MTEC Solicitation Announcement: Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program

*****As a result of Amendment 03 the proposal due date has been extended to 22 May 2023. There are no other changes incorporated and no additional attachments provided.***** ================================================================================ *****As a result of Amendment 02 and as further detailed in the Amendment 02 attachment, Section 2.6. of the full Request for Project Proposals (RPP) has been revised to clarify Offeror eligibility requirements. See the attachment for further details.***** ================================================================================ *****As a result of Amendment 01, the proposal due date has been extended to 15 May 2023. Additionally, as further detailed in the Amendment 01 attachment, Sections 2.2. and 2.6. of the full Request for Project Proposals (RPP) has been revised to clarify funding availability information as well as Task 2 Offeror requirements. See the attachment for further details.***** ================================================================================ The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) is excited to post this Other Transaction Request for Project Proposals (RPP) with the objective of advancing and optimizing a benchmark for the training and matching of service dogs with disabled service members and veterans (henceforth referred to as - SM). This prototype under this Other Transaction requirement is based on existing federal regulations, industry best practices, and lessons learned from the prior administration of the Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program (WWSDP) at the Uniformed Services University (USU). Awards resulting from this RPP are expected to be made under the authority of 10 U.S.C. - 4022 (Authority of the Department of Defense to carry out certain prototype projects). The full RPP is included as an attachment to this posting and can also be accessed through the MTEC website (mtec-sc.org). As detailed within the attachment, all proposals shall be submitted through the provided BIDS link. Proposals submitted through other means will not be accepted. Background: The Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2013 (H.R. 2847) established a grant program to encourage the matching of disabled SM and service dogs. In 2015, the program was funded using a Defense Health Program appropriation. Since then, the program has been managed by USU and increased in budget, scope, and outreach. However, USU has identified several challenges in managing the program. Primarily, the service dog industry is unregulated. There are no required standards or outcome measures. The lack of shared guidelines makes it difficult to evaluate the quality-of-service dog programs because this quality was never defined. Moreover, a lack of guidelines places the safety of canines, SM, and the public at risk. To combat these challenges, USU has taken the experience that they have had so far and drafted the foundation of a benchmark for the WWSDP. This prototype (outlined in this RPP) is intended to serve as a starting point for the Awardees to integrate, test, evaluate. This action has urgency as the Defense Health Agency and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs increase funding for service dogs without shared knowledge, standards, or a formal benchmark. Scope of Work: The content of the benchmark to be delivered by this program includes identification of best practices for the service dog industry (e.g., minimum requirements for the selection and training of both dog and SM, facilities conditions, and canine care and medical information), establishment of a baseline to compare service dog organizations, creation of a standard for the purpose of Government funding and research, and establishment of minimum guidelines to protect the wellbeing and safety of our SM, service dogs, and the public. The Government has identified two tasks for funding to support this effort. Proposals shall address only ONE of the Tasks outlined below. Offerors are limited to a single proposal submission. These Tasks are not listed in order of importance. TASK 1 - A single integrator capable of acquiring, collating, and analyzing data for the development of the benchmark TASK 2 - Multiple performers capable of testing and evaluating the components of the benchmark related to the training and matching of service dogs and SM It is the intent of this program that those Task 2 Offerors that are recommended for award will be required to team with the Task 1 Offeror selected for award, where the Task 1 Offeror will serve as the prime contractor and the multiple Task 2 Offerors will serve as subcontractors. This structure will allow for unified network or team working towards a shared goal to support this MTEC WWSDP requirement. As stated within Amendment 02, Task 1 and Task 2 offerors must be a nonprofit organization that is subject to 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) of the tax code. For full descriptions of the roles and responsibilities for both TASK 1 and TASK 2, refer to the full RPP attached here and posted on the MTEC website (https://mtec-sc.org/solicitations/). Potential Funding Availability and Period of Performance: The U.S. Government (USG) Department of Defense (DoD) USU has approximately $14.1 million to be made available for awards in Fiscal Year 2023. A single award is expected to result from this MTEC RPP to fund a single qualified Offeror for Task 1 AND fund multiple qualified Offerors for Task 2 of this effort to accomplish the scope of work. The maximum allowable budget requested by Task 1 Offerors is $2,000,000 (added a result of Amendment 01). The maximum allowable budget requested by each Task 2 Offeror is $2,000,000. The period of performance (PoP) shall not exceed 12 months. Past WWSDP recipients ARE ELIGIBLE to apply and compete for WWSDP awards through this MTEC Other Transaction RPP. However, please note that this RPP is neither suitable for renewal applications nor supplementation of awards that have been made outside of MTEC. Acquisition Approach: This RPP will be conducted using a modified Enhanced White Paper proposal approach (see the full RPP for further details). In Stage 1, Task 1 Offerors are invited to submit proposals in the form of Enhanced White Papers and Task 2 offerors are invited to submit a Task 2 Application Form (using the Addendum incorporated in the RPP). The Government will evaluate all submissions and will select those that represent the best value using the evaluation criteria listed in this RPP. It is the intent of this program that those Task 2 Offerors that are recommended for award will be required to team with the Task 1 Offeror selected for award, where the Task 1 Offeror will serve as the prime contractor and the multiple Task 2 Offerors will serve as subcontractors. Upon recommendation for award, the selected Task 1 Offeror will then be invited to submit a full cost proposal in Stage 2, which incorporates the selected Task 2 Offerors as subcontractors for award. MTEC will introduce the selected Task 2 Offerors to the selected Task 1 Offeror at that time. Notification letters will contain specific Stage 2 proposal submission requirements. TASK 1 Offerors: Task 1 Offerors shall be MTEC Members in good standing to be eligible to submit an Enhanced White Paper. Task 1 Offerors submitting Enhanced White Papers as the Prime Performer must be MTEC members of good standing at least 3 days prior to submission of the Enhanced White Papers. To join MTEC, please visit http://mtec-sc.org/how-to-join/. TASK 2 Offerors: MTEC membership is NOT required for the submission of a Proposal (Task 2 Application Form) in response to Task 2 of this MTEC RPP. MTEC: The MTEC mission is to assist the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) by providing cutting-edge technologies and supporting life cycle management to transition medical solutions to industry that protect, treat, and optimize Warfighters health and performance across the full spectrum of military operations. MTEC is a biomedical technology consortium collaborating with multiple government agencies under a 10-year renewable Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), Agreement No. W81XWH-15-9-0001, with the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). MTEC is currently recruiting a broad and diverse membership that includes representatives from large businesses, small businesses, - nontraditional defense contractors, academic research institutions and not-for-profit organizations. Point of Contact: For inquiries, please direct your correspondence to the following contacts: Questions concerning contractual, cost or pricing related to this RPP should be directed to the MTEC Contracts Administrator, contact@example.gov Technical and membership questions should be directed to the MTEC Research Associate, Dr. Chuck Hutti, Ph.D., contact@example.gov All other questions should be directed to the MTEC Chief of Consortium Operations, Ms. Kathy Zolman, contact@example.gov To view this solicitation, visit www.mtec-sc.org/solicitations/ or access the attachment.