Public Engagement Strategies to Advance the Mission of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

AMENDMENT No.: 01 from August 30, 2022. QUOTATION DUE DATE: 9 a.m. (EDT) on September 2, 2022 (Unchanged) This amendment No.: 01 is to distribute questions and answers to the solicitation. This amendment No.: 01 is attached in full (D CSS-C RFQ 75N95022Q00519_Mod1) END OF AMENDMENT No.: 01 (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 75N95022Q00519 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). The anticipated award date is September 18, 2022. 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; and FAR Part 12'Acquisition of Commercial Items, and is not expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) Number 2022-07, with effective date August 10, 2022. (iv) The associated NAICS code is 541820 - Public Relations Agencies and the small business size standard is $16.5M. This requirement is a total small business set-aside. (v) The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation's leading medical research agency and the primary Federal agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, conducting, supporting and making medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is a translational science center that prides itself on its productive pipeline and is innovative in a number of ways. NCATS brings together a diverse range of scientists, including medicinal chemists, biologists, toxicologists, and engineers, in order to ultimately translate basic science into real products and services that help improve people's lives. NCATS mission is broad and requires extensive collaboration, transformational cultural change and disruptive innovative thinking within the science community. To accomplish this mission, the Communications Branch (CB) develops and disseminates information to a wide range of stakeholders with diverse interests and needs, including patient groups, academic investigators, potential partners in the private and federal sector (including other NIH institutes and centers), venture capital groups, technology-focused research and development organizations (both for-profit and nonprofit), and other parties interested in speeding each stage of research along the translational science spectrum, or the path from the biological basis of health and disease to interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. This requirement focuses on strategic communications services and resources necessary to develop and implement creative, scientifically accurate, fresh and cost-effective outreach approaches to advance NCATS mission. This project will consist of supporting the CB in developing and implementing public engagement strategies to effectively promote NCATS and the value of translational science. NCATS already conducts extensive outreach and would like to enhance its public engagement strategies and expand these efforts. (vi) The Statement of Work (SOW) with a description of the services to be performed is included as an attachment to this Solicitation. The purpose of this acquisition is to procure consulting and communications outreach services for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Office of Policy, Communications and Education (OPCE) Communications Branch (CB). The goal is to strengthen the organization's ability to effectively promote the advancement of translational science to a broad range of stakeholders to accomplish NCATS mission. Services shall include support and consultation for the NCATS CB as they work to develop and implement public engagement strategies. (vii) The Government anticipates award of a firm fixed-price purchase order for this acquisition, and the anticipated period of performance shall be: Base Period: 09/18/2022 - 03/17/2023 (6 months) Option Period 1: 03/18/2023 - 03/17/2024 (12 months) The place of performance shall be the Contractor's site and the NCATS headquarters located at 6701 Democracy Boulevard, Bethesda MD 20892-4874. (viii) The provision at FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions 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. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at these addresses: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html (End of provision) The following provisions apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (Aug 2020) FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors'Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications'Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2022) HHSAR 352.239-73, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Notice (December 18, 2015) The clause at FAR 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998), applies to this acquisition. 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: https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.hhs.gov/grants/contracts/contract-policies-regulations/hhsar/index.html (End of clause) The following clauses apply to this acquisition and are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018) FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020) FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions'Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021). Addendum to this FAR clause applies to this acquisition and is attached. FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data-General (May 2014). Pursuant to paragraph (d), the Contractor may not assert copyright, make use of, release to others, reproduce, distribute, or publish any data first produced or specifically used by the Contractor in the performance of this contract without prior approval of the contracting officer. HHSAR 352.222-70, Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations (December 18, 2015) HHS 352.227-70, Publications and Publicity (December 18, 2015). HHSAR 352.237-75, Key Personnel (December 18, 2015). HHSAR 352.239-74, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility (December 18, 2015) The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are attached in full text. Offerors MUST complete the provisions at 52.204-24 and 52.204-26 and submit completed copies as separate documents with their proposal. FAR 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) FAR 52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2022) Invoice and Payment Provisions with and without IPP (Apr 2022) The following clause applies to this acquisition and is incorporated in full text: 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 the current period of performance; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend 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 18 months. (End of clause) (ix) The Government will perform a comparative evaluation of responses in accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b) to award a purchase order from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose response meets the solicitation's requirements and, as a whole, provides the best value, considering price and other factors in this solicitation. The evaluation will compare: (a) Technical capability of the service offered to meet the Government requirement; (b) Price; and (c) Past Performance as defined under FAR 13.106-2(b)(3). If only one quotation is received it will be evaluated on the preceding basis. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).Responses may exceed capability or performance characteristics of the solicitation's requirements. The Government reserves the right, but is not required, to award to a response that exceeds capability or performance characteristics of the solicitation's requirements if it provides a benefit to the Government;; and the Government is not requesting or accepting alternate proposal(s). (x) The Offerors are to include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2022), with offers. If the offeror has completed FAR provision 52.212-3 at www.sam.gov, then the offeror does not need to provide a completed copy with its offer. (xi) The clause at FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions'Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021), applies to this acquisition. Addendum to this FAR clause applies to this acquisition and is attached. (xii) The following additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions as determined by the contracting officer are necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. There are no additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions applicable to this acquisition. (xiii) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) are not applicable to this requirement. (xiv) Responses to this solicitation must include sufficient information to establish the interested parties bona-fide capabilities of providing the service. The quote must be for a firm-fixed-price total amount inclusive of all costs and fees and include . any other information or factors that may be considered in the award decision. The Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, 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 questions must be received by 9 a.m., Eastern Time, on August 30, 2022, and reference Solicitation Number 75N95022Q00519. Questions may be submitted electronically to Renato Gomes at contact@example.gov. All quotations must be received by 9 a.m., Eastern Time, on September 2, 2022, and reference Solicitation Number 75N95022Q00519. Responses must be submitted electronically to Renato Gomes at contact@example.gov. Fax responses will not be accepted. Attachments: Statement of Work FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (Nov 2021) FAR 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (Oct 2020) Addendum to FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions'Commercial Products and Commercial Services. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders'Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2022) Invoice and Payment Provisions with and without IPP (Apr 2022)