International Research Registry Network for Sjögren's Syndrome

Request for Proposal Under BAA-DR-03-01

Amendment No.:	Two (2)
Amendment Date:	October 18, 2002
Broad Agency Announcement No.:	NIDCR-BAA-DR-03-01
Issue Date:	July 15, 2002
Issued By:	Kristiane E. Cooper, Contracting Officer NIH/NHLBI Contracts Operations Branch 6701 ROCKLEDGE DR MSC 7902 BETHESDA MD 20892-7902
Telephone Number:	(301) 402-6462
FAX Number:	(301) 480-3432
E-Mail:	kc116y@nih.gov
Purchase Authority:	42USC201, Public Health Service Act
Small Business Set-Aside:	No; NAICS 541710
Proposal Intent Due Date:	November 12, 2002 (See Proposal Instructions and Information)—(unchanged)
Proposal Due Date:	December 16, 2002, 4:30 PM (Eastern Time)—(unchanged)

The RFP/BAA is revised as follows:

1. Under Section I. of the RFP, "SPECIFIC RFP INSTRUCTION AND PROVISIONS," Item L. is added as follows:

   "L. JUST IN TIME

   This RFP contains special procedures for the submission of business management proposals. These special procedures are designed to reduce the administrative burden on offerors without compromising the information during the initial evaluation of proposals. Certain documents will no longer be required to be submitted with initial proposals, but will be requested at a later stage in the competitive process. Specifically, the travel policy, the annual financial statement, the total compensation plan, and certain types of cost/pricing information will only be required to be submitted from those offerors being considered for award after the technical review. The special procedures for submission of this documentation are set forth in detail below:

   Travel Policy: The offeror's (and any proposed subcontractor's) written travel policy shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. All offerors being considered for award after the technical review will be required to submit a travel policy as part of their final proposal revision.

   Annual Report: The offeror's most recent annual report shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. All offerors being considered for award will be required to submit a copy of their most recent annual report as part of the final proposal revision.

   Total Compensation Plan: The offeror's total compensation plan shall not be submitted with the initial business proposal. All offeror's being considered for award will be required to submit a total compensation plan as part of their final proposal revision.

   Cost/Pricing Information: The offeror's business proposal shall include the basic cost/pricing information specified in this RFP. In addition, the Government may require offerors included in the competitive range to submit additional information substantiating their proposed costs or prices. This additional cost/pricing information will be requested from those offerors being considered for award after the technical review, and potentially includes payroll documentation,vendor quotes, invoice prices, and/or any other information deemed necessary by the contracting officer to evaluate reasonableness of the price and to perform a cost/price analysis."

2. Section II of the RFP. "APPLICABLE RFP REFERENCES," the requirement to include supporting documentation for staff salaries, consultants, subcontracts, supplies and equipment as part of the business proposal is revised as described under "JUST IN TIME" above.

3. Part D. Evaluation Factors for Award with Technical Evaluation Criteria, is amended to delete the following statement: "The NIDCR reserves the right to make awards for only certain portions of proposed work."

4. The National Eye Institute (NEI) joins the NIDCR in seeking to establish an International Research Registry Network for Sjögren's syndrome. The NEI also supports research on the diagnosis, etiology, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of Sjögren's syndrome through investigator-initiated research projects. Participation of the NEI requires that the technical objectives listed in this announcement include the following:
   • consideration of the ocular tissue involvement in establishing diagnostic criteria by researchers or clinicians knowledgeable in the ocular involvement in Sjögren's syndrome;

   • collection of ocular clinical data;

   • collection of ocular biological specimens (e.g. tears);

   • participation of personnel familiar with the basic science of the lacrimal gland;

   • inclusion on the Sjögren's Syndrome Advisory Committee (SSAC) of at least one vision scientist with experience in Sjögren's syndrome research.

5. Based on the additional requirements included above, the total estimated costs for this contract award under this solicitation is estimated to increase from $10,000,000 to $11,250,000.