Question 1

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)?

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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)?

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

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?

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

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.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 11

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 13

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;

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 15

What is a behavioral change?

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 16

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

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?

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 18

Are Private Institutions of Higher Education eligible to apply?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 20

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 21

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 22

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

Accepted Answer

There are no requirements regarding program funding source.

Question 23

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”?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 24

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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

Question 25

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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

Question 26

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?

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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.

Question 27

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 28

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 29

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 30

Is this a Grant Application?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 31

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 32

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 33

Are the funds awarded based on reimbursement?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 34

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 35

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

Accepted Answer

No.

Question 36

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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?

Question 37

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

gfaraci · Accepted Answer

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?

Question 38

What is the anticipated average award amount?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 39

How many contracts total does MITRE plan on awarding?

Accepted Answer

MITRE anticipates funding multiple subcontracts awards.

Question 40

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?

Accepted Answer

There are no requirements regarding funding type.

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