Frequently Asked Questions

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General (4)

D

Can the proposal be submitted prior to the November 1, 2019 due date?

Yes, an Offeror’s proposal may be submitted between October 21, 2019 and November 1, 2019. Refer to the RFP for detailed information.

RFP Template Reference:

Instructions

D

Is this a Grant Application?

No, this is a Request for Proposal (RFP), which will result in MITRE awarding subcontracts to successful offerors. The guidelines and specifications for this subcontract award are different than a Grant. Please reference the RFP in its entirety for detailed information.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

If I have all of my documents ready for submission on November 1st, can I submit them at that time, or do I need to hold my MOU and Letter from the Purveyor until November 18th?

Yes, an Offeror can submit all the required documents on or before November 1st.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

Is it possible to receive a percentage of the total award at the outset of the contract?

MITRE will work with contractors to develop a payment schedule that provides a % of contract award over time based on deliverables. The first payment, subject to change, would be approximately 10% of contract for completion of the kick-off meeting.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

Technical Proposal Template (1)

D

Do I need to provide the name of my program along with the citation(s) in Section 1.1 of the Technical Proposal Template, or can I just list the citation(s)?

Yes, please provide the name of the previously proven-effective program the Offeror’s organization is proposing to replicate. Ensure the name of the proposed program matches the name of the program evaluated in the cited publication.

Please note: If the organization is proposing any adaptations to the previously proven-effective program in the cited publication(s), there is space in the Technical Proposal Template to describe these adaptations.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.1 Technical Proposal Template

Statement Of Work (19)

D

Could a potential IO submit more than one curriculum developer of youth development or teen pregnancy prevention curriculum within one application?

No. One curriculum per organization can be proposed and funded under this RFP.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

In the RFP it states: “The program Health Educators participate in approximately 30-minute online surveys before and after implementation”. Are you saying that after every single cohorts’ implementation (for example if 5 classes got a session of the program in one day) that educators must participate in a 30-minute survey?” This seems impossible. Can you provide more clarity on this “The program Health Educators participate in approximately 30-minute online surveys before and after implementation “as stated in the RFP?

The program Health Educators shall participate in an approximately 30-minute online survey before the program is implemented and after the entire program is implemented.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.16.4

D

Since you are requiring audio recording, that seems like it will be problematic since it means recording student voices since students interact with the program. How do programs get around this challenge of having every session recorded?

Audio recordings of every session are required. Refer to Section 1.16.3 of the RFP.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.16.3

D

Will geographic diversity be a factor in the awards made, meaning, will it affect applications if there is already a teen pregnancy prevention program funded in the same county/state but through a different funding mechanism (e.g., Tier 1 TPP funds from OPA)?

MITRE is not limiting this funding opportunity to any specific geographical areas/states. The awarded programs may represent a variety of demographics, program location, adaptations, and geographic locations as described in Section 1 of the SOW.

MITRE’s funding opportunity is independent of other funding organizations receive. If the Offeror is awarded a Tier 1 TPP from Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Population Health Affairs (OPA) this does not preclude an organization from being awarded a MITRE subcontract.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

Must all partners proposed be represented by a Memorandum of Understanding or will a good faith showing of MOUs from partners engaged in the initial period be sufficient as more partners are added to the program?

Fully executed MOUs are required for partnering organizations that are proposed to have a role in the program implementation and data collection.

Please refer to the SOW Section 1.10 Memorandum of Understanding from Partnering Organizations for additional information.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.10

D

Are you requiring active consent/student assent, or will passive consent suffice?

Active consent from parents/guardians and assent from youth will be required for participation in the program, participation in the surveys, and participation in the focus groups.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.17, items 1 and 2

D

Regarding reaching youth who are in human services who are under supervision for criminal behavior; Are probation officers able to provide consent to participate in programming, or do we have to have parents sign for justice-involved youth? The legal guardian is the state for many of these youth.

The person providing consent must be the parent or legal guardian of the youth.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

Does the Memorandum requirement include all partners for similar teen pregnancy programs?

The Contractor shall obtain a fully executed memorandum of understanding (MOU) from any partnering organization regarding their role in the MITRE funded program implementation and data collection, including any approvals for the Contractor to implement the program at the partnering organization and approvals for collection of data from participating youth (with appropriate parental consent and youth assent) and the partnering organization’s staff.

Please refer to the SOW Section 1.10 Memorandum of Understanding from Partnering Organizations

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.10

D

It appears based on RFP explanation that you are only requiring two replications of 15 students each. How is it possible that replicating the program to 30 students has sufficient power analysis?

This evaluation consists of several questions to gain insight on replicating previously proven-effective programs in high-risk, vulnerable, and culturally underrepresented youth. A large sample size is not needed to answer each of the evaluation questions.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.15

D

Does the requirement include all partners regardless of the program for which there is a partnership?

The Contractor shall obtain a fully executed memorandum of understanding (MOU) from any partnering organization regarding their role in the MITRE funded program implementation and data collection, including any approvals for the Contractor to implement the program at the partnering organization and approvals for collection of data from participating youth (with appropriate parental consent and youth assent) and the partnering organization’s staff.

Please refer to the SOW Section 1.10 Memorandum of Understanding from Partnering Organizations

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.10

D

Are you calling one cohort a large group of students possibly from multiple schools [receiving the] the program over a semester and then doing that twice before Dec 2020?

A cohort is a group of youth simultaneously receiving the program. The program must be delivered sequentially to at least two consecutive groups of youth. The program needs to be short enough in duration so that at least two, consecutive groups of youth can sequentially receive the entire program from start to finish prior to December 18, 2020. Implementation is not restricted to a school-based setting.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.15

D

Are there requirements as to how many of the Key Personnel identified below must currently be identified? The offeror plans to rely on one current staff member and hire qualified personnel for the required positions. Is this an acceptable human capital plan if all education and experience requirements of the RFP are met? At Page 14. Project Management provides that “Contractor shall outline a human capital plan as part of the project management activities within the proposal response to the RFP. Specifically, this outline shall include Contractor intentions related to: Recruitment, onboarding, development, and retention of the staff required to successfully govern and manage this contract;

An offeror must have all key personnel on staff or must provide sufficient detail in their plan for staffing these key personnel. Providing a high-quality plan to hire, on-board, develop/train, and retain qualified personnel for the required positions is an acceptable human capital plan.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.13

D

Is there a suggested sample size for each cohort to produce statistically significant results?

This evaluation consists of several questions to gain insights on replicating previously proven effective programs in high-risk, vulnerable, and culturally underrepresented youth. A large sample size is not needed to answer each of the evaluation questions.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

What is a behavioral change?

The RFP requires citations demonstrating the proposed program had a statistically significant positive behavioral outcome that relates to sexual risk behavior or health consequences.

A behavior is an action or pattern of interaction regarding sexual activity. Examples of these behavioral changes can include outcomes related to sexual activity, contraceptive use, number of sexual partners, STI or HIV rates, and pregnancy rates. Please note changes in, beliefs, attitudes, and intentions do not qualify as behaviors.

RFP Template Reference:

SOW Section 1.14, 1.15 Evaluation, Sub Factor 2.2

D

The RFP states “youth in or aging out of foster care” which happens between 18 & 21, but also states that the age range is 12-16. Since this is a target population, is it possible to increase the age limit to accommodate this population?

The program shall serve youth who are no younger than 12, but no older than 16 years of age at the time of enrollment.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.5

D

Does the requirement [to provide an MOU] apply solely to partnering organizations with respect to the Teen Health program funded by the Teen Health contract?

Yes, The Contractor shall obtain a fully executed memorandum of understanding (MOU) from any partnering organization regarding their role in the MITRE funded program implementation and data collection, including any approvals for the Contractor to implement the program at the partnering organization and approvals for collection of data from participating youth (with appropriate parental consent and youth assent) and the partnering organization’s staff.

Please refer to the SOW Section 1.10 Memorandum of Understanding from Partnering Organizations for additional information.

RFP Template Reference:

MOU: Page 1 Submission Requirements

D

Are Private Institutions of Higher Education eligible to apply?

Yes. The MITRE Corporation welcomes proposals from a wide variety of organizations as listed in Section 1.6 of the SOW.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 1.6

D

How do I write the adaptations for the previously proven-effective program my organization is proposing?

For this RFP, the Offeror organization must replicate a previously proven-effective program. The previously proven-effective program the Offeror is proposing to replicate must exactly match the citation being submitted. For example, if the Offeror is proposing a previously proven-effective program called X, the citation must reference this program as “X”.

For the adaptation section, the Offeror must describe and justify the adaptations the Offeror will make. If the adaptations the Offeror is proposing now makes the program X + Y, the previously proven-effective program the Offeror is proposing to replicate is still program X. The Offeror must answer all the questions about X + Y (the program with adaptations) in Section 2.2 of the Technical Proposal Template. The Offeror must also submit a letter from the purveyor or developer with permission to make Y adaptations to program X.

RFP Template Reference:

SOW Section 1.14, 1.15 Evaluation, Sub Factor 2.2

D

Is MITRE willing to fund a project that uses curriculum that has already been used in a previous MITRE research project?

This funding opportunity is only available to Offerors who are replicating a program that has previously been proven effective through rigorous evaluation as described in Section 1 of the SOW.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

Proposal Preparation Instructions (8)

D

Is the intent to obtain references only past or present clients to which the offeror has provided Teen Pregnancy Prevention services over a period of one year?

Please provide references from 3 different past or present clients that have knowledge of, and are willing to discuss, the Offeror’s organization delivery of a program of similar size and scope. Size refers to the number of participants, and frequency of program delivery, the Offeror is proposing. Scope refers to the content and programmatic schedule the Offeror is proposing. MITRE did not specify the length of time of the program delivery or evaluation.

RFP Template Reference:

Past Performance references:Step 7: Provide Past Performance References

D

Must the program have been undertaken under a federal or state grant or contract with accompanying reporting requirements?

There are no requirements regarding program funding source.

RFP Template Reference:

Past Performance references:Step 7: Provide Past Performance References

D

Would references from a client concerning performance under a program which addresses instruction to youth over a period of one or more years but without the rigorous requirements of consents, curriculum discipline and adherence, and data collection comply with the requirement that the program be “of similar scope and size” and provide the client with (intricate knowledge of offeror program delivery and services”?

The offeror’s proposal will be evaluated on the extent to which their past performance demonstrates a sustained history of successful performance in contracts of similar size, scope, and/or complexity within the past 5 years.

RFP Template Reference:

Evaluation Factor 4 Past Performance

D

The Proposal Submission button doesn’t take me to the upload page, can you please provide the correct link?

The correct link will be posted at https://teenhealthpartners.org/resources/

RFP Template Reference:

Proposal Submission

D

Where can the survey instrument be viewed? I would like to review it before considering an application.

The survey instrument can be download at https://teenhealthpartners.org/resources/

RFP Template Reference:

Proposal Submission

D

The last RFP required a word document MOU. In order to transmit executed documents by fax or upload the documents into the portal the original faxed signed document (pdf) could not be used. We cut and pasted a signature on a Word doc. Can we submit the form of the MOU with a typed signature and provide the fully signed copy of the MOU at a later date for review?

Please submit a fully signed and executed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from Partnering Organizations before or by November 18, 2019, 5 PM (ET) and 2 PM (PT) as indicated in the RFP.

The Offeror may convert their signed “MOU from Partnering Organizations into a standard searchable PDF File with copy/read only permission allowed, before or on the due date specified in the RFP. Fax or email documents will not be accepted.

RFP Template Reference:

Submission Requirements and Proposal Submission Detail Table

D

Please clarify what is meant by “references of similar scope and size”.

Please provide references from 3 different past or present clients that have knowledge of, and are willing to discuss, the Offeror’s organization delivery of a program of similar size and scope. Size refers to the number of participants, and frequency of program delivery, the Offeror is proposing. Scope refers to the content and programmatic schedule the Offeror is proposing.

RFP Template Reference:

Past Performance references:Step 7: Provide Past Performance References

D

Please clarify what is meant by “intricate knowledge of offeror program delivery and services”.

The references must be able to speak in detail to the organization’s capability to provide the program which the Offeror is proposing for this RFP and to participate in the evaluation.

RFP Template Reference:

Past Performance references:Step 7: Provide Past Performance References

Evaluation (1)

D

Section 4.1.f asks that applicants provide references. Can you please clarify if the ‘contract’ administered by the reference in the previous five years needs to be of a certain funding type? For example, would a private family grant meet this definition?

There are no requirements regarding funding type.

RFP Template Reference:

Section 2 Proposal Preparation Instructions, Step 7, and Evaluation Factor 4

Funding and Payment (7)

D

Are the funds awarded based on reimbursement?

MITRE will work with contractors to develop a payment schedule that provides a % of contract award over time based on deliverables. The first payment, subject to change, would be approximately 10% of contract for completion of the kick-off meeting.

RFP Template Reference:

Not included in the SOW or Template

D

If it is a monthly invoice, will the invoice be paid in ADVANCE? Will the grantee organization have to pay [out of pocket] FIRST in order to receive the awarded funds?

Invoices will not be paid in advance. MITRE will work with contractors to develop a payment schedule that provides a % of contract award over time based on deliverables. The first payment, subject to change, would be approximately 10% of contract for completion of the kick-off meeting.

RFP Template Reference:

Not included in the SOW or Template

D

If you are currently under contract with MITRE, are you prohibited from applying for this opportunity?

No.

RFP Template Reference:

N/A

D

Can you please advise on what the total amount available is?

MITRE is not releasing the total amount of funding available for awards. Please note: This solicitation is not a grant. Awards will be Firm-Fixed Price Contracts. All interested Offerors must provide a price proposal in accordance with the template located in Appendix D.

Similar Question: What is the total amount of funding available?

RFP Template Reference:

Not included in the SOW or Template

D

What the ceiling will be for the most we can request for this FOA (Funding Opportunity Announcement)?

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP), not a Funding Opportunity Announcement.The amount of contract award varies based on the Offeror’s technical and price proposals.

Similar Questions: What is the award ceiling? (maximum amount that can be requested) How much is the award ceiling? Can you please provide clarification on what the range of the award amounts will be? What is the maximum amount of the award? Is there a ‘floor’ or ‘ceiling’ amount for the budget?

RFP Template Reference:

Not included in the SOW or Template

D

What is the anticipated average award amount?

The amount of contract award varies based on the Offeror’s technical and price proposals.

RFP Template Reference:

Not included in the SOW or Template

D

How many contracts total does MITRE plan on awarding?

MITRE anticipates funding multiple subcontracts awards.

RFP Template Reference:

Not included in the SOW or Template