SOLICITATION NOTICE
L -- Audio-conferencing Services for the Center for Scientific Review (CSR)/National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Notice Date
- 4/30/2010
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr. Bethesda, MD, Office of Acquisitions, 6701 Rockledge Dr RKL2/6100 MSC 7902, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7902
- ZIP Code
- 20892-7902
- Solicitation Number
- NHLBI_PB(RG)_2010_107_GMV
- Archive Date
- 5/22/2010
- Point of Contact
- Gina M. Varan, Phone: 3014350358
- E-Mail Address
-
varang@nhlbi.nih.gov
(varang@nhlbi.nih.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format specified in FAR 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation number is NHLBI-PB(RG)-2010-107/GMV and is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP). The solicitation/contract will include all applicable provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-40. The acquisition will be made pursuant to the authority in FAR Part 13 to use simplified procedures for commercial requirements. The procurement is being conducted on a competitive basis, as a total small business set-aside. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific and Technical, and the associated small business size standard is $7.0 million. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Office of Acquisitions (OA), for the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), proposes to procure services to provide audio-conference and web-interface services to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), National Institutes of Health (NIH) to be utilized during Peer Review rounds which are held throughout the year. Overview/Background of Project CSR is the focal point, at the NIH in support of the conduct of initial Peer Review and the foundation of the NIH grant and award process. The Center carries out Peer Review for the majority of research and research training applications submitted to the NIH. In addition, the Center serves as the central receipt point for all such Public Health Service (PHS) applications and makes referrals to scientific review groups for scientific and technical merit review of applications and to funding components for potential award. To this end, the Center develops and implements innovative, flexible ways to conduct referral and review for all aspects of science. Contractor Requirements Keywords/Definitions: User: An individual who does not have an account, but will participate in an Audio-conference and Web-conference call of an account holder. Vendor: Provider of Audio-conferencing and Web-conferencing which will be used to conduct Peer Review Meetings. System: Application developed and hosted by the vendor to provide audio-conferencing and web-conferencing for Peer Review Meetings. Audio-conferencing: A system housed on the vendor’s server that provides multiple audio conferencing lines (up to 50) for each meeting that can be accessed from any location using a toll-free unique number for each account holder. Web-conferencing: Used to conduct live meetings or presentations via the Internet. In the web conference, each participant will sit at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. This will be a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference. Account Holder: An individual who has an account with the Contractor and has access to the Contractor’s system. This individual will have an account number, password, and an account card that will have the individuals account information and a toll free contact number for the vendor. Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall be required to furnish all necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform the Statement of Work set forth below. 1) Unique Identifiers: The Contractor shall provide a tracking system of participants of the Peer Review rounds, as well as unique Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) or passwords. 2) Immediate meeting attendance by those dialing into a meeting: The Contractor shall provide the ability for participants, who dial into a teleconference, to be placed directly into the meeting upon entering their assigned PIN/password. 3) Direct dialing ability of international numbers: The Contractor shall provide the user (CSR) with the ability to use agency calling cards to dial out from inside of the meeting to international numbers. Cards shall have domestic/international 800 numbers. 4) Toll-free number for international call-in participants: The Contractor shall provide meeting participants with the ability to utilize agency calling cards to dial out from inside the meeting to international numbers. (Agency cards are domestic/international/800#.) 5) Web interface for managing calls: The Contractor shall provide web interface as a companion to the teleconference. The Contractor shall provide the users with the ability to develop and manage a phonebook in the system in order to simultaneously dial multiple contacts in the directory (Call List). 6) Based on the Unique Identifiers described in #1, the Contractor shall provide the system user with the ability to view the identity of participants in real-time. 7) The Contractor’s system shall provide on-line help when participants, account holders, and Scientific Review Officers (SROs) experience any problems accessing their respective host meeting room. 8) The Contractor’s system shall provide assistance, via a toll-free number help-line, that can be utilized while a participant is on-line and the help-link is not functioning properly. This help-line, shall be highly visible throughout the entire system and provided on every screen, with a Contractor helpdesk support person/technician who shall be readily accessible to interact with account holders. 9) The Contractor shall provide the user with the ability to download multiple names from systems directory list, at once, into an Excel spreadsheet, CVS, or similar format. The names from the spreadsheet shall be uploaded into the account holders directory. 10) The Contractor’s system shall have seamless integration capabilities with other teleconferencing applications and resources. Audio conferencing is one component of CSR’s electronic review initiative. 11) The Contractor shall provide the user(s) with the ability to add additional callers in real-time, once the call is in progress. 12) Upgrades/Changes: The Contractor shall provide technical training when there are system functionality changes and/or modifications, such as Web interface features. The Contractor shall allow the Government, at least 30 calendar days, to test and validate any upgrades and/or functional changes to the system, prior to putting updates and/or changes into production. Technical Support The Contractor shall provide support to the account holders via helpdesk staff. The account holders shall be able to contact the Contractor’s helpdesk support by e-mail, toll free phone line, or through functionality within the system. The help desk shall be available 7:00 a.m – 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The Contractor shall provide a resolution to a problem reported by the account holder within 20 minutes, after the problem is reported. If there is a problem/issue that will exceed 20 minutes, the Contractor’s help desk staff shall notify the account holder and the CSR Infrastructure Team with an update of when the problem/issue shall be resolved. Business Continuity and Recovery Plan The Contractor shall be responsible for having a Business Continuity Plan for recovering the system in cases of system failure. The Contractor shall provide the following to CSR: Notification: • Notify CSR of system failure • Perform a damage assessment and report information to CSR Infrastructure support staff. Recovery: • CSR’s Point of Contact (POC) shall be notified of actions taken by Contractor’s recovery team and personnel to restore system operations. Reconstitution: • Contractor shall provide an outline of actions taken to return system to normal operating conditions to CSR’s POC. The Contractor shall include the Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD) for the system, i.e.: •Normal -7days •Important-72 hrs •Urgent-24 hrs •Critical-Minutes to hours The Contractor’s system is mission critical to the Peer Review, and the loss of any criteria is defined below: Loss Criteria: (i.e., inclusive of, but not limited to, system upgrades, system failures, etc.) •Short Term oLoss in productivity oViolation of contract Agreement •Long Term oLoss in reputation and Public confidence The Contractor shall provide CSR proof of proper backup plan for the system and of all data relevant to CSRs’ account. It is required that data shall be backed up and kept offsite. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES 1. During the contract period, the CSR Infrastructure Team shall have the ability to monitor the quality of service provided by the Contractor and their application to ensure the best functionality for the CSR user community. The monitoring will be accomplished by the testing of key features implemented on the Contractor’s system. The Infrastructure Team will log any bugs/errors, down time, or unavailability of the system and report it immediately to the vendor. 2. Each of the aforementioned twelve (12) requirements listed in the Statement of Work will be monitored by obtaining feedback from CSR cardholders, who will be using the application to communicate with Program Officers and/or Reviewers, during scheduled study section review meetings. The Contractor will be notified in both in writing and via telephone of any problems that arise during the contract period. The Contractor will be provided with written documentation as to CSR’s acceptance or rejection of deliverables. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES All reports required herein shall be submitted in electronic format as well as one (1) hard copy to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR). The Contractor shall provide a monthly updated listing of CSR accounts with any accounts that have been removed, highlighted or marked, as an inactive account. The Contractor shall create a new account request within one (1) business day of the request. Progress reports shall be submitted on the prime contractor’s letterhead. Failure to provide reports correctly will cause resubmission by the Contractor. The Contractor shall notify CSR of any system changes that will affect the user community, when using the audio and web interface of the system, at least thirty 30 calendar days prior to implementing the change. A document with all expected changes shall be sent to CSR’s Infrastructure support staff to review and discuss before changes are implemented. Any major changes shall not be performed during CSR’s peak Peer Review meetings. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall provide CSR with a feature for loading multiple names into the system directory. This feature will facilitate loading names and assigning access codes to multiple entries, at once. It is anticipated that a fixed price type contract will be awarded. FAR provisions and clauses that apply to this acquisition are: 1) FAR Clause 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items; 2) FAR Clause 52.212-2, Evaluation--Commercial Items. As stated in FAR Clause 52.212-2 (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 merits of each proposal will be evaluated carefully, based on responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this combined synopsis/solicitation and the thoroughness and feasibility of the technical approach taken. A best buy analysis will be performed taking into consideration technical approach, past performance, and price. You are advised that, in the selection of the contractor for this acquisition, paramount consideration shall be given to the evaluation of technical proposals, rather than cost or price. All evaluation factors, other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost/price. Responses to this notice will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with the following evaluation criteria: a) Proposal demonstrates responsiveness to original specifications set forth in the RFP, including agreement with the NIH/CSR’s contracting requirements (20 points); b) Demonstrated technical ability, capacity, and flexibility to perform the contract with agreed upon time frames and on budget, as verified by, e.g., the quality of any demonstration, client references, demonstrated success in projects with similar requirements, and any other contracts with the NIH/CSR (50 points); c) Past Performance: Offeror shall demonstrate a sustained successful track record delivering similar audio and web conference services to organization(s) with a high volume of meetings per year. The Offeror shall possess at least five (5) years expertise, experience and resources to perform the scope of services required in a diligent, timely and professional manner consistent with the highest standards of the industry (30 Points). •1300+ Meetings per year = very large •900 - 1299 Meetings per year = large •500 – 899 = medium •0 – 499 = small Note to Offerors: CSR will conduct a post award site visit to ensure evidence of the following: •Full System Redundancy/Mirrored in both hardware and software. oServers oWorkstations •Disaster Recovery Plan •Change management and testing plan •Customer support infrastructure; The Government intends to evaluate the proposals and award the contract without discussions with Offerors. Therefore, the initial offer should contain the Offerors best terms from a technical and price standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions, request product samples or demonstrations, if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any and all offers if such action is deemed necessary. The Government may also waive informalities and minor irregularities in the offers received; 3) FAR Clause 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications--Commercial Items; 4) FAR Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items; and 5) FAR Clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items Deviation for Simplified Acquisitions. The clauses are available in full text at http://www.arnet.gov/far. In addition, the following FAR Clauses are applicable to this acquisition and will be incorporated, in full text, in the resultant contract. 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 [to be completed at contract award]. (End of clause) 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 [to be completed at contract award]; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least sixty (60) days 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 sixty (60) months or five (5) years. (End of clause) In order to be considered for an award, an offeror must have completed the online electronic Representations and Certifications located at http://orca.bpn.gov/ in accordance with FAR 4.1201(a). By submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the CCR at www.ccr.gov/ prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchase agreement resulting from this solicitation. NOTE: lack of registration in the CCR will make an offeror ineligible for award. Interested offerors capable of furnishing the Government with the scientific and technical services specified in this synopsis should submit their proposal to the below address. Proposals will be due seven (7) calendar days from the publication date of this synopsis or by May 7, 2010 at 3:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Please submit one original and two (2) copies of your proposal. All responsible sources may submit a proposal, which if timely received, shall be considered by the agency. The external package marking of the print copies shall be marked as follows: RFP No. NHLBI-PB(RG)-2010-107/GMV. Proposals shall be delivered to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Office of Acquisitions, Procurement Branch, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 6146, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7902, Attention: Gina M. Varan. Responses may be submitted electronically to varang@nhlbi.nih.gov. Responses will only be accepted if dated and signed by an authorized company representative. Faxed copies will not be accepted.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NHLBI/NHLBI_PB(RG)_2010_107_GMV/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
- Zip Code: 20892
- Zip Code: 20892
- Record
- SN02137744-W 20100502/100430235908-23b9e7c36ab6b6dae2dd5d9db1aad928 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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