SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Request for Information (RFI) for a Sponsored Research Program for the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC)
- Notice Date
- 7/27/2004
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, ATTN: MCMR-AAA, 820 Chandler Street, Frederick, MD 21702-5014
- ZIP Code
- 21702-5014
- Solicitation Number
- SPONSOREDRESEARCHRFI
- Response Due
- 8/5/2004
- Archive Date
- 10/4/2004
- Point of Contact
- Karen Martin, 301-619-2693
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
(karen.martin@amedd.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. IT IS STRICTLY A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). NEITHER UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS NOR ANY OTHER KINDS OF OFFERS WILL BE CONSIDERED IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI. The United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) is contemplating issuing a request for proposals for the attached statement of work. Before an RFP is released, USAMRAA would like to gain insight from industry regarding this SOW. Wh ile we would appreciate all comments regarding this SOW, we are particularly interested in the feasibility of the SOW and your estimate of the cost for this acquisition (i.e., order of magnitude, ballpark estimates, etc.) for alternatives. Statement of Work. For many years the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and its predecessors declined extramural sources of funds for military relevant research. The Command believed that competing for outside funding wou ld be a major distraction that would dilute the energy and resources of military scientists, distract the researchers from their highly focused military missions, and would primarily benefit the outside source rather than USAMRMC. This was the prevailing belief until the advent of the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-502; 15 USC 3710a), which encouraged the USAMRMC to enter into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA's) with outside academic and business organizations. It s oon became apparent that important basic and supportive research that had been put off for lack of financial support was now affordable, and the working relationships were highly synergistic. Large clinical trials that were previously considered too expen sive to conduct or had to be put off for years were now easily done because of the availability of outside funds and resources. CRADAs were established and the research conducted without any erosion of the Command's missions and, in the main, benefited th e Government's research and technology programs. Ultimately, the benefits of cooperative research have accrued to the American soldier. In light of these successes, it is now evident that a Sponsored Research Program similar to those of universities and non-governmental organizations would be in the best interest of the Command and a beneficial way to augment the performance of military medical research. In order to implement such a program, the USAMRMC proposes to hire a contractor to set-up and maintai n a Sponsored Research Support Program on a trial basis of two years for its largest laboratory, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, (WRAIR), located in Silver Spring, MD. This two-year period will be the proof of concept for potentially expanding this opportunity, in a new award, for providing this service to all of the USAMRMC laboratories and research areas. The Awardee, shall, as a Contractor and not as agent of the Government, provide the following services and materials. a. Conduct analysis of potential sources of grant funding to finance forecasted and existing research projects of the WRAIR, to include its subordinate units; USAMRU-E (U.S. Army Medical Research Unit - Europe, Heidelberg, Germany), AFRIMS (Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand), USAMRU-K (U.S. Army Medical Research Unit - Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya), USAMRD (U. S. Army Medical Research Detachment, Brooks City Base, San Antonio, TX), USADRD (Chicago, IL). b. Provide the staff necessary to: (1) prepare and submit proposals for grant funding that supports the WRAIR researcher and research objectives, (2) assist th e WRAIR Researcher, as requested, in writing grant proposals, and (3) provide grant management and administrative support to the Principal Investigator (PI), as necessary. 1. Grant Opportunities Analysis a. Within 90 calendar days after contract award, the Awardee shall, as a contractor and not as an agent of the Government, compl ete a draft analysis to identify potential funding opportunities offered by other federal agencies, foundations, industry, and other non-USAMRMC sources which align with WRAIR research missions. b. Within 30 calendar days after the submitting the draft a nalysis, the Government will review and provide changes to the draft analysis. Within 14 calendar days after receiving Government's changes to the analysis, the Awardee shall publish the analysis in final form. The Awardee shall then provide updates to t he plan every 90 days thereafter and incorporate any Government Changes to the plan. The Awardee shall provide the draft plan, final plan, and updates to the COR, in a Microsoft Word compatible format, via CD, Diskette, or e-mail. 2. Marketing and Promo ting The Awardee shall market and promote the WRAIR research capabilities with granting agencies, institutions, industries, and foundations using the information provided in the Analysis and capitalizing on windows of opportunity as they arise. The market ing and promotion can be through displays at conferences, printed promotional materials, cold calling and meetings with granting officials of granting agencies, industry, institutions, and foundations. All material used by the Awardee shall be reviewed an d critiqued by the USAMRMC Public Affairs, Legal Office, Contacting Officer and the Contracting Officer's Representative within 14 days of submission. 3. Support to the WRAIR Principal Researcher a. The Awardee shall maintain regular contact with WRAIR t hrough the Associate Director, Research Marketing, Policy and Development and WRAIR Researchers. The Awardee shall establish and maintain systems, which will assist in matching granting agencies, industries, institutions and foundations with WRAIR's resea rch objectives. b. The Awardee will provide assistance to the PI for grant proposal strategy planning, grant proposal preparation, and grant administration. Upon request, the Awardee shall also provide (within the funds awarded under the grant) any faci lities, equipment, materials, personnel, and administrative support needed to ensure successful completion of the grant. The Awardee will also assist the PI, as needed, in obtaining the necessary clearances, approvals needed to obtain external funding, an d the administrative support to maintain such clearances and approvals. 4. Grant Opportunities Grant opportunities may be identified in multiple ways 1) the Awardee locates the opportunity, advises the Government and then after approval, works with th e Government researcher in preparation of the grant proposal and then submits in its name (reference Para. a below), 2) the Awardee locates the opportunity, advises the Government and then after approval, works with the Government researcher in preparation of the grant proposal and then the Government Researcher submits the grant application, 3) the Government locates the opportunity, advises the Awardee of its interest, and after making an affirmative decision to move forward, works with the Government res earcher in preparation of the documentation and the Awardee submits the grant proposal in its name, or 4) the Government locates the opportunity, advises the Awardee of its interest, and after making an affirmative decision to move forward, works with the Government researcher in preparation of the documentation and the Government Researcher submits the grant proposal. a. When the Awardee identifies a grant opportunity that appears to be compatible with WRAIR's mission, it shall notify the Associate Dire ctor, Research Marketing, Policy and Development of such opportunity. Within not more than 30 days, the Laboratory Commander or the appropriate PI, will notify the Awardee to proceed or not and whether the Government Researcher or the Awardee will submit the grant application. Once notification to proceed is received, the Awardee shall assist the Researcher in preparing the grant proposal and grant budget withi n adequate time to submit the grant prior to any relevant deadlines set by the granting agency. If requested, the Awardee, as a Contractor and not as an agent of the Government, shall submit the proposal to the grantor and apply any additional costs deeme d appropriate to provide general administrative grant management and profit, if allowable under the terms of the grant notice. b. When WRAIR locates a grant opportunity, the Laboratory Commander, or designee, may notify the Awardee of it's interest in p ursuing a grant from a particular agency, firm, institution, or foundation, and provide the name of the Government Researcher, a brief summary of the research project, grantor POC, and other information that will assist them in evaluation of the grant oppo rtunity to determine the best strategy for obtaining the grant. Within not more than 30 days, the Laboratory Commander or the appropriate PI, will notify the Awardee to proceed or not and whether the Government Researcher or the Awardee will submit the gr ant application. Once the decision is made to proceed and whether the grant application will be submitted by the Government Researcher or the Awardee, the Government shall notify the Awardee to assist the Researcher in preparing the grant proposal and gra nt budget within adequate time to submit the grant prior to any relevant deadlines set by the granting agency. If requested, the Awardee, as a Contractor and not as an agent of the Government, shall submit the proposal to the grantor and apply any additi onal costs deemed appropriate to provide general administrative grant management and profit, if allowable under the terms of the grant notice. c. When the Awardee submits the proposal for WRAIR and the proposal successfully receives funding, the Awardee s hall immediately notify the Laboratory Commander or his designee and the Government Researcher involved upon notification of a successful grant application. The Laboratory Commander, as signatory for WRAIR, shall then enter into a Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Awardee in order to facilitate the transfer of funds, equipment, etc. to the laboratory in support of the grant award. The CRADA document may be prepared by either the Government or the Awardee, and shall be reviewe d by the USAMRMC Legal Office prior to signature. d. The estimated grant annual revenue goals for this contract are 1st Year 0.5 million, 2nd Year 2 million. These are goals and not firm contract performance requirements, but intend to establish that gr owth of the program is an expectation. The goal's primary purpose is to establish a baseline for evaluating the efforts the Awardee takes to meet these goals. 5. Administrative Matters. After obtaining appropriate approvals and notifications, as part of the grant administration support, the Awardee will facilitate grantors, collaborating scientists, and other visiting officials with on-site inspections and visits of both CONUS and OCONUS WRAIR facilities. These efforts shall be coordinated through the a ppropriate Laboratory Commander. The Awardee shall also provide monthly progress reports, which will include proposed changes and updates to the analysis; grantors contacted; WRAIR Researcher's contacted; summary of support provided to Researchers and PI 's; listing of grant proposals submitted to include dollar values of grants proposed, grants awarded, and grants completed; current and potential problems; and recommendations for grant proposal and research management changes. The Awardee will also host one In Process Reviews (IPR) per year with the WRAIR Laboratory Commander. Time and place will coordinated with the Contracting Officer's Representative. Section L and M. In tech Proposal, describe management plan to raise sufficient funds by successful submissions to reduce administrative costs to the Government. It is the Government's plan that the Awardee obtains funding to cover its expenses and net incom e objectives by adding the fees of its services to the various grant proposal budgets it submits to potential grantors. Consider such innovative methods as cost share, etc.
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity ATTN: MCMR-AAA, 820 Chandler Street Frederick MD
- Zip Code: 21702-5014
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 21702-5014
- Record
- SN00631378-W 20040729/040727212423 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
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