Solicitation - BARDA Accelerator Network 2.0 - Supplemental Announcement to Fill Diagnostics and Medical Devices Hub Vacancy

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the BAN 2.0 – Supplemental Announcement to Fill Diagnostics and Medical Hub.

• Incumbent Vendor: University Lab Partners is the incumbent vendor under Other Transaction Agreement No. 75A50124C00007.
• Future Vacancies: No further BAN 2.0 vacancies are anticipated.
• Resume Format: No specific NIH or NSF-style resume format is required. Resumes must not exceed two pages.
• DEV Support Timelines: The 6-month period for DEV support begins at the time of award and reflects expected project execution duration. Flexibility for extensions exists. Time spent in pre-award phases does not count towards the 6-month period.
• Subaward Structure: BARDA plans to provide standardized templates for structuring project-milestone based awards.
• Rapid Response Activation: Multiple hubs could be activated simultaneously for a single response scenario.
• Cross-Hub Coordination: Each Hub is expected to maintain individual programming and processes; specific cross-hub processes are not mandated.
• Transition Period: Proposals should assume a clean start; no onboarding or continuation of projects from the prior hub's portfolio is expected.
• Readiness Costs: Rapid Response readiness costs are not funded from the base annual allocation. Separate funding will be provided upon activation.
• Throughput Data: BARDA will not provide benchmark data on throughput or operational cost ratios; proposers must calibrate their budgets based on their own capabilities.
• Number of Companies Supported: Proposers must independently assess how many companies can be supported within the $1.5M DEV Services budget, with an average individual award of up to $200k.
• Partner Commitment: The level of commitment expected for partners or subs at proposal submission is at the proposer's discretion.
• Sample OTA: A draft Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) will be shared with the selected proposer during award negotiations.

These clarifications address specific vendor inquiries and provide further detail on project timelines, award structures, operational expectations, and budgeting. No changes to submission deadlines or core requirements were indicated, but bidders should incorporate this information into their proposal preparation.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks a partner to serve as the Diagnostics/Medical Devices Hub for the BARDA Accelerator Network (BAN) 2.0. The goal is to foster the growth of the health security innovation ecosystem by providing commercialization support and enabling rapid development, evaluation, and validation of medical countermeasures (MCMs) against health security threats. This initiative aligns with BARDA's mission to catalyze R&D, manufacturing, and procurement of MCMs.

The selected Accelerator Hub will be responsible for:

• Providing wraparound accelerator services, including entrepreneurship education, access to business/commercialization and technical expertise, and networking opportunities.

• Sourcing, reviewing, funding, and accelerating innovators and companies, and performing product development, evaluation, and validation of MCMs.

• Building a rapid emergency response infrastructure to fund and accelerate MCM development and validation.

• Focusing on diagnostics and devices for pathogen-agnostic surveillance, detection, and diagnosis, as well as innovative medical devices for casualty care and respiratory health.

• One award is anticipated for the Diagnostics/Medical Devices focus area.

• The Agreement is expected to have a base period with 6 option periods, totaling up to 7 years.

• Initial base funding is $2.0 million, with annual funding options for wraparound and DEV services aggregating $2.0 million annually.

• The overall agreement ceiling is up to $500 million.

• Proposals are due by 12:00 PM ET on April 20, 2026.

• Questions are due by 12:00 PM ET on April 2, 2026.

• Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria in descending order of importance: Summary of Relevant Experience and Past Success, Organization Capabilities and Key Personnel, Program Design and Technical Approach, and Cost/Price Proposal.

• Respondents must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).

• Respondents must be U.S.-based Concerns.

• Demonstrated record of providing wraparound accelerator, commercialization, product development, evaluation, and validation services.

• Demonstrated experience building a network of innovators, startups, investors, and other ecosystem partners.

• The solicitation is issued under BARDA's Other Transaction Authority.

• Respondents are encouraged to propose cost/resource sharing/contributions.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel workbook containing pricing and cost breakdown templates for potential annual option work related to the opportunity. It includes separate sheets for "Wrap Around" services (up to $500k) and "DEV" services (up to $1.5 million).

• Annual Option - Wrap Around Sheet: Provides a template for detailing costs associated with wrap-around services, including direct labor, fringe benefits, overhead, subcontracts, consultants, other direct costs, material handling, and general & administrative expenses. It allows for the input of Period of Performance (PoP), labor categories, hours, rates, and costs, as well as funding breakdowns for BARDA and Accelerator funding.
• Annual Option - DEV Sheet: Similar to the wrap-around sheet, this template is for Development (DEV) services, with a higher funding assumption of $1.5 million. It includes fields for direct labor, fringe benefits, overhead, subcontracts, consultants, other direct costs, material handling, and G&A expenses, along with funding allocation details.
• Instructions and Notes: Both sheets contain instructions for filling in subcontractor and consultant details, key personnel, and descriptions for various cost categories. Notes clarify requirements for supporting documentation for proposed rates and personnel identification.

This workbook is essential for bidders to prepare their cost proposals. It outlines the structure and categories for which pricing information is required for both wrap-around and development services under potential annual options. Bidders must use these templates to detail their proposed costs accurately, adhering to the specified formats and instructions.