The Chief Information Officer-Solutions and Partners (CIO-SP) contracts provide Information Technology (IT) systems and services necessary to support the Chief Information Officer (CIO) requirements for IT solutions within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other Government agencies. Solutions are offered in the following task areas:
Contract Structure
The CIO-SP contracts are structured as Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) task order contracts. Orders may be Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Firm Fixed Price (FFP) or Time & Materials (T&M) in nature. The loaded labor rates are utilized for both T&M and FFP Task Orders. Other Direct Costs (ODCs) are set out by ODC multipliers which do not include profit; travel, and if applicable will be separately negotiated for each task order.
Processing Fee
All external customers are assessed a minimal processing fee equal to 1% of the obligated Task Order amount. The fee is paid only through the prime contractor via a separate FFP line item within the task order. (Note: If the task order amount is less than $25,000, there is a minimum NIH processing fee of $250. If there is a modification to the task order that adds additional funds (e.g., incremental funding actions, exercise of options) the 1% processing fee (of the obligated amount of the modification) must be added as a separate line item in the modification. NIH internal customers are charged a fee in accordance with the payment mechanism used. This fee is already calculated in the Service & Supply Fund charges.
Task Order Time Lines
TO time lines are targeted at 7 to 28 days depending on order type and extent of competition. Table 1-1, CIO-SP Task Order Processing Time Lines by Procurement Type, depicts the performance goals for processing the Task Order Requirements Package (TORP) from receipt by National Institues of Health—Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) through award of the task order to a prime contractor. These processing time lines start once a complete, acceptable TORP is received by NITAAC. Incomplete or unacceptable TORPs will require additional time on NITAAC's part to advise the customer on acceptable minimum requirements. The proposal periods for "Notice of Fair Opportunity to be Considered" postings will typically be five (5) business days at a minimum regardless of procurement type.
Table 1.1 CIO-SP Task Order Processing Time Lines by Procurement Type
| Procurement Type | T&M/FFP | CPFF/CPAF |
|---|---|---|
| Exception to Fair Opportunity (Sole Source) |
7 to 14 business days | 14 to 21 business days |
| Competition | 14 to 21 business days | 21 to 28 business days |
NITAAC controls the Task Order Process through a two step documentation submission procedure, the TORP and the Solution Recommendation Document Package (SRDP) (Step 5). The TORP is the documentation package that starts the CIO-SP task order process. The TORP is intended to provide the information required by NITAAC to verify scope of work, task order type, etc. and the information required by the prime contractors to prepare a proposal in response to the Statement of Work.
The customer prepares and submits a complete TORP to the CIO-SP Contracting Officer. The CIO-SP CO or designated representative will review the TORP and if complete, assign a NITAAC Tracking Number within three (3) days. This NITAAC Tracking Number is required for identification purposes for all correspondence. A complete TORP consists of the following information:
NITAAC staff will review the TORP and if complete, assign a Tracking Number within three (3) days. If not contacted within three days of TORP submission, the customer should call NITAAC at 1-888-773-6542 to verify receipt and assignment of a Tracking Number. The Tracking Number is the primary means of identifying a customer's TORP prior to award authorization.
The NITAAC staff will evaluate the package and determine, among other things, the following particular items:
When the NITAAC staff has determined that the TORP is complete and properly documented, NITAAC will notify the customer andthen announce the requirement via e-mail to all CIO-SP prime contractors, unless it meets the requirements for an exception to the “Fair Opportunity to be Considered” rule. This announcement satisfies the requirement for “Fair Opportunity to be Considered.” Each prime contractor evaluates the opportunity and determines whether or not to submit a proposal.
The CIO-SP contract describes the procedures that the prime contractors must follow when proposing on a task order. The prime contractors will generally be allowed five business days at a minimum to prepare and submit written proposals (when written proposals are required); however, more or less time may be necessary based on the particular task order requirements. The proposal due date shall be set forth in each announcement. Oral and/or written technical proposals shall address all requirements of the SOW. Other items that should be included in the technical proposal may include items such as resumes , quantities/hours of personnel by labor categories, other Direct Costs (ODCs), and notification and request for consent to use new subcontractors, among others. A fax/hard copy and/or electronic media proposal is always required. This area of the proposal shall include detailed cost/price amounts of all resources required to accomplish the task, (i.e., man-hours, equipment, travel).
The customer evaluates the prime contractors' proposals, performs a Best Value analysis and selects the vendor which can provide the best value. As the second step of the documentation submission procedure, the customer then prepares a complete Solution Recommendation Document Package (SRDP) to be faxed/sent to the CIO-SP Contracting Officer for approval of the TO award.
The customer will evaluate the prime contractors' written and/or oral technical proposals and written cost proposals. After evaluation and any discussions, the customer will perform a Best Value analysis of the information contained in the proposals using the stated evaluation criteria. Based on the results of the evaluation, it is ultimately the customer's responsibility to select the prime contractor that can provide the Best Value to the Government. After completion of the evaluation, discussions, if any, and Best Value analysis, the customer prepares a complete SRDP to be sent to the CIO-SP CO for approval of the TO for award. SRDP documentation should be submitted via e-mail whenever possible, concurrently with faxed copies of documents requiring signatures. The customer should ensure that all documents reference the NITAAC Tracking Number.
The customer is responsible for ensuring that proprietary information contained in a prime contractor's proposal is protected from unauthorized disclosure. It is the prime contractor's responsibility to ensure that all proprietary information is appropriately marked.
Upon receipt of the SRDP from the customer, the NITAAC team conducts a review to ensure that administrative and regulatory requirements have been met, that the SRDP has been adequately documented, that proper evaluation procedures were followed and documented, and that fair treatment was provided during the evaluation process.
Upon completion of the review, NITAAC will provide the customer with a NITAAC Approval Letter authorizing the customer to issue an order to the selected prime contractor. NITAAC will also provide a copy of the NITAAC Approval Letter to the prime contractor. The NITAAC Approval Letter will document NITAAC's concurrence with the SRDP. NITAAC will announce the award decision to all prime contractors via e-mail. This includes awards made under one of the exceptions to the “Fair Opportunity to be Considered” rule.
Once the NITAAC Approval Letter is received, the customer prepares the appropriate funding document/order. The original of the funding document/order is sent to the prime contractor. The customer must provide a copy of the funding document/order to the CIO-SP CO within five (5) days of task order award. The order must contain the NIH 1% processing fee (external customers only) as a separate FFP line item, regardless of overall order type. The 1% processing fee is based on the obligated amount of the funding document/order. The fee is billed by the prime contractor on its first invoice. The order must also contain the CIO-SP Task Order Authorization Number (for NIH internal customers using the Record of Call mechanism, this number is placed in the ADB Record of Call Screen under the “Remarks” field).
The prime contractor is authorized to start work upon receipt of a copy of the NITAAC Approval Letter and the funding document/order.
NITAAC provides contract-level management and oversight of the program, while the customer performs the day-to-day management and oversight of the task order. NITAAC tracks and guides contract performance over the life of the CIO-SP contracts. NITAAC employs several methods and tools to assist this effort in close concert with customer monitoring and evaluation efforts. The contractor will perform tasks as outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW) and provides monthly progress reports cost, schedule, and quality.
When task order performance is completed the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) and the Authorized Management Officials (AMO) sign the acceptance of the final product or completion statement of effort for all tasks issued, ensuring that all task order requirements were met (all deliverables were received on time and were technically acceptable, GFE/GFI have been appropriately distributed). The prime contractor submits the final invoice for costs incurred during task order execution (as accepted by the COTR and AMO). The final invoice must include a statement that it is the final invoice and that all costs have been accounted for and billed. The prime contractor must forward a copy of the final invoice to the CIO-SP CO when the task order has been completed.
Contract Number: HHSN263999900046I
Sponsor: National Institute of Health (NIH)
Program Ceiling: $19 Billion
Expiration Date: December 20, 2011
Type of TOs: T&M, CPFF, CPAF, FFP
CIO-SP2 Business Office
888/224-7041
Fax: 703/902-3200
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
8283 Greensboro Drive
McLean, VA 22102-3838
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