Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) Mission Support Services

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding Solicitation 75D301-26-R-73414, clarifying various aspects of the Scope of Work, proposal format, pricing, and contract details.

• Proposal Format: Appendices should generally follow specified formatting. Smaller than 12pt font is not acceptable in tables. PDF submissions for the Technical Volume are permitted. Footers must include RFP number and page count.
• Scope of Work & Legacy Systems: The incumbent contractor's contract ended on 2/28/2026, and tasks have changed. Legacy systems (Q-Video, Q-Notes, Q-Bank, Recruitment Tool) are being phased out in favor of COTS products and in-house solutions. The target cloud environment for data storage is not yet established, and contractors can propose architectures within CDC-approved environments.
• Pricing & Contract Type: Offerors should include pricing for the Qualtrics (or equivalent) optional purchase CLIN. The contract will be a hybrid with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) CLINs for most tasks and severable cost reimbursement CLINs for respondent remuneration (Task 5) and advertisement payments (Task 6).
• Place of Performance & Telework: Tasks 1-4 are primarily onsite in Hyattsville, MD (5 days/week schedule), with situational telework possible. Tasks 5 and 6 can be performed virtually or at an agreed-upon local location. Physical lab tasks cannot be done virtually.
• Data & Systems: SOPs and user guides for legacy systems are available. Existing ATO boundaries are expected to be leveraged. Transcriptions are performed by government staff and contractors as needed, using Whisper and Microsoft Teams. The government has an enterprise license for Qualtrics.
• Optional Tasks: Offerors should assume all optional tasks will be exercised for budgeting and staffing purposes. Task 6 (advertisement coordination) has an annual budget of approximately 1% of the overall budget.

These clarifications provide essential details for proposal development, particularly regarding technical requirements, data management, staffing, and contract structure. Offerors should incorporate this information into their technical and price proposals.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for "Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) Mission Support Services" for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The objective is to support and assist the CDC/NCHS/DRM/CCQDER in performing their mission through management, maintenance, operation, support, and potential development of systems, applications, and methods.

The scope of work includes several tasks:

• Project Management

• Implementation, Maintenance and Support of CCQDER Hardware, Systems and Applications

• Cognitive Interview Data Management

• CCQDER Legacy Systems Maintenance and Transition (Optional Task 4)

• Remuneration Payment to Respondents (Task 5)

• Coordination of Advertisement Payments for Recruitment Efforts (Optional Task 6)

• Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price

• Period of Performance: Base Period (05/01/2026 – 04/30/2027) with four Option Periods (Year 2: 05/01/2027 – 04/30/2028, Year 3: 05/01/2028 – 04/30/2029, Year 4: 05/01/2029 – 04/30/2030, Year 5: 05/01/2030 – 04/30/2031).

• Estimated Value: Not explicitly stated, but the NAICS code (541900) has a small business size standard of $19,500,000.00.

• Proposal Submission Deadline: April 2, 2026, at 2:00 PM EST.

• Submission Method: Electronically to kpz5@cdc.gov.

• Evaluation Criteria: Best value tradeoff process. Factors are Technical (Non-Price) and Price. Technical is significantly more important than Price and includes Technical Approach, Staffing Plan, Management Plan, Similar Experience, and 508 Compliance (not rated).

• Key Deadlines: Inquiries due by March 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. EST.

• This acquisition is a Total Small Business Set-Aside.

• Only offers from small business concerns will be considered for award.

• The document includes extensive details on information security, privacy requirements, and contractor responsibilities, including data handling, encryption, incident response, and personnel security.

• Specific clauses related to FAR and HHSAR are incorporated by reference.