About the Contract

Executive Summary

In compliance with the latest regulations, National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) provides each CIO-SP prime contractor with a "fair opportunity for consideration" by releasing customer developed, NITAAC approved Statements Of Work (SOWs) via e-mail. Each release carries certain synopsized information to help contractors quickly evaluate the opportunity and respond in an accelerated timeframe. Sole source efforts can also be awarded if FAR specified exception criteria are met. The customer selects the desired contractor, documents the selection to NITAAC, and after issuance of a NITAAC approval letter issues the task order (TO) to the selected contractor. The customer provides a copy of the order to NITAAC. NITAAC assesses a 1% processing fee that is typically paid through the contractor via a separate FFP line item within the task order, regardless of TO type. NITAAC also has the ability to administer contracts for a nominal fee of 1.5% in addition to the NIH 1% processing fee.

Guidelines

Below is an overview of the process flow for TO issuance, from initial familiarization through TO performance.

Each step is mapped to the party primarily responsible for completing the required activities (customer, vendor or NITAAC). A brief summary of the major activities that must occur for each step is provided. For a more detailed description of the activities occurring at each step of the process, the reader should refer to the corresponding chapter of NITAAC's CIO-SP Task Order Guidelines.

  • Step 1 - General Information (Customer Familiarization)
  • Step 2 - Prepare Requirements Package (Customer Activity)
  • Step 3 - Review and Post Requirements (NITAAC Activity)
  • Step 4 - Prepare Technical and Cost Proposals (Vendor Activity)
  • Step 5 - Review Proposal & Prepare SRDP (Customer Activity)
  • Step 6 - Review SRD and Approve Award (NITAAC Activity)
  • Step 7 - Prepare Funding Document/Order (Customer Activity)
  • Step 8 - Implement Task Order (Contractor Activity)

The latest revision of the NITAAC User Guidelines is available on the CIO-SP2i portion of the NITAAC web site.

Step 1 - General Information (Customer Familiarization)
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. Approximately 300 vendors on 20 prime contractor teams are available to provide solutions in the following task areas:

  • Contract and task order management
  • Chief information officer (CIO) support
  • Outsourcing
  • IT operations and maintenance (including telecommunications)
  • Integration services
  • Critical infrastructure protection and information assurance
  • Digital government
  • Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
  • Clinical support, research, and studies
  • Software development
  • Other information technology (IT) tasks
  • The CIO-SP contracts are structured as indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) task order contracts whose orders may be cost plus award fee (CPAF), cost plus fixed fee (CPFF), firm fixed price (FFP) or time & materials (T&M) in nature.
  • All non-NIH customers are assessed a minimal processing fee equal to 1% of TO funding (not less than $250, minimum order size $25,000).

TO timelines are targeted at seven to 28 days depending on order type and level of competition.

Step 2 - Prepare Requirements Package (Customer Activity)
The Task Order Requirements Package (TORP) is the documentation package that starts the CIO-SP task order process. The customer prepares and submits to NITAAC a complete TORP. NITAAC will review the TORP and if complete, assign a Task Order Number within three days. A complete TORP consists of the following information, preferably transmitted via e-mail:

  • A complete SOW formatted and containing all the items found in Appendix B of the CIO-SP task order guidelines
  • An independent government cost estimate
  • Point of contact information for NITAAC and contractor use
  • Contractor preferences if any, and rationale for preference
  • Funding strategy including a statement of funds availability
  • Proposal instructions including proposal type (CPAF, CPFF, FFP, T&M), method of submission (oral, written, e-mail, combination), due date, POCs, addresses, etc.
  • If sole source, include rationale for exception to the "Fair Opportunity for Consideration" requirements of the FAR

Step 3 - Review and Post Requirements (NITAAC Activity)
NITAAC will review the TORP and if complete, assign a Tracking Number within three days. The customer should call NITAAC at 888-773-6542 to verify receipt and assignment of a Tracking Number if not contacted within three days of TORP submission. The Tracking Number is the primary means of identifying a customer's TORP prior to award authorization.

When the NITAAC staff has determined that the TORP is complete and properly documented, NITAAC will notify the customer and then announce the requirement via e-mail to all CIO-SP prime contractors, unless it meets the requirements for an exception to the fair opportunity rule. This announcement satisfies the requirement for "fair opportunity to be considered."

Step 4 - Prepare Technical and Cost Proposals (Vendor Activity)
The CIO-SP contract describes the procedures that the vendors must follow when proposing on a task order. The vendors will generally be allowed five calendar days 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. Oral and/or written technical proposals shall address all paragraphs of the SOW. Other items that should be included in the technical proposal (as applicable) include key personnel and resumes, other direct costs (ODCs) rationale, justification for new subcontractors or new labor categories, etc.

A fax/hard copy and/or electronic media cost proposal may be 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, etc.).

Step 5 - Review Proposal & Prepare SRDP (Customer Activity)
The customer evaluates the vendors' proposals, performs a best value analysis and selects the vendor which can provide the best value. The customer then prepares a complete CIO-SP solution recommendation document package (SRDP) to be faxed/sent to the CIO-SP contracting officer for processing the TO award. The CIO-SP SRDP includes the following:

  • The solution recommendation document (SRD) documenting the selection process (fax a hard copy containing the appropriate signature)
  • Copies of all proposals (e-mail soft copies or send hard copy)
  • SOW updates or changes, if applicable (e-mail preferred)
  • In all cases, whether a competition was performed or whether an exception is cited, the SRD must be signed by an "Accountable Management Official" of the customer organization.

Step 6 - Review SRD and Approve Award (NITAAC Activity)
NITAAC reviews the SRDP and upon completion, will provide the customer with an approval letter (copy to the vendor). The approval letter will document NITAAC's concurrence with the SRDP, and will provide the CIO-SP task order number to be used on the customer funding document/order. NITAAC will announce the award decision to all prime contractors via e-mail.

Step 7 - Prepare Funding Document/Order (Customer Activity)
Upon receipt of the approval letter, the customer issues the appropriate funding document/order to the vendor. Copies shall be provided concurrently to the CIO-SP CO. The funding document/order must contain the 1% processing fee (not applicable to NIH customers) as a separate FFP line item if the fee is to be paid through the vendor. The fee is billable by the vendor immediately upon award. The funding document/order must also contain the CIO-SP task order authorization number (For NIH customers using the record of call mechanism, this number is placed in the "description" field) and other required information.

Step 8 - Implement Task Order (Contractor Activity)
Upon receipt of the funding document/order the vendor starts work on the TO. The prime contractor will report overall cost, schedule and quality status to NITAAC monthly, but the customer provides "front-line" day-to-day monitoring of the TO during execution. Contract level issues that arise during task order performance will be referred to NITAAC for resolution. The customer provides NITAAC with a standard past performance evaluation annually and at the completion of each TO.