incurred (when applicable).
• Invoices submitted to IPP are limited to 10MB. Backup support should be sent to the contracting officer, contract specialist, and COR in the event it causes the file size to exceed the limit.

Invoices shall be submitted in accordance with the contract terms, i.e. payment schedule, progress payments, partial payments, deliverables, etc.

All calls concerning contract payment shall be directed to the COR.

Invoices will be handled in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act (31 U.S.C. 3903) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prompt payment regulations at 5 CFR    Part 1315.

(2) Invoice Elements

In accordance with FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, the Contractor shall submit an electronic invoice to the email addresses designated in the contract to receive invoices. A proper invoice must include the following items:

            (i) Name and address of the Contractor;

            (ii) Invoice date and number;

            (iii) Contract number, contract line-item number and, if applicable, the order number;

            (iv) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price and extended price of the items

            delivered;

            (v) Shipping number and date of shipment, including the bill of lading number and

            weight of shipment if shipped on Government bill of lading;

            (vi) Terms of any discount for prompt payment offered;

            (vii) Name and address of official to whom payment is to be sent;

            (viii) Name, title, and phone number of person to notify in event of defective invoice; and

            (ix) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). The Contractor shall include its TIN on the

            invoice only if required elsewhere in this contract.

            (x) Electronic funds transfer (EFT) banking information.

(A) The Contractor shall include EFT banking information on the invoice. 

(B) In accordance with the requirements of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, all payments under this order will be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT).  The Contractor shall provide financial institution information to the Finance Office designated above in accordance with FAR 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - System for Award Management.

Additionally, the Program Support Center (PSC) requires:

(i)    the invoice to break-out price/cost by contract line-item number (CLIN) as specified in the pricing section of the contract

(ii)   the invoice to include the Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS) of the Contractor

G.4 Data to Be Delivered

Any working papers, interim reports, data given by the Government or first produced by the contractor under the contract or collected or otherwise obtained by the contractor under the contract, or results obtained or developed by the contractor, including any subcontractors or consultants, pursuant to the fulfillment of this contract are to be delivered, documented, and formatted as directed by the COR.

In addition, information and data, which are held by the contractor related to the operation of their business and/or institution and which are obtained without the use of federal funds, shall be considered “PROPRIETARY DATA” and are not “subject data” to be delivered under this contract.

Section H – Special Contract Requirements

H.1 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POSTERS

In order to comply with the notice posting requirements of FAR clause 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity as incorporated into the contract, the contractor shall obtain the posters from the following link:  https://www1.eeoc.gov/employers/poster.cfm.

H.2 KEY PERSONNEL

        The key personnel subject to HHSAR Clause 352.237-75 are as follows:

            Name                                       Position Title

To be completed when applicable.

H.3 PROHIBITION AGAINST PERSONAL SERVICES

The Contractor shall not perform personal services under this contract. Contractor personnel are employees of the Contractor or its subcontractors and are under the administrative control and supervision of the Contractor. A Contractor supervisor must give all individual Contractor employee assignments and daily work direction. The Government will not supervise or direct Contractor employees in the performance of their assignments. If at any time the Contractor believes that any Government action or communication has been given that would create a personal service relationship between the Government and any Contractor employee, the contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer of this communication or action. The Contractor shall not perform any inherently governmental functions under this contract. No Contractor employee shall represent or give the appearance that he/she is a Government employee, agent or representative. No Contractor employee shall state orally or in writing at any time that he or she is acting on behalf of the Government. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all employees assigned to this contract understand and are committed to following these requirements.

H.4 CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION(S)

During the life of this contract, Contractor performance will be evaluated on an interim and final basis pursuant to FAR Subpart 42.15.  The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) will be utilized for these reviews.  Information on CPARS can be located at http://www.cpars.gov.

H.5 POST AWARD ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

a.         General:  The Contractor shall have programs in place to identify, report, and mitigate actual and potential conflicts of interest for itself, its employees, subcontractors and consultants.   The existence of such programs and the disclosure of known actual or potential conflicts are material performance requirements of this contract.

b.         Disclosure:  The Contractor shall report all actual and potential conflicts of interest pertaining to this contract to the Contracting Officer, including those that would be caused by a contemplated modification to this contact or another contract.  Such reports shall be in writing (including by email). Upon request, the Contractor shall respond to a Contracting Officer's request for an OCI mitigation plan.

c.          Resolution:  In the event the Contracting Officer determines that a conflict of interest exists, based on disclosure from the Contractor or from other sources, the Contracting Officer shall take action which may include, but is not limited to, requesting a mitigation plan from the Contractor, terminating part or all of the contract, modifying the contract or obtaining a waiver in accordance with applicable law, including FAR 9.503 as applicable.

SECTION I – FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION CLAUSES

I.1 CONTRACT CLAUSES

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) (48 CFR CHAPTER 1) AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACQUISITION REGULATION CONTRACT CLAUSES

Clauses incorporated by full text:

FAR 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) day prior to contract expiration.

(End of Clause)

FAR 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 anytime; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 1 day 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 30 (months).

(End of clause)

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): http://www.acquisition.gov/far/ and http://www.hhs.gov/hhsar/.

Clauses incorporated by reference:

FAR 52.204-9 - Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (Jan 2011)

FAR 52.204-13 - System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018)

FAR 52.204-18 - Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020)

FAR 52.204-19 - Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (Dec 2014)

FAR 52.224-2 - Privacy Act (Apr 1984)

FAR 52.237-3 - Continuity of Services (Jan 1991)

FAR 52.237-10 - Identification of Uncompensated Overtime (Mar 2015)

FAR 52.242-13 - Bankruptcy (Jul 1995)

HHSAR 352.208-70 Printing and Duplication (December 18, 2015)

HHSAR 352.223-70 Safety and Health (December 18, 2015)

HHSAR 352.224-71 Confidential Information (December 18, 2015)

HHSAR 352.239-73 Electronic Information and Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015)

(End of clause)

FAR 52.252-6 Authorized Deviations in Clauses (NOV 2020)

(a) The use in this solicitation or contract of any Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR Chapter 1) clause with an authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of “(DEVIATION)” after the date of the clause.

(b) The use in this solicitation or contract of any Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulations (48 CFR Chapter 3) clause with an authorized deviation is indicated by the addition of “(DEVIATION)” after the name of the regulation.

(End of clause)

SECTION J – List of Attachments

Attachment 1 – SOW

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS

K.1          North American Industry Classification System Code

(1) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is: 611699 – All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction.

(2) The small business size standard is $16.5M

K.2          Clauses and Provisions incorporated by reference

FAR 52.204-17 - Ownership or Control of Offeror (Aug 2020)

FAR 52.209-2 - Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations--Representation (Nov 2015)

FAR 52.212-3 -- Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items (Oct 2025) 

FAR 52.212-4 -- Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items (Nov 2023)

FAR 52.212-5 -- Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Items (MAR 2026)

K.3         Clauses and Provision incorporated by full text

FAR 52.209-11 – Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (Feb 2016)

(a) As required by sections 744 and 745 of Division E of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L 113-235), and similar provisions, if contained in subsequent appropriations acts, the Government will not enter into a contract with any corporation that--

(1) Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that suspension or debarment is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

(2) Was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(b) The Offeror represents that—

(1) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability; and

(2) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

(End of provision)

SECTION L: INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.1 SUBMISSION OF QUOTES

Offers must be submitted no later than September 11, 2026, by 12:00 pm EST. The quote shall be delivered via email to the Contracting Officer at the following address: reyes.rodriguezsalinas@hhs.gov. In addition, quoters must provide an IEE/ISBEE Self Certification form to be considered for an award. The Government reserves the right to accept or reject a quote if no evidence is provided that the quoter meets the socio-economic category.

NOTE: It is highly recommended to request a delivery/read receipt to insure the Contract Specialist receives the submission by the due date and time. Failure to use the specified mailing address or insure delivery could result in your proposal being delivered late.

L.3. General Instructions

The following instructions establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and content of your proposal.   Your proposal must be submitted in accordance with these instructions.  Refer to section 3. of the statement of work for information on the requirements of federal information processed on government owned/contractor operated or contractor owned/contractor operated systems.

The Offeror’s quote must include technical capability as well as price. The Government will evaluate the proposal in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in the solicitation.

This RFQ does not commit the Government to pay any of the costs associated with the preparation and submission of your proposal. In addition, the Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this requirement. By submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation, it is understood that your proposal shall become a part of the official contract file.

SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

Quotes will be evaluated based on the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) quote.

M.1 GENERAL EVALUATION INSTRUCTIONS

The Government does not anticipate requesting revisions to proposals conducting discussions.  However, the Government reserves the right to enter into discussions, and request proposal revisions if determined necessary to establish reasonable pricing.

M.2 Clauses incorporated by full text:

FAR 52.212-2 -- Evaluation -- Commercial Items (Nov 2021)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

 (i) Factor 1: technical capability of the item offered to meet the Government requirement;

(ii) Factor 2: business/price

(b) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of Provision)

M.3.3 Solicitation Requirements, Terms and Conditions

Offeror is required to meet all solicitation requirements, such as complete terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements, in addition to those identified as evaluation factors. Failure to meet a requirement may result in the offer being ineligible for award. Offeror must clearly identify any exception to the solicitation terms and conditions and provide accompanying rationale.