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What is the Long Term
Administrative Support Contract II (LTASC II)?
The Long Term Administrative Support Contract II (LTASC II)
is a multiple award ID/IQ acquisition to provide administrative
services on a long-term (a period of at least twelve months)
basis across all Institutes, Centers and Offices (ICs) within
the National Institutes of Health (NIH). LTASC II is a mechanism
to contract commercially and competitively for administrative
support positions.
This contract consists of a base year plus four option years.
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Who can use
the LTASC II contract?
Customers at all ICs and Offices across
NIH may use this contract.
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What are the benefits of
using LTASC II?
The LTASC II contracting program is a flexible means
for NIH to obtain long-term administrative support services.
Benefits of using LTASC II include:
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- Competition encourages strong contractor
performance and ensures the placement of qualified
administrative personnel.
- Emphasis on contractor's mid-level management
structure ensures proper supervision of
administrative support personnel..
- Focusing only on long-term administrative
personnel reduces unnecessary re-training and
ensures that the administrative personnel have
a firm understanding of day-to-day responsibilities
and workflow.
- Relieves the customer of the burden
of executing a full contract.
- Relieves the customer from completing a Small
Business Review Form (ex. HHS 653).
- Promotes small business goals.
- Reduces the risk of protest.
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What is the period of
performance for LTASC II?
The period of performance of the
LTASC II vehicle is one (1) base year
and four (4) one-year option periods.
LTASC II was effective on January 11, 2016.
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- What is the maximum
period of performance for a task order issued under
LTASC II?
Services on a task order may be performed
up to twelve (12) months after the expiration
date of the LTASC II contracts (base period
of performance plus any options exercised to
extend the term of the contract). Task orders
may utilize option periods, subject to subsequent
awards to the contractor, but the total performance
period for any task order shall not exceed five (5)
years.
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- What are the companies
that were awarded the contract
Sixteen (16) small business contractors have been
awarded an ID/IQ contract to provide long-term administrative
support personnel under the LTASC II vehicle. The names of
the LTASC II contractors are listed on the Vendors page.
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- Is the use
of this vehicle mandatory?
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This vehicle is not mandatory; however,
its use is highly encouraged. LTASC II is
aligned with NIH's corporate goal to consolidate
contracts. The vehicle has been developed with
stakeholder input to offer the NIH community
favorable contract terms from a highly qualified
group of pre-screened small business administrative
support contractors. Use of LTASC II will help
NIH meet small business contracting goals.
For temporary requirements (less than 12 months)
please contact the NIH BPA office.
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Task Order
Process
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What is the LTASCII
electronic Government Ordering System
(eGOS)?
The LTASC II electronic Government Ordering
System (eGOS) was developed to streamline the
Task Order Procedures outlined in Section 3 of
the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). eGOS
is a web-based system accessible via the Internet
and is the starting point for any LTASC II task
order. Please note that eGOS is a standalone system
and is not linked with other NIH acquisition systems,
such as NBS, at this time.
Please review the Customer eGOS Manual on
the LTASAC II Resources tab for further details
on registering and using eGOS.
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How do I place an order
on the Long-Term Administrative Support Contract II?
Detailed instructions on how to place a task order
on the LTASC II contracts are provided in section 3 the
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
Task Order Guidelines are subject to change; please
reference the LTASC II website frequently.
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What must the
TORP include
The TORP must include 1) a completed
TORP Form (this is the PDF document
generated by eGOS), 2) a Statement of
Work (SOW) with performance evaluation
standards, 3) an Independent Government
Cost Estimate, 4) a Determination &
Findings (D&F) (if applicable), and
either a (5) funding memo if the total
value (base value plus option years) is
less than $250,000, or an (6)
Acquisition Plan if the total value is
greater than $250,000.
Additional information can be found in Section
3.1 of the Standard Operating Procedures.
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What is a funding
document?
A funding document is a memo or email stating
that funds are available. It is generally signed
by the EO or budget officer or any authorized
personnel from your IC.
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Are management hours
required when submitting a TORP?
Yes, due to the non-personal nature of
LTASC II, management hours are required. The
LTASC II is requiring that a minimum of 12
management hours are included in each TORP
but you can increase that number if you wish.
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What is the minimum duration
of a task order issued during the life of the
LTASC II contract?
Use of this contract vehicle is reserved for
acquisition of administrative support needed for
a minimum of twelve (12) months. The life of the
LTASC II vehicle is one (1) base year and four
(4) one-year option periods.
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How many option
years can my task order have?
The number of option years available
to you on your task order depends on where
we are in the master contract’s period of
performance at the time of task order award.
For example, task orders awarded during the
base year of the master contract may have
up to 4 option years but task orders awarded
during the final year of the master contract
will have no option years.
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Can a single TORP
requiring multiple administrative support
personnel be awarded to multiple
contractors?
No, a single TORP requiring multiple
administrative support personnel will
need to be awarded to a single contractor.
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Who must submit the
TORP to the LTASC II CO and COR for review?
The LTASC II electronic Government Ordering
System (eGOS) will only allow the task order
CO to submit a TORP though anyone assigned to
the TORP may help to prepare the TORP. In addition,
only the task order CO will be allowed to notify
the LTASC II CO and COR that the responses to the
questions are ready for review and to submit the
Selection Recommendation Document (SRD).
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Will every contractor
receive all Task Order Request Packages (TORPs)?
Yes, all contractors will receive each TORP request
in accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(1), Fair Opportunity,
unless an exception to fair opportunity has been approved.
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What is a NO response
statement?
A "No Response" statement must be submitted
if a contractor is unable or otherwise cannot
perform a requirement. This shall be submitted
electronically to the Task Order CO using the
electronic Government Ordering System (eGOS).
For more information refer to Section 3.9.2 of the SOP.
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Can I request references from
contractors for administrative support personnel
resumes submitted?
References should not be requested from
contractors for resumes submitted. Contractors
were evaluated and awarded based on their
ability to provide quality administrative
support personnel, so no further reference
checks are allowed.
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How long does it
take to process and award a task order for
administrative support?
Task order timelines are largely dependent
on the specific requirement. The timeline for
the LTASCII Program Support Team to review and
release the TORP to contractors is targeted to
be approximately five (5) business days. Task
orders with special or complex requirements may
take longer. This processing time begins once a
complete, acceptable TORP is received by the LTASCII
CO. Incomplete or unacceptable TORPs will require
additional time for the LTASCII CO to advise the
Task Order CO on minimum acceptable requirements.
The Task Order CO will establish a TORP
response time that will afford contractors a
reasonable opportunity to respond to the requirement.
When establishing the TORP response time, the Task
Order CO shall consider the circumstances of the
individual acquisition and account for factors
such as the complexity, availability, and
value of the requirement.
Overall, it should take no longer than
30 days from the time a complete TORP package
is submitted for review until award.
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How long should
a TORP be open for?
Generally, 1 week is an appropriate
length of time to allow contractors to submit
questions and proposals, but this depends on
the complexity of the requirement.
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Are customer allowed to interview the contractors?
No, due to the non-personal services nature of
LTASC II, interviews are not permitted. However,
oral presentations will continue to be a part of
LTASC II and handled on a case by case basis with
the Task Order CO approval. The Task Order CO must
be in attendance and must pre-approve all questions
to be asked prior to the meeting.
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How and where
will awards be made and announced?
After the task order award is signed,
uploaded, and submitted by the Task Order CO
in eGOS, the LTASCII CO and COR will announce
the task order award by releasing an award
letter to the winning contractor. A notice will
also be sent to contractors via eGOS.
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Once our Task
Order CO makes an award, can we contact
the contractor right away?
Contractors are instructed not to begin
work until they have officially received the
task order award and award letter from the
LTASC II Contracting Officer (CO). You may
contact the contractor once the LTASC II
CO sends out the award.
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Is a customer allowed
to add positions to a task order after it is
awarded?
No, optional or additional positions may not
be added to a task order after it has been awarded.
All positions must be included in the initial
statement of work so that all the contractors have
an opportunity to bid.
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Services and
Task Order Types
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What are the
administrative labor categories handled
through the contract?
A description of the various levels
of administrative support ranging from
Clerk 1 to Admin 4 can be found in Section
1.2.1 of the SOP.
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How do I choose
the level of staff that I need?
Refer to the Standard Operating Procedures
for detailed descriptions of the six
administrative positions available. The LTASC II
Program Support Team may be contacted to aid
users in deciding which position description(s)
match the user's needs.
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How am I able to maintain
my current administrative support personnel?
Contractors will respond to task orders
with proposals containing qualified candidates,
some of which may include NIH experience.
There is no guarantee that you will be able
to retain your current staff.
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What can I say if
I am approached by current NIH Staffing Support
contract personnel?
Please be cautious regarding interacting
with current NIH Staffing Support contract
administrative personnel. Due to legal
constraints, it is not permitted to direct,
advise, or guide contractor employees. This
policy prevents you from recommending any
particular LTASC II contractors to the current
administrative support personnel. Kindly provide
the personnel general, public information about
LTASC II including the LTASC II fact sheet and
provide them with the LTASC II website
(http://LTASC.od.nih.gov) for additional
information.
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What are the services
expected as part of the contract?
Administrative tasks for services including
general office, support, travel, meeting, mail,
procurement, property management, personnel,
and publication. Administrative support personnel
in any labor category may be expected to perform
some, many, or all of the services listed above;
however, duties may not be limited to the
services detailed. For more information on
each service, refer to Section 1.3 of the
SOP.
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What is the policy
on replacing administrative support personnel
if they are removed from a task order?
To provide continuity of service to NIH Customers,
the Prime Contractor is required to provide a
qualified replacement admin of equal level on-site
within five (5) business days after the removal
of the original admin under a Task Order Award.
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Can an admin increase
in level during the life of the contract?
The contract allows an administrative support
position on an awarded task order to increase
admin level (Clerk 1 through Admin 4) during the
life of the task order. A position on a task order
can graduate levels only when exercising an option
year. The SOW will need to be updated to reflect
additional required duties reflecting the new level.
Please note that task orders are based on NIH’s
needs not contractor qualifications.
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What types of task
orders can be used under LTASC II?
The LTASC II contracts are indefinite delivery/indefinite
quantity (ID/IQ) type contracts utilizing Fixed Price
(FP) and Labor Hour (LH) type task orders. The task
order will provide detail of the specific services
that will be required. LH task orders should be used
only if FP type task orders are not suitable. Use of
an LH task order requires a Determination and Findings
(D&F) approval from the Task Order CO. LH task orders
beyond three years will require the approval of the
Head of Contracting Activity (HCA).
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Is telework
permitted under LTASC II?
Regular telework is not permitted under
LTASC II. However, language has been
included in the contract to allow for
ad-hoc telework
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Roles,
Responsibilities, and Support
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Who is responsible
for the supervision/management of the
administrative support personnel?
Every contractor under LTASC II is
required to have at least one Program Manager
(PM) and one Deputy Program Manager (DPM)
available for this contract. NIH may have
no management role of contracted employees.
These managers act as the NIH points of contact
that represent the contractor. Contractor
employees shall not provide personal services
under this contract. For more information
on these roles, refer to Section 1.2.2 of the SOP.
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What are the
responsibilities of the Task Order
Contracting Officer’s Representative
(COR)?
When NIH determines a need exists for
long-term administrative support services, a
Task Order COR must be identified. The Task
Order COR must be FAC-COR certified and is
responsible for all technical aspects of
the task order.
The Task Order COR will typically be
the individual requiring the services offered
under the LTASC II contracts or may be a
designee within the requiring the service. The
Task Order COR will develop the requirement
and will represent the Government as the main
interface between his/her Institute and Center
(IC) and the contractor during the task order
period of performance. The Task Order COR will
draft the TORP in eGOS, prepare the Selection
Recommendation Document (SRD), provide technical
direction to the contractor's management staff
to facilitate task order performance, and
monitor performance over the period of
performance of the task order.
Additional information can be found
in Section 2.2.2 of the SOP.
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What are the
responsibilities of the Task Order
Contracting Officer (CO)?
The Task Order CO has the authority to
act as an agent of the Government under a
particular task order. The Task Order
CO is a warranted CO from their respective
NIH Acquisition Office
Responsibilities of the Task Order CO
include approving and submitting the TORP
in eGOS, overseeing the evaluation of proposals,
approving the Selection Recommendation Document
(SRD), and creating and awarding a task order.
The Task Order CO is responsible for all task
order post-award administration and closeout
activities.
Additional information can be found in
Section 2.2.1 of the SOP.
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Who handles
the task order management?
The Task Order CO and Task Order
COR will be responsible for the majority
of task order activities involving
initiating, managing, modifying and
closing out task orders. The LTASC II
Program Support Team will be available
to assist the customer in these activities
if needed.
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Who addresses
all LTASC II vehicle level issues?
Contract level issues that arise during
task order performance should be referred
to the LTASC II Program Support Team
for resolution.
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What support is
available regarding LTASC II?
The LTASC II Solutions Center (301-435-5468)
is available to consult users of the contract.
In addition, materials such as the SOP document
and a fact sheet are available on the Resources
page of the website.
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Small Business Aspects
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Is the LTASCII
contract set up as a total or partial small
business set-aside?
The LTASCII contracts have been reserved
as a Total Small Business set-aside. All
the LTASC II contractors are small businesses.
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Who gets credit for
using small businesses?
The customer will get the credit.
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eGOS Help
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How do I register
to use eGOS?
If you are an NIH Employee, please
use your NIH username@nih.gov (e.g. jappleseed@nih.gov)
and not your email address. Your profile information
will be auto populated via Active Directory. Please
contact NIH OIT for any questions regarding your
Active Directory profile. Your eGOS password will
always be the same as your NIH password.
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I forgot my eGOS
password. Can you reset it?
If you are an NIH Employee, your eGOS
password is the same as your NIH password. If
you change your NIH password, eGOS will update
your password automatically. We cannot reset
your NIH password. Please contact NIH OIT for
any issues with your NIH password.
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Why can I not
see my Task Order CO or COR in the drop
down menu?
Your Task Order CO and/or COR must
be assigned to the CO or COR groups in
eGOS in order to show up in the drop
down menu. Please have the Task Order
CO and/or COR register in eGOS. Once he/she
has registered, email us at LTASCII@mail.nih.gov
to be added to the CO and COR groups in eGOS
and we will update their profile. As a
reminder, the Task Order CO and COR must
be FAC-C or FAC-COR certified. This will
be verified.
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