Additional changes to the submission date and the self-scoring requirements for CIO-SP4 offers make up the latest batch of amendments published by the National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center, leaving offerors hopeful the latest changes will be the last in a long string of amendments. Amendment 15 pushes back the submission date for CIO-SP4 offers and addresses a change to offer modifications. Amendment 16 includes additional changes to submission requirements and removes the iNsight method of calculating Self Scores.
Per Amendment 15, released on January 27, 2022, Submissions are now due by February 11, 2022. Additionally, this amendment (sort of) helps to clarify instructions related to submission requirements by removing language regarding submission of self-scoring data and proposal files. Prior to this change, offerors were permitted to modify their self-scoring data and proposal files up until submission. With Amendment 15, the language which permitted the modification was deleted. Presumably, this means that no additional modifications will be allowed once you’ve uploaded each part, regardless of whether you’ve officially submitted them or not, but offerors are left to figure that out on their own due to no further clarification beyond the deleted language.
Amendment 16, released on February 3, 2022, makes additional changes to Self-Scoring methods and submission requirements, as well as addresses some of the uncertainty created by Amendment 15’s deleted language. First, iNsight, the method of calculating Self Scores added by Amendment 12, has been deleted and the Self-Scoring Sheet originally found in Attachment J.5 has returned. Next, Amendment 16 clarifies the ambiguities from Amendment 15’s deleted language regarding modifications by laying out new submission requirements which include an acknowledgement of all 16 amendments.
If an offeror submitted their proposal by August 27, 2021 and did not make revisions due to changes in Sections L.5.2.1 through L.5.2.4 as advised in Amendment 12, the offeror must fill out Attachment J.9 “Amendments Acknowledgements” and submit that form alone via email. If an offer requires revisions due to amendments of Sections L.5.2.1 through L.5.2.4 (mainly dealing with experience examples required by both the mentor and protégé in a mentor protégé agreement), revised proposals along with a completed Attachment J.9 must be submitted via email. Detailed instructions for both situations can be found on page 139 of Amendment 16.
Be sure to check these amendments closely. We continue to monitor this important solicitation to determine if NITAAC is getting close to closing the proposal submission period and starting the evaluation period.
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