 Some links will work for NIAID staff only.
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Standard Operating Procedure Table of Contents
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Purpose
To establish conditions an offeror must meet when submitting a proposal to be considered for award.
Procedure
When mandatory qualification criteria are necessary, NIH staff must document the comprehensive rationale for their use because they restrict competition.
NIAID will use and evaluate mandatory qualification criteria as described below.
Offerors
- When a request for proposals has mandatory qualification criteria, include documentation that demonstrates that you have met the criteria in one clearly marked section of your initial proposal.
Contract Specialists
- Work with project officers to evaluate the need for mandatory qualification criteria. The contracting officer makes the final determination.
- Document the mandatory qualification criteria proposed and why they are essential. Criteria should be clear-cut and easy to evaluate.
- Ensure that the use of mandatory qualification criteria is approved as part of the acquisition plan package.
- Specify in the RFP that offerors must meet the mandatory qualification criteria when submitting an initial proposal, and include applicable provisions.
- Provide RFP instructions requiring offerors to document that the qualification criteria have been met in one clearly marked section of the proposal.
- Receive proposals containing mandatory qualifications, and forward within one business day to the project officer.
- Ensure that the project officer evaluates each offeror's response to the mandatory qualifications, documents whether the offeror has met the mandatory qualifications, and signs the determination.
- The contracting officer determines which proposals meet the mandatory qualification criteria.
- Within 14 calendar days, notify offerors whether they have met the mandatory qualification criteria. Offerors who have not met the mandatory qualifications must be notified that they will no longer be considered for award.
- Forward only proposals that have met mandatory qualification criteria to SRP for technical evaluation.
Project Officers
- Work with contract specialists to evaluate the use of mandatory qualification criteria.
- Write the mandatory qualification criteria as part of the acquisition plan package.
- Evaluate each proposal to determine whether the offeror has met the mandatory qualification requirements at the time of the initial proposal submission. This determination is based only on the documentation in the proposal.
- Document whether the mandatory qualifications have been met for each proposal and give signed copies of this determination to the contract specialist within seven calendar days.
Contacts
Check the RFP announcement for contact information, or see the Office of Acquisitions staff listing for the appropriate contract specialist.
See the SRP staff directory for peer review contacts.
If you have knowledge to share or want more information on this topic, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.
Links
NIH Policy Manual 6315-1 Initiation, Review, Evaluation, and Award of R&D Contracts, Item (E.) (1.)(e.)(5.)(a.)
Proposal Submission SOP Request for Proposals SOP
Contracting Officer SOP
Project Officer SOP |
